Epilogue: Within the Game

Gu Wen flicked his fingers. The oilcloth bundle on the ground floated up by itself, and its thin outer wrapping was sliced neatly open, leaving the paper inside completely undamaged.

Unfortunately, it was only paper, not money.

Gu Wen sighed. “Ah… just as I thought…” He reached out to catch the bundle of newspapers, then suddenly realized the weight was wrong.

He tore away the newspaper layer by layer. Inside was an iron plate, evidently put there to adjust the weight. Three Chinese characters were engraved on it: “Answer the phone.”

A very bad feeling came over Gu Wen. He couldn't say why, but his instincts told him something was wrong!

He rushed out of the alley and spotted an outdoor payphone less than ten meters from the entrance. He walked over, then looked down again at the iron plate in his hand. A few dozen seconds later, sure enough, the phone rang.

“Hello,” Gu Wen said as he picked up.

A man's voice came from the other end. Tian Yi's voice.

“Gu Wen… yes, the test was a great success,” Tian Yi began.

“You know about my test?” Gu Wen asked.

Tian Yi replied, “Of course I know about your test. I also know it failed. Mine, however, was a great success.”

“What did you say?” Gu Wen's voice turned icy. As sharp as he was, he had already grasped what Tian Yi meant.

Tian Yi left the question unanswered, since the answer was obvious, and went straight on. “Fooling you isn't easy. I had to be careful at every turn. Originally, I wanted to invent a gang and pose as its boss to hire you, but in the end I decided to sacrifice a few of the Opium Club's bosses.”

Juan Rosell's last words immediately flashed through Gu Wen's mind. “I have to do this. Sorry, buddy.”

“Oh? So you're my real client?” Gu Wen gave an odd smile, as though his anger had suddenly turned to delight.

Tian Yi said, “Ah, that's right. And you could say I'm half a colleague of yours.”

“Oh? Why half?” Gu Wen asked.

Tian Yi said, “I've been keeping an eye on you for several years. Your main occupation is criminal consulting, and your hobby is toying with people. My main occupation is running a bookstore, and criminal consulting is my sideline.”

Gu Wen said, “Must you describe my hobby in such crude terms?”

“Some things are better described crudely. If we insisted on being perfectly detailed and precise, wouldn't my main occupation become something like governing the destiny of humankind?”

Gu Wen laughed aloud. “How interesting. My half-colleague actually thinks he's a god.”

Tian Yi said, “You flatter me. I do have a human name, too. Tian Yi.”

Gu Wen said, “Well then, Tian Yi, let's set aside the purpose of this test of yours. For now, I won't ask how you can manipulate a bunch of Mafia men into doing things against their will, either. In any case, you now owe me three hundred thousand.”

Tian Yi said, “So what's your plan now?”

Gu Wen smiled. “That depends on your response.”

“Let me guess. If I refuse to pay, you'll find out where I am, then tighten the ‘Thread of Truth’ around my neck and force me to pay up. Is that right?”

“Heh heh… I never said that, though it certainly is one option.”

“All right, I'll save you some time. My bookstore is in Chicago at the moment. It isn't far from here. The address is engraved on the back of the iron plate. We'll talk about money when we meet.” Tian Yi hung up without even saying goodbye.

Gu Wen turned the iron plate over, glanced at it, and shrugged. He picked up his shoulder bag, got into the car the Opium Club had brought, and sped away.