Ru Meng didn’t have a clue what the plan was.
He looked at Vardan, who in turn, looked at Hakimi.
Hakimi knocked Vardan’s hand off his shoulder and said, “What plan?”
Vardan grinned as he said, “Your plan, of course. I know you’ve been cooking something up. The one you won’t tell me no matter how much I ask you about it.”
Hakimi stared at Vardan.
“Fine, we can talk about the plan.
First, let’s talk about our objective. We want to free everyone from this situation, including all the other kids, as soon as possible. The only way to do that is to subdue our captors.
There are two things that must happen for us to successfully do so. Firstly, Chen Jin and Liao Hua must be subdued. Secondly, Rayyan must die.”
Ru Meng asked timidly, “Do we have to kill him?”
Hakimi nodded and asked, “Do you know who Fang Chen Yu is?”
The name sounded familiar, but Ru Meng couldn’t place where he had heard the name. He shook his head.
“Fang Chen Yu is the chief of the Golden Gates, the largest gang in these parts, which also makes him the de facto ruler of the Nameless Town. Hardly anything happens around here without his explicit approval.
Rayyan, the mastermind of this whole operation, is his sole supplier for the magical stones that we mine here. These stones are supposed to be incredibly rare and somehow Rayyan is able to provide him with a steady supply every month.
What do you think happens if we take out Chen Jin and Liao Hua, while Rayyan escapes alive? He will come back with an entire army and hunt down every last one of us. Sure, a few of us might be able to evade capture, but those are horrible odds and I would rather avoid having to live the rest of my life like a rat,” Hakim explained.
He paused to see if either of the other two boys had any objections. Ru Meng didn’t like the idea of killing another person, but he didn’t have a better idea. On the other hand, Vardan seemed a little more solemn after hearing this and sat up a little straighter.
Hakimi continued, “Now, how do we go about achieving this objective? I’m sure you guys have noticed how the three of them work in shifts of two?”
Ru Meng replied, “One of them is replaced by another person every night. The day before yesterday, it was Rayyan and Liao Hua; yesterday, it was Chen Jin and Rayyan and today, it was Liao Hua and Chen Jin.”
“And it always happens in the same exact order. The person who has been working two nights in a row is the one who is replaced,” said Vardan, “Which means that at any given day, we will know who we need to deal with, which also means that we get to choose who we have to fight.”
Hakimi nodded.
Vardan cocked his head slightly and said, “So we’re going with Chen Jin and Rayyan, right? I don’t want to have to fight the violent idiot.”
“Do we know what each of them is capable of? For example, do any of them know magic?” Ru Meng asked after pondering for a moment.
“Liao Hua’s just a martial artist. He’s very proud of the fact that he doesn’t know magic. He’s always talking about it. Meanwhile, Chen Jin knows a few party tricks. No serious magic. Apparently, he knows a spell that lets him drink a lot without getting drunk,” said Vardan.
“You hear a lot when people think you’re not listening,” he explained to Ru Meng with a wink.
Ru Meng took a good look at Vardan. Had listening in on these conversations and gaining information been part of his plan when he framed himself for digging the tunnel?
“Liao Hua is still the biggest threat, even if he doesn’t know magic. You guys probably know that the best,” said Hakimi as he stared at the bruises all over the two boys’ bodies, “He’s a proper martial artist, not just your common street gangster.”
“So, Rayyan and Chen Jin? What do you know about Rayyan, Hakimi?”
Hakimi was quiet for a lot longer this time, before he finally said, “He has never said anything about magic, nor has he ever recited a spell in front of us, but I have a theory. A theory I can’t confirm, but it’s likely to be central to our plan. It’s also the reason why I really want to take as much time to prepare as possible.”
“What is it?” asked Vardan.
Hakimi was lost in thought again, as if he was trying to tidy up all the tangled threads in his mind.
At last, he explained, “I’m almost certain he knows magic, and not just any ordinary magic.
There are a few reasons why I think so. Firstly, he was probably an imam before all this. He’s very well-versed in the Qur’an and he’s good at giving lectures on Islamic practices. It also explains why he makes all of us Muslim kids do prayers so religiously. Magic, or sihir, is generally frowned in Islam, but ‘blessings’ are fine and imams regularly practice them. So it’s not out of the question for him to know magic.
The fact that he always knows where to tell us to dig when these magical stones are supposed to be so rare and valuable is also very suspicious.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
However, the real reason why I suspect him runs deeper than that. Have you guys ever noticed how there are never any real accidents around here?”
Ru Meng hadn’t been here long enough to know. Vardan, on the other hand, frowned.
“Vardan, you’ve lived in the Nameless Town for a while. You know how things are. There are bandits and Abyss creatures lurking around every corner. Most other mining groups have to deal with constant harassment by bandits, monsters and other rival gangs. A small mining operation with only kids and three fighters like this one should be incredibly vulnerable. Not to mention how valuable the stones we mine for are.
Yet, I’ve been here for three years and I’ve never seen a single successful attack happen. There’s been a hellrat that slipped by once or twice, but nothing serious or threatening.”
Vardan’s perfectly symmetrical eyebrows became even more tightly knit together. He listened intently to Hakimi as the boy continued his explanation, “Do you remember all those times they made us move locations halfway through the work day or when we were sleeping?”
Vardan nodded.
“I think he was moving us away from an attack that was about to happen.”
“So you’re saying—”
“That he can see the future, yes.”
