Chapter 007
Beeihae Shinnshiow
Beeihae Shinnshiow opened his eyes. He did not fully understand what had actually happened. He was trying to remember. However, the more he tried, the more headache he felt.
Apparently I fell asleep. Where are the people from earlier?
Shinnshiow looked around. He was alone in the room. After about three or four seconds, he sighed.
The doctors haven't let the cops come back in here to question me yet.
Shinnshiow's memory drifted to what he had previously experienced in the room before he fell asleep.
This morning, when he first woke up, there were already two policemen sitting by the bed. They immediately bombarded him with questions. At that time, he could only say the thing he remembered the most, namely about the appearance of someone who then helped him get out of there.
That person was Horngshi Gauchyh. Shinnshiow's neighbor who lives right next door. Shinnshiow didn't know how the old man got there. But clearly, he was so relieved when he saw him.
As soon as he entered the room where Shinnshiow was being held. Horngshi said that they should leave as soon as possible as the guards would be back soon. Shinnshiow knew that what Horngshi said was true. They had to seize the moment immediately.
Shinnshiow also remembered that Horngshi had brought a folding wheelchair with him. The old man put Shinnshiow into a wheelchair and pushed him out of the room. After that, Shinnshiow was unable to remember anything else.
Only about forty seconds after he opened his eyes, several people entered the room. They all wear white jackets. Shinnshiow had never been so happy before when he saw the doctor walking towards him.
Those people, namely the doctors who looked unable to hide the tension on their faces, ordered the two police officers who were sitting beside Shinnshiow's bed to get out of the room. They said Shinnshiow's condition was far from adequate to answer questions from police. The two policemen did not argue at all. They said that they would stand guard outside the room.
The doctors deftly checked Shinnshiow's condition. Even though he wasn't fully conscious yet, Shinnshiow had realized that the expressions on the faces of the doctors had become so strange. From the conversation between them, Shinnshiow concluded they were surprised that he could wake up so quickly.
After the doctors finished examining, they then injected something. After they left the room, Shinnshiow felt sleepy again. Less than five minutes later, he had fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes a second time in the hospital bed, he had no idea how long he had been asleep.
Ah! All that is not a dream. I've managed to escape from that place! Now I'm really in another place!
After observing his surroundings, Shinnshiow realized he was in a room that was so large. However, even so, there was only one bed in the room.
This place is too big. It must be quite expensive to stay here. Who will have to pay for it later?
Shinnshiow's attention shifted to his whole body. Previously, a few hours ago, when he first opened his eyes, apart from the IV needle, there was a tube inserted through his nose. Now, the tube that fed oxygen into his body was gone. However, the IV needle was still stuck in his hand.
Just like before, the door to the room opened again. Only this time, the number of people who came was not as many as before. Two doctors and a nurse entered the room.
There is only one patient in this room. Thus, there is no doubt that their presence was to check on the progress of my condition.
"Good afternoon, Mister Beeihae." One doctor greeted Shinnshiow kindly.
So it's still noon. Means I didn't sleep too long.
"Good afternoon." Shinnshiow could hear his own voice. He sounded like a weak old man.
This is really worrying., I'm not old yet at all!
"You wake up so quickly. In fact, earlier we predicted you wouldn't wake until three or four hours later."
Maybe the sleeping pills you gave me weren't strong enough for me.
"So, how do you feel right now?" The doctor smiled. By Shinnshiow's estimation, the doctor was probably still only thirty-two or thirty-three years old.
"Except for a limp and a headache, I'm fine. Maybe in another four or five hours, I'll be fully recovered."
"You are incredibly confident, Sir." The other doctor smiled politely. He looked older than his partner. Maybe he was in his late forties. His skin was rather dark, with wavy black hair. "Not many people can easily motivate themselves. Confidence like this really helps your body's recovery process."
"Actually, what happened to me?" Shinnshiow really wanted to know what had happened to him. The kidnappers did not treat him badly. But for some reason, this morning, Shinnshiow suddenly felt nauseous and very weak.
"You have been poisoned." The older doctor spat out those words at such a slow tempo. He seemed worried that Shinnshiow could not understand his sentence. "We have not been able to determine exactly what poison entered your body. However, based on the symptoms you are experiencing, for the time being we conclude that you have been poisoned by Korabizu."
"Korabizu?"
This is so impossible! Are they not mistaken?
"That's right, Sir." The doctor nodded graciously.
"Isn't that a strange food that is very hard to find in this city?" Shinnshiow shook his head vigorously. It was really hard for him to believe. "How did that happen? I've never touched food like that."
