Chapter 052
Duanmuh Shannchyuan
Barely blinking eyes, they all swarmed around the strange-looking objects.
"How do you install this?" Iren was holding the object that looked like a splitter.
"Yeah. It's easy. Just like a regular splitter," said Tsaehorng. "Now, let's install it first."
"Should we install it now?" Yinqyueh spat out words that sounded so naïve. It made the others tried not to laugh.
Tsaehorng smiled. "We have to try these tools first. We have to know if these tools really work properly." He installed the device deftly. Judging by the movement of his hand, it seemed that the young man had done that before.
"Have you ever installed anything like this?" Iren looked at Tsaehorng while nodding. Maybe he had the same thoughts as Shannchyuan when he saw what the young man was doing.
"Never. But I've plugged splitters a few times. It's the same thing." Tsaehorng picked up the two small boxes that looked like transistor radios.
"What's this thing called?" Jenqyih pointed at the two objects.
"I don't know, Uncle!"
"You don't know?" Jenqyih asked.
What's wrong with Jenqyih? Tsaehorng is not a technician. It's natural that he doesn't know.
Tsaehorng smiled. "How about we just call this thing 'Huahshiang'?"
Everyone nodded at Tsaehorng's suggestion.
A weird name! But no one objected to the name. Everyone agrees. Maybe we are all weird people.
Tsaehorng plugged earphones into each of those two things. He gave one Huahshiang to Shannchyuan while the other one remained in his hand. Then, he put the earphone in his ears. Shannchyuan followed the example of Tsaehorng just now.
"Just one, Uncle. Not both, Tsaehorng pointed to his left ear. "You also have to listen to the voice that comes out of the phone."
Shannchyuan smiled. He removed the earphone from his right ear. "Like this?"
Tsaehorng smiled broadly. He gave a thumbs up. Then he cupped his palms together. "Now let's try this tool first!" He pressed a button on the two Huahshiangs.
Is it true that he has never once operated this tool? He seems to know what he has to do.
Tsaehorng took another pager from his pocket. He opened another message that the pager received. "I had to call the number listed in this message as a sign that we were ready to try these tools."
"Go ahead," said Shannchyuan.
The police have prepared everything in such a way. Has this really become a standard procedure that the police have to do when they handle kidnapping cases?
Tsaehorng grabbed the phone's receiver. He dialed the number listed in the pager message he received.
"Hello!" Tsaehorng greeted after waiting for a few seconds.
"Is Mr. Huahshianq there? Yes, that's right, I mean Huahshianq Yeounan. Has he left? Ah, I just wanted to let you know that his order is ready. Tomorrow morning we will deliver it there. How about it? Five minutes past ten? Tomorrow! Thank you!"
Tsaehorng hung up.
Shannchyuan and his friends looked at Tsaehorng with inquisitive eyes.
"They said in five minutes the experiment will start," said Tsaehorng.
They were all waiting with palpitations.
In a situation like this, five minutes seems so long!
Exactly five minutes later, the phone rang.
Tsaehorng patted Shannchyuan on the shoulder. "Please answer the call, Uncle!"
Shannchyuan picked up the phone. He heard a firm voice from the other end.
"Good evening. Is this Mr. Duanmuh's house?"
"Yes, you right!"
"May I speak to Mr. Duanmuh Shannchyuan?"
"Yes, I am Duanmuh Shannchyuan," replied Shannchyuan. "What can I do for you, Sir?"
"Look, Sir! Sorry if I disturb you by calling you at night. My name is Tzuooterng Herchyng. I am the director of the library at the Yuehming city council office. Someone named Symaa Dongshyr sent us a CV. This is related to a job vacancy at our library. We have tried to contact the owner of the bookstore where he worked before. However, so far, we have not been able to contact him. Apart from the name of the owner of the bookstore where he worked previously, your name is also on the list of people who we can call. We contact you to check Mr. Symaa Dongshyr's credibility. So we would like to ask you some questions regarding Mr. Symaa Dongshyr's personality and habits."
Symaa Dongshyr was Shannchyuan's ex-co-worker at the used bookstore turned cafe.
"Of course I do, but I have other very important matters right now. How about tomorrow morning?"
Suddenly the earphones in Shannchyuan's ears made a sound.
"Good evening Mr. Duanmuh! My name is Chioulin Shinnjaang. I am a police officer who handled the kidnapping case of your friend. The call you are receiving is part of an effort to test whether the equipment we have provided is functioning properly. Can you hear my voice through the earphones that you use? If you can clearly hear my voice, you can simply say that you will come to the Yuehming city council library tomorrow, after lunch."
