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墨書 Inktalez
That night, Aunt He, Jiang Xue, and Tao Ya shared a room, while Zhang Qiu stayed with the man in another. Throughout the night, the man remained silent, his right hand instinctively reaching for the lighter several times, only to put it down when he touched it. The next morning, Aunt He prepared rice porridge and fried dough sticks bought from the village entrance for everyone. After breakfast, Zhang Qiu bid farewell to them.
Standing at Jiang Xue's doorstep, Zhang Qiu gently touched Jiang Xue's rosy cheeks and smiled, "Take care of yourself until I return."
"You too, make sure to stay safe over there."
"Don't worry."
Tao Ya chimed in from the side, "Brother Qiu, have a safe journey."
"Thank you. Make sure to take good care of your sister-in-law and yourself."
Jiang Xue and Tao Ya accompanied Zhang Qiu to the village entrance, watching him board the bus home. Once back home, Zhang Qiu picked up his already packed bag and said goodbye to his parents. To avoid worrying them, he didn't tell them he was going to Africa; instead, he said he would be staying at Jiang Xue's house. Lucia had already arrived in the capital with the jade pendant, and Zhang Qiu planned to meet her. They intended to fly from the capital to Hong Kong for a transfer before heading to Tanzania Kingdom.
This trip marked Zhang Qiu's first time leaving the country and his first flight. He packed a suitcase with toiletries and a few clothes; nothing else was included. Lucia was experienced and took full responsibility for exchanging currency and purchasing a SIM card.
Zhang Qiu took the earliest high-speed rail to the capital, feeling anxious about whether he would once again attract the attention of mysterious individuals in the city. Being away from home was different; there were no external aids or firearms—only his wits and fists to rely on. If a situation similar to last time arose, Zhang Qiu wasn't sure if he would be as fortunate.
However, fate seemed to enjoy playing tricks on people; the more one worries about something, the more likely it is to happen. Just as Zhang Qiu met Lucia and hadn’t had a chance to properly assess his English skills, he saw three burly men in black vests running toward him.
Instinctively sensing trouble, Zhang Qiu grabbed Lucia's hand and said in English, "Follow me."
"What’s happening?" Lucia asked as she was pulled along by Zhang Qiu. She didn’t understand why he was suddenly so urgent but noticed the anxiety on his face.
"Someone is following us," Zhang Qiu explained as they walked, glancing back at the three strong men who were hurrying along. Their seemingly casual pace was actually a close pursuit of Zhang Qiu. During his training with Wang Hailong, he had learned some relevant knowledge; although not an expert, he could discern certain things.
Lucia allowed Zhang Qiu to lead her through the crowd while occasionally glancing back. Upon reaching the subway station, a long line separated Zhang Qiu and Lucia from the three men. Looking around at the patrolling armed police and moving police dogs eased Zhang Qiu's mind slightly; he figured they wouldn’t dare act in such a place.
In a moment of pause, Lucia asked, "Who are those people following us?"
"I don't know their identity, but I know their purpose is this!" Zhang Qiu pulled out the white tiger pendant from around his neck. Without needing to say more, Lucia immediately understood the severity of the situation.
The long line moved slowly, and they finally reached Zhang Qiu. Both Zhang Qiu and Lucia passed through the checkpoint, while the burly men still stuck in line could only glare at them. Lucia asked, "Where are we going?"
"I don't know; let's take the subway and leave this place first."
Zhang Qiu seized the opportunity as a subway train was about to close its doors. He pulled Lucia into the crowd just in time. The doors of the subway car slowly closed, leaving the strong men who had rushed over from the checkpoint outside. Through the door, Zhang Qiu faced three agitated men. It was now certain that they were after him.
As the subway started moving, Lucia looked at the three frustrated men outside and sighed, "That was close."
"Indeed, it was close. But I fear that even greater dangers lie ahead," Zhang Qiu knew that their pursuers would not give up easily.
After several stops, Lucia pulled Zhang Qiu off the train. As Zhang Qiu followed Lucia's lead, he asked, "Where are we going?"
"We're going to my place to grab my luggage. I think it's essential for us to head to the airport as soon as possible and get out of here."
"I agree!"
Zhang Qiu followed Lucia out of the station. After walking a few hundred meters, they arrived at a chain hotel. As they entered, Zhang Qiu glanced back but saw nothing unusual.
Lucia's room was on the fifth floor of the hotel. She used her room card to unlock the door, and after Zhang Qiu entered, he locked it behind him. Lucia paused for a moment, turned around cautiously to look at Zhang Qiu, and asked, "Why lock the door?"
"I'm worried there might be danger."
Lucia nodded and continued packing her belongings into her suitcase. Her suitcase was covered with various stickers, while Zhang Qiu's was completely plain. Once Lucia finished packing and snapped it shut with a light pat, she smiled and said, "Alright, let's hurry and leave this place."
