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Kapitel 12

"He spoke it, not wrote it, so I can only guarantee that those two sounds are correct. I originally came here to look for anything related to eagles."

“Eagle…we’ve already done a preliminary search here, and we don’t recall finding anything like this.” With that, Guo Dong stood up, turned on all the lights in the rooms, and began to survey the area.

There are three rooms in total: a living room, a study, and a bedroom. Several landscape paintings and a portrait oil painting are hanging on the wall, but none of them have anything to do with eagles. The computer cannot find any filenames containing "eagle". Guo Dong even shook out the bed sheet to see if there was an eagle pattern.

"Hey, Nado, come take a look at this." Guo Dong, covered in sweat and dust from rummaging through drawers and cabinets, stood in front of a row of cabinets in the study.

I walked over, and he was holding a root carving in his hand.

"Look, is that an eagle?" he asked me, somewhat uncertainly.

The shape of this tree root is already quite strange. Some folk sculptor simply modified the original shape, so this thing is similar to a strange rock. Whatever it looks like, it looks like.

I examined the curve at the top of the root carving for a long time and said, "It seems to have some meaning, an eagle with outstretched wings. But it seems a bit abstract."

Guo Dong ran out quickly, then ran back quickly, this time with a magnifying glass in his hand. He held the root carving in his hand and examined it closely through the magnifying glass.

"Did you see anything? Did you see anything?" I urged him from the side.

Guo Dong stared at the root carving, which could be held in one hand, for twenty minutes, watching three drops of sweat drip down his forehead before finally looking up.

"Why don't you come and take a look?" he said to me, frowning.

I was stunned, but I still took the magnifying glass and the root carving, looked at them for three minutes, and then gave up.

"Maybe the secret is inside? Should we break it open?"

Guo Dong hesitated for a moment and said that he should take it back and check it with instruments. He would only break it after confirming that there were no flaws on the surface.

I suddenly remembered a scene from one of Mr. Jin Yong's martial arts novels and asked Guo Dong, "Do you remember which direction the eagle was facing when this carving was placed in the cabinet?"

Guo Dong paused for a moment, thought it through carefully, and then pointed: "It might be over here. You mean the problem lies in this painting?"

The direction he was pointing was a Chinese ink painting depicting mountains and rivers.

We rushed over, took off the frame, smashed it open, took out the drawing paper, and pondered it for a long time.

"How about we burn it or soak it in water?" I said hesitantly.

"You've been reading too many martial arts novels!" Guo Dong scolded me angrily.

Then he carefully rolled up the painting, intending to take it back and study it carefully, just like the root carving.

“Hey Guo Dong, I’m in the same boat as you guys now. If you don’t solve the case, I won’t be able to get ashore either. Why don’t you pay me a salary and I’ll join the investigation team?”

"Tch, do you think this investigation team is some kind of place where you can just come and go as you please?" Guo Dong chuckled and scolded me.

“I’m serious, otherwise what would I do if I were just sitting around doing nothing?”

“I know you are very capable in this area, but it’s really not appropriate for you to officially join the investigation team. After all, you’re not part of the public security system, and you’re still a fugitive in name only. My colleagues won’t have much trust in you either,” Guo Dong said seriously.

“I completely understand how you feel, so you can just conduct your investigation in the field. You’ve always worked alone before, haven’t you? I can tell you whatever information you need, as well as our latest progress.”

"If it's an investigation in the wild, then it's an investigation in the wild, hmm..."

"What's wrong?" Guo Dong asked when he saw me deep in thought.

"I had a question I wanted to ask you, but I suddenly forgot," I said, looking troubled.

I tilted my head and thought for a long time: "Sigh, why am I getting more and more forgetful?"

"You seem tired. Where do you live?"

I told him which hotel I was staying at, and I even yawned as I said it.

"Then you should go back and rest first," Guo Dong said, waving his hand.

"Also, there's a favor you absolutely have to do for me."

"you say."

"My parents are still worried sick. Please think of a solution." This is a huge weight on my mind.

