Escape from the Thriller World – Chapter 10
by Little PandaVolume One: The Old Corpse in the Mountain Village
Detecting the Spy
That “it” in the Tong Lau had already noticed them.
Ning Lan’s words had no effect on Master Wei Jinye, so she had to put this matter aside for now.
She decided to first approach the Ah Gong (respectful term for elderly man/grandfather) on the 18th floor, which was their side mission upon entering the Tong Lau.
Ah Gong, having passed his flower-marked years (traditional Chinese way of saying over 60 years old) and suffered the loss of both Ah Po (elderly wife/grandmother) and Ah B (term for youngest son), was living on his meager savings.
He would find friends to play several games of Chinese chess, and on his way home, would buy two bottles of Red Star Erguotou (a famous type of strong Chinese baijiu liquor) from the small shop outside the Tong Lau.
Ning Lan learned about this Ah Gong’s daily routine from Aunt Wang, and after sitting in the restaurant for several hours, she saw a thin, sallow-faced old man appear.
According to Aunt Wang’s description:
Bald, with graying temples, wrinkled face wearing a pair of reading glasses for the elderly.
He slowly emerged from the small shop, carrying two bottles of liquor in a plastic bag.
Ning Lan approached and greeted Ah Gong: “Ah Gong Li? Ah B’s maternal grandfather.”
Ah Gong glanced at Ning Lan, adjusted his elderly reading glasses and said: “That stinky kid Ah B owes money outside, right? Are you here to collect debt?”
The male protagonist from γThe Wicked Ghostγ had undergone changes in this parallel world, gaining a family storyline.
γPlot Hintγ
γNew Character Unlocked: Ah Gongγ
γAh B’s Family Storyline Integratedγ
Ning Lan quickly changed her words and waved her hands: “No, no, I was also shocked by Ah B’s death. I just wanted to check on you, and I left some things at Ah B’s place that I’d like to look for.”
“The house is in a mess, I just returned yesterday. Perhaps you could come another day,” Ah Gong politely declined.
During this period, Ah Gong had been spending time at friends’ homes playing Chinese chess due to excessive grief. When he returned home yesterday, the place was in complete disarray, making him almost suspect thieves had broken in.
The mess was justified, as they had played the Pen Fairy game and several people had died.
However, those players had already been mysteriously disposed of by the game system.
The timeline matched up – Ah B must have returned from Yellow Mountain Village (Huangshan Village) before all this happened, and they had entered this parallel world after Ah B’s death.
As the sky grew dark, it wasn’t appropriate for her to bring up visiting Ah Gong’s home again.
Ning Lan then sent a message to Watanabe Keiko: “Miss Keiko, impressive skills, even fooling the police. Interested in coming up to the 18th floor for some tea? Let’s discuss cooperation.”
Watanabe Keiko was still immersed in terror, sitting in her room on the 10th floor. The police had taken her statement and believed this bystander was innocent.
Her pitiful and delicate appearance was so moving that even the police were consoling her.
Watanabe Keiko’s phone rang, and cold sweat formed on her palms.
She hurriedly lifted her hand into her leather clutch, her fingers suddenly tensing as she turned her body away from the police.
The phone screen displayed a message from Ning Lan.
Watanabe Keiko stretched her fingers and typed: 8 PM, your room’s living room, for detailed discussion.
When Ning Lan proposed cooperation, Watanabe Keiko was naturally eager to hear more.
She, Watanabe Keiko, who could sell herself to a brute like Xie Wu for survival, would certainly not mind having one more ally.
As for Xie Wu, she planned to eliminate him once she no longer had use for him.
Under Watanabe Keiko’s sweet face lay a datura flower (mandala – a poisonous flower, metaphor for a beautiful but deadly woman in Chinese literature).
She was truly a skilled actress, having the Hong Kong police running in circles (Chinese idiom meaning completely fooled).
Watanabe Keiko revealed a cunning smile as she greeted the approaching Xie Wu.
