Chapter 038
Shimen Yihshyong
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After exiting the room filled with piles of goods, Shannchyuan and Yihshyong hurried down the passage. Since they had been through this passage before, they could step without hesitation. In a relatively short time, they reached the part that was a branching passage.
"Would you like to stop by the restroom first?" Shannchyuan stopped walking. "All we have to do is turn sharply to the left."
Yihshyong also stopped walking. "No need. Or maybe you have to go to the toilet now?" He laughed. Shannchyuan did have a habit of urinating when he arrived at a mall or station.
They both continued their journey. The distance from the branching passage to the commercial area on the bottom floor of Jongharng Subway Station was relatively close. In an instant, they were there. As they passed the large gate in front of the Shindongchaang warehouse, they paused for a moment. The arch didn't seem as big as when they first saw it.
"We should have brought some things with us earlier. So when we get here, we can stop by here to deposit things at the warehouse." Yihshyong folded his arms across his chest.
Shannchyuan shook his head. "It's too inconvenient to carry things. Moreover, the passage we walk through is winding. Besides, the contours of the surface go up and down. Carrying a backpack in a passage like that is definitely not a pleasant thing."
"If I'm not mistaken, there are two wheelchairs in our shed. We can use them to transport things in the hallway," said Yihshyong. "Both wheelchairs are foldable types of wheelchairs. So we won't have any trouble bringing the wheelchair back home."
"But it's going to be a bit of a hassle when we get through that dog door."
"We can unload things from the wheelchair. Carefully put things through the dog door. After that, we put things back in the wheelchair when we get out of the room full of scattered things. It's a bit of a hassle, but it's a lot easier than carrying things the usual way."
Shannchyuan nodded. "You're right. Even in one day, we can go back and forth several times. Then, if everything goes well, tomorrow we can start moving things that way."
"If everything goes well?"
"Yes. Now we are facing a problem. If our problem becomes big and complex, I'm afraid we will have to deal with our problem. At that time, we may not have time to move things."
Yihshyong took a deep breath. Shannchyuan's words were quite reasonable. He just hoped that things wouldn't get any worse.
"Is there something you want to say?" Shannchyuan smiled.
"What do you mean?"
"The look on your face is like someone who hesitates to say something stuck in his mind."
"Does that really show on my face?"
"It's not obvious. But since we've lived together for a while, I'm used to seeing your attitude."
"There's something on my mind. But I'm not sure if it's important enough to say."
Shannchyuan stopped in his footsteps. "If it's bothering you so much, you'd better say it now. It's probably quite important. Even if you haven't realized it yet."
"Okay." Yihshyong also stopped walking. "It's about the photo of the woman we found in Songfei's bag."
"A photo of a woman whose face closely resembles that of a woman who was kidnapped near the Dafeisy Tower?"
Yihshyong nodded. "Yes! It does relate to that matter."
"Shall we sit there first?" Shannchyuan pointed to a long bench near where they were standing.
Yihshyong and Shannchyuan walked to the bench. The bench was empty, so they could sit freely.
"I feel that I've also met a girl whose face is very similar to the face of the woman in the photo." Yihshyong wasted no more time. He said what was on his mind right away.
"But, are you sure that the woman you met is not the woman in the photo?"
Yihshyong nodded. "The woman I met was very young. There is absolutely no way that she is the woman in the photo."
"Try to explain briefly in chronological order, please."
Yihshyong took a deep breath. He began to recount an experience that occurred about ten years ago. At that time, Yihshyong had the opportunity to visit an area known as a tourist destination for people who like to explore the wilderness. Most of the area, over ninety percent, still comprised dense forest. There, by chance, he met a team looking for people lost in the forest. Yihshyong, who was in the group at the time, simply followed the wishes of most of the people in the group. When they decided to help the rescue team, Yihshyong couldn't help but nod.
Yihshyong, who had never been in such a dense wilderness before, was separated from their large group. Luckily, he wasn't alone. Yihshyong lost his way with his two companions. It was still clear in Yihshyong's memory that they were terrified when they realized they were lost in the wilderness.
