Chapter 1103:
...
After going out of the house where they were temporarily staying, Shin and Leonard went to the nearest restaurant that they had come across last night. They went there for their late breakfast.
The place was very simple, yet it had a lot of customers. From the looked of it, this place seemed to be pretty famous in the area. The duo could see that most of the customers were either middle-aged men or old people, which gave them a rough idea of what kind of servings this place had.
During the entire time, Leonard was actually the one who was talking the most contrary to his stern- and cold-looking appearance.
He was telling Shin about a few customs of the city and the famous tourist spots that it had. He looked like a local tour guide, who was boasting about his hometown.
Some of the customers overheard their conversation and could not help but give Leonard an approving look. The owner of the small restaurant even gave the two an extra plate of their signature dish for free because they were quite fond of Leonard.
Since most of the customers were old people, they loved to talk a lot. They asked Leonard why he was so familiar with their place, especially when it was their first time seeing him here.
Leonard just followed the script that was given to him and said that he had some relatives that used to live there.
The two were not in a hurry to leave yet, so they welcomed the conversation with these old people. They were just having some casual talks with them on the surface, but the two were actually collecting some information from these people.
After almost half an hour, the two bade their farewell and left the place. They quickly entered the car that they had parked nearby before heading to another location.
"It seems like the people are quite friendly to people who know a lot about their customs, especially the guys who respect their beliefs. Though, they are very cold to outsiders," commented Shin as he drove.
"That is to be expected. After all, there are quite a lot of people out there who find their customs weird or too old-fashioned," said Leonard.
Shin was silent for a moment before saying. "But it is not like we have not gained anything."
Leonard nodded his head and said solemnly. "From what those elders have said, it seems like the disappearance of people is a regular occurrence."
"They first take it as some sort of superstitious phenomenon where the spirits of the dead people invite those of the living to come and journey with them in the mountains, particularly their loved ones or at least close two them."
"It is said that those spirits can't rest in peace and need their relatives or those close to them for company. But if the living people followed them, they would never be able to come back as they will be lost in the Spirit Realm or something."
"At first, it is only one or two people missing like that for a year, but it recently became too frequent these last few years. And it even accelerated these last few months."
"The locals of the city believe that it is because the Guardian of the Mountain is enraged because of the disrespectful behavior of foreign people visiting their city, which resulted in the locals becoming hostile to them."
Shin nodded his head before commenting. "Isn't it a convenient excuse to use to cover a crime?"
"You mean, the abduction? It surely is," said Leonard as he also nodded.
Shin thought for a moment before continuing. "Let's have a little tour while killing some time. We also have to secretly install the spy cameras too, so let's have a few rounds around the city."
"Point me to the less famous tourist spots?" he instructed.
Leonard was confused when he heard that, doubting if he heard it wrong. But after making sure that it was not the case, he could not help but ask. "Don't you mean the most famous place? Isn't that how foreign people visit a certain tourist destination?"
Shin shook his head and said. "Normally, yes. But we are not. We have to keep a low profile."
"We already talk with the elderly earlier and learn more about a few things. I am sure those people who are monitoring us will find it a little suspicious."
"Sure, we will be no different from other tourists if we head straight to those famous tourist destinations. But will only make us more suspicious since that is how 'normal' tourists do."
"Because that is how the normal tourists act, agents and spies will also act that way. It is in the basic manual of Espionage of any organization. Or at least, that is what I remember from training from the Mafia Camp and also what I have read in the secret service manual in grandfather's study."
"So, we have to avoid such famous places or the most crowded ones. Let's just head over to the less famous tourist spots that are not commonly visited by the public. Locals will also choose to bring their friends to such places if they really grew up in this place."
Hearing the explanation, Leonard finally understood. It had been a long time since he knew Shin – so much that he had become his brother. But he almost forgot that Shin actually was trained in the Mafia Training Camp first then proceeded to live in a Military Household.