She leaned close to Xie Wu’s ear and said: “There’s a good show tonight, Brother Xie Wu must cooperate with Keiko.”
Xie Wu nodded and smiled: “Anything beneficial for both of us, naturally.”
As Xie Wu disgustingly tried to lean in closer, Watanabe Keiko forced out a smile to play along, while feeling full of revulsion inside.
……
Ning Lan went straight back to the 18th floor of the Tong Lau, and as she turned the key and pushed open the door, she smelled the aroma of food. Shen Qingyou had shown off her skills by preparing several small dishes.
Ning Lan nodded in approval: “Not bad, Ice Block Shen even has such culinary talents.”
Ning Lan had become addicted to using the nickname “Ice Block Shen”!
Just as Ning Lan was about to go to the kitchen to wash the dishes and chopsticks before eating, Shen Qingyou patted her hand, making a “keep away” gesture.
Shen Qingyou said airily: “If you want to eat, cook it yourself.”
Ning Lan composed her expression and said: “Stingy ghost.β
Ning Lan had come prepared – she had bought several cups of instant noodles from the small shop downstairs to eat with hot water.
Shen Qingyou watched her pitifully boiling water for her instant noodles, her gaze lingering on her for several seconds.
“Ice Block Shen, why do you keep staring at me?” Ning Lan touched her face.
Could there be something dirty on her face?
Ning Lan’s cheeks reddened as she avoided her gaze.
Shen Qingyou couldn’t finish all the dishes by herself, so she said coolly: “If you don’t mind, come and eat.”
A cold face but warm-hearted woman!
Ning Lan put down her instant noodles and scurried over to the table, burying her head in the food.
They both analyzed Watanabe Keiko’s crude scheme – there must be another person who helped her kill Sun Er Pao, and that person was Xie Wu.
With Watanabe Keiko’s strength alone, it would be impossible for her to be in two places at once to commit murder and deceive Xu Sanduo.
Unless there was a third person at the scene who witnessed the entire killing process.
Xie Wu was the “ghost” Watanabe Keiko had mentioned.
“Deduction complete, the dishes and chopsticks are yours to wash,” Shen Qingyou commanded as she pulled out some tissues and elegantly wiped her mouth.
There was indeed a price to pay for eating this woman’s cooking.
Ning Lan forced a smile and said: “Leave the dishes and chopsticks to me, I’ll wash them now.”
Their relationship had eased slightly – at least there wasn’t that bad first impression anymore, and she wasn’t as cold as Ning Lan had imagined.
While Ning Lan was still washing dishes, a “knock knock knock” sound came from outside the door.
It was only 8 o’clock now, and according to the rules, they could still go out.
Shen Qingyou opened the door without much thought, and Watanabe Keiko entered with Xie Wu, plopping down on the sofa and said: “What method did you two use to get this room? It’s much better than the rooms downstairs.”
Sun Er Pao’s room was dirty and damp, and Watanabe Keiko felt sick just thinking about having to live there.
Her eyes gleamed with light (Chinese expression indicating ulterior motives), seemingly having designs on this room.
Shen Qingyou said coldly: “This doesn’t seem to be something you, Watanabe Keiko, should be concerned about. We’re here to discuss cooperation, aren’t we?”
Her gaze, her every movement and gesture, was too familiar.
Watanabe Keiko stood up with her head held high, scanned her with a glance and said: “Shen Qingyou, I feel you’re very similar to someone.”
Shen Qingyou continued: “Are we going to discuss cooperation or not? Don’t you want to enter Yellow Mountain Village together?”
Watanabe Keiko waved at Xie Wu, who attempted to step forward to restrain Shen Qingyou with his amateur martial arts skills.
Shen Qingyou stepped back and swept her leg, causing Xie Wu to fall flat on his face.
Watanabe Keiko said calmly: “You really are that person! You’ve followed me even here!”
Watanabe Keiko used borrowed force (jing li da li – Chinese martial arts principle) to meet Shen Qingyou’s moves. One used close-combat grappling while the other used judo, and after exchanging about ten moves, they were evenly matched!