About six hours after being separated from the group, Yihshyong and his two friends found some people they were looking for. The rescue team said that twelve people were missing. Yihshyong and his two friends only found four of the twelve. The four of them were all teenage girls who had just graduated from school.
For the next seventy-two hours, Yihshyong and his two friends accompanied the four teenage girls. Such an atmosphere made them all close. After the rescue team found them, Yihshyong and his two friends decided to stop their exploration of the wilderness. The three of them went home first. Their large group had continued their activities according to the schedule they had planned long in advance.
"So, one of the four teenage girls, her face looked a lot like the woman in the photo?" Shannchyuan nodded after Yihshyong finished his story.
Yihshyong nodded vigorously.
"Then why didn't you say something yesterday when we looked at the photo together? Moreover, then Yinqyueh said that the woman in the photo was the woman who was kidnapped."
"Yesterday, I was still hesitating. I met that girl ten years ago. So, it will take a while for me to remember clearly."
"After that incident, did you ever communicate with the four girls?"
Yihshyong shook his head. "But I don't know if my other two friends have tried to contact the girls or not."
"You are right." Shannchyuan sighed. "It's possible that this has absolutely nothing to do with what happened to us. But that doesn't mean it's all unrelated."
"The woman in the photo is definitely not the woman kidnapped near the Dafeisy Tower. But it is possible that the girl I met was the kidnapped woman."
"There is indeed such a possibility."
"Then? What should I do now?"
"Nothing," said Shannchyuan. "We'll see what happens next."
"Do I need to tell this to the other friends?"
"I don't think it's necessary." Shannchyuan's tone was relaxed yet firm. "At least, for the time being, we don't have to add any baseless speculations."
Yihshyong nodded.
"Now, let's continue our journey." Shannchyuan got up from the bench. He quickly started walking.
Yihshyong looked left and right. As usual, the place was getting crowded. Many people were passing by around them. He instantly stood up and walked after Shannchyuan.
It was morning. The sun out there must have had been shining brightly. Having no time to waste, the two of them left the place. Their goal was to go up to the floor above, where the platform for the Line 21 Train was located. According to their calculations, it was already past the time people left for work, so it was likely that the platform would not be overcrowded with passengers waiting for the train. Coincidentally, just as they stepped onto the platform, a train arrived.
Yihshyong looked around them. He hoped no one was shadowing them.
"I don't think anyone is following us." Shannchyuan smiled. Apparently, he was aware of Yihshyong's concern.
"We still have to be careful."
Those people probably have a lot of experience doing things like this. So, they may be already around here, but I don't notice.
Shannchyuan nodded. "We do have to be vigilant at all times. But don't overdo it. I don't want people to get suspicious when they see us acting like we're being paranoid."
Yihshyong admitted that what Shannchyuan said made sense. However, it was difficult for him to act as if nothing had happened. He got into car number three from the front. Shannchyuan clung tightly behind him.
Since the train wasn't full, Shannchyuan and Yihshyong got seats. Shannchyuan sat to Yihshyong's right. To Yihshyong's left was a young man about twenty-five years old. The young man wore a light brown long-sleeved shirt. He was busy conversing with his friend sitting next to him. The friend wore clothes much more casual than the young man. He was wearing a dark blue short-sleeved shirt.
"By the way, how is your father doing? Is there any progress?" The young man in the long-sleeved shirt shifted their conversation to something else.
Yihshyong didn't know if the young man had switched the conversation to something else because he didn't want Yihshyong to listen to their conversation or because he just happened to want to talk about something else.
"Nothing has changed. He's still unconscious."
"What did the doctor say?"
"Same as before. Hope is still there, but not likely."
"They said so?"
"Not quite like that. They said it in technical terms and very ambiguous. But that's the gist of it. At least, that's what we thought."
"You don't want to get another doctor's opinion?"
"Seeing the severity of my father's condition, I don't think the other doctors would just say anything just to make us happy."
"So your father will be unconscious for the rest of his life?"
"I don't know. The doctor said the important thing is that he's stable. He's just unconscious."
"Then what about the police? They're not going to investigate further?"
