novelsite Chapter 93 Deciphering
Chapter 93 Deciphering
"Look here." Ying pointed to a set of symbols in the middle of the first line—an incomplete circle with two dots next to it. "This combination of symbols is special. In common battlefield codes, an incomplete circle usually represents a 'third party' or 'neither friend nor foe,' and two dots could represent 'two people' or 'a second party.'"
He paused, then continued his reasoning: "Combined with our previous findings—the rooms had been professionally cleaned, the injured had been transferred in an orderly manner, and the tire tracks indicated a phased response—the rescuers must have been a small, professional, and efficient team. And…"
Ying walked to the center of the room and swept the flashlight across the distribution of medical waste on the floor: "Look at these used bandages and packaging. They're concentrated in the corner of the room, not just randomly discarded. This shows that the rescuers had time to do basic cleanup instead of rushing out. They were able to move the wounded while also covering up the traces, which requires a calm mind and ample experience."
Iron Anvil interjected, "But if it's a third-party force, why would they save Andrei's team? What common interests do they share?"
"That's the crux of the matter." Shadow paused for a few seconds, then slowly said:
"A force with its own principles and goals," Shadow said. "A force that doesn't play by the rules. A force... that might be more interesting than we anticipated."
He carefully put the coded paper into the evidence bag. "This cipher system is very sophisticated, not the common civilian or military type. I need more time to study it. But at least we know now—Andrei's team is alive, they were rescued by a professional team, and this team has medical capabilities."
"Will this help us with the tracking?" Anvil asked.
"It will be of great help," Shadow said. "First, they are carrying four seriously wounded men, so they can't move very quickly. Second, they need medical facilities, which means either a fixed medical station or mobile medical units. Third..."
He walked to the window, looking at the still-falling rain outside: "This coded paper was left for Andrei. It means the rescuers knew Andrei was still alive and might return. What does that mean?"
The spider reacted quickly: "This means Andrei might still be in the vicinity of this area, or the rescuers know how to contact him!"
"Correct." Shadow nodded. "So we now have two directions to follow: one is to track down the two vehicles and find the wounded and the rescuers; the other is to expand the search area from here and look for Andrei's whereabouts."
He issued instructions via encrypted communication: "Attention everyone, adjust the search strategy. Group A continues to track the vehicle's trajectory; Group B conducts a detailed search within a 500-meter radius of 27 Oraning Street, looking for any trace that might lead to Andrei;
"Understood," came the reply from the communication channel.
Shadow took one last look at the dark basement room. The beam of his flashlight swept across the walls, the floor, and the discarded furniture. His gaze lingered on the three shallow marks Victor had carved in the corner—an equilateral triangle, almost invisible.
"There's one more thing," Shadow said. "The rescuers left a mark here. Three shallow marks, arranged in a triangle, at the corner of the wall and along the edge of a brick seam. This should be a code for Andrei, indicating 'The person has been safely transferred; check this location for updates.'"
The spider came over to examine it: "It's very well hidden; you can't find it at all unless you look closely."
"This indicates that there's an agreed-upon communication method between the rescuers and Andrei's team," Ying said. "They didn't meet by chance; it was a planned rescue. This means..."
He didn't finish speaking, but both the spider and the anvil understood what he meant.
This means that third-party forces have some understanding of the situation of Andrei's team.
This means that this rescue may be part of a larger plan.
This means that they are not just facing a group of outlaws who have accidentally gotten involved, but an unknown force that is organized, has intelligence, and is capable.
Ying put away all the evidence and took one last look at the room.
The sound of rain came from outside, continuous and persistent.
On this rainy Berlin night, a silent game of chess is unfolding.
He had just noticed that another piece had been added to the chessboard.
A piece that was not expected at all.
"We should go," Shadow said. "There's nothing of value left here. Next, we need to find those who disappeared, and the people who rescued them."
The three left the basement and returned to the rainy street.
The rain was still falling, and the tire tracks in the alley had been blurred by the rain, but professional equipment could still capture them.
He crouched down and shone his flashlight on the ground. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to something unusual in the corner—the water there was a darker color than the rest, with a faint reddish tinge.
Bloodstains.
Very fresh, mixed in with the rainwater, almost unnoticeable unless you look closely. The bloodstains stretched a few meters along the alley before disappearing.
Ying followed the trail of blood to the alley entrance. This was where the tire tracks were most obvious, and where the bloodstains disappeared.
"Someone's injured here," Shadow muttered to himself. "The wounded were carried onto the vehicle, blood dripping... but where are the people carrying them? If one person was carrying two wounded, it must have been very difficult, leaving even deeper footprints..."
He carefully examined the ground with his flashlight. The rain had washed away most of the marks, but at the edge of a puddle, he found a clear footprint.
It wasn't deep, but the outline was complete. It was the tread of a military boot, and... it was a single footprint.
Ying frowned. A person carrying or holding two wounded should have both feet on the ground, leaving paired footprints. Why is there only a single footprint?
Unless...this person somehow lightened their load, or...
An unlikely hypothesis flashed through his mind. But he immediately shook his head; it was too absurd.
However, as he continued his investigation, he discovered another strange phenomenon—tire tracks in the alley indicated that the first car had stopped there for about two minutes before leaving. Then a second car arrived, stayed for less than a minute, and also left.
The two vehicles did not arrive at the same time, but rather in batches to pick up the passengers.
This means that the rescue operation was meticulously planned, with a clear division of labor and timeline.
A team that can calmly and efficiently carry out rescue operations even with the Iron Fist's comprehensive search and cleanup teams arriving at the scene...
A hint of seriousness flashed in Ying's eyes. This third-party force might be even more dangerous than he had anticipated.
"Spider," he said over encrypted communication, "focus on analyzing the trajectories of those two cars. I need to know where they ended up."
"We're already tracking it. But the rain is too heavy, and many surveillance videos are blurry; it will take time."
"Hurry up," Ying said. "I have a feeling we're very close to them."
He looked up at the gloomy Berlin night sky. The rain lashed his face, cold and biting.
This game is becoming increasingly complex.
Complex games often mean higher risks and greater rewards.
He likes complexity.
Only in complex situations can the true players and pieces be distinguished.