God's chessboard

The cemetery in the early morning is quiet and peaceful, the air is filled with the smell of grass leaves and dew, holy and serene.A few grave sweepers scattered among the rows of tombstones, stopping at the place where their deceased died.

Wang Yao stood in front of Wang Chunyan's tombstone with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, and there was already another bouquet of flowers in full bloom in front of the tomb.Wang Yao was hiding under the shade of a tree in the distance just now, and came only when he saw Arthur leave.

It has been a month since I came back from Tokyo, and everything has settled down, but a new crisis is brewing under the calm water, just around the corner.

On the day of Wang Chunyan's funeral, Wang Yao also hid far away behind the tree, behind the same tree, watching Arthur and a few other relatives and friends standing in front of a new tombstone, listening to the same prayer .Wang Yao can't approach, he doesn't have that position, and he doesn't want to stand with Arthur or other people who can honor the dead in a fair way.

It has been a month now, and the flowers on Wang Chunyan's cemetery have been changed one after another, and someone always puts fresh flowers in time to replace the withered ones.People always use flowers to pay homage to the dead, as if the dead can absorb the life of flowers and make their souls immortal, but the result is that the fresh flowers are sucked away by the dead air of the cemetery and withered into a part of thick death.

Al didn't know when he came behind Wang Yao: "I knew you were here."

"What else?" Wang Yao asked coldly.

"Don't be so cold," Al said, "You and I both know it's not over."

Wang Yao turned around and saw Al with his hands in his trouser pockets. The latter's casual gesture made him unhappy: "You don't come here to sweep the grave, do you? Do you have relatives buried here?"

"Have you?" Al asked.

Wang Yao glanced at Wang Chunyan's tombstone and said, "No."

Al raised his head and breathed, letting the fresh air fill his lungs: "This is such a good place."

"That's right," Wang Yao squinted at the family approaching in the distance, "We will all settle here in the future."

"What are your plans?" Al asked.

"I won't cooperate with the FBI anymore," Wang Yao said, "I have lost everything because of you."

Al shrugged: "So you have nothing to lose."

"I thought so this time." Wang Yao looked down at the photo of Wang Chunyan on the tombstone again.

"You might as well think about it from another angle," Al said, "if you quit now, Wang Chunyan's death will always be an unsolved case, and it was the same for Antonio a few years ago, even Antonio's father and Arthur's father. But if you are willing Working with me—and I mean real cooperation—we'll get to the bottom of the conspiracy behind all the people who've died unexplained over the years."

Wang Yao raised his head and glanced at Al with sharp eyes: "I have to remind you: Antonio's father was killed by me, and Arthur's father has been dead for more than ten years."

"This is not an isolated incident," Al said. "I have suspected it for a long time. This time I caught the killer named Thayer, and I may be able to confirm my guess."

An idea flashed in Wang Yao's mind: "So what role do you need me to play in your plan?"

"Collaborator," Al said, "you were, and maybe are, a piece of this huge chessboard, and I need you, and you need me."

Wang Yao sneered: "How can you be sure that I am not on your enemy's side?"

"Obviously not, we have a common enemy now." Al said and stretched out his hand to Wang Yao, "How? Let's decide!"

Wang Yao glanced at Al up and down in distrust: "Okay, partner." He said and held Al's outstretched hand.

The family in the distance had a picnic after a simple sweep of the grave, and the innocent laughter of the children broke the silence of the cemetery.Wang Yao looked at them silently, the simple happiness of ordinary people did not belong to him, never belonged to him.

Al followed Wang Yao's gaze and found that Wang Yao was paying attention. He asked in a relaxed tone: "It's a good day, really suitable for a picnic. Do you like picnics?"

Wang Yao didn't answer.

Al didn't care, and continued to say, "I used to have a lot of picnics. My girlfriend in high school liked this best. We went out to the countryside on graduation day and stole several bottles of wine from her dad's wine cellar. What happened to us that day?" Al noticed that Wang Yao was looking at his face in a daze: "Is there something on my face?"

There was a trace of uncommon mist in Wang Yao's eyes, which softened his eyes a lot.Al's expression was relaxed and natural when he spoke, and he was like an ordinary American youth when the steel shell was shed.Wang Yao also had to notice that Al was very handsome.

"I'm leaving." Wang Yao said.

Al felt that Wang Yao's "going" was not simply leaving: "Where are you going?"

"China." Wang Yao said his destination.

"China? Why?" Although Al was asking, there was not much doubt in his tone.