“Watanabe Keiko, killing you in this parallel world would count as eliminating a threat to the country!” Shen Qingyou, having recognized her identity, struck with fierce determination.
Until her left hook connected and her right leg kicked into the abdomen area, Watanabe Keiko was knocked onto the sofa. She clutched her lower abdomen as her throat burned hot and blood spurted out.
Watanabe Keiko, being a prideful Japanese woman, wiped the blood from her mouth corner and said: “Baka (Japanese expression meaning ‘idiot’)! Come at me again!”
Shen Qingyou pulled out a γweaponγ from her waist and pointed it at Watanabe Keiko: “You infiltrated our country to steal information, who is your superior!”
Watanabe Keiko only said: “As an intelligence operative of the Great Japanese Empire, how could I submit to your Chinese National Security Department!”
Ning Lan walked out from the kitchen wearing an apron to find them fighting, and said: “How could you two start fighting without letting me initiate? Watanabe Keiko, you’re not interested in cooperation anymore, are you!”
Both women said simultaneously: “Shut up.”
Shen Qingyou had recognized her from the first meeting – she had seen her photograph in the diplomatic personnel files at the National Security Department.
She hadn’t been completely certain it was the same person, which is why she hadn’t killed her yet.
Until Watanabe Keiko instigated Xie Wu to kill Sun Er Pao, she had spotted the clues.
“Ning Lan, persuade her – we’re all grasshoppers tied to the same rope (Chinese idiom meaning people sharing the same fate)!” Watanabe Keiko turned her gaze toward Ning Lan again.
“Ning Lan, you dare plead for her? She’s a Japanese spy!” Shen Qingyou gripped the gun tighter.
“Kill her!” Ning Lan said without hesitation.
In a moment of desperation, Watanabe Keiko signaled Xie Wu to help her.
Xie Wu stood silently on the side, helping neither party. Though he wasn’t exactly a good person, he couldn’t tolerate Japanese spies.
Chinese people must have backbone, how could one become a traitor!
Just as Shen Qingyou was about to pull the trigger to execute the Japanese spy Watanabe Keiko, a knock came from outside the door.
“Have you seen my granddaughter, Jiajia?” Ah Gong’s steady voice asked.
Without them noticing, the clock had moved toward 11 o’clock, and the Tong Lau’s rules surfaced again.
γAfter 11 o’clock, do not leave your roomγ
γDo not refuse requests for help from Tong Lau residentsγ
γIf you break the rules, it might spare you if it’s in a good mood?γ
The first two rules were again in conflict – should they open the door or not?
Xie Wu had long wanted to escape this room, which was filled with gunpowder smell (Chinese expression meaning intense hostility) between the two women.
Xie Wu turned around and ran to twist the door lock.
“No, don’t open it! Ah Gong doesn’t have a granddaughter!” Ning Lan immediately said.
The thing outside is a ghost!
It was already too late – Xie Wu had opened the door.
What they saw was an old man with pus flowing from both eyes, his corpse falling down with a “bang.”
The reading glasses shattered across the floor.
Xie Wu was startled by this old man and fell backward onto his shoulder.
“Dead old man! Get out of the way!” Xie Wu pushed away Ah Gong’s body.
The sound of the paper doll came from the hallway again, hopping and jumping toward their direction.
That horrifying nursery rhyme surrounded their ears again, and the four of them felt as if they were possessed…
The three people in front of Ning Lan walked toward the hallway, looking exactly like mindless “jiangshi” (Chinese hopping vampires/zombies).
Ning Lan covered her ears and recognized the glasses, saying: “How can this be Ah Gong? I just saw him not long ago!”
Ah Gong was dead – again it was connected to that room next door.
The entire family of Ah B had died.
That “It” in the Tong Lau had already noticed them.
LP: What?! That plot twist is so unexpected!!! (Β°γΒ°)
0 Comments