"What makes Korabizu poisonous is the imperfect processing method. So there are bacteria and Korabitoxin that are in raw Korabizu. If the raw Korabizu is cleaned properly, there will be no problem. But if not, then the combination of bacteria and the Korabitoxin can cause poisoning. Low doses will only cause nausea and headaches. But high doses can result in death." The doctor, who was not yet forty years old, explained briefly.
"As far as I know, Korabizu is usually eaten half cooked?" Shinnshiow asked. "Is it harmless?"
"If the bacteria and Korabitoxin in Korabizu have been removed, it won't be dangerous. So not all cooks can do that. It takes years of training. And they can't process it without a certificate issued by the authorized institution."
I know about that. Songfei once told me about a murder case that used Korabitoxin as poison.
"But I don't eat that stuff at all," Shinnshiow said.
"That's why we were a little doubtful. If you took Korabizu, then there should be some Korabizu fibers stuck in your mouth or tucked between your teeth. However, in reality, we didn't find traces of Korabizu at all."
"So, how did that toxic substance get into my body?"
"My guess is that someone deliberately smeared or introduced the bacteria and Korabitoxin into the food or drink that you consumed this morning."
Shinnshiow tried to remember what he had eaten this morning. After two or three minutes, he finally remembered that the kidnappers had given him a pretty decent breakfast. He had eaten yellow rice porridge with a topping of sliced turkey meat. He also drank apple juice mixed with goat's milk.
It was really delicious! Could someone have put poison in the dish?
"What did they poison me for? Last night, they said that if everything went well, then this afternoon they would release me. When I had nausea and a headache, they also panicked and went to find some medicine. So, it must not have been them who did it. "
"If it's a matter of who did it, of course, that is the authority of the police. Our job is only to find the cause of your condition like this and make you recover as before," said the older doctor.
"Now, we will go out first, Sir." The younger doctor tapped Shinnshiow lightly on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll recover soon."
"I think now I'm ready to answer the questions that the police will ask," said Shinnshiow.
Although I'm still not sure that I will be able to provide a lot of useful new information.
"Maybe not now, Sir." The older doctor shook his head quickly. "Sir, are you still dizzy? People who are poisoned by Korabizu usually suffer from a memory disorder. This will last for a few days. If you keep pushing yourself, I'm afraid you will give false information to the police."
"Okay, if you guys think it's the best thing."
"But don't worry, Sir," said the doctor with wavy hair. "I will convey the information you just gave us to the police, who are still waiting in the next room."
"Thank you, doctor."
"Outside there are your friends and family. Would you like to ask them to come inside?" The doctor, who was not yet forty years old, asked in a tone full of familiarity.
"Oh yes? Of course they are here. They are the people I live with. May I have them?"
"As long as they don't ask serious questions, then they are welcome to be here. We have already told those gentlemen outside about things that they should not discuss just yet."
"Don't worry, Sir! They really like to joke around. Serious matters are the last thing they want to discuss." Shinnshiow laughed.
The two doctors and nurses then left. They opened the door and immediately disappeared. About a minute later, the door opened again. Four men entered the room.
"You look fine," said Iren. "Then my worries are completely unfounded." The man laughed at Shinnshiow.
In a flash, Yihshyong approached Shinnshiow. He sat down in a chair beside the bed right away.
Jenqyih looked a little emotional. There were tears dripping from his eyes. Without delay, he approached Shinnshiow and hugged him. After that, he sat down on the chair that was next to the one Yihshyong was sitting on.
"Yihge, it looks like you've been hit hard!" Shinnshiow smiled broadly.
"I just got carried away." Jenqyih wiped the tears on his cheeks.
The fourth man, Mingju Tsaehorng, stood firmly at the end of the bed. Even though he looked tired, the young man still tried to smile.
"And Young Master Mingju has also deigned to attend this place. It is truly an honor." Shinnshiow smiled even wider.
"Sorry, Uncle. If only I had accompanied you at that time. Then something like this would not have happened."
Shinnshiow looked at Yihshyong and Iren. He didn't know what Tsaehorng already knew about the things they were dealing with. He didn't want to say the wrong thing so that it would make his friends' plans fall apart.
Yihshyong smiled. He stared at Tsaehorng. "That's totally not your fault. Shinnshiow left the house before you got to ours."
"Correct!" Iren nodded. "Besides, even if you had come before he left, this Shinnshiow still wouldn't bother you. At that time, you should have rushed over to take Miss Liuchiou to see what had happened to her relative's house."
