My tug brought Old Liu back to his senses, and he nodded to the boss lady too.
The boss lady was straightforward and generous. After a few brief questions about the four-story building, she had an underling bring over two thick stacks of cash and handed them to me.
With the fourth driver on my mind, I took the opportunity to ask her for help.
She readily agreed and ordered her men to look into it, saying she could get me news within a day.
While we were talking, Bun Head suddenly spotted the hotel owner in the crowd. Perhaps having so many people around emboldened him.
Bun Head shouted, strode over, and hauled him out of the crowd.
"What are you hiding here for, you monster? Did you really eat those brothers of mine?"
The owner put on an aggrieved look and said quietly:
"Brother, have you got the wrong person? This is the first time we've met!"
Bun Head lost his temper and flung him forward. The owner rolled across the ground like a ball.
Not knowing what was going on, the boss lady asked:
"Little Qiang, what are you doing? Whatever your beef is, explain it!"
Bun Head pointed at the owner on the ground and said loudly:
"This old bastard's a monster! He runs a little man-eating hotel beside the highway. I nearly fell into his trap myself!"
The boss lady froze at that.
"I have heard of a little hotel at the highway entrance. People often go missing, and the police have never found anything. But have you mistaken him for someone else? He's been here with me for a month, around me all day. I've never seen him leave."
The hotel owner spoke meekly:
"Brother Qiang, I'm not lying. The man running that hotel at the highway entrance is my twin brother. It has nothing to do with me!"
"Twins?"
I was stunned too. To be honest, the hotel owner had already been exposed, so he really shouldn't have shown up here.
Could they really be twins?
Seeing everyone still doubtful, he hurriedly took his ID out of his pocket and handed it to Bun Head.
"Brother Qiang, if you don't believe me, you can check at the police station. My name's Wang Dequan, and my brother's Wang Dezhi!"
Bun Head took the ID and compared it to him.
"Could there really be such a fucking coincidence?"
The boss lady waved a hand.
"Enough. Wang Dequan really has behaved himself this past month. Go check at the police station tomorrow and see whether you've confused him with his brother!"
With that, the boss lady exchanged a few pleasantries with Old Liu and me, then left.
That night, Old Liu and I returned to the hotel. I kept thinking about this Wang Dequan we had met today.
"Old Liu, twins. Do you believe it?"
Lying on the bed, Old Liu didn't answer my question. He only said in a low voice:
"All I care about now is whether we can find Wang Dazhong tomorrow!"
I leaned back against my pillow and said:
"It should work out. This lady gang boss seems pretty well connected!"
Old Liu said nothing more, and before long, he was snoring.
Early the next morning, Bun Head rushed into the hotel.
"Two pieces of news, one good, one bad. Which do you want first?"
I had just woken up and wasn't in the mood to banter. Brushing my teeth, I said:
"Just tell me one at a time!"
"The good news is, we found that driver you're looking for. He works at a garment factory not far from here."
A surge of joy filled me at that.
This fourth driver was the only survivor of the Route 13 Last Bus. He was crucial to how I could escape my fate.
"What's the bad news?"
Bun Head leaned against the doorframe and tilted his head.
"It really is a fucking coincidence. This Wang Dequan really is that hotel owner's younger twin brother!"
I was so unprepared for Bun Head's words that I swallowed a mouthful of rinse water.
"Did you check properly? Is it reliable?"
"Absolutely. My buddy in criminal investigations checked it himself. He even pulled the records. That hotel really is run by his older brother."
I hurriedly rinsed my mouth and pulled on my clothes.
"Things here are way too complicated. Once I've found Wang Dazhong at the garment factory, I need to get back right away!"
After breakfast, Old Liu and I checked out and headed to the Hengxin Garment Factory to find Wang Dazhong.
The garment factory stood in a corner of the development zone, surrounded by other factories.
Machines hummed in the workshop, where dozens of cutters were busy with their heads down.
Only after asking the old man in the workshop's guardroom did we manage to find Wang Dazhong.
Wang Dazhong wore a blue-and-white work uniform. He was short, with an honest face, and looked like an introvert at a glance.
I went over and greeted him:
"You're Brother Wang, right? Could I take a moment of your time? There's something I'd like to talk to you about!"
The workshop machinery was so loud that Wang Dazhong couldn't quite hear me, so he led Old Liu and me outside.
Wang Dazhong looked us over and asked in confusion:
"Who are you two? What do you want with me?"
"Brother Wang, I'm from Changxin Street Bus Station. I came to ask you about some old events. Please, you have to help."
The instant Wang Dazhong heard "Changxin Street Bus Station," his expression changed. He pushed Old Liu and me away, then turned and went back into the workshop.
Old Liu and I stood stunned outside and exchanged a glance. Old Liu sighed.
"We can't rush this. He was the only one who survived what happened ten years ago. No one would want to bring it up again!"