"Chunyan is the latest victim. If you want to know more, getting to know her is the best way." Wang Yao stared into the distance, the bustling city blocked the horizon.

"Okay, I'll start with Thayer then," Al said. "You're still in touch with me?"

"Of course, we are partners." Wang Yao turned his head and finally showed a smile.

"Good luck!" Al said with a smile.

"You too." Wang Yao said and left the cemetery alone.

Waking up from a dream, Wang Yao thought he woke up screaming, but in fact he only uttered a painful cry. Waking up came with pain all over his body, forcing Wang Yao to tense his muscles and prepare to get up. In an instant, his body went limp again.

I also dreamed about the past four years ago. In the past, most of Wang Yao's dreams appeared to be Wang Chunyan's death. Every time he failed to save her in time, and every time he relived the death of Wang Chunyan that he had never seen before, it seemed like an eternity. punishment.But this time he dreamed of Al, of the farewell he had almost forgotten.

"Are you awake?" a familiar voice said.

Wang Yao turned his sore neck, and Wang Jialong, who was sitting by the bed, gradually appeared in his vision.

"How do you feel?" Wang Jialong couldn't hear any concern in his tone.

"It's like being hit by a high-speed train." Wang Yao grinned and tried to prop up his body. Immediately, severe pain like electric current came from different directions, shocking his brain. "It really hurts!" Wang Yao gritted his teeth and scolded.

"You have several bone fractures and have undergone surgery, so it's best not to move around." Wang Jialong warned.

"Where is this?" Wang Yao frowned and looked around. It was obviously a suite in a high-end hotel. The decoration style was Western style, but it also had some tropical style.

"Siem Reap, Royal Park." Wang Jialong said.

If it wasn't for his injuries, Wang Yao almost jumped out of bed: "How did I come to Cambodia? How many days have I slept?"

"It's not as long as you imagined. In fact, you woke up once after the operation, and you probably forgot." Wang Jialong told him, "Although Fankata gave you to me, it is dangerous to stay in Bangkok."

"You just stuffed a dying person on the plane to get here?" Wang Yao wondered if he was already disabled.

"Of course not. I just didn't allow you recovery time after the operation was performed in a hospital in Bangkok." Wang Jialong said it as a matter of course.

"Where's Bolang Yilin?" Wang Yao thought of his companion.

"He's fine," Wang Jialong said. "He wasn't seriously injured, but he lost a lot of blood and was weak. To be safe, I brought him to Siem Reap."

"Thank you, I owe you a favor." Wang Yao said.

"You don't owe me," Wang Jialong said, "This love is owed by others."

"Who?" Wang Yao felt bad.

"Of course it's me!" A voice Wang Yao was all too familiar with, and then the tall figure of Ivan Braginsky appeared at the door.

"I should have guessed..." Wang Yao sank into the pillow angrily.

Ivan folded his arms with a smile: "You owe me now."

"I didn't ask you to help me!" Wang Yao replied coldly.

"You're welcome." Ivan said indifferently.

"How did you find me?" Wang Yao squinted at Ivan, "Don't tell me, let me guess: You tracked Al to Xi'an, found me through him, and then tracked me all the way to Hong Kong, and hooked up with this Wang Jialong ,Right?"

"It's not that complicated," Ivan said, "You didn't hide it well at all—you should change your phone number!"

"You already knew I was in Xi'an?" Wang Yao was deeply frustrated.

"I don't know, but it's easy to find if you want to." Ivan said disdainfully, "But I didn't expect to save your life by the way."

"I don't appreciate your kindness." Wang Yao didn't thank you at all, "What do you want me for?" He knew that Ivan would go to the Three Treasures Palace for nothing.

Ivan didn't hide anything: "There is indeed a tricky situation, but your stupid appearance is useless at all, let's talk about it after you fix yourself." After finishing speaking, Ivan left the bedroom without looking back. .

"Hey!" Wang Yao struggled to get up.

Wang Jialong pressed him back on the bed: "You'd better not move, if you don't want to stay on the bed for another month." Then he also left without bothering to lock the door.

Wang Yao lay helplessly on the big soft bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Wang Yao's resilience is amazing, he can slowly get up the next day, and walk on the ground.Ivan sneered at Wang Yao's state: "I remember that you were almost in a wheelchair last time. How did you get better this time? Because the conditions here are too poor to suit you?" Wang Yao didn't care about Ivan The sarcasm, the fact that he used to pretend to be sick in order to escape has always been Ivan's excuse, and now he doesn't want to waste more time on this matter.