"No problem. I'll have the investigation team issue a certificate stating that you are under police protection as an eyewitness. To ensure your safety, please ask the two elderly people not to disclose this to outsiders. Your reputation will be restored and you will be able to return to normal work in a while."

"That would be best. Please let me know if there are any new developments, and I'll call you if I remember any problems. By the way, what's your current phone number? Your usual one is switched off."

Guo Dong gave me a new number, and I also gave him my new mobile number.

"Your new phone? You don't need it anymore," he asked me.

"No need? What do you mean?"

Guo Dong smiled but did not answer.

Fifth, the Eagle of the Mist (3)

He drove me to the hotel, and when I was about to get out of the car, he nodded to me.

"Go open the trunk yourself."

I was so sleepy that I could barely keep my eyes open. I went to the back, opened the trunk, and tried to open my eyes for a while before I recognized the large travel bag inside. It was the one that had been detained in the Guangzhou Detention Center. My phone, wallet, and ID card were all inside.

I quietly opened the hotel room door, and to my surprise, the light was on. Kou Yun was asleep on the bed, her head facing the door. She must have waited for me very late and finally fell asleep because she couldn't stay awake any longer. It was almost four o'clock now, and dawn would be breaking soon.

I quickly took a shower, turned off the light, went to bed, and soon fell asleep.

I slept exceptionally well that night. Although the matter is still far from being resolved, being chased by the police put immense psychological pressure on me, someone who always considers myself a representative of justice and fairness…

I opened my eyes and sat up. Judging from the bright light in the room, it was already quite late. Kou Yun was still in the same position as yesterday, but her head was facing a different direction. She was watching a silent TV, and she had turned the volume down so as not to disturb me.

Upon hearing the sound, she used both hands and feet to turn 180 degrees sideways on the bed, propped herself up on her hands, raised her head, and said to me, "Brother, tell me honestly, did you sneak off to Yang Hongmin's house last night?"

"ah?"

Seeing that I was pretending to be stupid, Kou Yun glared at me and pointed at me.

I looked in that direction and saw half a pair of pliers and a piece of wire sticking out of the pocket of my trousers hanging by the bed.

With the tools used in the crime exposed, I had no choice but to confess.

I told the story vividly, and when I got to the part where I opened the door, went inside, and someone suddenly called my name, the little girl cried out "Ah!" with a nervous look on her face.

After finishing speaking, Ji Yun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "No wonder, I was wondering why there was suddenly a big bag in the room. Well, that way I don't have to be so worried anymore."

She suddenly straightened her face and said to me, "Brother, you can't hide anything from me if you do anything in the future. This thing sounds like it's going to be very interesting." As she said this, her face showed a look of longing.

"Cough, what do you mean by 'very promising'? It's more like 'full of inside stories and fraught with danger'."

"I don't care about the dangers." Kou Yun used her strength to jump onto my bed like a wildcat, her knee hitting my shin, making me wince in pain.

She didn't care what I did, she pressed down on me, grabbed my neck and shook me violently: "You have to take me with you!"

I felt like my head had turned into a rattle drum, my stiff neck was cracking, and I was afraid she would shake my neck off. I struggled to pry her hands off and then kicked her off the bed.

After catching my breath, I said to the little vixen kneeling by the bed, winking and acting all innocent, "Fine, I give up. But this isn't child's play. One person has already died, and more people are likely to die. Don't you understand? Once someone dies, they can't come back to life!" I yelled at her.

Kou Yun nodded repeatedly and earnestly.

"Moreover, it involves a wide range of issues, and there will definitely be a lot of state secrets involved. So, whatever I tell you, you must keep your mouth shut and not tell anyone else, otherwise it will ruin both of us."

Kou Yun immediately swore an oath, recounting a long list of stories from the Jade Emperor to mountain gods and monsters. However, given her current situation, I figured there was no one else she could reveal this to. I said it just in case, after all, this little girl still had some secrets I didn't know about.

I checked the time and it was already 12:30 PM. I had overslept this morning, so my promise to take Kou Yun shopping for clothes had to be postponed until the afternoon.

