Using the disguise items from her storage compartment, Jian Jing shook off her pursuers at the fastest speed possible.
But she still couldn't relax.
Although South Korea didn't have a real-name system, she would need to use her passport to fly back home. As long as the 3Q Group tipped off customs, she would be detained as soon as she arrived at the airport.
Otherwise, should she seek help from the embassy?
Jian Jing thought about it but decided against it. She wasn't familiar with Korean law. If they fabricated some charges to detain her, the embassy would be powerless, and extradition wasn't so easy.
Who knows what would happen if she fell into their hands.
It was better to find her own way out.
But being unfamiliar with the place, she had no clue where to start and needed to find someone to help.
Uncle Min-cheol Park was the best choice.
Jian Jing figured they wouldn't be let go so easily, so she went back to the hospital to find him. To her surprise, she saw the reporter uncle climbing down from the air conditioner's outdoor unit.
Two bodyguards drew their guns and opened fire.
The reporter uncle fell with a splash into the small river behind the hospital.
Blood rose to the surface, and after observing for a moment, the bodyguards retreated.
Jian Jing wrapped a cheap scarf she bought on the street around herself and slowly walked towards the downstream of the river. After a while, she saw a dark shadow slowly floating up. After cautiously observing for a moment, it crawled onto the shore, shivering.
"Agassi," she leaned on the railing, smiling, "We meet again."
Min-cheol Park was startled and almost tumbled back in. However, Jian Jing had already removed her disguise mask, only wearing heavy makeup, and her familiar voice made it easy to recognize her features.
"Miss Jian?" He sighed in relief, "Give me a hand."
Jian Jing reached out and pulled him up: "Looks like you weren't shot."
"Almost, luckily I padded my clothes with rice bowls." Min-cheol Park was quite resourceful. The hospital provided stainless steel bowls for meals, and he had hidden two, padding them on his chest and back as makeshift bulletproof vests, which saved him from being shot dead.
Jian Jing looked at the bloodstains on his clothes: "Blood bags?"
Min-cheol Park nodded.
"Clever," she praised, "You're quite experienced."
The reporter smiled bitterly: "With all I've been through, I have to be."
Jian Jing: "We can't stay here long. Do you have a reliable place to go?"
"Follow me."
Min-cheol Park had entered the TV station at 22 and worked there until 37, reporting countless news stories, including many scandals involving big conglomerates.
Of course, this couldn't be obtained through normal channels and always involved some gray areas.
Min-cheol Park used a public phone to contact a friend, asking him to drive to Busan to pick them up.
Jian Jing asked if he could get fake IDs, as she needed one to buy a ticket back home.
"I can ask around, but I can't guarantee anything," Min-cheol Park said. "To be honest, Miss Jian, our situation doesn't look good."
He got straight to the point: "As far as I know, the 3Q Group has connections with many lawmakers. Once they decide to silence us, we'll face serious trouble."
Jian Jing asked: "What do you want to do?"
"Ran-er Kim and Liu Sau-chi have backing to protect them, so they probably won't be as unlucky as me." He wiped his glasses, thought for a moment, and said, "My first priority is to stay alive, of course, but honestly, if 3Q Group doesn't fall, even if I can return to the TV station, I'll always have to worry about being 'suicided' at any time."
"So?"
Min-cheol Park was straightforward: "I want to know the truth about this shipwreck."
"It's a conspiracy by the Spirit Descent Society," Jian Jing said. "An evil sacrifice."
"I knew it," he exhaled. "Do you have evidence?"
Jian Jing smiled: "Of course, do you want it?"
"If you trust me," he said seriously, "I want to report this. Not just for myself, but for the people on the ship. They can't die without anyone knowing why."
Jian Jing asked instead: "Will the TV station dare to report it?"
He paused.
"You should know that the Spirit Descent Society isn't just connected to the 3Q Group. The captain tried to make a distress call earlier, but couldn't get through at all," she gently reminded him. "The situation is more complicated than you think."
Min-cheol Park nodded, not looking particularly surprised, and insisted: "Even so, I have to try."
"Alright," Jian Jing said frankly. "I'll send you the information I have, but I don't recommend taking action now."
Min-cheol Park agreed with her: "Let's leave this place first."
Busan and Seoul look far apart on the map, but they're actually quite close. In China, it wouldn't even be crossing provinces. In about two hours, Min-cheol Park's friend arrived.
He didn't ask what they needed the car for, just delivered it and left.
Min-cheol Park asked Jian Jing if she wanted a passport or a resident registration card. The former would require going through customs, which was a bit more troublesome, while the latter could be bought as a genuine one.