Ru Meng gulped audibly. He looked at Vardan, whose thick eyebrows seemed almost fused together in an expression of deep contemplation. Hakimi nodded solemnly. They all knew what this meant. Any sort of ambush or scheme they planned ahead of time would be no secret to Rayyan.
How do you beat an opponent who could know everything in advance?
“But what about that time with the tunnel?” asked Vardan, “He wasn’t the one who found it. It was Chen Jin who stumbled into it. If he could really see the future, why wouldn’t he have foreseen someone trying to escape through a tunnel?”
Hakimi thought for a moment before replying, “I’m not entirely sure, but it’s highly likely that there are certain limitations to this ability of his. After all, we have been able to scheme behind his back all this time. He still hasn’t realized that Lan isn’t the culprit he’s looking for, or that the three of us are in cahoots. Or I could just be wrong. This whole thing is just a theory, after all.
It’s possible that his future sight is limited to very specific things. For instance, things that would cause direct harm to him. If that’s the case, he can’t see bad outcomes that can’t wound or kill him, like a child lying to him.”
Ru Meng listened to everything the two older boys were saying and couldn’t help but be impressed. It was a reassuring feeling to know that there were people you could count on. Yet, at the same time, he felt slightly upset that he couldn’t contribute more to the discussion.
“There are also a few suspicious things that he does that support my theory. For example, you guys might not know this because you’re sleeping, but Rayyan always comes to check up on everyone about an hour before the dawn prayer, even if it’s not his shift. Likewise, he is always missing right before the dawn prayer. I’ve stayed up several nights in a row to confirm this and it’s an obvious pattern,” Hakimi continued.
“So do you mean that Rayyan always visits the mines because he’s using himself to test if anything bad will happen? Because, like you said, he can only see the future if something bad happens to him, right?” asked Ru Meng.
Hakimi nodded and said, “I believe that Rayyan has the ability to see the future and that it has to be directly related to him. This last part is the boldest part of my theory and the part that I’m the least sure of. Rayyan always vanishes before the dawn prayer. But where to? And why does he have to disappear? From all the little fragments of information I’ve gathered, I think he goes home, to cast the ritual or spell that lets him see the future. If that’s the case, it means that he has to cast the spell at least once a day…”
“…which means he can only see up to one day in the future, until he casts the spell again,” Vardan finished the thought for all of them with a smile on his face, “which means there is a window of opportunity that we could plan an ambush without him knowing!”
“The time when he goes home to cast the spell. But don’t forget, we have to kill him to make all this work out. That is nearly impossible to do if he is able to see any future outcome where his life is at risk. However, assuming that he cannot see the future past the one-day limit, which is around the same time he recasts the spell, there will be a very, very narrow window for us to catch him off-guard.
We will wait outside his house and wait until he finishes casting the spell. Only then and then will we attack him. Since the bad thing won’t happen until right after the time limit of the spell, he will only have a few seconds' head start before we jump on him.”
“That’s perfectly logical,” said Vardan, “so why is this the ‘boldest’ part of your theory?”
“Because all of this only works on the assumption that Rayyan can only see one day into the future and that the effect of that spell only lasts one day. If that spell lasts even one hour longer than that and Rayyan is only recasting it as insurance…”
“He will see us coming and all three of us are doomed.”
Hakimi nodded grimly and said, “If we are even slightly wrong about this, it will be the worst-case scenario.”
There was a brief silence as everyone let that possibility sink into their minds. Ru Meng couldn’t help but be worried. The possibility of failure felt so real, like a cage closing in on him. Could they really succeed with such bad odds on their side?
“Well, that’s a chance we have to take, isn’t it?” said Vardan with a laugh, breaking the tension in the air, “There’s no other option. If his future sight is able to see more than one day in advance, we will never be able to get him. We just have to hope for the best.
Of course, it would be great if we were overthinking all this and he’s just a very ordinary, very cruel man.”
Hakimi scrunched his nose and clicked his tongue. At last, he sighed, “Unfortunately, there’s a pretty good chance my theory is at least partially right. He probably can see the future.”
“Whatever the case, we will make our plan and carry it out. So, Rayyan and Chen Jin is the ideal shift for us to make a move, isn’t it?
We will strike when Rayyan’s gone, which means Chen Jin will be the only person we have to deal with. Between the three of us, I think we can take him.”
Ru Meng nodded enthusiastically. They had the best chances there. Also, they could avoid the meathead.
However, Hakimi had something to say about that, “I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Liao Hua and Chen Jin come check in every once in a while even if it’s not their shift. Sometimes Rayyan makes them run some errands. What happens if Liao Hua shows up halfway and catches us off-guard?”
“Come on, are you serious? Have you seen the guy? Tall, lanky, muscular, likes to slack off whenever Rayyan isn’t looking? You think he’s getting up so early in the morning?”
“We have to minimize the risks.”
“I think trying to take him on is maximizing the risks.”
“Not if we have a plan.”
Vardan paused for a moment and relented, “You’re right. And it’s probably best to tie up all the loose ends. Who knows if he might try and take revenge?
So we have to deal with Chen Jin and Liao Hua in one fell swoop, but today’s their shift. We can’t possibly get them tonight, which means we have to wait another three days.”
“And that’s when we have to go,” said Ru Meng with resolute determination on his face.
“So what’s the plan to beat two fully-grown adults, one who knows kungfu and can probably lay us all flat in less than thirty seconds?” asked Vardan.
Hakimi finally flashed something resembling a smile for the first time as he looked at Ru Meng and said, “It’s all up to him.”
Ru Meng blinked.