Even though the traffic was normal, the journey felt like forever. Xinxiu repeatedly rubbed his forehead. The air temperature was not that hot, but since earlier, his forehead was sweating continuously. He glanced at Zhengyi. His friend looked calm. It was as if they had no problem at all.
"Don't act like that. You look like a panicked person!" Zhengyi whispered while still looking ahead.
Hearing Zhengyi's words, Xinxiu couldn't help but be silent. He really didn't know how to act. He glanced at Zhengyi. His friend was pinching the tip of his nose. Usually, he did that when he was running out of ideas.
Hopefully, Yige will quickly come up with a new idea that can get us out of this dire situation.
"Three stops from here. I want you to get off this bus." Zhengyi finally said something after playing with his nose for a while.
"You mean I have to get off the bus alone while you stay here?" Xinxiu still didn't really understand Zhengyi's instructions.
"Yes! I want to know the reaction of the people following us. There are still two people following in our footsteps. One person is the one directly following us. The other person is the one who is shadowing that person. I'm inquisitive. Who will they follow between the two of us?"
"Then what should I do after that?"
"Later, after getting off the bus, you look for a shop or restaurant. You go inside that place. If you can, look for a rather large restaurant to see more clearly if someone is following you. You have to be there for at least ten minutes. When you are absolutely sure that no one is following you, please, immediately look for a public telephone box to call people in our house. Tell them briefly about what we have experienced. Don't forget to ask them to be alert. The people following us may be only a part of the people who have been watching us. There could still be some people from their gang guarding near our house."
Why did the problem turn out to be this complicated?
Zhengyi's words sounded a little scary. Watching Zhengyi's response to this incident, Xinxiu felt it was not the first time Zhengyi had faced such things. Indeed, when he thought about it, Xinxiu knew little about Zhengyi. It was safe to say they had only known each other for a year. The only thing that connected them was Shanquan. Xinxiu was Shanquan's friend. He had known Shanquan for a long time. But maybe before Xinxiu got to know Shanquan, Zhengyi and Shanquan were already friends. They had known each other for a long time. What couldn't be denied was the fact that Xinxiu and Zhengyi were two strangers who had only been living under the same roof for a year. So it was only natural that there were many things they didn't understand about each other.
The age difference between Xinxiu and Shanquan was indeed quite significant. Ever since Qiuzhen moved to another city six months ago, Xinxiu had become the youngest person in their group. As the youngest person, he listened more than actively spoke in everyday conversation. Besides, of course, because Xinxiu was a quiet person by nature. Respecting elders was their tradition. Xinxiu believed that even differences of opinion must be handled in an appropriate manner.
"Okay." Xinxiu nodded. Then they waited until the bus arrived at the stop that Zhengyi meant.
"Wait a minute, there's something else!" Suddenly Zhengyi said again. This time, he didn't whisper.
"What's wrong? Has there been a change of plans?" Xinxiu couldn't hide his surprise.
"Now that I think about it. You'd better take this backpack," Zhengyi pointed to the backpack he had been carrying. "This backpack I carry is a little heavier than the one you carry. But its contents are even less important than the backpack you are carrying."
Xinxiu couldn't pretend to understand what Zhengyi was saying. Luckily, Zhengyi seemed to understand that.
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"What I mean is, after you get off at the bus stop, you immediately go to the nearest train station. Whether you want to take an elevated train or a subway station, it's up to you. You go straight to the luggage storage locker section when you get there. I mean the usual storage lockers that are available at all those stations. The maximum time for storing goods is only two weeks. You put this backpack there for only three days.."
"Then?"
"After that, you put your original plan into action. Go to a restaurant that isn't too small, then look for a payphone to call people back home. Without a backpack, you'd be a lot more nimble."
Xinxiu nodded. But it didn't mean that he understood one hundred percent.
"If they could somehow break into the locker where you left this duffel bag, then they wouldn't find anything because the contents of this duffel bag are just unimportant things."
"What if they keep following me? Do I still have to call home while I'm still under their watch?"
"If they're still watching you after more than ten minutes you're in that tavern or diner, then you continue to sit there for another thirty to forty minutes. If they still insist on following you, well, let them be. Don't try to run away. I'm afraid they might even suspect that you are aware of their presence. Avoid spaces that are not crowded, so they have a chance to ambush you. After that, you go straight to the station. Call our friends at home from there. Then, hurry home by train. Stuff in the locker, we'll pick up another day."
"What about you?" asked Xinxiu.
"I'll get off at the last stop. Just like you, I'll head to the train station. From there, I'll also call our friends at home. Then I'll take the train home. So we'll meet at home."
"All right," Xinxiu replied steadfastly. They swapped backpacks quickly and without attracting attention.
A moment later, the bus arrived at the stop. Xinxiu immediately stood up and walked to the bus's back door to get off. Since they were sitting in the far right corner of the back row, Xinxiu actually only moved about three meters away. After getting off, he went straight to the bench at the bus stop to sit for a while. It turned out to be true. The person who had been following them all along also got off at the bus stop. He got off the bus right after Xinxiu. However, what was interesting was that the person following that person did not get off the bus. He remained on the bus. Xinxiu, wasting no more time, immediately got up from his seat and headed for the nearest station.
The distance was not far from there, only about two hundred meters. To get to that place, Xinxiu had to walk about fifty meters towards the intersection. After that, turn left. From there, the train station was visible. The station was not a subway station but an elevated train station. The interesting thing for Xinxiu was that the mode of transportation in the city was very diverse. There were several modes of transportation that Xinxiu had never ridden. But fortunately, he had been on an elevated train like that.
Since the backpack he was carrying was quite heavy, Xinxiu decided to take the elevator instead of taking the stairs. Arriving at the top, he headed to the storage of goods straight away. The size of the backpack was quite large, so Xinxiu had to choose the locker with the largest size. Arriving in front of the locker, he immediately put in some coins as the cost of keeping his backpack for four days. He added a day just in case they couldn't pick up the goods on time. After the locker opened, he quickly put the backpack in it. Then he set the locker combination number. The combination lock comprised an eight-digit number that functions as a PIN. So far, Xinxiu had always used the same eight digits when he had to leave things in the locker. He did that because if he used another combination of numbers, there was a chance he might forget. But now, he decided to use a different combination of numbers because the situation was not the same as usual.
In accordance with Zhengyi's instructions, Xinxiu should not openly show that he was aware that someone was following him. So, after he finished putting things into the locker, he immediately left without looking to the right or left. He hurried out of the station. At that time, he chose to go down by using the escalator. After reaching the ground floor and exiting the station, he crossed the street with the other people. As Zhengyi said, Xinxiu tried to stay close to the people around him.
Two minutes walk, there was a fairly large restaurant. After entering inside, Xinxiu sat down at a table in the left corner. From where he was sitting, Xinxiu could see all corners of the place. He did not see the person who had been following him. There were two possibilities. The first was that the man was still at the station and was trying to open the locker where Xinxiu had left his backpack. The second possibility was he might be standing outside the restaurant and waiting there until Xinxiu came out.
Xinxiu did not know how long he would have to be there and how much longer he would be home safely. If he was still going to be hanging around outside for an indefinite amount of time, then he had to be prepared. Among other things was to fill his stomach so he would not starve. Therefore, Xinxiu ordered not only drinks but also food. If only after that, everything turned out to be running smoothly, and Xinxiu could quickly arrive home. So let's just say he had an early dinner.