They all stood or sat rooted to their places when they heard the telephone ring.
Ring!
A second ring was heard.
Dongfang Jenqyih turned around. He ran to their phone. He immediately picked up the receiver. Instantly, he put the receiver to his right ear.
"Hello!" came a voice from the other end.
Jenqyih gasped. The voice that came out of the receiver was Shinnshiow's.
"Shinnshiow?"
There was a gentle tap on Jenqyih's shoulder. When he turned his head, Jenqyih saw everyone had gathered behind him.
"Wear this," Yihshyong put the earphones connected to Huahshiang into Jenqyih's left ear.
"Yihge! That's right, I'm Shinnshiow," said the person from the other end.
"Mr. Dongfang! I am Chioulin Shinnjaang. Please ask Mr. Beeihae where he is. If he is inside a room, please ask him to describe the room!"
Jenqyih could clearly hear the police officer's words.
"Yihge! Right! It's me, Shinnshiow."
"Shinnshiow. Where are you?"
"I don't know where I am. I'm in a room right now."
"Please explain in detail the state of the room you are in right now."
"This isn't the room they kept me in. I made it out of that room. There are lots of rooms here. I went into this room, which is right next to the room where I was being held. I saw there is a telephone. So I tried calling home. "
Suddenly there was no more Shinnshiow's voice.
"Shinnshiow, Shinnshiow!" Jenqyih shouted. "What happened?"
"Mr. Dongfang, please don't panic."
Jenqyih was really worried. It was possible the criminals caught Shinnshiow using the phone. If that was indeed the case, Jenqyih couldn't imagine what they would do to Shinnshiow..
"Mr. Dongfang, please put down the receiver first. Maybe Mr. Beeihae will call again," Chioulin said.
Shinnshiow called too briefly. There wasn't enough time for the police to trace where these phone calls were coming from.
The situation was silent for a moment. The crowd behind Jenqyih also didn't move.
Ring
The phone rang again.
Jenqyih, who was still standing there, picked up the receiver right away.
"Yihge!"
Luckily, Shinnshiow immediately calls again. Hopefully, this time, our conversation will be long enough for the police to have enough time to track them down.
"Shinnshiow, what happened?"
"I don't know. The telephone connection suddenly went off. I'll continue what I was talking about earlier."
"Okay! What's in that room? I mean, the room you're in right now."
"Tables, chairs, beds, and cupboards. Just like an ordinary bedroom."
"Is there anything else?"
"There isn't any."
"What about the room they held you in?"
"It's bigger than this room. There's a bathroom there. So I'm free to go to the bathroom anytime."
"Is there anything special in there that could be a clue?"
"Nothing. Everything is like a normal bedroom."
"How did you get out of the room? I mean, the room they held you in."
"About an hour ago, someone came. He asked if each of us had relatives in this city. Casually, I said I didn't have one. Indeed, I have no relatives here. So I wasn't lying at all. But I told them you all have relatives living here. I made up the names carelessly. But I said I didn't know where your relatives live. I said that we all wander here wanting to be away from family, so of course visiting relatives here isn't a good option."
"Eh?" Jenqyih felt a little confused.
Is he unable to hear my question clearly? Why is he talking about other things?
"Yihge, they always lock the door of the room where they kept me. From inside this room, I could hear their conversation. They usually talk loudly. About ten minutes ago, suddenly there wasn't any sound. I decided to try opening the bedroom door. Turned out they forgot to lock it. So I just walked out."
"Mr. Dongfang. Try to get Mr. Beeihae to talk about the people who detained him." Chioulin Shinnjaang's voice sounded so calm.
"Shinnshiow! How many people detained you?"
"I don't know how many people there are in total. But so far, I've only seen four."
"Four people?" Are they all men?"
"Yes. All men. They are in their late twenties. They appear alternately. Ah, this afternoon I managed to slip the pen I brought into the pocket of the person who took my lunch plate and bowl. I wrote a brief message on the torn sheet. Then I folded the torn sheet and stuffed it into the end of the pen. I don't know if such an action is useful or not, but I have to try it, right?"
"What did you say?" Jenqyih was so surprised to hear Shinnshiow's statement.
"Pen! Do you remember? Before leaving the house, Renge gave me the pen. That's the pen I put in one of them's pants pocket!"
"Mr. Dongfang! Check to see if the tip of the pen that Mr. Duanmuh found has torn sheets like the one Mr. Beeihae just mentioned," Chioulin Shinnjaang said.
"Yihge!" Suddenly Shinnshiow whispered. "Looks like they're back. I need to get back to my room soon."
