Chapter 222: Roasted Lamb

Lei Dongchuan wished he could go to S University right now to ask for a clear explanation, he forcefully suppressed his tone to be as steady as possible and said:

“Trouble you to pass the phone to Professor Tang for a bit, I have matters I want to personally inquire about, very important matters.”

After a while on the other end of the phone, probably after discussing they then found Professor Tang, but just a few minutes of time had already made Lei Dongchuan sit and stand uneasily. When Professor Tang Qi finally picked up the phone, Lei Dongchuan couldn’t wait to inquire with him about Bai Zimu’s matters, Professor Tang seemed somewhat puzzled, but after a moment still said tactfully:

“Apologies, Zimu indeed is not together with me, he probably has some matters to do, and didn’t tell the family.”

“Professor Tang, do you know what matter it is? Where is he right now?”

“You are Zimu’s older brother right? I’ve heard him mention you, a while ago Zimu entrusted the people from the Eleventh Bureau to help him look for someone, the specifics it’s also inconvenient for me to say…”

“He went to Tibet?”

Lei Dongchuan pressed with questions,

“When did he go, is there anyone accompanying him?”

Professor Tang was somewhat surprised, but still said:

“Yes, Zimu did go over there, there is a working personnel accompanying him, a guide who has stayed over there for many years, very familiar with the journey. What, did Zimu also tell you he wanted to go to Tibet to look for his father?”

Lei Dongchuan closed his eyes for a bit, standing steadily there, thinking in his heart he knew it all too well.

Bai Zimu’s knot in his heart for so many years, was exactly that person, exactly that place.

They had even previously agreed, to go look together, but he hadn’t yet prepared properly, the little friend at home actually ran out so far privately… simply should be caught back, locked in the room to reflect for a month.

Professor Tang’s side could also not speak out more useful information, after Lei Dongchuan hung up the phone, he immediately took his coat and went out, besides Professor Tang, this kind of confidential matter involving the higher-ups, there was only one person he could ask for help from in the capital.

While far away in the S University laboratory, after hanging up the phone Professor Tang also sighed.

The student to the side asked nervously:

“Teacher, did I do wrong, shouldn’t have gone to find Bai Zimu…”

Professor Tang shook his head and said:

“Forget it, it is also a series of mistakes and mishaps, this is a matter of his family, also can’t be hidden for long, in the end the family definitely will also know.”

He handed the mobile phone back to the other party, and said again:

“Next time for matters of these data, go find Wang Yun, she and Zimu stored the archives together, these matters she is also clear on.”

“Aye.”

******

Tibet.

When Bai Zimu regained consciousness again, it was already night.

The place he was located in was considered safe, it was a very small wooden house, the house looked like it hadn’t been used for a long time, dilapidated and crude, the wind scraping past outside bringing up bursts of howling wind sounds.

Inside the wooden house there was also another person whose hands and feet were tied up, separated by a distance of a few meters, after identifying it turned out to also be an acquaintance, it was Luo Jiaqing.

Bai Zimu slightly narrowed his eyes, recalling the matters that happened during the day.

After he and the guide discovered a fake “outpost”, although wanting to escape, they were still caught up and blocked, and then a very violent collision occurred, there was also the sound of hunting guns, the matter happened suddenly, the back became chaotic, there were approximately two groups of people, shouting some local dialect that couldn’t be understood in their mouths, looking like a black eating black situation they unintentionally ran into. Later their jeep was bumped over, the guide driver blocked for him at the most critical moment, bumping his head, falling into a bleeding coma, and they were dragged out from the car by people, transported to this place, and locked in the wooden house.

He tried moving his right foot slightly, the intense pain made him give a “hiss” sound, although he couldn’t see it separated by the shoe, but that foot should have been twisted and broken when the car flipped during the day.

No wonder those bandits outside only tied his hands, his ankle was fractured, even if he wanted to run he also couldn’t walk very far.

Bai Zimu propped himself with his hands to sit up a bit, only feeling the side of his waist also hurt, but after pressing with his hands feeling the ribs shouldn’t be broken, letting out a slight breath of relief, but very quickly again thought of the driver, unable to resist furrowing his brows. The driver’s forehead was injured at that time, bleeding a lot, also didn’t know how the situation was right now…

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard a burst of wailing sounds coming from opposite.

Compared to Bai Zimu’s calmness, Luo Jiaqing became very agitated as soon as he saw him, his hands and feet tied up, mouth stuffed, and even widened his eyes incessantly making sounds, attempting to attract his attention.

Bai Zimu took a glance at him, bending over and using his tied hands to pick up a stone from the side, throwing it onto his body.

Luo Jiaqing: “…!!”

Luo Jiaqing seemed infuriated, yelling even louder, very quickly there were footsteps outside, seeming like the people keeping guard outside heard the commotion, the wooden house door was rudely pushed open, closely followed by a tall and big man wearing a Tibetan robe walking in. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Bai Zimu hid in the shadow, maintaining his original state without moving, the other party came in and checked Luo Jiaqing’s side a bit, shouting a sentence of something in his mouth; because speaking was local dialect, temporarily did not understand it.

