Chapter 069
Shimen Yihshyong
Yihshyong turned towards the voice. He saw Shiuander Janji, their kind neighbor, standing in front of the fence of his house. He was holding a plastic bag that seemed to contain the daily necessities he had just bought.
"Good afternoon, Sir! Did you just come back from shopping?" Iren smiled widely.
"No. I just went to buy soap and toothpaste. Is your friend injured or sick?"
"While visiting here, he suddenly felt unwell. We have given him headache medicine, but to no avail. Since his condition is not improving, we decided to take him to the hospital," Yihshyong replied.
"Ah, I see. I hope your friend will recover soon."
"Thank you, Sir!"
"Are you guys having an event?" Shiuander Janji raised an eyebrow. "Looks like your house is full of people. Was there a party, or something like that?"
"No, Sir! It's just a coincidence that they came here." replied Iren. "We haven't seen them in a long time. No particular purpose."
Shiuander Janji looked at Chioujen and Jinqkang.
"They are Mr. Duanmuh's relatives." Iren explained.
"Oh! So you guys are from Yeuandong too?"
"That's right, Sir! But we also live in this city," said Chioujen.
Jinqkang just smiled. He didn't say anything. Maybe the young man didn't know what to say.
"Nice to meet you," said Mr. Shiuander.
"You are welcome, Sir!" answered Yihshyong and his friends.
"I didn't see Mr. Duanmuh. Where is he?" Mr. Shiuander asked.
"He happened to be away, Sir. He got an interview call to work in a library," Yihshyong answered.
"Ah! That's good news." Shiuander clapped his hands. "I hope he manages to get the job."
"Thank you, Sir! We hope so too," said Yihshyong. "How about your new television? Is there no problem anymore?"
"Oh, the picture is so sharp. The sound that comes out is also very clear. I am very happy."
"Very well then, Sir!" Iren said.
"Okay! I have to put these things inside," said Mr. Shiuander.
"Please, Sir!"
After Shiuander Janji entered the fence of his house, Yihshyong and his friends also went back into their house.
"Iren, I want to talk for a moment." Yihshyong took Iren's arm. "Come on, let's go to the back porch."
The two of them then headed to the terrace behind the kitchen. Arriving there, Yihshyong quickly sat down.
"You must want to ask about the two small bags, right?" Iren preceded Yihshyong in starting the conversation.
"Right! You haven't told me any of the things the police told you."
Iren then briefly told about the things they experienced in the house that were right behind the house they lived in.
Luckily, this time he actually told everything in a nutshell.
"I've been thinking that, too. When are we going to start inspecting this house?" Yihshyong nodded.
"I think we don't have time now. It's almost four o'clock. We'd better get ready to wait for the phone call now." said Iren. "After they finish calling, then we do a thorough inspection of our house. We have to be absolutely sure that our house is clean of eavesdroppers."
Yihshyong nodded. The two of them then returned to the dining room. After calling Jinqkang, the three of them then gathered in front of the phone. Yihshyong and Jinqkang put the earphones connected to Huahshiang into their ears. After turning on the two Huahshiangs, Yihshyong could hear a voice greeting.
"Good afternoon!"
It was Chioulin Shinnjaang's voice. Apparently, he had been on standby since earlier.
"Good afternoon!" Yihshyong replied. "I am Shimen Yihshyong."
Yihshyong turned his head to see the faces of his friends. He tried to present a voice full of authority. But from the expressions on the faces of his friends who were there, it seemed that his efforts had failed miserably.
"Mr. Shimen, what about the things Mr. Borbae has been talking about?"
"Sorry, Sir! We haven't had time to do that yet. A lot has happened this afternoon."
"We understand, Sir! But we hope today we will have confirmation."
"We'll try, Sir," answered Yihshyong.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Sir!"
"You're welcome, Sir. How about the latest developments?"
"We are ready to monitor incoming phone calls. Now we are waiting for what they have to say," said Chioulin Shinnjaang.
"Regarding the previous phone call, have the police not been able to trace where the call came from?" Yihshyong urged Chioulin to reveal it.