They all stood or sat rooted to their places when they heard the telephone ring.
Ring!
A second ring was heard.
Dongfang Jenqyih turned around. He ran to their phone. He immediately picked up the receiver. Instantly, he put the receiver to his right ear.
"Hello!" came a voice from the other end.
Jenqyih gasped. The voice that came out of the receiver was Shinnshiow's.
"Shinnshiow?"
There was a gentle tap on Jenqyih's shoulder. When he turned his head, Jenqyih saw everyone had gathered behind him.
"Wear this," Yihshyong put the earphones connected to Huahshiang into Jenqyih's left ear.
"Yihge! That's right, I'm Shinnshiow," said the person from the other end.
"Mr. Dongfang! I am Chioulin Shinnjaang. Please ask Mr. Beeihae where he is. If he is inside a room, please ask him to describe the room!"
Jenqyih could clearly hear the police officer's words.
"Yihge! Right! It's me, Shinnshiow."
"Shinnshiow. Where are you?"
"I don't know where I am. I'm in a room right now."
"Please explain in detail the state of the room you are in right now."
"This isn't the room they kept me in. I made it out of that room. There are lots of rooms here. I went into this room, which is right next to the room where I was being held. I saw there is a telephone. So I tried calling home. "
Suddenly there was no more Shinnshiow's voice.
"Shinnshiow, Shinnshiow!" Jenqyih shouted. "What happened?"
"Mr. Dongfang, please don't panic."
Jenqyih was really worried. It was possible the criminals caught Shinnshiow using the phone. If that was indeed the case, Jenqyih couldn't imagine what they would do to Shinnshiow..
"Mr. Dongfang, please put down the receiver first. Maybe Mr. Beeihae will call again," Chioulin said.
Shinnshiow called too briefly. There wasn't enough time for the police to trace where these phone calls were coming from.
The situation was silent for a moment. The crowd behind Jenqyih also didn't move.
Ring
The phone rang again.
Jenqyih, who was still standing there, picked up the receiver right away.
"Yihge!"
Luckily, Shinnshiow immediately calls again. Hopefully, this time, our conversation will be long enough for the police to have enough time to track them down.
"Shinnshiow, what happened?"
"I don't know. The telephone connection suddenly went off. I'll continue what I was talking about earlier."
"Okay! What's in that room? I mean, the room you're in right now."
"Tables, chairs, beds, and cupboards. Just like an ordinary bedroom."
"Is there anything else?"
"There isn't any."
"What about the room they held you in?"
"It's bigger than this room. There's a bathroom there. So I'm free to go to the bathroom anytime."
"Is there anything special in there that could be a clue?"
"Nothing. Everything is like a normal bedroom."
"How did you get out of the room? I mean, the room they held you in."
"About an hour ago, someone came. He asked if each of us had relatives in this city. Casually, I said I didn't have one. Indeed, I have no relatives here. So I wasn't lying at all. But I told them you all have relatives living here. I made up the names carelessly. But I said I didn't know where your relatives live. I said that we all wander here wanting to be away from family, so of course visiting relatives here isn't a good option."
"Eh?" Jenqyih felt a little confused.
Is he unable to hear my question clearly? Why is he talking about other things?
"Yihge, they always lock the door of the room where they kept me. From inside this room, I could hear their conversation. They usually talk loudly. About ten minutes ago, suddenly there wasn't any sound. I decided to try opening the bedroom door. Turned out they forgot to lock it. So I just walked out."
"Mr. Dongfang. Try to get Mr. Beeihae to talk about the people who detained him." Chioulin Shinnjaang's voice sounded so calm.
"Shinnshiow! How many people detained you?"
"I don't know how many people there are in total. But so far, I've only seen four."
"Four people?" Are they all men?"
"Yes. All men. They are in their late twenties. They appear alternately. Ah, this afternoon I managed to slip the pen I brought into the pocket of the person who took my lunch plate and bowl. I wrote a brief message on the torn sheet. Then I folded the torn sheet and stuffed it into the end of the pen. I don't know if such an action is useful or not, but I have to try it, right?"
"What did you say?" Jenqyih was so surprised to hear Shinnshiow's statement.
"Pen! Do you remember? Before leaving the house, Renge gave me the pen. That's the pen I put in one of them's pants pocket!"
"Mr. Dongfang! Check to see if the tip of the pen that Mr. Duanmuh found has torn sheets like the one Mr. Beeihae just mentioned," Chioulin Shinnjaang said.
"Yihge!" Suddenly Shinnshiow whispered. "Looks like they're back. I need to get back to my room soon."