Inside the wooden house there were only Bai Zimu and Luo Jiaqing, two people; that Tibetan-robed strapping fellow carried a hunting gun on his shoulder, and also only came in to take a glance, not having other plans, when Luo Jiaqing whimpered unceasingly, the man even loudly scolded a sentence in local dialect, and went out.

Luo Jiaqing panted heavily, there were bruise marks on his face, somewhat fearful of these people.

The wooden house quieted down for a while.

Bai Zimu suddenly opened his mouth and said:

“Luo Jiaqing, I know you can hear, right now there are only the two of us here, we untie each other’s ropes, if you agree then nod your head.”

When Luo Jiaqing raised his head to look at Bai Zimu, his eyes started flickering again, and nodded his head.

Bai Zimu turned his back, letting him untie the rope tying him from behind:

“Hurry up.”

The Luo Jiaqing behind let out a few “wu wu” sounds as if protesting.

Bai Zimu lowered his voice, saying impatiently:

“Hurry up! [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] First untie the rope on my hands, don’t talk about any conditions with me, I am not the same kind of person as you.”

This sentence seemed to be a guarantee, making the protesting sounds behind lessen a bit, Luo Jiaqing still untied it for him, his movements somewhat rough, but didn’t play any tricks.

Bai Zimu shook his hands, sizing up the surroundings.

Luo Jiaqing leaned closer a bit, raising his own tied-up hands, upon seeing Bai Zimu reaching his hand over, his eyes revealed viciousness, but very quickly again turned to astonishment; Bai Zimu didn’t untie him, instead using that rope that had just been loosened, tied him onto the wooden pillar to the side!

Luo Jiaqing was tied to the wooden pillar, looking wretched like a dog fallen into water, angry but could only let out a little sound, yelling too much, his chest heaved violently, and breathing also became difficult.

Bai Zimu slightly furrowed his brows, saying annoyedly:

“A bit quieter, don’t disturb me thinking about matters.”

Luo Jiaqing’s eyes were already about to start spewing fire, he shouldn’t have believed the one surnamed Bai was a good person, otherwise he wouldn’t go as far as falling to this kind of state!

Luo Jiaqing was tied up, while Bai Zimu merely weakly leaned by the wall.

Bai Zimu originally wanted to wait until recovering a bit of strength, before handling his foot injury, but at night the Tibetan-robed strapping fellow keeping guard outside the door came in again, still holding some strange-smelling ointment in his hands. After he came in and saw Luo Jiaqing tied to the pillar, he was obviously stunned for a moment, closely followed actually gloatingly laughing, pointing and saying something, and even called the companions outside to come in and take a look.

Bai Zimu’s body was initially stiff, keeping guard against them the whole time, but the other party took off his shoe, with nimble movements giving a “kaba” sound twisted his bone straight, and even applied ointment, simply bandaging the wound a bit.

After the other party finished handling his foot, still curiously raising his head to look at him, asking in half-baked Chinese:

“You, not hurt?”

A layer of fine dense cold sweat seeped out on Bai Zimu’s forehead, but he didn’t make a sound.

The other party scratched his head, still wanting to put his shoe on for him.

Bai Zimu had already reached the limit of endurance just now, this time the other party wasn’t familiar with sneakers, it was truly too forceful, he stretched out his hand and said in a hoarse voice:

“No need.”

That man only then gave up, placing the shoe for him by his feet, and left.

The wooden house was locked for three days.

In these three days, the other party just locked them like this, didn’t make a move to hit, scold or extort, but also didn’t let them have a good time, only feeding a few mouthfuls of porridge a day, the rest of the time not a single mouthful of food was given.

In the very beginning Luo Jiaqing still had the strength to yell, but by the second day he wilted, the third day seeing people coming to deliver porridge, even attempted to seize all opportunities to beg the other party, but the other party did not pay attention.

A small bowl of porridge a day.

Luo Jiaqing and Bai Zimu exchanged a glance, hurriedly drinking up his own porridge, deeply afraid Bai Zimu would come snatch his. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] He was already hungry to the point of having no strength, let alone running out, even if the other party took away the broken cloth in his mouth, he also had no strength to bite open the rope, he had never eaten this kind of suffering before.

Bai Zimu slowly drank the porridge, not saying a word.

Luo Jiaqing couldn’t endure it, asking him with a hoarse voice:

“You being locked here just don’t have any thoughts? Bai Zimu, aren’t you very smart?”

Bai Zimu raised his head to take a glance at him, asking:

“How come you are here?”

Luo Jiaqing didn’t make a sound.

Bai Zimu asked again:

“Then I’ll change the way to ask, you coming to Tibet was coming alone, or coming on behalf of the family?”

He looked at Luo Jiaqing’s obviously severely injured right arm, on it there were also blade scratch marks,

“You brought a very important thing right, where is that thing right now?”

Luo Jiaqing said vigilantly:

“What are you asking these for, mind less of my family’s matters!”

Bai Zimu said coldly:

“It was you who told me to ask.”

