"Not dead?" Dahai asked.
I pulled him close and whispered, "She thinks that the watch killed her husband so she wants to take revenge using my doll. She probably doesn"t know the situation so you gotta ask her in another way."
He nodded.
"Yeah, your doll doesn"t work. He"s still living well. You"re just a scammer, aren"t you?" she accused.
I said, "Why do you think I"ve come today?"
She looked at her grandson. "How do you know them? Why have you brought them here?"
"They were sending posters and I recognized your face from it. I did not expect them to ask such strange questions," he defended.
"Why exactly are you two looking for me?" the old lady asked, puzzled.
"I"m here to bring the watch back because of the evil aura I felt from it. Just like you, I"ve spent a lot of effort to unravel its secret."
"That watch killed my husband, didn"t it?" she asked agitatedly.
Dahai tugged at my shirt in warning.
"I got this, don"t worry," I told him confidently before turning back to the lady. "Not really."
"What do you mean?"
I pointed to the wall and answered, "I did not take it seriously before but I dreamed of a spirit telling me that this leader isn"t just a simple person."
She began, "He killed my husband?"
Her grandson cut in, "Who are you guys? Don"t try to cheat my grandmother. Why are you acting so shadily? Who is this someone? What spirit? And how do you know them, Granny?"
I gestured at Dahai meaningfully and said, "He"ll chat with you outside. We"re just talking to her and we have no intention to deceive her."
Dahai retrieved his wallet and handed a wad of cash to the man. "Let"s talk elsewhere."
"It"s not about the money. I can keep quiet but I must be here or how else would I know what you two are up to?"
"Fine, watch if you want."
"They"re not bad people, Grandson," the old lady rea.s.sured.
I continued, "That spirit wasn"t able to deal with the leader because the leader"s an evil sorcerer as well. The spirit"s fallen into his hands so I"m willing to help you, but you must tell me the leader"s name and residential history. It"s the only way I"d stand a chance against him."
The old lady nodded immediately. "I can tell you everything. There"s an honorary manual on the table. All the contact numbers and addresses of the old soldiers are in it. His name is Han Dong."
I walked over to the table and flipped through the manual, quickly finding Han Dong"s contact and address.
I snapped a picture of it with my phone. "I"ll need some time to think over the plan. I"m actually supposed to charge you, but since the spirit is in his hands, I"ll make sure to get rid of him too so don"t worry."
Comforted, she acquiesced with a nod.
Her grandson asked, "What are you two trying to do? What are you talking about?"
I took the wad of cash from Dahai and handed it to him. "Have you seen anyone scamming your grandmother"s a.s.sets before pa.s.sing you another sum of money?"
"What? Wait, please get things straight before you leave," he urged, clearly confused.
"Ask your grandmother. You"ll know if she"s willing to tell you."
I pulled Dahai out of the apartment.
Outside the house, he asked, "What"s going on? The watch doesn"t work on everyone?"
"I have no idea. I have his address and number here. Can you get someone to check on him?"
"There are people who can do that in the market. I"ll look around."
"Are they reliable? We took so long to find a harmless old lady," I commented doubtfully.
"We have his number and address, it will definitely be easier."
I sent him the photo before adding, "Things are getting increasingly complicated."
"Not really. He mentioned that the watch was a seized item," Dahai said, holding a book.
My eyes widened. "Wait, you took the book with you?"
"You pulled me out so quickly and I just forgot about it. Should we return it?"
"No, no! Let me have a look."
The watch was indeed taken away from the j.a.panese but there weren"t any other information about it.
"China only attacked j.a.pan in WWII?" I asked Dahai.
"Yeah, and maybe North Korea? I"m not really sure."
"Which nations did j.a.pan attack?"
"How am I supposed to know that? Maybe her grandson would know since he"s a fan."
I stopped in my tracks, my mind whirring.
Dahai took one look at my face and sighed. "We"re heading back to ask him, aren"t we?"
"Should we let him know about the watch?"
"Why? Do you wanna add one to the team?"
"We know the rough history of this watch but nothing about WWII. That guy must"ve taken a liking to military affairs because of his grandfather. His grandfather died because of this watch, so I think it"s alright if we pull the man in. He should be interested in it and we"ll be able to form a clearer picture."
"Sounds reasonable," Dahai agreed.
"Shall I go ask him and see if he"s interested?"
He nodded.
We went back to knock on the door and the grandson opened it for us.
"Why did come back?" he asked.
"She didn"t tell you, did she?" I said knowingly.
"Yeah. She"s back to cooking and refuses to say anything else."
"We can tell you everything if you agree to help us."
"Deal," he accepted.
"Let"s talk outside. Bring your grandfather"s books along."