Jian Jing said: "I want a real one."
Min-cheol Park found another friend and bought a genuine resident registration card from him. Its origin was unclear, possibly lost or belonging to a deceased person, but the age was similar to Jian Jing's. For an extra fee, they could even get a fake passport.
He got one for himself too. With a beard, the middle-aged uncle looked just like the photo.
"Now 3Q is checking strictly in Busan, we can't leave directly," Min-cheol Park said. "Let's go to Jizhou Island. There are many Chinese people there, and it's visa-free. It'll be most convenient for you to leave from there. It's best not to use the passport if you don't have to."
Jian Jing agreed.
They couldn't fly to Jizhou Island either, so they had to drive. On the way, they encountered traffic police checking driver's licenses, but luckily the system wasn't networked, so they were let go after showing their IDs.
However, upon reaching Jizhou Island, Jian Jing discovered that all flight and ferry tickets to China had been suspended.
"This is troublesome," Min-cheol Park looked at Jian Jing, asking what to do.
Jian Jing decided to turn the situation to her advantage.
She borrowed the bathroom of a coffee shop, removed her makeup and changed clothes, returning to her original appearance. She boldly showed her face, even arrogantly posting on Weibo to report her safety.
Jian Jing V:
The scenery of Jizhou Island is really nice.
[Selfie.JPG]
She set it to post half an hour later, then quickly retreated.
"Back to Busan," she told Min-cheol Park.
――
Jian Jing's Weibo post reporting her safety relieved many people. At least it proved she was still alive and didn't seem to be under house arrest.
Netizens commented one after another, hoping she would return to China soon, preferably explaining what happened on the cruise ship.
But she didn't reply to any of these messages.
Kang Mu Cheng called her, but her phone was still powered off.
He wanted to try again, but a call came in.
"Don't bother, Teacher Jian doesn't dare to turn on her phone in Korea," Ji Feng seemed to know what he was doing and got straight to the point. "She's afraid of being located, so it's certainly off most of the time."
Kang Mu Cheng asked: "Can she come back safely?"
Ji Feng: "Since she managed to escape, it's unlikely she'll be caught again. Korea may be small, but it's still 100,000 square kilometers. It's not that easy to find someone."
"She's alone in a foreign country..." Kang Mu Cheng took a deep breath. "Can we bring her back through the embassy?"
"If she wanted to contact them, she would have done so already," Ji Feng wasn't optimistic. "In my opinion, she can't leave from Jizhou Island. There's an 80% chance she'll return to Busan and take a boat to Japan from there. If you're worried, you could go to Fukuoka. You might run into her."
There was no other option now, so Kang Mu Cheng immediately said: "Alright, I'll go right away."
Ji Feng hung up the phone.
――
The next morning, Jian Jing boarded a ferry to Fukuoka, Japan.
As Ji Feng had guessed, she posted on Weibo to lure 3Q's people to Jizhou Island, making them think she didn't have a passport and could only smuggle back to China this way.
In reality, she disguised herself as the girl on the resident registration card, traveling to Japan as a Korean citizen.
Korean passports have a 90-day visa-free period for Japan, even more convenient than China.
Of course, her passport was fake, so when going through customs, she had to stuff all her spare US dollars as a tip, and only then did they turn a blind eye and let her pass.
After all, the authorities were looking for a Chinese girl, but the one bribing them spoke fluent Korean and behaved exactly like a local girl, not suspicious at all.
And so, she successfully cleared customs.
The temperature in November was already very low, and the sea breeze was harsh, feeling like steel knives scraping against the face. But no matter how biting the outdoor air was, it was more comfortable than the warm air inside mixed with human odors.
"I can't believe you dare to take a ferry," Min-cheol Park stood far away, almost afraid to approach the railing. "I'm traumatized."
Jian Jing was unfazed: "What's there to be afraid of? Do you think there are monsters on this ship too?"
Min-cheol Park smiled bitterly and slowly walked over: "Yes, I'm scared. I never want to experience something like that again in my life."
Jian Jing smiled: "There won't be a second time."
"I hope so." He took out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. The nicotine took effect, and he appeared to calm down a bit. He asked her, "What was that monster? Something summoned by the Spirit Descent Society?"
"You could say that," she replied.
He asked, "What do they want?"
Jian Jing said, "Isn't it clearly written in the script? Immortality."
"The script..." Min-cheol Park pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "It was only three days ago, but it feels like a lifetime. I can't remember any details. Isn't that strange?"
