About an hour after Chioujen and a friend had left the diner, there was a hostage-taking there. Chioujen's three co-workers who were still eating there became the ones who were held hostage by the gang of criminals who stormed the restaurant. The hostage-taking did not last long. In just a few hours, the hostages were free. They were all directly sent to the police hospital in Yangau.
"We know, Sir." The man with the thin mustache nodded. "What we want to ask is not directly related to the hostage incident."
"Wait a moment!" Chioujen raised his hand. "You guys came all the way from Yangau just to meet me here?"
"We are not from Yangau but from Yuehjao. We went to Yangau because we wanted to investigate something," said Sykow.
<
"So the two of you went to Yangau to hunt for some news?"
"That's right, Sir!" Sykow nodded. "There is something we are investigating. The clues we got led us to go to the city of Yangau. However, the following clues forced us to go to this city."
"Did you guys come all the way here specifically to look for me?"
Sykow smiled. "No, Sir! At the station, we saw you by chance. We have met you before, so we instantly recognized you. You also have something to do with the things we are investigating. So, we want to talk to you. It was a coincidence. Before, we didn't know how to contact you."
"Where have we met before? Sorry, I really don't remember."
"It might not be right to say that we've met before," said Tzuooren. "Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we have seen you before, but perhaps you did not notice our presence. Therefore, we understand you do not recognize us."
"When? Where?"
"At the police hospital. At that time, the hostages had been successfully evacuated to the hospital. Many people came to the hospital to look for their friends or family who were victims. You came there to visit your friends who had been hostages. On that occasion, you gave information to the police regarding things you had witnessed at the restaurant before the incident happened."
<
"Ah! You two were there."
"That's right, Sir! When the police questioned you, we sat right behind you. So we heard everything clearly."
"Sorry, I didn't recognize you."
"It's okay, Sir. We know that you must have focused on your friends at that moment. So you must not have had time to pay attention to other things." The man with the thin mustache smiled.
<
The waiter came back with the drinks they ordered. Chioujen and the two promptly took a sip of the drinks. The freshness of the liquid that entered Chioujen's throat made him even more excited.
"What if you just tell it chronologically? That will definitely make things clearer," Chioujen said.
"Okay, Sir!" The person who was in his mid-forties nodded with a powerful gesture. "The hostage-taking incident was a major event. A lot of media and freelance journalists are putting their all into investigating it. But as we have stated before, that is not what we are investigating. We are investigating a woman who was at the time of the incident, was also there."
"That woman also became one hostage?"
"True, Sir. But they were not among those who were later released."
Chioujen recalled that in that event, the hostages managed to escape. They also took several people hostage. Chioujen didn't know how things would go because the next day, he had to return to Yuehjao.
"Until now, the police could not catch the criminals. The people they took away have not been found either," said the man with the thin mustache.
<
Tzuooren, the man with the thin mustache, seemed to be able to read Chioujen's mind. "Before the hostage-taking incident, you talked to that woman."
"Eh? I spoke to the woman? You mean, I know the woman?"
"We don't know, Sir! In fact, now we want to ask you about it."
"I don't understand what you mean. Please tell me more."
"Shortly after you left the restaurant, you and one of your friends talked to the woman and her two friends."
"Two friends? So, there are three of them?"
"That's right, Sir! But the person we are investigating is the woman. Not the two men who came with her."
Chioujen recalled the things that happened that afternoon. "When we came out of the restaurant, we did meet three people. Do you mean the woman in the wide hat?"
"Yes, Sir."
<
"We didn't know the woman. Neither did we know the two men who were with her. We spoke to her because the woman had spoken to us first."
"What did the woman say to you?" Sykow's face was so serious.
"Wait a minute!" Chioujen straightened his back. "How do you know we were talking to the woman? It happened outside the restaurant. In fact, the exact location was forty or fifty meters from the restaurant entrance. I didn't even know that the woman and her two friends were heading towards the restaurant."
"There is a CCTV camera installed in front of the building where the woman was talking to you, Sir. The camera did not capture what was happening in front of the restaurant but recorded the people passing by. Since a month ago, we have been tracking the woman. We have information that the woman was seen in the area near the restaurant. We have questioned several people who had been hostages. They told us that the woman and her two friends were among those who were taken away by the criminals who came to storm the restaurant."
Chioujen nodded. "The woman said nothing important. She just asked where we were from. My friend and I did come from far away from here. My friend and I then explained where we came from."
"Why did the woman ask that?" Tzuooren's face was so curious.
"I don't know. First, she greeted us. Then, all of a sudden, she was asking questions like that. We didn't have any prejudice. So we just answered honestly."
"You can't think of a reason why people you don't know suddenly ask where you're from?" Tzuooren was still urging Chioujen.
"At the time, I thought the woman was just curious when she heard my strange accent. She heard when I spoke to my co-workers."
The two of them looked at each other.
"Did the woman say any more words?" Sykow widened his eyes.
"Nothing. That's all she asked."
"What about the two people accompanying the woman?" asked Sykow.
"They were just making small talk. Warmly, they said welcome to us. They said there were many interesting places for us to visit in the city."
The two of them looked at each other again. Chioujen didn't know whether they believed it or not with the things he had just revealed.
"Okay, Sir. Thank you for the information you gave. Later, if you remember other things, you can contact us." Sykow said.
"How can I contact you, gentlemen? Where are you two staying?"
"We always move, Sir. Every night we stay in a different place," said Tzuooren. "But you can call the phone number listed on the business card we gave you."
Chioujen re-examined the two business cards. There was something he hadn't noticed. "Eh, this is the Yuehjao area's phone number. Now, both of you are in this city."
"We call there every day. So if you leave a message to the person who answers the phone, we'll know in a few hours."
Chioujen nodded. He wasn't sure there was anything else he could say. But nothing was certain. Maybe both of them were right. Perhaps tomorrow Chioujen will remember something.
"Once again, thank you, Sir," said Tzuooren.
Chioujen smiled. "You are welcome, Sir." He quickly reached into his pants pocket and took out his wallet.
"Don't bother, sir," said the man with the thin mustache. "This time, we will pay for everything."
"You don't have to." Chioujen laughed. "I'll pay for everything."
"This is no small talk, sir," Sykow said. "We brought you here. So we have to pay for everything."
Chioujen didn't want to argue any further. He had to hurry. "Okay! I have to go now. Thank you very much."
Chioujen got up from the chair. The two of them also stood up in a flash. Chioujen bowed respectfully to them. After taking two steps back, he instantly turned around and walked out of the diner.
Just as he stepped outside the building, Chioujen waved his hand to stop a taxi. He had wasted enough time. He intended to take a cab to the subway station, where there was a subway that went directly to the station near Dafeisy Tower.