On the third day, Wang Yao saw Bo Lang Yilin again. Wang Jialong restricted the action of the Thai policeman. Bo Lang Yilin always wanted to go back to Thailand, but Wang Jialong didn't allow it.Wang Jialong doesn't care about the life and death of this Thai, but after returning to Thailand, Bolang Yilin is likely to fall into the hands of Fankata again, which will still endanger Wang Yao.

A few days later, Wang Yao was finally able to take a short walk outdoors. Bo Lang Yilin sometimes accompanied him. The Thai had basically recovered, and the life of house arrest almost drove him crazy.

"I have to go back. Being pinched by Wang Jialong is not much better than being killed by Fankata." Bolang Yilin complained.

"At least you still have life. You have to thank Wang Jialong for living these days." Wang Yao pointed out sharply.

"But what's the difference between me sitting here waiting to die and already dead?" Bolang Yilin called out, "I can't do anything, and I don't know what Wang Jialong wants to do!"

"Wang Jialong released those 10 girls according to the agreement, but he didn't kill you. This at least shows that he is not our enemy." Wang Yao patiently explained.

Bolang Yilin was still very irritable: "He can't imprison us forever, maybe we will be killed if we are useless-it can only show that we are still useful now, although we don't know why."

Wang Yao didn't answer, he didn't know what to do next.He walked slowly across the grass under the giant arbor in the Royal Park, and Brown Yilin helped him from time to time.A large group of fruit bats on the canopy squeaked, making people even more anxious.

The Royal Park is not big. In fact, it is just a small square in the city. Because there are some famous buildings around it, it has also become a scenic spot for foreign tourists and a good place for locals to take wedding photos.Several couples of young men and women took selfies on the square. The girls were all wearing wedding dresses, but the boys were dressed casually. Their faces were filled with the happiest smiles in the world.

When I walked to the sister temple, I saw that the stone statue at the door was used as a coat rack by the security guards, and a uniform hat was held in the stone statue's hands.Wang Yao staggered into the courtyard gate, and was immediately dragged by a group of severely disabled beggars.Bolang Yilin stopped the beggars and waved their dirty hands: "He is a poor man, he is no luckier than you!"

The reason why the Sister Temple is named "Sister" is not because there is a goddess in it. In fact, it has nothing to do with women. There are two statues of Sakyamuni, one large and one small, like a pair of sisters, so it has this name.Many dejected devout men and women knelt in front of the Buddha statue, silently praying complicatedly. They walked up one by one, washed the hands and feet of the Buddha statue with water, touched the palm of the Buddha statue with their hands and then touched their own head, as if Indirectly let the Buddha's hand touch them to obtain blessings.

Bolang Yilin also knelt down and prayed silently. Like most Thais, he is a devout Buddhist.

Wang Yao looked down at the large group of people kneeling in front of him, and then at Bolang Yilin. After hesitating for a moment, he, who was always proud, took the initiative to kneel down.He did not bow his head deeply like the others, but looked up at the black face of the Buddha statue, and prayed in his heart: I am not a believer, not even a good person, but if there is any almighty being who can hear my voice, I will I hope that the one I love will not be hurt a little bit.

He thought of that dream again, and he knew that no matter what, he couldn't let anyone he cared about lie in that cemetery again, even if his enemy was God.

Walking out of the sister temple, the two walked towards Sihanouk's Palace.The so-called palace is just a very inconspicuous villa across the road, similar to the houses of ordinary rich people, but much better than the residences of most people in this country.

"Maybe we can meet the king." Brown Yilin said with hope.

"I don't think so." Wang Yao was not interested.

"That guy really looks like a king," Brown Yilin said, pointing to a tall man in front of the palace, "but the king will definitely not be blond."

"Does he look like chess?" Wang Yao first joked, but when he saw the man across the road, his expression froze.

The man obviously also saw Wang Yao. After being dazed for half a second, he immediately dragged his legs and ran over. He was almost hit by a motorcycle while crossing the road.

"Al..." Wang Yao couldn't believe it. Shock, anxiety and joy were intertwined, which made him unable to react for a while, and he didn't know which feeling to succumb to first.

"Yao!" Al obviously made a choice faster than Wang Yao, and he hugged Wang Yao tightly.

Wang Yao hugged Al at a loss: "Why are you here?"

Al whispered in his ear, "Because you're here."

tbc

☆、Chapter 15