Shannchyuan could hear the words clearly.
"Look, Sir! How about tomorrow afternoon I go there to give a detailed explanation about Mr. Symaa Dongshyr? Also, I would bring some additional documents that prove Mr. Symaa Dongshyr's work ethic."
"Okay, Sir!" Answer the voice coming from the caller.
"I'll be there sometime after lunch. This library is in the Yuehming town hall building, right?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Okay, then see you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Sir!"
The person who claimed to be Tzuooterng Herchyng then hung up the phone.
"Thank you, Sir!.” said Chioulin Shinnjaang. "Now we just have to wait for the call from the kidnapper. You can remove the earphones now."
Shannchyuan and Tsaehorng then pulled the earphones out of their ear canals. Instinctively, Shannchyuan looked at the clock on the wall. Ten o'clock was still a long time.
"I think now is the time, Uncle," said Tsaehorng.
"Time to do what?" Yinqyueh's eyes looked straight into Shannchyuan's eyes with a probing look.
"You must go, now," said Shannchyuan. "But before that, I want to talk for a moment."
Jenqyih looked at them in surprise. But he didn't say anything.
Shannchyuan stood up, then walked toward his room. Yinqyueh followed Shannchyuan's steps from behind at such a close distance.
"Who did I go there with?" Yinqyueh instantly uttered those words when the two of them were already in the room.
"Of course with Miss Dihwuu, and escorted by Tsaehorng's driver. I think Tsaehorng has asked Miss Dihwuu to accompany you to the apartment. So you won't be alone there."
"Hmmm..." Yinqyueh touched Shannchyuan's arm. "When will Uncle catch up there?"
"Tomorrow afternoon, I'll try to get there. After that, we will go to Yuehming to have a look at the situation there. But of course it all depends on how things turn out after this. I don't know what Shinnshiow's kidnappers will ask for ransom, and in what way. So, now, I can't promise anything yet."
"Is that all Uncle want to say?"
"Of course not. There is another thing." Shannchyuan walked over to the bed. He crouched down and grabbed a small box slightly larger than a matchbox. After standing up, Shannchyuan held it out into Yinqyueh's hand.
"What's this?" Yinqyueh brought it closer to her face.
"Please save this thing for me. At least for the time being."
"What is this? Is it something so important?"
"It may not be important to other people, but to me, it's quite important. So I'm asking for your help."
"If this thing isn't important to other people, then there's no way anyone would take it away."
"I know. But if some burglars somehow manages to get into this house when we're not all around, he might just take the things that are here without a second thought. They might as well take this thing away. Incidents like that are not rare in a robbery."
"Is this place unsafe?" Has anything like this ever happened in this housing complex?"
"Nothing like that ever happened here. I'm sure this place is actually still pretty safe."
"So, Uncle is worried that the people who kidnapped Brother Shinnshiow will break through here?"
"I don't think that's possible. After all, we already reported it to the police."
I know this girl must have a hard time understanding my thoughts.
"So, Uncle is actually sure or not about the security here?"
"I don't think there's anything wrong with being more careful."
"Okay!" Yinqyueh took a deep breath. "Then where should I store this thing?"
"That's up to you. You can keep it somewhere you feel safe in the room Tsaehorng has prepared for you in his apartment."
"How long should I keep it?"
"Until when I asked for that thing back from your hand."
Yinqyueh's face still showed dissatisfaction. But she didn't ask any further.
"Now, let's get out of the room. They're waiting. Don't waste any more time."
They then came out of the room.
"I'm ready!" Yinqyueh raised her right hand.
Although the girl's voice sounded excited, her face was not at all happy.
I'm sorry that I have to make you feel uncomfortable.
"A moment!" Jenqyih looked at his friends. "Where do you want to send Miss Liuchiou to?" His eyes showed he wanted his friends to explain in a flash. "
"In the meantime, we will evacuate her first to a safer place." Iren patted Jenqyih's shoulder. "But we'll stay here until Shinnshiow returns."
"Safer place? Where is it?"
"Tsaehorng's apartment," answered Iren.
Jenqyih widened his eyes. After nodding with a smile, he raised his right thumb.
"Let me carry this bag," said Iren to Yinqyueh. Without waiting for the girl's answer, Iren took Yinqyueh's backpack.
They walk out of the house. Tsaehorng's driver had started the car. Iren Yinqyueh's backpack into the trunk of the car right away. Tsaehorng took the opportunity to get into the car. He sat in the seat next to the driver. The young man spoke seriously to the driver. He seemed to be giving instructions about the things that the driver should do. His hands were moving in the air as if he was demonstrating something.