I nodded and said:
"Yeah, but we have to get him to talk somehow. Little Six and I don't want the rest of our lives tied to a single bus like this!"
Old Liu turned his head and pondered for a while before saying:
"I only heard about this man from an old friend myself. Why he alone survived back then is quite a question!"
Old Liu and I waited outside the workshop until his lunch break, when the workers began coming out one after another.
Seeing the two of us still at the entrance, Wang Dazhong paused, then shook his head and kept walking.
I hurried over and pleaded quietly:
"Brother Wang, I'm the driver of the Route 13 Last Bus now. I know you have your difficulties, but I'm so young. I don't want to die an unnatural death like the other three. Please, you have to save me!"
Wang Dazhong stopped and looked at me. He seemed about to speak, but in the end, he only said quietly:
"Go back. I can't help you."
I hurried after him again.
"Brother Wang, out of the four Route 13 drivers ten years ago, you were the only one who survived. No one but you can help me!"
Wang Dazhong seemed to lose patience and shoved me hard.
"What's wrong with you? I already said I can't help you!"
I was about to speak again when Old Liu caught hold of me.
Wang Dazhong quickly picked up his pace and entered the canteen.
Some workers behind us saw what had happened and came over to me.
"Young man, you've come at a bad time. Old Wang's always been withdrawn, and his wife fell ill a while ago. I think you'd better come back another time!"
I frowned and asked:
"Ill? What kind of illness?"
The worker lowered his head and said quietly:
"I don't know the details, but I heard it's a supernatural illness!"
With that, the worker followed the crowd into the canteen.
I was delighted by this news. I couldn't say anything about other illnesses, but a supernatural illness was right up Old Liu's alley.
Old Liu and I found somewhere nearby to stay. After settling our luggage, we headed back to the factory.
We waited there from the afternoon until ten that night, when Wang Dazhong finally finished work and went home with a group of coworkers.
We tailed him all the way to a shabby little single-story house.
Before we even entered the yard, Old Liu began looking this way and that in his mysterious fashion.
"What is it, Old Liu? Did you spot something?"
Old Liu planted his battered stick in front of him.
"This'll work out. Let's go inside!"
Old Liu and I pushed the door open and went straight in. Wang Dazhong was feeding his wife. At the sight of us, he became agitated, stood up, and began pushing us out.
Old Liu was an old hand, after all. He said coldly:
"If you want your wife to live, let me go over and take a look!"
Wang Dazhong froze at that and actually let go. He asked quietly:
"You can treat illnesses?"
Seeing an opening, I hurried forward to give things a push.
"He can't treat minor illnesses, only serious ones. Supernatural illnesses are his specialty!"
A rare smile appeared on Wang Dazhong's face.
"Then hurry! I don't know what's been wrong with my wife this past week. She talks nonsense every day and keeps eating toads and bugs."
No sooner had he spoken than Old Wang's wife went wild and desperately tried to run out the door.
The woman was in her fifties, wearing floral clothes, with disheveled hair and a filthy face. A toad's leg dangled from her mouth. It was utterly disgusting.
Old Liu took one look, raised his battered stick, and struck her.
Wang Dazhong panicked and reached out to stop him.
"Treat her all you like, but you can't hit my wife!"
I quickly wrapped my arms around his waist.
As the stick landed, the woman let out a wail.
The wail was extremely eerie and really didn't sound as though it had come from this woman.
Old Liu's gaze blazed as he said coldly:
"If you don't leave now, the second blow will keep you in your burrow for ten days!"
As he spoke, he raised the stick to strike again.
Wang Dazhong was utterly furious and struggled desperately to stop him.
Before the second blow could land, the woman collapsed to the floor as though she had lost her soul.
While Wang Dazhong stood stunned, a weasel shot out from beneath the cabinet and darted through the window with a whoosh!
I let go, and Wang Dazhong hurried over to help his wife up.
The woman slowly opened her eyes. Looking as though she had just recovered from a serious illness, she called softly:
"Dazhong!"
Wang Dazhong was so happy he nearly cried.
Old Liu coughed from the side, then said slowly:
"Did you hit a weasel in the yard?"
The woman nodded and said:
"I won't hit it again. I'll never dare do that again!"
Seeing his wife back to normal, Wang Dazhong thanked Old Liu over and over.
Once we were outside, I saw that the timing was right and brought up what had happened ten years ago again.
"Brother Wang, please, you have to teach me. What did you do back then to get away from this Route 13 bus safe and sound?"
Wang Dazhong shook his head.
"Brother, it's not that I won't help you. I did drive a bus at Changxin Street Bus Station back then, but I drove the daytime Route 6. For a while, management wanted me to drive that Route 13 run, but then someone volunteered and took my place!"
Wang Dazhong's words left me deeply disappointed, but I couldn't help asking another question:
"Then who ended up taking your place and driving the Route 13 Last Bus?"
Wang Dazhong spoke the name quietly:
"Wu Baoku!"
It was Old Wu!!