Thinking about that for a moment, Leonard nodded his head and said. "Then let's go to the shrines."
"Shines?" Shin repeated questioningly.
"Yeah! The shrines. Even though this place is full of people believing superstitious beliefs, they still have some sort of religion. And if there is a religion, someone is bound to become the head of it or something – someone like a priest or sort," said Leonard.
"Since we are acting as a returning citizens of the city, then we better visit the shrines today. It is one of the traditions of this city. They call it 'Rite of Returning' – it means that we are returning to our rightful place."
"It is like visiting our old homes after being away from them for a very long time," he added as he tried to remember if he forgot anything.
"You are very familiar with the customs of this place, huh? It feels like you really used to live here for real," commented Shin.
"It is to be expected. After all, one of my senior brothers is a local here. He is my sparring partner when I am training. And he is very talkative, so it is natural that I learn a lot despite the short time I know him," replied Leonard.
Shin pursed his mouth before driving the car toward the place that Leonard had indicated. He also glanced at the rear-view mirror, looking at the certain car that was following them since they left the house.
Those guys tailing them were quite skilled as they maintained a considerable distance away from them. They also did not stay in the same lane as them and kept a couple of vehicles in the middle to avoid suspicion.
Shin could tell that those guys were not amateurs. They seemed to have a lot of experience with what they were doing. Unfortunately, Shin had very sharp senses thanks to his mentalism attainment. His memory was also quite good as he remembered every vehicle behind them.
Leonard noticed Shin's actions and asked in a casual manner. "We are being followed?"
"Yeah, they are quite skilled too. Fortunately, there are very few vehicles in the city, which made it easier to spot them," answered Shin in a calm manner.
Leonard did not purposely turn his head to look. Instead, he continued to look ahead while asking. "What is your plan?"
"Well, we are still not sure about their identity, so let's leave them for how," he said before slightly tapping the communication device attached to his ear. "Big Brother John, can you see the white car behind us? The one behind the delivery van."
He did not wait for a reply and said. "Take note of them and follow their movements every time. And also check their records if you have any or at least look at its history."
"Got it," replied John Evans simply before passing the job to his team.
In the meantime, Shin temporarily forgot about their tail and said. "We will stick to the plan. Head over to the shrine and have a few rounds in the city before heading to the pubs at night."
Leonard nodded his head before taking the tablet provided by the military and browsing on it.
...
Inside the car that was tailing Shin and Leonard, the driver suddenly asked. "Did they notice us?"
The guy sitting on the passenger seat seem to not care and just lazy replied. "I don't know."
The driver frowned deeply. "If you are going to continue to act lazily, then I will report you to the boss. Let's see if your head is still on your shoulders when he learns that you are slacking off."
The other guy glared at him and refuted. "What do you know? I have been doing this job for years and can already identify which are the locals, tourists, and spies."
He then pointed at the car that they were following before saying. "I assure you that those brats are just some local returnees. You witness it too; they are not rejected by the old locals earlier. They are knowledgeable about the customs of the city and even know how to treat those elders."
"My guess is that they are going to the shrine temple for their Rite of Returning!"
"I bet my entire savings that they are not here to investigate us," he declared.
The driver knitted his brow for a moment as he asked doubtfully. "Doesn't that make them more suspicious?"
The other guy glared and said. "Are you an idiot? Who in the right mind will study the customs of this overly traditional place that deeply?"
"And if they are really some agents that are sent here to investigate us, then why are they wasting their time on such trivial matters? Aren't they supposedly looking for clues about the disappearance of those students?"
"And if they are professionals, then they are supposed to head to the famous tourist spots to make themselves less suspicious."
"And most of all, those two are just kids. Or at least in their early twenties! How much experience do they have?"
The driver could not refute after hearing the rapid words of his partner. Even though he still had some doubts, he kept it to himself and thought that it was only his imagination.
He just hoped that his partner was right.
...
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