Shinnshiow flinched hearing that. He remembered that there had been a fire in the area where Yinqyueh's relatives lived. He looked straight at his friends. " Eh? How is her relative's house? Is it really on fire?"
Jenqyih, Yihshyong, and Iren looked at each other. There was a doubtful look in the eyes of Shinnshiow's friends.
"Ah, never mind." Shinnshiow shook his head vigorously. "I know the doctors told you not to say complicated things. We can talk about that sometime." He understands his friends were in a state of awry. Something bad must have happened. But they had to refrain from saying it.
"Do you still have a headache?" Yihshyong asked.
"A little. It might be gone soon too. Have you guys been waiting for me outside the room for a long time?"
"We just came. This place is quite far from home. It took quite a while to get here. As soon as we got here, the doctor forbade us to enter because you were still sleeping. But not long after, it turned out that you had woken up. "
"Who looks after our house?"
"Of course Chioujen," Iren replied.
"So he really did come home. I really wanted to see him."
"Maybe later Chioujen can replace one of us to accompany you here," Yihshyong said.
Shinnshiow nodded. He felt relieved. "I just remembered something. Where is Dahge? And how is Miss Liuchiou?"
Jenqyih, Iren, and Yihshyong looked at each other again. The look in their eyes was a little strange.
I'm sure that there is something they are hiding. The doctor did not allow me to ask serious questions. So maybe they also find it difficult to come clean. But I still have to try to ask.
"Has something happened to Dahge?" Shinnshiow looked straight at Jenqyih. His one friend was indeed the easiest to read his mind. Among them all, he was the most simple-minded. So usually it was difficult for him to hide what he was feeling. Moreover, it concerned Shannchyuan.
"Dahge has other business to handle. So today he can't visit you. Maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow he will show up as a surprise for you."
Jenqyih's words did not make Shinnshiow relieved. His eyes were out of sync with what he had just said.
Something must have happened. And I can't know now! Okay. Later I will try to ask again about it.
"Let's talk about something else." Shinnshiow laughed again. "Tsaehorng, how was your painting exhibition?"
"Very good, Uncle. Many visitors have praised my work. I am so thrilled. Feelings like that are really not easy for me to get."
Shinnshiow understood Tsaehorng's point. The young man was born into a rich and famous family. From the time he was born to adulthood, whatever he did was always associated with his family. Perhaps there were rarely people who really praise him. At that time, there were people who admired the work that was purely born of his own hands, without interference from his family. Of course, it was only natural that Tsaehorng would be so happy.
"So you didn't run out of food at all during the captivity of the kidnappers?" Yihshyong leaned forward. He studied Shinnshiow's body.
"Shyongge is right. They always gave more than enough food. Not infrequently, I ended up full. Not only that, the food was so delicious. I even thought about whether they deliberately hired a famous chef to make me feel comfortable."
"Then this looks more like a vacation than a kidnapping?" Iren rubbed his cheeks with the fingers of his right hand.
"Maybe Renge could say that," said Shinnshiow. "But still, it felt so different. In a real vacation, I could end it at any time. As for this time, I'm really depending on you guys. Thank you for getting things done quickly."
"You're making fun of us, huh?" Iren laughed. "It's not our fault you only got back now. It was the kidnappers who kept delaying the handing over of the ransom."
"Never mind! We'd better not talk about such heavy topics," said Yihshyong.
"Sorry, I forgot. I got carried away," Iren answered. "So it turned out they really did treat you well."
"But weren't they really rude at the time of the kidnapping?" Before Shinnshiow could answer Iren's question, Jenqyih let out those words.
"Yes. During the kidnapping was indeed the only time when the kidnappers acted as the kidnappers should do. But I have a suspicion related to that. Actually, this is not just a conjecture because I experienced it myself."
"What do you mean?" Jenqyih raised his eyebrows.
"I thought the people who kidnapped me weren't really from the same group as the people who held me captive."
"Ah!" Jenqyih nodded. "You've come to the conclusion that they belong to two completely different groups. Who just so has to work together to achieve a common goal."
"That's right. I overheard a conversation between my captors. They don't seem to like a certain group of people who they think are savages and barbarians. I don't know who exactly this bunch of savages and barbarians they were referring to. They might be the ones who kidnapped me. But, they might also be other people who have absolutely nothing to do with us."
"We feel that way, too. The kidnappers are very strange. Their actions are not common at all. So we conclude they are probably not really kidnappers. They just happen to have to do it that way. As Jenqyih said, to achieve a common goal," Yihshyong said.
