บท 20: The dark chamber (III)

The sudden descent startled her as she immediately tightened her gripped on the railing of the moving staircase. She was panicking but soon recovered, sweats trickled on her now composed face. There wasn't much information she could gain from the surrounding, the uneven bricks made up the wall only gave her the hint that it was a rushed work. All she could do was to wait for the movement to halt.

She sat on the cold stair, thankful that she didn't have to waste energy for it had been a while and she hadn't reached the bottom yet. Her mind started to make some inference of the dark chamber like it might be the secret base of the Lu family or a cellar to hid confidential things. Still, her sixth sense told her that it was beyond what she initially thought. Tensed, she inhaled and exhaled, the limited oxygen made her dizzy, however upon seeing the final step, her eyes lit up. She had arrived!

There was a door two feet away from the staircase. Reaching the doorknob, she opened the door only to see three men staring at her with shock. She blinked, "Surprised?" She said. Hearing her first voice the three men retreated and huddled. Fu Yixiao stood there watching them in disbelieve. Weren't they suppose to arrest her or something? She looked at them, and sensing no violence coming, she walked to a sofa and sat. Waiting for their urgent meeting to adjourn.

"What now?" Bong whispered as his eyes sneakily glanced at the girl who just entered the room. His eyes couldn't let her go. "Stop looking!" Lan sent a light slap on his partner's face. "Damn guys, she's here. Shall we chase her out?" CM asked anxiously, he looked at the girl who was now leisurely sitting on the sofa. "Over my dead body. At least let me have a chat with her first." Bong winked as he let go of his hand. However, Lan was quicked as he yanked Bong's hand returning to their original huddling position. "Bong, focus! Since it has come to this. Let us interrogate her." Lan, as usual, was making the final call. CM nodded furiously but then his eyes caught something unbelievable. "Holy Mama Mia!" He exclaimed.

Fu Yixiao was attracted to the big screen in front of her. She stared at it for quite some time before turning her head facing the main computer. She sat on a chair and let her fingers touched the keyboard. There was a confused look on her face and soon her forehead furrowed into an agonized frown. A series of information, codes, numbers rushed to her mind. She was anxious as she tried to absorb all the new information she just received. When it finally came back to her, the frown was still there, but his expression was cognitive.

She bit her bottom lip and turned to face the trio who was watching at her with an anxious look. "Can I use this?" She asked only to find one of the men screamed against her.

"Young lady, you just invaded the house and now you want to ruin my baby!" CM screamed in shocked. He rushed to check the whole equipment, his face in agony. "I merely touched them." Fu Yixiao walked to the sofa and sat, feeling a bit indignant for she couldn't confirm the new intelligence that entered her mind. She closed her eyes, calming her mind. When she opened them again, three pairs of eyes were intensely staring at her.

"For someone who just entered a den of tigers, you sure are calm," Lan who sat in the middle between Bong and CM spoke supported by the nods from both his sides. "You should provide us with some basic information about yourself and the reason why you are here." Bong assisted his partner. Though they already knew all the answers, it was necessary to incite fear and made her submit. That's what they have learned after intense training and experiences.

The men were patiently waiting for her response yet, ten minutes went by and Fu Yixiao did not utter a single word. Her eyes were like the ocean, no matter how they probed they ended up with nothing. Lan scratched his head, she felt that the girl was almost similar to someone he knew. Thinking about that someone, he shuddered. "This is forbidden territory, entering means you'll face severe consequences." Lan tried a different approached, threatening her. Still, she didn't respond.

Three men were looking at each other, there was devastation in their faces. It had been thirty minutes of a one-sided conversation.

"Miss Fu, it is only wise for you to answer." Lan who finally ran out of patience let down his guard. Fu Yixiao smiled, "So, you know me?" She asked. "You've asked me a series of questions but the truth is you already knew me." She conjectured. "The fact that you all wear the same clothes as Tony gave you away. The big screen over there clearly showing the footage from the dining hall at the mansion also gave you away." She said. "Now tell me, under what condition must I answer you when you already knew the answer?" She chuckled as she watched their baffled expression.

The trio scratched their head in unison making the whole situation seemed comical. Bong looked at the screen behind and confirmed Fu Yixiao's claim. Unable to stand the shame he stood up and laughed. "Miss Fu, you're smart. Want to join our organization?" He asked reaching his hand for a handshake. Watching Bong shameless act, CM kicked his butt causing him to fall. Lan sighed as he started to feel that his soul might leave him anytime now. How are they going to handle this girl?

"I apologized for the intrusion!" Fu Yixiao stood up and bowed making the trio once again unable to respond as they stared at her in confusion. Her sudden change in behavior got them off guard. "It just that I was lucky to find the switch to open the passway." She explained. "Ehh, is that so?" Lan responded as he laughed and slapped Bong's back, making the man flinched in pain. CM was smiling as he watched the girl's once cold expression soften, making her looked almost innocent befitting of her age. At this moment, the trio felt fondness toward the girl for they started to speak casually to her. No one realized the girl's curled lips. They had fallen to her trap.

"Where am I?" Fu Yixiao asked and took a sip of the drink served by Bong. "This is Wyvern HQ, as for what we do, we have no right to explain," Lan answered. Fu Yixiao nodded, her eyes were observing the whole area. It was quite spacious with minimal design and the only highlight was the equipment well arranged at the center of the room.

"Is this the dark chamber?" She asked. "Nah, that was some random bull made up by the Lu. In fact, the dark chamber did exist however those type of punishment had long been banned." CM explained, sending a series of force onto the keyboard searching for information. Then, he shoved the mini laptop to her direction. Fu Yixiao put it on her lap and read the whole document shown on the screen. It was actually a list of punishment that had been banned in the Lu family. She smiled and gave a thankful look at CM who then grinned at Bong, who was fumed with annoyance.

Helpless, Lan watched his coworkers' childish actions. Then, he noticed that Fu Yixao was looking at her, he faced her, waiting for her to ask what was in her mind. "Does Wyvern organization related to Lu family?" She asked. Lan sighed, contemplating whether to answer her question or not. "No, we are an independent organization," Bong answered as he glared at Lan for making her waiting for an answer. He continued, "There was some sort of agreement made between our Master and your grandfather." "Sorry Miss Fu, some information cannot be exposed to an outsider." Lan interrupted, afraid that Bong under the charmed of the girl would tell her everything.

Fu Yixiao nodded and again felt disappointed for the little information she received. "Can you help me with one thing?" She asked especially for CM. Receiving his questioning look she explained. "I need a piece of evidence that can go against those who schemed against me. I believe the equipment you have there can do the work." She pointed toward the center. CM rose one of his eyebrows and sneered. "Piece of cake." Then he walked towards the main computer, engrossed himself in the whole process of hacking for evidence. Fu Yixiao, Bong and Lan watched intently at the screen.