When Kou Yun pounced on me just now, I actually blushed and my heart was pounding. This little girl has a good figure and is pretty too. That pounce was really something else. Now, having to crawl out of the blanket and put on my pants, I suddenly feel a little embarrassed. The little girl is all smiles and refuses to go to the bathroom to hide, so I have no choice but to grit my teeth and put on my pants as quickly as possible.

"Brother, your legs are all smooth. I've heard people say that a good man is all hairy, but you're no good." She chuckled mischievously, then sighed, "But they also say that a good woman is all plump, and I don't seem to have much plumpness."

I pretended not to hear and coolly walked to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.

Every city has a few places where you can buy fashionable clothes that aren't too expensive. Shanghai's most famous is the Xiangyang Road Clothing Market, but it was ordered to close on June 30th due to the prevalence of counterfeit designer brands, ending its six-year reign of glory. The area near the Beijing Zoo is another such place.

The streets near the zoo were lined with small shops, and Kou Yun felt like she was in paradise. Her legs were almost too heavy to move, and she wished she could try on every piece of clothing.

I retrieved my own suitcase, so I was purely accompanying her shopping. However, since I was paying, it was entirely up to me what clothes we bought and whether we didn't.

Elegant styles are out of the question, sexy styles are out of the question, in short, I won't buy her any mature styles at all; the only clothes I can buy are cute, Lolita-style clothing.

This is exactly the opposite of my personal aesthetic. It's precisely because this little girl is so clingy and doesn't know her limits, always rubbing against me all the time, that dressing her up in glamorous clothes would be tempting me to commit a crime. Now I give her a bunch of sailor outfits and Winnie the Pooh sets to constantly remind me: this child is my sister.

Kou Yun was naturally not very satisfied, but fortunately, given that she had only been out in business for three months, she found all the clothes in the store to be beautiful. When I sincerely looked at her and said, "I think that one is prettier," she would at most ask doubtfully, "Really?" and then, under my sweet talk, abandon her original stance.

The shopping trip to the lingerie store was rather awkward. Kou Yun, however, knew to keep her distance and didn't pull me aside to ask, "Does this look good?" or "How about that?" But when the sales clerk asked her about her bra size, she had no idea and looked at me for help. As soon as she looked at me, the sales clerk immediately gave me a knowing look as well.

"Why are you looking at me? Try it yourself and you'll see," I said seriously, with a straight face.

As we left the lingerie store, Kou Yun suddenly poked my waist.

"What?" I asked her.

"Bro, is 33C considered big?"

I coughed repeatedly and mumbled, "I guess so."

The shopping trip didn't end until sunset. I was carrying a large shopping bag in each hand, and Kou Yun was carrying one as well. She said, still not satisfied, "Let's come again next time."

I'm an honest person, so I had to pretend I didn't hear. I found that being with Kou Yun meant I had to pretend to be deaf all the time.

Dinner was at a noodle shop on the roadside that claimed to have traditional old Beijing flavor. Kou Yun only ate a little more than half of a bowl of noodles with soybean paste before stopping.

"It tastes awful," she said to me. "Let's eat KFC or McDonald's tomorrow."

"If you keep eating that kind of food, you'll outgrow your new clothes very soon," I warned her. It's just jajangmyeon (noodles with soybean paste), I don't plan to try it again.

After dinner, I called Guo Dong.

Fifth, the Eagle of the Mist (4)

"The root carving has been completely dissected, and nothing was found. The painting is still being tested. But when I looked at the root carving again today, I felt it didn't quite look like an eagle anymore," Guo Dong said.

"I remember what question I wanted to ask you yesterday. Yang Hongmin wanted to talk about something related to a transportation mission from earlier this year. What kind of mission was it?"

"Oh, that mission..."

"Why can't I say?"

"No, that's not it. Now that you're fully involved in this matter, there's nothing to keep from you. To be honest, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you can achieve after joining the investigation. As for space transportation, I'm not an expert, so I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it clearly. Here's what I'll do: I'll introduce you to someone, and you can go directly to him for information. When are you planning to go? Tomorrow?"

"I'm free in Beijing right now. Would it be alright if it doesn't bother you to come over tonight?"