"Hello, ma'am. My name is Guan Yumeng. I called earlier, and I'm here today to see Deputy Minister Hannes," Guan Yumeng said politely, nodding his head.
"Guan Yumeng?" The female secretary sitting behind the desk rolled her eyes upon hearing the name. "You're the one who's called over a dozen times?"
Guan Yumeng nodded. "Sorry to trouble you, but I would like to see Mr. Hannes."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hannes is very busy and doesn't have time to see you," she replied.
"I can wait," Guan Yumeng quietly insisted.
"I'm afraid you'll have to leave," the secretary said, turning to two nearby security guards. "This gentleman has been persistently calling for Mr. Hannes for reasons I don't understand. Please escort him out."
The two guards, who were standing next to and behind Guan Yumeng, responded, "Understood, Beth," and grabbed him by the arms. "You'd better do as the lady says, or we'll have to use force."
"No, no, please, I mean no harm. I just want to see Mr. Hannes. If you don't let me see him today, I'll come back tomorrow," Guan Yumeng said. As soon as he finished, the two guards, who were already short on patience, lifted him by the arms and started carrying him toward the door.
"Click." A door inside the office opened, and Lem Hannes stood at the entrance, watching the scene unfold.
The secretary noticed Hannes and quickly explained, "This is the man who has been calling from London non-stop."
"Oh my God. Let him go. He's a victim; we can't treat him like this," Hannes said, subtly signaling to the guards.
The guards quickly understood and replied, "No weapons, just some miscellaneous items and a box of chess pieces."
"Then release him. Be more courteous to the elderly," Hannes said with a sigh of relief. He motioned to Guan Yumeng, "Come on, let's have a chat."
The guards let go of Guan Yumeng, and Hannes led him into his office, closing the door behind them. With a tone of helplessness, he said, "Mr. Guan, I made it clear on the phone: we don't yet know who's responsible for the explosion case. I understand you're angry and grieving, but there's really nothing I can do."
"I know you were once a member of the UD organization. Could you help me find out? I just need a name," Guan Yumeng said, handing Hannes a newspaper clipping about his past involvement with UD.
Hannes glanced at the article before sitting down in his chair. "I haven't been involved with UD for 30 years. If you want to know who did it, you'll have to give me time to investigate."
Looking at a family photo on Hannes' desk, Guan Yumeng picked it up and placed it in front of him. "If it were your daughter who had been killed, would you be acting this way?"
Hannes' patience and sympathy evaporated instantly at those words. "I'll say it one more time, Mr. Guan. This is a matter for the police. Even if I knew something, I could only tell the authorities."
"Thank you." Seeing that he wouldn't get any more answers, Guan Yumeng stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "I hope you change your mind. Sorry to have disturbed you, Mr. Hannes."
Leaving the office, Guan Yumeng carried his bag down to the restroom on the first floor, entered a stall, and locked the door. He pulled out two bottles of alcohol, cigarettes, a fuse, and matches from the bag. Using skills he'd learned in the past, he fashioned a simple explosive device.
After completing the setup, he left the restroom, locked the door from the outside, and hung a "Closed for Repairs" sign on it. He then quickly headed toward the underground parking garage, showing none of the frailty he had displayed earlier.
He had only three minutes; the small device would explode in less than that.
"Sunday, do you know which car belongs to Hannes?"
"Yes, Mr. Guan. The license plate is XXX."
"Thank you." In less than a day, Guan Yumeng had become familiar with "Sunday," though he still believed it was a real person.
Finding Hannes' car, he checked his surroundings, dodged the cameras, and pulled out a wire and a block of phosphorus from his pocket. He connected the wire to the car's filament, then attached the other end to the phosphorus block. He didn't put the phosphorus inside the gas tank; his goal wasn't to kill Hannes but to force him to reveal the killer's name. Lastly, he slipped a small note labeled "Name" into the gas tank, closed the cap, and hobbled out of the building.
As he was about to leave, he glanced at his watch. It had only been two and a half minutes. He smiled, pleased that while his legs were not as strong as they used to be, his hands were still as capable as ever.
As he turned a corner, he glanced up at Hannes' office window, which was open. He smiled again and kept walking. "Boom!" The explosion went off.
The blast terrified Hannes, who had been secretly watching Guan Yumeng the whole time. He never imagined that, as a former UD member, someone would try to bomb him.
After a thorough search, a senior inspector entered Hannes' office.
"Care for a whiskey?" Hannes asked.
"No, thank you," the inspector replied, shaking his head. He walked over to Hannes, who was already drinking. "I'm sure asking will be useless, so just tell me what you can."
Hannes would never disclose the truth to the police. "Sorry, but I really don't know who it is."
The inspector, wearing an expression that said, "I figured as much," shrugged. "Fine, if you don't know, you don't know. Luckily, it was just a warning bomb. If it had been stronger, you wouldn't be here to talk to me."
With that, the inspector chuckled, handed Hannes a business card, and said, "If you think of anything, give me a call. I'll report that it was a gas leak that caused the explosion."
Hannes, irritated by the inspector's smugness, reluctantly took the card. "Thanks."
"Alright, I'll be off. Goodbye."
"Goodbye. Jim, please see the inspector out," Hannes called to his assistant.
As the inspector left, the secretary's phone rang. "Ring, ring, ring."
She picked it up. "Hello, who's calling?"
"It's Guan Yumeng. I'd like to speak with Mr. Hannes, thank you."
"Oh my God," the secretary exclaimed, quickly turning to Hannes. "It's Guan Yumeng!"
Hannes froze for a moment, not expecting the old man to have the audacity to call him again. He put down his glass and rushed over to take the phone, growling in a low voice, "You dare plant a bomb in my office? Do you know who I am?"
"Have you changed your mind? Will you tell me the name?"
"Name? You're out of your mind! Do you even know who you're talking to? If you want to know, come here and we'll talk face-to-face."
"Alright. I'll be there soon. See you shortly."
"Click." The line went dead.
"F!" Hannes stared at the phone, completely shocked that Guan Yumeng was still coming for him. "Damn old man."
He turned to his men and ordered, "Go search the hotels and motels. A guy like him shouldn't be hard to find."
"Understood, sir." The two men nodded and left to look for him.
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