Chapter 29

Xu Mo said, "You tell me."

Luo Shi spoke in a roundabout way, and upon hearing this, she smiled and asked again, "Big Brother Xu, what are you doing here?" She had already asked this on the bus, but at that time, it was just a casual question, and she didn't take it to heart.

Xu Mo wasn't very used to this way of speaking. Seeing her smiling face, he didn't want to say much and paused for a moment before saying, "I'm here for a job interview."

Luo Shi thought for a moment and said, "So, Big Brother Xu, your job interview should be quick, right?"

Xu Mo replied, "Compared to you, it should be faster."

Luo Shi then asked, "Big Brother Xu, when are you going back?"

Xu Mo said, "I have an interview at three o'clock. After the interview, it should be around half past three. The bus comes every fifteen minutes, so catching the half-past-three bus might be a bit tight, but the quarter-to-four bus is definitely doable. I originally planned to leave at quarter-to-four. Just say what you want to say."

Luo Shi nodded, seemingly in thought. After a while, she said, "Big Brother Xu, when you come back, don't leave right away. Can you wait for me for a bit? I won't keep you waiting long, just until four o'clock."

This request was a bit excessive, and Xu Mo hesitated upon hearing it. "This..." He was already struggling to take care of himself, let alone help others.

Luo Shi grabbed his arm and pleaded softly, "Please, Big Brother Xu. In this place, I can't find anyone else besides you."

Xu Mo said, "If you don't go, nothing will happen."

Luo Shi said, "If I don't go, how can I be at ease? Please, Big Brother Xu."

From her perspective, this made some sense. Xu Mo, feeling helpless, could only nod in agreement, and Luo Shi's face lit up with joy. Xu Mo glanced at her and said, "What if you don't come back by four o'clock?"

Luo Shi's expression tightened, and she forced a smile, "I shouldn't be late, right?"

Even she wasn't sure about this. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If I don't come back, then it would be a trouble for you, Big Brother Xu... to call the police. Wait, I can't call the police. What if it's just a lot of things to handle and I get delayed?"

She then negotiated with Xu Mo, "How about this: if I don't come back by four o'clock, Big Brother Xu, can you do me a favor and call my sister? Do you think that's okay?"

If it was just a phone call, it wasn't a big deal, but... Xu Mo thought for a moment, "When I call, what should I say to your sister? Should I tell her you're in trouble and ask her to call the police?"

"This..." Luo Shi was stumped by his question and had no idea what to do. She glanced at Xu Mo, wanting to say something but holding back. She thought to herself: If I don't come back, it would be great if you could find me at No. 13.

This thought only crossed her mind, but she didn't say it out loud. If she really was in danger, and Xu Mo came to look for her, wouldn't he also be in danger? He wasn't related to her, so why should he take on this responsibility?

She was young and lacked social experience. After thinking for a long time, she couldn't come up with a perfect solution. Finally, she said helplessly, "Then, please, Big Brother Xu, give this address to my sister and tell her I went there."

What's the point of telling her? If she comes to look for you, won't she also be in danger?

Xu Mo shook his head inwardly and asked, "Then what?"

"Then..." Luo Shi repeated blankly, not knowing how to respond.

Xu Mo continued, "Actually, if it's just a phone call, you could tell your sister now."

Luo Shi frowned, wanting to say something but not knowing what. Xu Mo's suggestion seemed reasonable, but it didn't align with her thoughts. She couldn't explain why.

Perhaps she didn't even know herself, but she did it subconsciously. The reason she involved Xu Mo was that deep down, she hoped he could help her.

Finally, she said, "Please, Big Brother Xu."

"Alright." Xu Mo, feeling helpless, had to agree. He then asked, "What's your sister's phone number?"

Luo Shi, seeing that he agreed, was delighted and said with a smile, "My sister is called Luo Ci, and her number is XXXX."

Xu Mo took out his phone, wrote down the number, but didn't save it. He casually said, "Your names are interesting, one is Shi, and the other is Ci."

Luo Shi explained, "My father named us. He's a middle school Chinese teacher."

Xu Mo said, "Oh," and finally understood.

They then parted ways. Xu Mo went for his job interview, and Luo Shi headed to No. 13 on Qiuxia Road.

Xu Mo's job interview was for a warehouse manager position, and the result wasn't very promising. The interviewer showed some interest but didn't make a decision on the spot, telling him to wait for a response.

However, based on Xu Mo's observation, the reason for this was that the current warehouse manager wouldn't leave for two weeks. The job was relatively simple, and with some experience, one could start immediately, so the chemical plant didn't plan to hire someone so early.

The warehouse supervisor was concerned that the factory's remote location might make it hard to find someone, so he discussed with the HR department and decided to post the job listing early.

