Chapter 184 - The Package Pt.4

"T O  M r HaN  xILOnG, YoU hAvE….."

"F*ck this is going to be annoying." It wasn't necessarily hard to read but he was having an aneurism going through it. He couldn't take it seriously nor could he stop reading, despite the ȧssault on his eyes. 

YoU hAvE tEN dAyS tO rESpOnd, iF yOU dONt tHeN yOu LEave mE wItH nO cHoiCe. It WILL bE tOO lAtE to rEgRet anYthIng. WHat YoU hAve DoNe, wILL hAve RetribuTion.1

dO yOu WanT to Hear A STorY - A prisONer is tOLd: "If you tell a LIE, we will HANG yoU aNd if You teLL THE truth, we wiLL shooT yOu" WHaT diD thE prisOner sAy to saVe hiMself?

WhAt woUld yoU chOOse Mr. Han XI LoNG, I wOndEr. EVen WiTH tHis leTTer do You KnOw wHO I aM? I kNOW wHO yoU arE buT thAt wAs a STateD fAct anyWays. 

I aM the reason you rUn. I am the reason you scrEam. I am the cause of your pAin. I am a cage froM which you will never be frEE.

SEE yOu SooN. 

Just off the bat, the letter was supporting his dramatic or cinema theory heavily. In such a short letter they had included a fair bit of dramatics and strong verbiage. It was such a thinly veiled threat and had an express deadline on it for ten days. Maybe the sender ȧssumed that he wasn't going to take care of it or look into the letter further in the time given to him. Of course any preliminary search would be taken into consideration, however, he could feel the confidence reek off the letter. 

It could be his biased vision now that he has an opinion on the sender. Yet, his gut instinct was telling him that he wasn't too far off from the mark. The sender was very confident that he would not be able to find him within ten days and that whatever punishment they intended was going to happen. There was actually no really belief behind the first sentence, it was more mocking than anything. To ask someone to respond within ten days as the introduction and close with "see you soon" was pretty self-explanatory. 

The idea that he, would spend time searching to no avail then surrender to this 'fate' was intoxicating to an enemy. He didn't need to hate himself or be an actually enemy to understand this specific thought process. People knew that he tended to be more violent and psychological with his targets. Part of it was because it was the most logical and effective methods in torture. The other, was due to the sadistic streak than runs through him. It wasn't the most appealing trait but he didn't detest that part of him. How much it helped him harden his heart and understand other people like him, only he knew the benefits. 

They also taunted him with the fact that they were an unknown ȧssailant. The "I know who you are, do you know who I am" bit was to make him agitated and on guard. Nothing was scarier than an unknown enemy. Though, it wasn't the first 'faceless' person they had that decided to target him. He wasn't sure if the goal was his life or something within his possession, yet there wasn't much difference regardless. They wanted something and he had it. 

There were a lot of thoughts racing through his mind and he casually reread the letter over a couple of times. By the third time, he had the words memorized and could recite it with his eyes closed. A lot of angles could be seen in the letter and a lot of theories, however, for some reason his mind was stuck on two specific sentences. 

"A prisoner is told: If you tell a lie, we will hang you and if you tell the truth, we will shoot you. What did the prisoner say to save himself?"

and 

"I am the reason you run. I am the reason you scream. I am the cause of your pain. I am a cage from which you will never be free."

Both lines could be passed off as theatrics or a false sense of intelligence. On the other hand, if you were to take them literally they are 'hidden eggs.' Using the format of a riddle or poem they can give hints but remain hidden. He held a suspicion that this was a hint given to him by the mystery sender. Trying to crack whatever code it was would be difficult and meaningless if he didn't know how to use the answer. 

There was definitely more to the sentences and he couldn't leave it alone. He would have to inform Zhuang Wei and alert their subordinates to look out for something unusual. No matter what was coming or who this was, it was best to be prepared. Decoding the letter would have a ten day deadline, if he couldn't, then...it was a bridge he had to cross when it came. Of course, there was also the probability that this was a shitty joke or attempt by someone lower to stress him out. His gut instincts were the biggest sign that things weren't as simple and was the main reason he took it more seriously than usual. 

The usb and letter should be handed over today before he met up with Zhuang Wei. If he didn't give it today and based on today's events, there was no ȧssurance tomorrow would be peaceful. 

It was a bit awkward that he had to both 'punish' Zhuang Wei and get his support tonight. The punishment being something that he hadn't decided on and was still stuck debating on. For the first time in years, he wish that time would move slower so he could avoid tonight for a bit longer. Another hour had passed during the time he had gone over the package, leaving only four more hours till the work day was finished. Five and a bit till he had to see Zhuang Wei.  The words are written this way to mimic what the cut out letters look like. They are often different sizes and cases.. I hate the way it looks too, that's why I made it shorter.