“Now, let me introduce our future plans.” She took out a hand-drawn map and spread it out in front of me and Fatty. “In a few days, the three of us, as well as one of the Germans, will start a real trip to the snowy mountain. We’ll find the place where our patriarch stayed before, figure out everything that happened there, and then take out the thing he left there. I believe no one has any objections to this plan, correct?”
I looked at her and asked, “Germans…do the Germans also need that thing?”
“Yes,” Zhang Haixing said. “We’ve reached a consensus with them. My brother has a better understanding of the specific situation, but for now, I need to give you a basic understanding of the whole route. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Zhang Haixing and I’m a special mountaineering instructor. This time, you must listen to everything I say and follow my actions, because this is a snowy mountain and a no-man’s land. This place is completely different compared to the places you’ve been to before. There’s no rescue, no chance of being saved, and a little mistake will lead to death, so you must listen to every word I say.”
I motioned with my hand to get her attention—I really wasn’t the Wu Xie who used to get pushed around—and then said to her, “We’re equal partners who can cooperate with each other, so there’s no reason for anyone to have the final say in this matter. This is the first point. The second point is that we need to have a formal understanding of everything before we can consider whether we’ll go with you. No matter what we said before, the conditions have changed now, so I can clearly tell you that no matter what you say, I won’t listen to it at present. We just want to hear what we want to know. Please tell me, what’s going on? How did you talk to the Germans and who are they? If you can’t tell me, then get your brother to come over here right now.”
Zhang Haixing looked at the door and Zhang Haike suddenly walked in. He had apparently been outside eavesdropping the whole time.
“This guy isn’t as obedient as we thought,” Zhang Haixing said to him.
Zhang Haike walked up to me and said, “You’re better off not knowing about the Germans. They’re a non-existent organization and their purpose here is different from ours. We each take what we need. They’ve studied us for a long time. I think you should have met Qiu Dekao and must know about his company. After his death, his company was reorganized, its shell was auctioned off, and all the information was obtained by investors. I can tell you frankly that we’ve maintained our relationship with these Germans for a long time. Both sides have made a lot of small moves in the dark, but they have nothing to do with you. We’ve just reached a settlement with them to ensure your safety. If you must embarrass us and want to know everything, you may not be able to bear the consequences. Maybe you’ll have to follow us for the rest of your life.”
“Are you threatening me?” I asked Zhang Haike.
“Sometimes there’s a fine line between stating the facts and threatening,” he replied. “But you know, I’ve imitated you and studied you for a long time. I’ve seen all your changes with my own eyes. I know that you aren’t likely to be fooled under such circumstances, but please understand that all of your past sufferings were caused by your probing and these problems have nothing to do with you. You’re now trapped in a big mystery related to you, and unless you don’t believe me and continue to pursue it, you’ll get nothing but strange and terrifying information instead. I can clearly tell you that this information has nothing to do with you wanting to prove yourself. The smartest thing you can do at this time is to treat the Germans and us as a group.”
Fatty still hadn’t fully come back to his senses yet and was staring fixedly at the hexagonal bell in Zhang Haixing’s hand. She shook it in his ear again before he slowly recovered.
“Can I choose not to go?” I asked Zhang Haike. “If this isn’t a threat, I should have the freedom to choose.”
“You know from the past that I can easily hold you hostage,” Zhang Haike said. “But many things require everybody cooperating with each other. Any unfriendly relations can often cause disasters, so I’ll persuade you and do everything possible to convince you to go. That includes telling you a lot of secrets. If you promise, you can ask me any questions you like. As long as it’s within the scope I’m able to answer, I’ll answer truthfully.”
“I always feel that all the questions I ask belong to the category you can’t answer,” I said.
Zhang Haike shook his head and said, “You’re wrong. I’m different from those people you’ve contacted before. I can tell you a lot of things directly. Take, for example, your friend. I can tell you all about the man you call Poker-face—our patriarch—and his affairs, because those things mean nothing to us and there’s no reason to be conservative.”
I looked at Fatty, who said, “You’re not making this up, are you? Little Brother basically said nothing, so how could you know everything about him so easily?”
“He didn’t say it because of his own reasons,” Zhang Haike said. “But for us, his life experiences aren’t a secret. Do you want to hear it?”
The temptation was too great. I took a deep breath and scratched my head. I wasn’t sure if this guy had a perfectly crafted story waiting for me, but after thinking about it, I didn’t think this was the case. Based on my knowledge of Poker-face, if they wanted to make up a story, I should be able to find a flaw. After thinking it over for a moment, I nodded and said to them, “Ok, fine. If I can really get the information I want, I’ll be very cooperative, help you do everything, and promise not to ask any more questions.”
Zhang Haike nodded, “You are indeed a reasonable person. Now I see that your face is a little pleasing to the eyes. Well, what do you want to know?”
“Do you know Little Brother?” I asked him.
Zhang Haike nodded, “Yes, of course. We used to live together for a long time.”
I was completely shocked. This first answer caught me by surprise and I asked, “How long was it? Did you and Little Brother live together as long as I’ve known him?”
Zhang Haike smiled, “I met your so-called Little Brother when we were two years old. Do you know how many years ago that was?”
<Chapter 41><Table of Contents><Chapter 43>
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Updated 12/20/2021
MereBear's Translation 