Xu Mo returned to the bus stop, and it was still early. Remembering his promise to Luo Shi, he waited at the security booth of Yixing Company. The security guard who had given them directions was named Liu Jian, and he was a decent person. Xu Mo chatted with him for a bit, and they got along well.

It was almost four o'clock, and Xu Mo came out of the security booth, looking towards the stone bridge but not seeing Luo Shi.

He was anxious and was about to call Luo Ci when suddenly a truck came from the direction of the stone bridge and stopped at the entrance of Yixing Company. The window rolled down, and a man poked his head out, calling to the security booth, "Hey! Buddy."

Liu Jian came out of the security booth and asked, "What's up?"

The man smiled, "Just asking for directions. Do you know how to get to No. 13 on Qiuxia Road?"

Xu Mo, hearing "No. 13 on Qiuxia Road," was taken aback. He put away his phone and looked at the man. Unfortunately, the man wore a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, covering most of his face, making it hard to see his features.

He leaned in to look inside the truck and saw that the driver was a fat woman with a cold expression, her hand on the steering wheel, but she didn't turn to look, so he couldn't see her face clearly either.

Liu Jian couldn't help but glance at Xu Mo, thinking: What's going on today? So many people asking about No. 13 on Qiuxia Road. Is this Xu brother with them?

Seeing that Xu Mo didn't intend to speak up, he didn't introduce him. He smiled and said, "No. 13 on Qiuxia Road is on the other side of the stone bridge. You've already passed it..."

"Woof!"

At that moment, a dog barked from inside the truck, and the truck shook as if something was hitting the side.

The man leaned out of the window, reached out, and slapped the truck's side, shouting, "Little beast, if you don't behave, I'll skin you."

With his shout, the truck became quiet again.

Xu Mo was suspicious and couldn't resist walking over. While Liu Jian was giving directions, he circled around to the back of the truck and pressed his ear to the door, but heard nothing.

He didn't give up and lightly tapped on the door.

From inside the truck, he heard a few light "scratch" sounds, as if something sharp, like fingernails, was scratching the metal.

"Cough, cough!"

Xu Mo pretended to cough a few times, and the truck again made a few light sounds, coming from the bottom of the truck, below the door. It seemed someone was tapping on the door from inside. Xu Mo understood and tapped back.

Suddenly, a piece of paper slipped out from the gap at the bottom of the door. Xu Mo was startled and quickly picked it up.

But before he could read it, the man asking for directions shouted, "Thanks, buddy." It seemed he had gotten the directions and was about to leave.

Xu Mo quickly put the paper away and moved aside. The truck turned around and headed towards the stone bridge.

Xu Mo then had a chance to look at the paper. He was stunned at first glance. The paper should have had a word, but Xu Mo wasn't sure. The word looked more like a picture, as it was written in blood.

From the strokes, it seemed to be the word "qiu" (求), but it wasn't finished, missing the final dot.

Liu Jian glanced at Xu Mo and saw the paper in his hand. He was surprised and asked, "Little Brother Xu, what's this..."

Xu Mo handed the paper to him, "It came from inside the truck. Take a look."

"Written in blood?"

Liu Jian was startled at first glance and then examined it closely. "Is this a 'qiu'? No, it's not. It's not finished. 'Qiu' is missing a dot. What does this mean? Who wrote it?"

Xu Mo said solemnly, "I'm afraid it's not 'qiu' but 'jiu' (救), for 'rescue.' Time was limited, and the person didn't finish writing it."

"Rescue?" Liu Jian was shocked. "You mean there's someone in the truck, and they're asking for help?"

Xu Mo said, "If everything goes as expected, that's the case."

Liu Jian, who had a strong sense of justice, immediately said, "Then we should call the police. The truck went to No. 13 on Qiuxia Road; they can't escape."

Xu Mo thought of Luo Shi, who had gone to No. 13 on Qiuxia Road and hadn't returned by now, past four o'clock. He was worried and said, "Brother Liu, you call the police, and I'll notify Luo Shi's sister."

Liu Jian didn't hesitate and agreed, "Alright." He immediately returned to the security booth to call the police.

Xu Mo found Luo Shi's sister's phone number and called her. The call connected quickly.

"Hello!"

A girl's voice came from the phone, similar to Luo Shi's but gentler.

"Is this Luo Ci?" Xu Mo asked.

"Who is this?" The girl's voice was hesitant, but her tone implied she had already acknowledged her identity.

Xu Mo replied, "I'm a friend of your sister. She went to No. 13 on Qiuxia Road in the western suburbs a while ago and hasn't returned. There might have been an accident..."

Before he could finish, Luo Ci interrupted, "Accident? What kind of accident?"

"It's..."

Xu Mo was about to continue when he saw Luo Shi appear from the other side of the stone bridge, walking towards them.