Chapter 1239 - 1240: Pursuit
The young man introduced himself; his name was Dominic. He had just graduated from college, and although his English wasn't particularly good, he could manage basic conversations.
Song Xiaodong didn't have high expectations and asked, "Have there been any yellow-skinned people like us around here in the past few days?" As he spoke, he handed Dominic the photo of Miao Qingyuan and the woman together.
Dominic said, "Recently, some Chinese people like you have been here. I've seen quite a few."
Song Xiaodong was a bit surprised but quickly remembered that Miao Qingyuan's entourage must have come looking for him over the past few days.
Dominic then asked, "Are you also looking for a Chinese man and a woman?"
Song Xiaodong nodded and said, "So, you don't have any news?"
"No, no!" Dominic said, "You're wrong. I do have some news, and it's information I just got today. I've been hoping you'd come back to look for him."
Song Xiaodong said, "What news? If it's useful, the money is yours." He took out a handful of bills.
Dominic's eyes lit up. It was a significant amount of money, equivalent to their salary for two months. He swallowed and said, "Well, we haven't seen those two people recently, but today someone saw the woman in the photo."
Song Xiaodong asked, "How can you be sure it was this woman? The photo doesn't show her face."
"There are very few Chinese women here. Based on her figure, it should be her, and the woman was extremely beautiful. The person who saw her felt she was as beautiful as an angel."
Song Xiaodong squinted and asked, "Do you know where she is?"
Dominic said, "I don't know. I got this information from Old Bass. He owns a supermarket, and it was today that the woman came to his store to buy things and was seen."
Song Xiaodong stood up and said, "Then take us to find Old Bass."
"Okay!" Dominic agreed, glancing at the money on the table.
"It's yours," Song Xiaodong said casually.
Dominic quickly pocketed the money amid the envious gazes of others in the bar, and promptly led Song Xiaodong out.
"Old Bass's supermarket is quite remote. My home is nearby," Dominic said as he got into Song Xiaodong's car and directed the way.
Soon, the car stopped in front of a supermarket at the edge of the small town.
Inside the supermarket, apart from an old man behind the cash register, there was no one else.
The old man was squinting, looking drowsy.
"Old Bass!" Dominic knocked on the counter.
"Oh..." Old Bass opened his eyes, saw Dominic, and also noticed Song Xiaodong and the others. His eyes immediately lit up, and he said excitedly, "Come in, come in. All the goods here are the freshest and the best. Feel free to buy."
Dominic quickly said, "Old Bass, we're not here to shop. They have some questions for you."
The enthusiasm on Old Bass's face disappeared all of a sudden. "I'm very busy," he said.
Song Xiaodong directly placed a stack of money in front of Old Bass. Dominic showed a look of envy, but remembering that he had already gotten quite a bit earlier, he quickly said, "Old Bass, these guests are very generous. Answer their questions, and this money is yours."
"Okay, okay," Old Bass became enthusiastic once again.
Song Xiaodong handed the photo to Old Bass, and Dominic immediately asked in the local language, "They want to ask about this person."
The two quickly conversed in the local language, speaking very fast. Old Bass gestured as he spoke.
After they finished, Dominic translated to Song Xiaodong, "Sir, Old Bass said the woman came around six this morning. He had just gotten up. The woman was very beautiful; his heart hadn't been stirred in years, but upon seeing her, it raced as if he were back in his twenties."
"The woman bought a lot of things, all food. She gave him a large bill and didn't ask for change, so when he saw you, he thought you'd be just as generous."
Song Xiaodong asked, "Did Old Bass say how she got here? By car or on foot?"
"I haven't asked yet, I'll ask now," Dominic quickly replied, and then started another conversation with Old Bass.
After a while, he said, "Old Bass said she drove here, but at the time, he only focused on the woman and didn't notice the car model or remember the license plate. But he watched her drive out of his sight along the road outside the town. I know that road; I can take you to see."
Knowing they couldn't get more information, Song Xiaodong felt it was enough. "Alright, let's go."
Dominic said a few words to Old Bass, who immediately pocketed the money. However, he drew out two bills and handed them to Dominic, out of gratitude for the generous reward Dominic had brought him.
Four people got into the car, and under Dominic's guidance, they followed the road out of the small town. The road wasn't wide, with only two lanes, and it wasn't in great condition.
After driving for over twenty minutes, Dominic pointed to a side road and said, "There are a few houses there; we could take a look."
But Song Xiaodong shook his head, "No need, let's keep going."
Su Yuya quickly asked, "Are they not there?"
Song Xiaodong said, "No, this side road is muddy. If a car had gone in, there would be tracks, but there are none at all, so she definitely won't be there."
Su Yuya checked and found it to be true, and couldn't help but admire Song Xiaodong's observational skills.
They continued driving and came across two other side roads along the way, one with tire tracks. They searched around but found only four houses, and everyone said they hadn't seen Chinese people.
By this time, it was completely dark. Song Xiaodong and the others came to another side road where there were also tire tracks, and they followed them.
Soon they found the car, parked in a small yard. As their car arrived, a white figure quickly disappeared from a window, which slammed shut with a bang.