"That's your own conclusion. You didn't even discuss it with us when you came to that conclusion." Iren laughed quite loudly.
Yihshyong also laughed. "Sorry I forgot." His expression was a little strange. Kinda like a sorry person. But at the same time, it's like someone who was laughing at himself.
"I think you've forgotten that you are Yihshyong, and not Dahge," said Iren.
Yihshyong still laughed for a while before then looking towards the window. Sunlight streamed through the window. "At least, I got to know how Dahge normally feels in this position."
Eh? What does Shyongge mean? Why did he seem to take over Dahge's role?
There was a knock on the door. Immediately after that, the door opened. Two policemen rushed in. The two people bowed before them all.
"What's wrong, Sir?" Yihshyong looked surprised. "Have the doctors allowed you to ask Mr. Beeihae questions?"
"That's not it, Sir!" The two policemen looked nervous. "There is something else that is very important."
These two people are not the two police officers who had questioned me earlier. Maybe the task of these two people is just guarding in front of my room.
"What other thing is very important?" exclaimed Iren. "Isn't this over yet? Is there still another sequence of events as another surprise for us?"
"Can we talk outside, Sir?" The policeman once again bowed before Yihshyong.
Shinnshiow took a breath. "It's okay. Please, say it here. I'm fine. I'm also almost recovered right now. Before the sun sets, the doctors here will definitely let me leave this hospital."
"Are you sure?" Iren asked.
"Of course I'm pretty sure. Those doctors are overreacting."
"Yeah, just say it here." Yihshyong said to the two policemen. "Don't worry, I'll explain it to the doctors later."
The two policemen nodded. One of them advanced about half a step. With a firm voice, words flew out of his mouth. "About twenty minutes ago, we got a call from the police station in Yuehming."
Abduction cases are not the same as cases of theft or murder. The police station that handles kidnapping cases is usually from the headquarter, not the police station where the incident took place. So, maybe there is another reason about why the crucial role of the police force is held by the police station in Yuehming."
"What did they say?" Iren stared at the two policemen with eyes that couldn't be called geeky.
"They said that this morning around half-past nine, someone reported to the police that he saw strange smoke coming from a house nearby."
"Strange smoke?"
"That's right, Sir. In addition, the smoke also emitted a pungent odor."
"You mean it happened in a house that's not far from this hospital?" Yihshyong seemed to be trying to clarify what the policemen were saying.
"That's right, Sir!"
"If it happened around here, why would anyone report it to the police station in Yuehming, a place quite far from here?" Iren again showed his scary face to the two policemen.
"They didn't report there, Sir. They went to the police station near here." One of the two policemen didn't seem to like Iren's tone.
"Iren, don't interrupt just yet. Let this policeman finish his story." Yihshyong tried to defuse the tension.
"Thank you, Sir." The policeman bowed respectfully. "So about half an hour later, some police officers whose job it is to patrol came to the house. There, they found some pretty suspicious things."
"What kind of suspicious things?" Jenqyih raised his eyebrows again.
"Earlier, the police in Yuehming did not explain to me what things were suspicious. So I'm very sorry, Sir. We are unable to answer your question, Sir."
"It's okay. Please continue," Jenqyih said.
"Because there were suspicious things, they decided to enter the house. They broke down the door and stormed inside. The source of the smell turned out to be from a box in a room on the second floor. Inside the box was a jerry can which contained a mixture of sulfur gas and ammonia gas. After searching the house, the police found the door to the basement."
Yihshyong, Jenqyih, and Iren looked at each other again.
Basement? It's like Déjà vu!
"When the police checked the basement, they found two people who were not moving at all. They were both tied to ropes, so the police panicked. They thought that there had been a double murder in that place. However, after the paramedics arrived, it turned out the two people did not die. They just fainted. Indeed, their pulse was very weak. So, it was only natural that the patrolling police thought that the two people were dead."
"Then the police took the two people to this hospital straight away?" From the expression on Jenqyih's face, Shinnshiow got the impression that his friend seemed to have guessed what the police wanted to say.
"That's right, Sir! After about an hour of being in the emergency room, they were moved to the regular room,"
"Then why are those people in Yuehming only now telling you? What does this have to do with us, anyway?" Iren looked at the two police officers. His gaze implied a million questions.
One of the police officers took a deep breath. One by one, the words slipped out of his lips. "Because it was only about an hour ago that the police managed to identify them. Then, twenty minutes ago, the Yuehming police station notified us. The two people are Mr. Duanmuh Shannchyuan and Miss Liuchiou Yinqyueh."
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