"Okay."
Zhang Qiu turned to open the door, but just as his hand reached for the doorknob, his phone in his pocket rang. He hesitated for a moment, withdrew his hand, and took out the phone. Seeing the caller ID, it was Bai Jingwei. Zhang Qiu answered the call but did not speak first; he waited to hear what the other party had to say.
"Zhang Qiu, you come to Beijing without notifying me? Don't you consider me a friend?"
"Oh, Professor Bai, you really are well-informed."
"Enough small talk. I know you're facing difficulties right now. Tell me your address, and I'll send someone to pick you up."
"No need!"
"Rest assured, I'm not after your things. I'm helping you because I don't want that item to fall into the wrong hands."
Zhang Qiu pressed on: "Who exactly is the other party?"
"…"
"If you don't tell me, then I'm sorry, Professor Bai, but I will solve this problem my own way."
"You think you can handle them by yourself? This is the capital, not your Beilan County!" Bai Jingwei paused and then chuckled. "You wouldn't want your things to end up in their hands, would you?"
"So what? How will I know unless I try? Thank you for your kind offer, Professor Bai. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
"Wait!"
Just as Zhang Qiu was about to hang up, Bai Jingwei stopped him in time. Zhang Qiu's finger hovered over the disconnect button as he asked, "Professor Bai, are you planning to tell me who the other party is?"
"I can tell you the identity of the other party, but you need to tell me the purpose of this trip abroad."
"Then go ahead."
"No, no rush. I'll send someone to pick you up, and we can sit down and have a good chat."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Of course it is. With my help, you can safely reach the airport. Without me, it's uncertain."
"Deal!"
"Then tell me your location."
Zhang Qiu walked to the window and looked outside. "In twenty minutes, have your people park the car at the bottom of the Friendship Building on Third Ring Road. Send me the license plate number to my phone."
"Is that really necessary?" Bai Jingwei said dismissively.
"I can't afford to lose."
"Alright, I'll send someone over."
After hanging up the phone, Lucia said, "Let's hurry up and leave."
"No, Lucia." Zhang Qiu stopped Lucia, who was pulling her suitcase towards the door. "We shouldn't leave just yet."
"Why not? Shouldn't we get out of here as soon as possible?"
"We should indeed leave as soon as possible, but it's too risky. The person who just called me can help us."
Lucia asked curiously, "Who is he?"
"A professor from a Research Center, closely connected with the military, and possibly has ties to some influential figures."
Zhang Qiu shared all the information he had about Bai Jingwei with Lucia. After hearing this, Lucia was very surprised and said, "I didn't expect you to have such a friend. From what I've seen, students at your school probably have little opportunity to go out and have fun."
"You're not wrong, but," Zhang Qiu smiled slightly, "to be precise, Professor Bai is not my friend."
"Then he..." Lucia was confused.
Zhang Qiu explained how he came to know Bai Jingwei, using gestures to illustrate. From Lucia's reaction, Zhang Qiu knew she had a general understanding. Lucia looked at Zhang Qiu with concern and asked, "Can we trust him?"
Zhang Qiu admitted frankly, "I don't know either."
"Then why do you still want to meet him?"
"Meeting him is better than meeting another group of people. No matter how annoying Bai Jingwei is, he knows how to keep things in check. So, I agreed to meet. We Chinese People have an old saying: 'You have to fight to win.'"
"You have to fight to win?" Lucia repeated haltingly in imperfect Chinese.
"That's right. It roughly means that a person must dare to take risks and push forward in order to achieve success."
"I understand what you mean now," Lucia nodded slightly. "In America, we have a similar proverb."
Ten minutes later, Zhang Qiu's phone vibrated with a text message:
"The car is ready, a Black Audi, license plate number Bei·bs486."
Zhang Qiu walked to the window and looked outside. Sure enough, there was a black car parked at the entrance. As for whether it was the one mentioned in the message, they would only know once they got closer.
"Let's go," Zhang Qiu said as he helped Lucia with her suitcase.
Lucia took it and smiled, "I'll handle it myself. You still have your own suitcase to carry."
"Shall we take turns?" Zhang Qiu asked Lucia. He noticed that Lucia's suitcase was larger and heavier than his own. Remembering how some of his female classmates needed help from boys even when moving just a few books, he felt it was necessary to assist Lucia.
Lucia chuckled, "I can manage. There's no need to be too chivalrous at this time; we need to focus on the task at hand."
"Alright, then let's go."
Zhang Qiu opened the door, and Lucia did a final check of the room to ensure she hadn't left anything behind. They took the elevator down to the first floor, where Lucia went to the front desk to check out while Zhang Qiu surveyed the surroundings at the entrance. Lucia approached from behind and asked, "What's wrong? Is there an issue?"
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