Qian Fugui saw me at the door and hurried over, saying, "This person was talking to himself by the washbasin, saying 'three trees'? There was no sound from the toilet. Later he said, 'five,' and a cough came from inside. Then he said, 'one two three five six seven eight nine ten?' Another cough came from inside, and then he said, 'twelve?' There was no sound from inside, so he shook his hands and came out."
A code? Yes, it must be a code. We need to quickly figure out what "five trees" means. Counting from one to ten is understandable; it must mean ten people. Twelve is twelve o'clock. Border crossings are usually preferred at this time, when the villagers are asleep, and a little commotion would go unnoticed.
Our border with "Old Myanmar" is connected to many villages, and it's not uncommon for a village to straddle two countries. Some people who illegally cross the border use these places to come and go easily.
Three trees, five trees?
Since he mentioned them, these places probably aren't called that, but they must be related to trees or numbers.
Qian Fugui and I quickly returned to the room and called Wen Siqiang into the senior's room. We sat down to study this place that was like a place name.
Wen Siqiang is more familiar with the geography here than I am, so let's see if he can figure it out.
Wen Siqiang said, "There are many place names with 'tree' here, so it seems likely it involves trees. The numbers might be code names."
"Three" could also be "mountain" (shan) or "fir" (shan). "Five" could be "mist" (wu) or "parasol" (wu).
Longdao Town has a Wutongshu Village, and Jiegao has a Shanshu Village. Both of these villages are near the border and have that "one village, two countries" layout.
So, was he referring to the village in Longdao? Did the underground organization from Country A come from here?
The senior said, "The 'ten' and 'twelve' are easier to decipher: ten people, twelve o'clock. However, a village can be very large, and without knowing the exact location, it's difficult to surround them."
I said, "Border villages are usually quite narrow, but there aren't many places where vehicles can pass through. There are only a few accessible spots; the rest are quite rugged and not suitable for movement. Wen Siqiang, go get a minivan from the company. You and Qian Fugui go to Wutongshu Village and scout the situation. Remember, don't alert them."
Wen Siqiang nodded. I said, "Change into your original clothes and wear a couple of hats."
They quickly went downstairs. I said to the senior, "When will your brothers arrive?"
The senior said, "They'll be here in a little over an hour. Once they arrive, they'll coordinate with General Wu's men for an ambush. We'll give them a scare to make them restrain themselves."
I said okay and called Wu Laosan, asking the special forces to cross the border near Longdao. We'll all gather there later to discuss the specific plan.
Just then, my phone rang. Speak of the devil, he called just as I was about to call him.
It was Wu Laosan.
I asked, "What's up, brother? I was just about to call you."
He said, "The personal guards mobilized by my father have arrived near the border. Where are you crossing?"
I said, "Are you far from Longdao? Come over around eight o'clock, and I'll meet you. We'll do some training there tonight."
Wu Laosan said, "Okay, I'll bring the team over."
I said, "That's great. See you in Longdao."
After hanging up, I said, "When your brothers arrive, we'll go to Longdao to meet Wen Siqiang."
I called Brother Leopard and asked if he was back. He said he had just gotten home and asked if I needed him for something. I said, "You rest well, I'll borrow Da Kui for a bit. I have an operation tonight."
He said, "Okay, have him contact me."
After a while, Da Kui called. I told him to prepare a seven-seater commercial vehicle at the raw stone base, and we'd come to find him.
I told the senior, "Let's change into plain clothes too and head to the raw stone base."
The senior went to his room to change, and I took off my current outfit and put on my own plain clothes.
It was much more comfortable in plain clothes, but my image couldn't change. I'd still need to wear sunglasses and a hat when I went out later to avoid suspicion.
When Jing Lei helped the senior and me choose clothes earlier, she bought both formal and casual wear. So, even though I changed into casual clothes, I still looked like I was dressed by a foreigner.
My casual wear was silk print, blue on the bottom and white on the top. The senior wore gray and white, short-sleeved. With a hat and sunglasses, we were still stylish.
We went downstairs and asked the greeter to call us a taxi. We moved to the lounge area to wait.
There weren't many people in the lobby. A few foreigners were dancing in the ballroom, the piano music had changed to lively dance tunes, and some people were sitting nearby, leisurely drinking coffee. Everything seemed so quiet, undisturbed, a scene of peace and harmony.
Who would have known that the Ryan Hotel was surging with undercurrents and fraught with danger at this moment? Who would have known that countless evil eyes were watching these innocent people from the shadows, ready to unleash a crisis at any moment?
I shook my head. I firmly believed in the saying, "There are no troubles in the world; it's the ordinary people who stir them up!"
Everything is the evil and greed of people, like demons hiding in Pandora's box, always ready to come out and harm others.
At this moment, a security guard at the entrance called us; the car had arrived.
We stood up and went to the entrance to get into the car.
A taxi was parked at the entrance. Two security guards solicitously opened the car doors for us and then bowed slightly, inviting us to get in.
We got into the car, and the driver asked where we were going. I told him a different place, not too far from the winery's raw stone base.
Drivers who pick up fares here are familiar with the routes. Perhaps the driver would be picking up someone related to Principal Sun next time, so we had to be cautious and not reveal our whereabouts.
The driver said nothing and accelerated.
"Sailing cautiously ensures a thousand years of safety." I can consider everyone a friend, but that doesn't mean I can open my heart and tell my secrets to anyone.
Especially today, with the arrow already on the bowstring, a slight misstep could cost me my head.
The senior and I didn't talk in the car. He closed his eyes, and I looked out the window.
It had rained in the afternoon, but it had stopped now. There were many broken branches and fallen leaves on the road from the strong wind and rain, not yet cleared. The road was a mess.
Ruili, and even the entire Yunnan province, doesn't have the endless, drizzly rain of the Jiangnan region. Its rain comes and goes quickly. If it rains for half a day, it's considered a torrential downpour. Usually, it lasts ten or twenty minutes, or half an hour. After the heavy rain, the sun peeks out from behind the thick clouds, and soon, it's a clear day.
The car stopped in front of a building, the address I had given the driver. It was still some distance from the raw stone base, so I asked Da Kui to come and pick us up.
We stood by the roadside for a while, and Da Kui drove over in a commercial vehicle.
Commercial vehicles back then were mostly ten-seaters, unlike the seven- or nine-seaters now.
This car had enough seats, and it would be perfect for picking up the senior's people later to go to Longdao.
We got into the car, I greeted Da Kui, and introduced him to the senior.
Da Kui grunted in acknowledgment.
Da Kui is fierce, kind-hearted, and taciturn. He doesn't talk much like us; he just gets things done.