"Police say there isn't enough evidence linking my father's condition to what happened to him."
"Haven't the police also asked the doctors to check for that possibility?"
"The doctor who was asked by the police to check my father's condition said that my father's condition like that was most likely caused by a congenital disease that my father had suffered for a long time."
"But that doesn't mean those people can be free just like that."
"The police did process them legally. It's just that my father's condition was not part of the charges against them."
"Oh! I don't know what to say. This is really unfair."
"I know. My uncle said that life is like that. Sometimes we will be faced with unfair realities."
Yihshyong poked Shannchyuan's waist. He wanted to know whether or not Shannchyuan had also eavesdropped on the conversation.
Shannchyuan suddenly bent his back. He bent his body down to his knees. Shannchyuan pressed his palms behind his head. His body position was very similar to the Brace Position people did when the plane was in an emergency. Yihshyong didn't understand why Shannchyuan did such a strange act. But because he wanted to know more, he also did what Shannchyuan did.
"I know you find the conversation between the two beside you are very interesting. But there is something else that is no less important." Shannchyuan whispered when Yihshyong was already in the same body position as him.
"Those two must think we're both crazy by now," Yihshyong whispered softly. "What other thing did Dahge want to say?"
"The person sitting across from us. Ever since we've been sitting here, he's been looking at us strangely."
Because earlier, Yihshyong focused on the two people sitting on his left. So he didn't pay attention to the other passengers. Yihshyong was already preparing to lift his body. He wanted to see the person Shannchyuan mentioned.
"Don't you look at that person!" Shannchyuan rebuked in a whisper. "Don't let him suspect that we've noticed that he's watching us."
"I think he knows now. Normal people would be suspicious when they saw someone suddenly bend over like we did."
"Not necessarily. Maybe he thinks we're weirdos or mental hospital patients who left prematurely."
"Then what should we do?"
"In ten seconds, I will return to the original position. Three or four seconds later, then you catch up. Do it naturally."
"Naturally, how?"
"Just do it. Don't look ahead."
Shannchyuan then rose from that position. Three seconds later, Yihshyong straightened his back.
"That person is gone," said Shannchyuan. "He left when we were in Brace's position."
"Maybe he's scared." Yihshyong laughed. He looked to the left. The two of them had also disappeared.
"I think they moved to the next carriage." Shannchyuan also laughed.
The other passengers were still in the carriage. They said nothing. There were three or four people who looked at Yihshyong and Shannchyuan strangely. But the others seemed unconcerned.
"Who do you think that person is? Does he have anything to do with the people watching our house?"
"I don't know who he is," Shannchyuan said. "But now that I think about it, I don't think he has anything to do with the things we're going through. Maybe we're just like certain people who have issues with him."
"I think so."
"Now we have to get ready to get off the train. We'll be at our destination station in a minute." Shannchyuan got up from the bench.
The station they were going to at that time to get to Yinqyueh's relative's house was indeed very close. Only two stations away. In no time, they had arrived at their intended station. Shannchyuan and Yihshyong got off in an orderly manner. With firm steps, they walked out of the station. Their steps were light but relatively fast.
"What's Dahge's plan?" Yihshyong had to ask because Shannchyuan hadn't explained at all what they had to do that morning.
"No special plans. We will head straight to Miss Liuchiou's relative's house."
"What kinds of things are we going to do there?"
"We're just going to see what Miss Liuchiou's relative's house looks like,"
"Aren't we going to talk to them?"
"Tomorrow, I have to take Miss Liuchiou home. Of course, it would seem strange if I met them now, but I said nothing about the girl."
"So we will not talk to the people in the house?"
"Maybe we should talk to their neighbors."
"It's a luxury housing complex. Residents in a place like that are usually very secretive. The neighbors don't know each other."
"They must have had housekeepers, drivers, gardeners, etc. Usually, they are a valuable source of information."
"Then how do we get into the compound? The entrance to the elite housing estate must be heavily guarded."
"When we get there, we'll think about it." Shannchyuan smiled.
I hope luck will always be on our side.