"I'm so sorry, Sir. We haven't succeeded yet. It's possible they're using new technology that could disrupt our tracking process. But we'll keep trying! That's all we can say for now."
"Right now, Mr. Duanmuh Shannchyuan is not here yet. Have the police received any new information regarding his whereabouts?" Yihshyong asked.
"We have started receiving a list of the names of the victims. Due to the large number of victims, they are scattered in several hospitals and health clinics. So there are indeed some problems there. So far, there is no Duanmuh Shannchyuan's name on the list of victims that we received."
"Alright, we understand. Please let us know if there are recent developments regarding the victims of this afternoon's incident," said Yihshyong.
"Yes, Sir," said Chioulin Shinnjaang. "Is Mr. Duanmuh Jinqkang also ready now?"
"I'm ready!" Jinqkang answered firmly.
Yihshyong glanced at the clock that adorned the light blue wall in the room. Four o'clock was only a few minutes away. He turned to his friends. They all put on a tense face. Even Chioujen, who often had a straight face in various situations, this time showed an unusual facial expression.
Yihshyong waited anxiously. He glanced back at the clock on the wall.
Four o'clock has arrived!
Nothing happened. No incoming phone calls.
The faces of the people in the room grew tense. Yihshyong was sure they were all guessing in their hearts as to what was going on in the kidnappers' stronghold. So far, the kidnappers had always contacted them at the time they promised.
Five minutes had passed. Still no call.
Are they testing us?
Ten minutes from four, their phone still hadn't rung.
What is this? Did something bad happen there?
"Be patient, gentlemen!" A voice came from the earphones plugged into their ears. Chioulin Shinnjaang was probably worried that the delay would make Yihshyong and Jinqkang very nervous.
Yihshyong tried to calm himself down. He had been nervous ever since. The delay didn't make things any worse, but it made Yihshyong even more nervous. He glanced at Jinqkang. The young man seemed to be trying to appear calm. Yihshyong didn't know if in his heart the young man could really control the anxiety that arose at such a crucial moment.
Fifteen minutes past four. Still no call from the kidnappers.
"Could it be that they realized we had tricked them?" Iren said in a low voice.
"I don't think that's possible. What caused them to suddenly realize that the person they were talking to wasn't Beaushu?" asked Chioujen.
"I don't know. Maybe they had felt something strange about the person who spoke to them. And it was only a few moments later that they realized it," said Iren.
"If that's true, they'll just call again and get angry at us and ask to speak to the real Beaushu," Chioujen said.
"Never mind! You guys just shut up. We'll just have to wait. Maybe they're really facing a problem," said Yihshyong.
Twenty minutes past four, their phone was still silent.
"Mr. Shimen!" Chioulin Shinnjaang's voice came from their earphones. "We ask the gentlemen there to stay on standby. We don't know what happened. But we believe the kidnappers can contact you at any time."
"Alright, Sir! We're always ready!" Yihshyong replied.
"Package!"
Suddenly, there was a loud voice from outside the house.
"Package! I'm delivering a package!"
Iren rose from his seat. He immediately left the house to meet the deliveryman of the package.
"What is it, Mr. Shimen?" asked Chioulin Shinnjaang.
"It's nothing, Sir. A courier sent the package," Yihshyong replied.
Less than two minutes later, Iren was back again. He was holding a package. The object was a package that was rectangular.
"Package for whom?" asked Chioujen.
"For Dahge," answered Iren.
Iren sat in the dining room. It was obvious that he would soon open the package.
"Why did Renge open the package?" Chioujen looked on in surprise. "Isn't that for Beaushu?"
"Here it is written that this package must be opened as soon as we receive it," said Iren. He pointed to the writing on one side of the package.
Iren opened the package with a very fast movement. It seemed that he was very curious. Iren took out a wooden box from the package. Without hesitation, he opened the wooden box speedily.
"Eh?" Iren screamed when he opened the package.
"What is it?" Chioujen got up and walked towards Iren's side.
Iren put his hand into the wooden box. He took something from the box. Iren raised the object he had just taken out high.
"That's Shinnshiow's watch!" Chioujen shouted.
Yihshyong was surprised. He turned to Iren. It was true that it was a Shinnshiow watch. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a gift from his family. Shinnshiow received it about nine months ago.
