Although Jiang Man acted very strongly inside the Ze Wang Tomb, she was still a woman at heart, and she was at a loss when faced with this desperate situation.
Seeing that she had come to rely on me, I looked at the still empty riverbank and said, "Let's talk. Perhaps we can cooperate."
Jiang Man nodded: "As long as I can leave this primeval jungle alive, I'll do whatever you say."
"The cooperation I'm talking about isn't about cooperating for survival, but about Duan Jinyan's affairs."
I looked into Jiang Man's eyes and said earnestly, "Whatever happened between us, we've ended up in this situation because of Duan Jinyan! And neither of us has achieved our goals. I hope we can work together to find Duan Jinyan!"
Jiang Man nodded decisively: "Okay."
Seeing how readily she agreed, I suspected it was just a delaying tactic, so I continued, "Tell me, who are you working for?"
"I am a private investigator, specializing in investigating intelligence for my clients, including this task of finding Duan Jinyan."
Jiang Man paused for a moment: "Our mission is subcontracted. I took on Duan Jinyan's case. This matter is not over until we find him. If you can take me away from here, I can cooperate with you, but let's make it clear beforehand that after finding Duan Jinyan, I must take him away."
I narrowed my eyes: "But you clearly told me before that you were on the Yannan University scientific expedition team."
Jiang Man replied calmly, "The document is real, but my identity is fake. Our company's business spans the globe, and we have a vast network of connections. It wouldn't be difficult for us to create a fake identity for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to enter the Far East legally."
I pressed further, "What's the name of your company?"
Jiang Man zipped up the rat-patterned suit and adjusted its position: "It's not a company, but an organization. You wouldn't know even if I told you. We don't accept external business; we only serve some large domestic conglomerates."
Seeing how naturally Jiang Man answered, I felt a little annoyed: "Why do I feel like you, this woman, never tell the truth?"
"I'm answering your questions honestly. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. After all, given the current circumstances, I can't prove my true identity to you."
Jiang Man, on the contrary, threw the problem back at me: "I have already agreed to your cooperation. As you said, finding Duan Jinyan is beneficial to both of us. As for how far our cooperation can go, I cannot guarantee you right now, but I can share the existing information with you."
I squinted: "For example?"
"For example, Duan Jinyan has murder cases on his hands, and apart from Hua Bao, the rest of his team members are all not permanent! Over the years, Duan Jinyan has worked for Jinbai International and done many heinous things, resulting in a large number of precious national treasures being lost overseas! Moreover, there are many mysteries and legends surrounding him!"
Jiang Man paused for a moment: "Even though Duan Jinyan is a notorious criminal with a long list of blood debts, he was reported as a missing person more than ten years ago, and he has no criminal record on the surface. Relevant departments once investigated him, but they did not find any substantial evidence of his crimes. However, since then, he has become elusive and even harder to find! We also went to great lengths to find his accomplice, Tie Luohan, but unfortunately, the plan still failed."
I pressed further, "You just said that he only had a leopard with him. What did that person look like?"
"His background is even more mysterious than Duan Jinyan's. Some say he comes from a family of tomb raiders, while others say he became a tomb raider later in life and is considered Duan Jinyan's apprentice. We know nothing about his identity."
Jiang Man paused for a moment: "However, before we went down into the tomb, Tie Luohan mentioned this person to us. He said that Leopard had medium-length hair and a thick beard. Because his body was covered with scars, so densely packed like a leopard, he got the nickname Leopard."
When I heard Jiang Man's description, the image of the bearded man who rescued me from the tomb immediately came to mind.
When I was in Luoyang, Su Gouzi told me that most of his interactions with Duan Jinyan were handled by Hua Bao, who was essentially Duan Jinyan's representative in the martial arts world.
The thought that Duan Jinyan, after learning my identity, didn't even meet me and only had Hua Bao communicate with me makes me furious.
Moreover, judging from the situation at the time, Duan Jinyan probably never wanted to see me. The reason why Hua Bao said those things to me was just because the two of them were close and he didn't want me to implicate Duan Jinyan. It was just a warning to me.
Seeing that I remained silent, Jiang Man continued, "That's about all the information I can remember. We've also compiled a lot of information about Duan Jinyan. I can let you look at it yourself after we get out. Now, can you tell me how we should leave this place?"
"You stay here and wait, I need to go out for a bit."
I know Jiang Man's words make sense. Whether they are true or false, I have no way of verifying them. I can only wait until I return to China to find out.
Jiang Man saw that I was holding her gun and that I wanted her to stay, so she looked at me warily: "Why should I stay by myself instead of coming with you?"
I removed the magazine and checked the ammunition: "I have a friend who should be around here. You have to wait for him here. If you see him, wait for me here with him."
Jiang Man pursed her lips: "What if your friends don't believe me?"
I took off the dragon-patterned jade pendant from my neck and handed it to her: "Show him this, and he will definitely believe you. Remember to stay here and don't go out. Also, add firewood to the campfire. The firelight and smoke will scare away wild animals and keep them away from this place!"
As I was about to leave, Jiang Man said, "Hey, I still don't know your name!"
I hesitated for a moment: "Duan Tao."
Jiang Man was taken aback: "You also have the surname Duan, are you related to Duan Jinyan in some way?"
I casually replied, "Don't make wild guesses. It's just a coincidence. Duan Jinyan and I have no other relationship except for sharing the same surname."
Jiang Man didn't say anything, but looked at me with some concern: "Then... Duan Tao, are you sure you won't abandon me and leave me alone here, right?"
I smiled and said, "If I really wanted to abandon you, I would have just left you behind last night. Why would I have saved you?"
Jiang Man threatened, "I don't care. If you dare leave me here to die, even if I become a ghost, I will haunt you for the rest of my life and make sure you never have a peaceful second half of your life!"
"Let's stay and wait."
I ignored Jiang Man's threat completely, left a message, and turned to leave.
Threatening a tomb raider with talk of ghosts and monsters is no different from luring an adult with candy.
Since I couldn't find the monkeys for the time being, I decided to go and meet up with Lin Que and Man Jing first. Once my survival was secured, I would then make further plans.
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