Shannchyuan gently grasped Yinqyueh's two hands. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine." Shannchyuan, for the umpteenth time, tried to calm the girl down.
Yinqyueh nodded. She got into the car through the back door. Tsaehorng, who had finished giving instructions to the driver, got out of the vehicle. Miss Dihwuu then got into the car. She sat next to the driver.
From behind the window, Yinqyueh waved her hand. Shannchyuan, Iren, Jenqyih, Yihshyong, and Tsaehorng also waved to the people in the car. The car started running. In a matter of seconds, the car, moving away, had disappeared behind the bend into the highway.
Shannchyuan was still standing there. Even though the car carrying Yinqyueh had disappeared behind the turn, his hand was still waving towards the turn. Suddenly he heard the beeper again. Shannchyuan turned his head. He saw Tsaehorng pull the pager out of his pocket. The young man's brow furrowed as he read the message he had just received.
"Sorry, Uncle. Something happened at the exhibition. I'll take a look over there for a bit. I'll be back before ten o'clock."
"Is the exhibition still open at this hour?" Jenqyih asked.
Jenqyih is so weird today. It's not too late yet! We know most public places will still be open.
"That place is still open, Uncle! It closes around nine."
"Do you want us to order a taxi now?" Shannchyuan asked.
"No need Uncle! Soon one of my employees will come and pick me up here," said Tsaehorng.
"Does your employee know the address of this place?" Iren asked.
"He already knows, Uncle. I already told him this afternoon."
Just after Tsaehorng finished speaking, there was a motorcycle speeding toward them. The motorcycle then stopped right in front of them.
"Eh! He came so fast." Iren was amazed.
"That means the person who sent the news to Tsehorng's pager is not the same as this employee who just arrived." Yihshyong pointed at the motorcyclist.
Tsaehorng nodded. "The guy who just texted me is still at the show. He sent the message long after he told this clerk of mine to come pick me up here."
"Alright! Be careful on the way," said Shannchyuan.
The biker held out a helmet for Tsaehorng. The young man put the helmet on his head straight away. After that, he got on the motorbike. Shannchyuan and his friends waved their hands. The motorbike sped away quickly, away from their house.
They all went back into the house. While waiting for a call from the kidnappers, they sat in the living room and dining room. Anxiety radiated from their eyes. Even under normal circumstances, waiting was a tedious job. Especially now, when they didn't know for sure what would happen to their friend.
After about ten minutes, Shannchyuan stood up. He patted Jenqyih and Yihshyong's shoulders. They both stood up in a flash.
"You stand guard in the living room," Shannchyuan looked at Iren.
Even though his face showed disapproval, Iren still nodded. He forthwith lay down on the sofa.
Shannchyuan walked to the backyard. The other two friends followed him. Shannchyuan and Yihshyong then sat down on chairs on the kitchen terrace in the backyard. Jenqyih sat on the terrace floor.
"I want to talk about your friend." Shannchyuan faced Jenqyih. "What efforts have they made?"
"Before we came here, they had started an investigation. So I think they are a few steps ahead of the police," said Jenqyih.
"Do you think we were wrong or not?"
"About what?" Jenqyih asked.
"The police do not know that other agencies are also conducting investigations. What if this interferes with their performance?"
"We don't know for sure that the police don't know. It's not impossible that the police actually already know. Maybe something like this is a normal practice here," said Jenqyih.
"Competition between police agencies and secret agencies is commonplace?" Yihshyong looked at his two friends.
"Could be." Shannchyuan sighed.
"What's more important is that the agency my friend works for seems to have looked into this for a long time. They already know a lot more than we do. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually knew what the kidnappers wanted."
"So you suspect that your meeting with Jongli six months ago wasn't a coincidence at all?" Shannchyuan raised his eyebrows.
"I don't know if it was a coincidence or something he had planned. I also don't know when exactly they started investigating this. Maybe a year or six months ago, they had been after these people. But it could also be that this just started three or two months ago. To be sure, it didn't start in the last few days."
"Jongli said what?" Shannchyuan leaned forward.
"He didn't say anything specific. He just advised us not to act rashly. Even though they most likely won't harm Shinnshiow, still we shouldn't pretend to be heroes, wanting to settle this matter with our own hands. He asked us to just entrust this matter to be handled by the institution where he works, and also the police."
"Is that all? Did he say anything else?"
"Ah! He did say that they had found one of their hideouts. Their agents seem to be on their way. But he didn't know the mob had Shinnshiow locked up there or somewhere else."
Yihshyong gasped. He seemed to remember something important. "What about Songfei? Is your friend also investigating it?"