Luo Jiaqing: “…”

Luo Jiaqing:

“What are you flaring up at me for, if you have the ability go speak to those people outside, just now when those people came in, how come you didn’t say a single word?”

Bai Zimu half-lowered his eyes, saying absentmindedly:

“Can’t you tell, they were instructed not to converse with us, moreover they didn’t make a move, locking for three days, is nothing more than wanting to dampen the sharp spirit, wait, there will be someone who calls the shots coming to look for us.”

Luo Jiaqing: “Are you saying, they want money?”

Bai Zimu laughed a sound, asking him back:

“Aside from having a few small coins on your body, what else can be schemed from you?”

Luo Jiaqing furrowed his brows wanting to retort, but words reaching the mouth for a moment also didn’t dare to say more, having no choice but to resentfully shut his mouth.

Bai Zimu couldn’t bluff out his words, and also didn’t really mind, Luo Jiaqing these few days had successively revealed some information, he could roughly guess a bit; this disaster was eight or nine out of ten aimed at the Luo family, it was just that he and the guide driver accidentally by mistake, bumped into the place of their transaction.

Him not having news for 24 hours, would definitely attract the higher-ups’ attention, plus the Eleventh Bureau personnel being injured and losing contact, at most three to five days, there will be people looking over.

It’s just that he hadn’t contacted the family these few days, didn’t know if his brother would get angry.

This time, it seemed he couldn’t use “academic seminars cannot bring mobile phones” to brush it over.

Bai Zimu closed his eyes to rest, sighing a breath imperceptibly.

Outside the wooden house.

The few men wearing Tibetan robes keeping guard, were exactly gathering in one place roasting a fire and talking.

That person who went in to deliver ointment was also among them, his skin was tanned black, and was also the one with the fiercest facial features inside, it was just that at this moment not intentionally making a fierce appearance looked like carrying a few fractions of unsophisticated honesty, he reached out his hands to roast by the fire for a while, and raised his head asking:

“Hey, you locking them like this, can really find out the rich young master?”

A bearded man sitting in the leader’s position was currently borrowing the firelight to flip through a book, reading very slowly, but hearing his companion ask was still somewhat unhappy,

“Of course it can work! The book exactly writes like this…”

He patted the book making papai sounds, shaking the pages to let the other party see,

“You take a look at here!”

The questioning man stretched his neck to take a glance, saying regretfully:

“I don’t understand Chinese characters, Duojie, you read it for me to hear!”

The bearded man, Duojie, took back the book in his hands, seriously turning the pages, facing that already yellowing and dog-eared book seriously reading out loud, although stumbling, but could also express the meaning smoothly:

“Kidnap a young hostage, tie him up first, starve him for a few meals, and then give this hostage a fish to eat, if the first chopstick he eats the place on the fish back with the most meat, then let him go, this is a child of suffering, hasn’t eaten good things; if the first chopstick eats the fish belly, then lock him for a few more days, this kind of person the family has a bit of foundation, should be able to get a bit of money; if the first chopstick eats the fish gill meat, then that is a rich person, and definitely is the most favored one in the family, this is a big ticket, a rich young master—”

The people around shook their heads one after another, and someone even said:

“Won’t work, won’t work, fish meat is unclean.”

Duojie sneered a sound, saying:

“Fool, who said to use fish meat, we change to something else!”

“Then use what?”

“Roast a sheep for them, in a while brush more oil, put enough seasonings, deliver a roasted whole sheep over to them!”

Someone raised a hand, raising a bit of doubt:

“Is this really useful? The past few days they only drank porridge, suddenly eating meat, will they get sick?”

Duojie raised his chin, carrying a few fractions of pride:

“Therefore when I boiled the porridge the previous two days, I put cordyceps, nourishing them! This is exactly what military strategy says, ‘walk three steps, think one step’!”

“Is it walk one step, think three steps right?”

“You guys don’t understand, this is Han people’s stratagem, exceptionally profound, just listening to me will do!”

The surrounding few Tibetan-robed men took a look at him, actually following to nod their heads and say yes, after discussing they then went to make a move picking up firewood to roast sheep meat, finally a strapping fellow leaving even said to Duojie:

“You be careful with the book in your hands, that is Director Quduo’s, him knowing we came out this far is already unhappy, if you again and ruin his book, be careful he will be even more unhappy!”

Duojie nodded his head, urging him:

“Got it, got it, you hurry up and go roast sheep meat!”

……

Inside the wooden house.

Luo Jiaqing who was starved for three days his eyes emitting green light moved the tip of his nose, he somewhat suspected he was starved to the point of losing his mind, otherwise how could he smell the mouth-watering roasted meat scent?

He swallowed his saliva, asking:

“Hey, Bai Zimu, did you smell the meat scent or not?”

Bai Zimu slightly furrowed his brows, looking towards the direction of the wooden door, he indeed also smelled the aroma of roasted meat, starting from just now the scent of roasted sheep meat wafted out wave after wave denser than the last, drilling towards here following the door crack, his appetite was small, but ever since coming here he hadn’t really eaten a meal properly, these three days it was even more only porridge water, for a moment he truly was somewhat hungry.