"People have self-protection mechanisms. It's normal to forget frightening things," Jian Jing said, brushing her wind-blown bangs. She suddenly asked, "By the way, do you have a terminally ill wife or child?"
Min-cheol Park was taken aback. "Why do you ask?"
Jian Jing countered, "What do you think?"
"I see," he said, tapping off some ash. "You suspect me."
"Immortality is an old cliché. Asia has the elixir of life, Europe has vampires, and America wraps it in a sci-fi coating and calls it genetic engineering. But it's all the same," Jian Jing said slowly. "Since ancient times, health and longevity have been things humans constantly pursue."
"Everyone wants to be healthy, but not necessarily immortal. Besides, I don't believe in it," Min-cheol Park said. "Only those superstitious types believe in deities."
"You don't believe?"
"I don't."
"Then do you want money?" she asked. "Do you want to be a top executive at the TV station? Do you want to enter politics? Do you want to be at the top of society?"
Min-cheol Park froze, turning to stare at her.
Jian Jing asked, "Did the 3Q Group promise you these things?"
"They did," he admitted, but added, "I didn't agree. Do you believe me?"
Jian Jing looked at him and smiled. "I do."
Min-cheol Park raised an eyebrow.
"If you were a pawn arranged by the 3Q Group, I wouldn't have been able to board this ship," Jian Jing said casually, brushing off all her probing. She looked towards the faint horizon in the distance. "We're almost at Fukuoka."
Min-cheol Park grunted in acknowledgment, stopping about a meter and a half away from her.
Jian Jing turned her head.
He said, "The ship's engine is so loud. If someone fired a gun, no passengers would hear it."
"So?" she asked curiously.
"I was wondering if you would shoot."
Jian Jing laughed. "You suspect me too."
"Why wouldn't I?" Min-cheol Park said coldly. "You know what that thing is, you were cozying up to the 3Q Group people as soon as you boarded, and you just happened to appear where I was escaping. Is it strange to suspect you?"
"Not at all," she said, feeling an inexplicable urge to laugh. "Then shall we maintain this distance until we reach Fukuoka?"
Min-cheol Park replied, "That would be best."
So, the two maintained a distance where they could see each other, braving the cold wind on deck for nearly an hour before finally setting foot safely on Japanese soil.
Jian Jing said, "Let's part ways here. Give me an email address, and I'll send you the information."
Min-cheol Park tore open a cigarette pack and wrote down a Gmail address.
Jian Jing pocketed it. "Goodbye."
He didn't hesitate to disappear into the sea of people.
Jian Jing was more composed. She wandered around the port for two laps, making sure she wasn't being followed, before changing into a disguise mask in the bathroom, altering her appearance, and taking a taxi to leave.
The driver asked, "Where to?"
Jian Jing randomly chose a café.
The distance wasn't far, but the fare was so high it left her stunned.
"Um," she felt her pockets. She had given all her US dollars to customs earlier, and the remaining change wasn't enough. "Can I pay by QR code?"
The driver looked wary. "Cash only."
"Then wait for me a moment." She went straight into a drugstore and found a young woman from a tour group, borrowing their internet to log into her own account, intending to find someone to exchange some cash.
There was a pile of unread messages on WeChat, and one of them was surprisingly useful.
Ji Feng: [199XXXXXXXXX, the password is the day you pranked me. If it's inconvenient to use your own identity, scan this one]
A WeChat sub-account!
Just in time.
Jian Jing quickly switched accounts and effortlessly found a young woman to scan the code and exchange for cash.
She successfully paid the fare.
A message popped up on the sub-account: [Are you in Japan?]
This speed meant he must have linked a bank card.
She replied: [I'll pay you back when I return]
Ji Feng: [Kang Mu Cheng went to find you. Be careful, don't let them catch on to you]
She: [Aren't you curious?]
Ji Feng: [Not curious]
She: [Then get lost]
Ji Feng didn't reply, almost making her block him out of anger.
But on second thought, blocking was too lenient. She decisively went back to the drugstore to buy things.
--
Ding dong, [Your account ending in XXXX has been charged 748 yuan]
Ding dong, [Your account ending in XXXX has been charged 481 yuan]
Ding dong, [Your account ending in XXXX has been charged...]
Ji Feng set his phone notifications to silent, tired of the endless vibrations.
Lao Gao asked curiously, "Why do you have so many messages?"
Ji Feng replied, "Things I bought on Singles' Day, asking me to leave reviews."
Lao Gao had just asked casually and quickly returned to worrying about Jian Jing. "I wonder if Professor Jian is alright. This situation with her is a bit strange."
"She'll be back soon," Ji Feng said. "Don't worry."