It was clear to Yihshyong that Shannchyuan had absolutely no plans. Right now, Shannchyuan was only acting according to his instincts. This dahge was indeed strange. Sometimes he had a thousand plans but did nothing. Sometimes he didn't have any plans, but he was determined to act, just like now. But whatever might happen after that, Yihshyong would still support Shannchyuan's actions.
There were actually times when Yihshyong doubted himself. Following others blindly is not a smart move. It was more like the actions of an uneducated idiot. It was natural that important figures in society always had followers. However, Shannchyuan was not an influential person. Shannchyuan was an ordinary person who had no power whatsoever. Following Shannchyuan could be said to be pointless. But somehow, Yihshyong felt that what he did was not a mistake. Apart from him, at least three other people did the same thing. There was no way the four of them were all wrong. Shannchyuan must have a certain virtue. A virtue that, at that moment, they might not be aware of. Maybe even Shannchyuan himself wasn't aware of it either.
"Now, what vehicle do we have to take to get there?" Yihshyong looked left and right after they came to the main road directly in front of the subway station exit.
"It's not far from here. We're not in a rush, so let's just walk." Shannchyuan's tone was relaxed.
On foot? It wasn't too far away, but not too close, either.
Luckily, Yihshyong was very similar to Shannchyuan. Not only their faces and body stature were similar but also some habits they had. Shannchyuan loved walking, and so did Yihshyong. So Shannchyuan's decision was not an unpleasant one for Yihshyong.
They walked along the sidewalk of the main road. Yuehming was very close to Pyngyuan, so they had traveled to the area many times. Shannchyuan and Yihshyong could even be said to have memorized the fairly large streets of Yuehming.
"At the intersection in front, we turn right," said Shannchyuan. "After that, we walk about five hundred meters. When we get there, we have to turn left. Then we walk straight. Maybe about seven hundred or eight hundred meters from there, there is a big gate, which is the entrance to the elite housing estate."
"What if later, the guard at the gate kicks us out because we don't have an appointment to meet one resident there? Yihshyong again raised the concern he felt.
"I already told you. Let's not think about it now. We'll talk about it later when we reach the gate."
Yihshyong laughed at what Shannchyuan had just said.
I know! Dahge chose to walk there on foot to buy time. He must be racking his brains right now to figure out a way to get us into the housing complex.
Even though they were walking leisurely, their walking speed was still quite high compared to the average person. Shannchyuan and Yihshyong's version of a leisurely walk was indeed different from most people's casual walk. In no time, they had arrived at a huge intersection.
There, they heard sirens wailing. From the left of the intersection, several fire engines were flashing past the intersection. Yihshyong and Shannchyuan paused for a moment. At the big intersection, there were pedestrian bridges that connected each side of the four roads at the intersection. Countless people were crowding each side of the road connected at the intersection.
"Oh, here are some more fire trucks. Looks like the previous ones weren't enough to put out everything." Someone in the crowd pointed to several passing fire engines.
"I think the fire was huge, so the fire service put a lot of cars in their fleet to put out the fire that's been raging since this dawn." His friend, who was beside that person, chimed in with such a loud voice. Maybe he was worried that his friend wouldn't be able to hear because the atmosphere was far from quiet.
"In the past, when my village burned down, not too many cars came." Someone else chimed in on their conversation. The two people who had spoken earlier turned to the person who had just spoken.
"Where is your village?" The person who was the first to speak looked at the person who had just joined in on the comment.
"My village is in Dahtyan." The man looked proud when he mentioned where he lived.
Yihshyong laughed inwardly. Dahtyan was one of the densest settlements in the city. Most of the residents were lower-class people.
"Of course, Sir!" said the person whose voice was thunderous. "This time, it was the elite housing that burned. It was the upper-class people who lived there. So it's only natural that the fire service gave priority."
Yihshyong gasped at the man's words. He turned to Shannchyuan. Instantly, Shannchyuan's face turned pale. He was so tense.
"Now we have to hurry over there." Shannchyuan's voice trembled slightly. It wasn't very obvious, but Yihshyong was sure the people's chatter had a significant impact on Shannchyuan's emotions.
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