"Mr. Chioulin! It turns out that this package came from the kidnappers," Yihshyong shouted.
"Don't worry, Mr. Shimen. We've been monitoring people going in and out of this housing complex. When you said that a package had arrived, we immediately alerted. At this time, our members are following the courier who sent the package," Chioulin Shinnjaang replied.
Chioujen pulled out a piece of paper from the wooden box. "These are instructions from the kidnappers!"
"What's in it?" Without realizing it, Yihshyong made a very loud voice. Jinqkang, who was right next to Yihshyong, jumped up in surprise.
"This is a clue about the time, place, and how the process of handing over the goods that Songfei left us," Chioujen said.
"Mr. Shimen! We have caught the courier who sent the package. We will question him immediately," Chioulin said.
"The police have arrested the courier," Yihshyong said.
"I don't think it will help much," Chioujen said. "The courier must know nothing. His job is only to deliver packages. So there's no way the kidnappers would have leaked information that could lead the police to their hiding place."
"But at least the courier can provide additional clues for the police. Information about when and where the kidnappers gave this package to the courier or the package delivery company will be very useful for the police," said Iren.
"I hope so," said Chioujen.
"Give me the paper," Yihshyong said.
Chioujen handed the paper that was in his hand to Yihshyong.
"Mr. Chioulin," Yihshyong said. "This package contains Shinnshiow's watch and detailed instructions on where, when, and how to hand over the ransom items."
"Okay, Mr. Shimen. Now you have to copy all the writings on the paper. We'll talk later. At this time, I can't give further details," said Chioulin Shinnjaang.
Yihshyong removed the earphones from their ears. Jinqkang saw what Yihshyong was doing and did the same promptly.
"What should I do now, Sir?" Jinqkang asked.
"Nothing. You just stand by. I will copy and study first the clues the kidnappers sent," Yihshyong replied.
Yihshyong stood up and walked towards the dining table. He sat there to read carefully the instructions from the kidnappers. Chioujen handed Yihshyong some pieces of paper and a pen.
"Thank you," Yihshyong said.
The writing on the paper was written by hand. However, the font used was very similar to the font used in the letters printed in newspapers. It was obvious the writer wrote very slowly to avoid writing in a certain style. At the top center was a pentagon with a smaller pentagon inside it.
"It doesn't look like handwriting. It's more like print. The police would have a hard time figuring out who wrote this if it was just based on the form of writing," Chioujen said.
Iren, Chioujen, and Jinqkang stood clustered behind Yihshyong. Immediately, they all wanted to read clearly the details of the instructions that the kidnapper gave them.
"Why are you guys here?" Yihshyong tried to suppress the annoyance he felt.
The friends who had gathered behind him were silent. They just looked at each other.
"What you're doing is just making it hard for me to breathe."
They all took a half step back.
"Never mind. I'll read it first. You can take turns reading later after I finish," said Yihshyong.
Yihshyong's friends nodded. They all then shuffled around, taking their distance from Yihshyong.
Yihshyong then continued to read the contents of the instructions. The point of the letter was that the kidnappers asked them to bring all the things, including bags, that they got from Songfei. They wrote Shannchyuan had to deliver the goods to a fairly well-known park.
But that place is far from here! It takes time to get there!
Although the park was a famous place, Yihshyong had never been there. He also wasn't sure his housemates were familiar with the place.
Furthermore, the letter said that at exactly eight o'clock, Shannchyuan should be near the trash can in the pentagon-shaped pond in the park. To be more precise, he had to stand next to the trash can. Later, someone would come to see Shannchyuan there.
The kidnappers allowed Shannchyuan to come with others to the park. However, while standing beside the trash can, Shannchyuan had to be alone. The person who escorted him had to stand far from that point.
Yihshyong sighed. Right now, they really didn't know where Shannchyuan was. Even if soon after this, Shannchyuan could be found, it was very likely that he was injured. It was clearly impossible for them to force Shannchyuan to come along to deal with the kidnapping problem.
Yihshyong massaged his temples. Such a situation gave him a headache.
What should we do now?
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