"They think these two things are related. So they are also investigating Songfei's current whereabouts. However, since Songfei told Dahge that he was hiding outside the city, Jongli said that other units are currently investigating his whereabouts. Songfei," Jenqyih replied.
"Other units in other cities?" Yihshyong asked.
"I don't know what my friend meant by other units in another city or other units in this city," Jenqyih said.
"What about you? What did you talk to the police about?" Shannchyuan looked at Yihshyong.
Yihshyong straightened his seat. "Exactly as we agreed. I'll tell them everything, except the parts related to Miss Liuchiou."
"Didn't the police ask for the things we found in Songfei's bag?" Jenqyih asked.
"Oh yeah, they said they had to check the contents of the bag," Yihshyong said.
Suddenly, the door that connected the kitchen to the back porch opened. Iren appeared from behind the door.
"Why are you here? Dahge asked you to stay in the living room," Jenqyih said.
"You guys are gathered here to discuss something that I feel is very important. Should I stay in the living room?"
"I'll explain to you later what we're talking about here," Jenqyih said.
"Okay," said Shannchyuan. "You sit here with me. I think nothing terrible will happen before ten o'clock."
Iren sat next to Jenqyih right away.
"Let's continue our conversation," said Shannchyuan.
"When will the police be here?" Jenqyih looked at Yihshyong.
"They didn't say they would coming here to get the things. They just said that the things in the bag might be a precious clue. I didn't quite understand what their plan was. It turned out that the police were very careful. They choose to avoid things that can provoke the kidnappers. So I think the police want us to take the stuff to their place."
"When should we do it?"
"Maybe tomorrow morning the police will contact us to explain their plan. In addition, the police also need information from all of you. So when you go to the police station, you might as well bring those things," said Yihshyong.
"Isn't it risky if we go to the police station?" Jenqyih asked.
"I think what the police mean is the place they use as a place for them to be on standby to monitor the case. So it's not really a police station. Most likely, it's not far from here," Yihshyong said.
"Shouldn't we discuss what we should say to the police?" Jenqyih looked at Shannchyuan.
"Tell me what you mean?" Yihshyong opened his mouth before Shannchyuan could answer.
"What I mean is don't we need to compose the words that we are going to tell the police? So that our stories are not different," Jenqyih said.
"No need," said Shannchyuan. "If our stories are exactly the same, the police will actually be suspicious. Let's just tell us all the things we saw and experienced. What we shouldn't tell is about the kidnapping incident that Miss Liuchiou witnessed. We agreed not to involve the girl. Apart from things related to Miss Liuchiou, we also don't need to say anything about this secret passage beneath our house. I don't think it has anything to do with our case at all."
"Is there anything else we should do?" Iren asked.
"Of course! Right now, we have to get ready," said Shannchyuan.
"Getting ready to do what?" His friends asked in unison.
"The police said they would check the items that Songfei left. What if they hold the items and have no intention of returning them to us? To the police, those items are evidence. If that is the case, then we have no clue at all, "Shannchyuan said.
"So we still intend to investigate the Songfei case?" Iren asked.
"I made a promise to Songfei. I think I should try to keep it," said Shannchyuan.
The three friends looked at Shannchyuan deeply. Shannchyuan didn't know what they were currently thinking. Then they looked at each other.
"All right! We'll go along with it. What should we do now?" Jenqyih issued the sentences at a slower tempo.
"Let's copy the writings in Songfei's bag first," said Shannchyuan.
"Ouch!" The notebook is quite thick. We don't have time to copy everything. After all, the results of the copies that we make may differ greatly from the original," said Iren.
"We will not copy it by hand. We can duplicate it with a photocopy machine. Around here, there are several shops that serve document copying," said Shannchyuan.
"The notebook doesn't need to be photocopied. Just the things in the envelope. I mean, a photo, a piece of paper full of scribbles, and a map," Yihshyong said.
"Why not?" Iren asked.
"Because I didn't say anything to the police about the notebook. I only said about the three things that were in the envelope," said Yihshyong.
Shannchyuan laughed at Yihshyong's confession. Sometimes Yihshyong did do such unexpected things. Actions that were sometimes wholly unreasonable.
"Then right now I'm going to the document-copying shop," said Shannchyuan.
"Could it be, apart from the kidnappers, the police are also monitoring our surroundings? It is not easy to get out of our housing complex," said Iren.
"I will try to change my appearance," said Shannchyuan. "Maybe I'll wear a hat, a mask and a leather jacket."
"Yes, but they will still see when Dahge comes out of this house," said Iren.
"Have you forgotten? I can get out through the underground secret passage!" Shannchyuan smiled widely.
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