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墨書 Inktalez
Arriving safely at Capital West Station, Zhang Qiu took the High-Speed Rail back to the city, with Bai Jingwei reimbursing the round-trip fare. So much had happened in such a short time that K dared not be careless. He accompanied Zhang Qiu to the station and only felt relieved after watching him pass through security and step onto the escalator. K's mission was complete; anyone trying to stir up trouble at a train station was simply asking for trouble.
"Hey, watch where you're going! Can't you see?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Zhang Qiu accidentally bumped into someone and instinctively apologized repeatedly, his mind still deep in thought. Who were those people targeting the White Tiger? Until he resolved this issue, Zhang Qiu felt restless. Since they knew his train number and arrival time so clearly, they must also be aware of his affairs in Beilan County. Given this, it was likely that those who had failed this time would soon make another move. Was the White Tiger's interest in him a blessing or a curse?
As ticket checking began, Zhang Qiu hurriedly entered the train. Just as the gate was about to close, a tall, slim man sprinted over with a suitcase. Seeing that the train doors were nearly shut, he rushed down the stairs in three quick steps. Zhang Qiu, seated by the window, witnessed this scene. The suitcase in the tall man's hand flew into the air as he ran but seemed fine otherwise. At the last moment, he made it into the carriage just as the alert sounded and the attendant stood inside by the door, slowly closing it.
The train started moving slowly at first but quickly picked up speed, with scenery rushing past outside. A figure appeared in Zhang Qiu's carriage—the tall, slim man who had been running with the suitcase. He effortlessly placed his luggage on the rack and made eye contact with Zhang Qiu before glancing away.
Bored, Zhang Qiu took out his phone to read Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express." He had already read most of it on his way here and now wondered who the murderer would be if a murder occurred on his train.
Looking around the carriage, he noticed there weren't many passengers—less than a quarter full. There were couples, elderly people, parents with children, and finally, the tall slim man who had boarded at the last moment; he was sitting there fiddling with his phone, and from Zhang Qiu's angle, he could only see the back of it.
Zhang Qiu continued reading until interrupted by an attendant checking tickets: "Sir, please show me your ticket."
Zhang Qiu looked at the tall and elegant attendant and handed her his ticket. She marked it with a blue pen and returned it before moving on to the next passenger. Zhang Qiu's gaze lingered on her; someone trained in etiquette always gave off a different vibe.
"Sir, there aren't many people in your carriage; would you like to switch?"
The attendant approached the tall slim man after checking his ticket and asked this.
The tall slim man looked at her and shook his head with a smile: "Thank you, but I’m fine here."
The attendant smiled back and continued checking other passengers while Zhang Qiu returned to his reading. It wasn't until they reached their destination that Zhang Qiu noticed the tall slim man remained still until he exited the carriage; then he followed closely behind. Having experienced being followed twice recently, Zhang Qiu immediately became alert and headed straight for security after exiting.
The staff member from the morning shift, Zhang Qiu, walked in and said, "Excuse me, can I get my things back?"
"Is this it?" The staff member took out the dagger that Zhang Qiu had bought by the roadside from a nearby plastic basket.
"Yes."
"Here you go," the staff member handed the dagger to Zhang Qiu. "Remember not to bring such things when you go out; they won't pass security checks."
Zhang Qiu took the dagger and thanked the staff repeatedly, gently stroking the golden velvet thread on it. This time, Zhang Qiu didn't put it in the bag but carried it with them. Upon exiting the security checkpoint, Zhang Qiu noticed that the Tall, Slim Man was still standing outside. Upon seeing Zhang Qiu, he visibly perked up, which deepened Zhang Qiu's suspicions.
Zhang Qiu hurried away, choosing not to walk this time. There were many Electric Tricycles outside the train station looking for passengers. Zhang Qiu hopped onto one and left before the Tall, Slim Man could react. The Tricycle weaved through traffic.
When they reached the Bus Station, Zhang Qiu looked back but saw no sign of the Tall, Slim Man. Regardless of whether he was following them or not, it was better to be cautious. Zhang Qiu bought a ticket for the last bus back to Beilan County and quietly waited in a seat inside the station.
A brother and sister duo dressed in rags approached Zhang Qiu, holding up a cardboard sign without saying a word. The sign read "Care for Disabled Children." Seeing their pitiful state, Zhang Qiu asked, "Haven't you eaten yet?"
They whimpered and pointed to their mouths to indicate they couldn't speak, then pointed at the sign showing their plea for help. Feeling soft-hearted, Zhang Qiu reached into their pocket for money but accidentally dropped the dagger with a clatter. The older sister immediately said, "I don't want it anymore."
After saying that, she grabbed her brother and ran away. Zhang Qiu wanted to chase after them to clarify that it was a misunderstanding—that they were just trying to give money—but then remembered that the sister couldn't speak at all. Zhang Qiu shook their head and smiled; it wasn't that they didn't understand; this world changes quickly.
The bus began to arrive at the station as the Ticket Inspector pulled aside the chain blocking the passage and shouted loudly, "The bus to Beiluan is boarding! Hurry up!"
Zhang Qiu picked up their backpack and walked over, joining the end of the line as it slowly moved forward. Once on board, they chose a window seat in the back row. Through the glass, they could see rows of people lining up in the boarding area. At this time, almost all buses were last ones; no one wanted to miss their ride. As Zhang Qiu watched, they suddenly spotted a familiar figure among one of the lines—the Tall, Slim Man had followed them again!
"Oh no, he's still haunting me!" Zhang Qiu thought of this idiom; if this was a coincidence, it was too coincidental. Zhang Qiu was almost 100% sure that the Tall, Slim Man was stalking them. Even if they noticed him now, it wouldn't matter; he hadn't done anything wrong—what could they do?
The Tall, Slim Man passed through the ticket gate and indeed walked toward the bus that Zhang Qiu was on. By the side of the bus, an older Ticket Seller helped passengers stow their luggage. When she lifted the Tall, Slim Man's suitcase, she stumbled; she had expected it to be heavy but found it surprisingly light. The Tall, Slim Man boarded and sat directly in the front row. From where Zhang Qiu sat, all they could see was his dark head from behind.
The matter has come to this, and Zhang Qiu has no choice. Since others are following, then let’s follow. As the saying goes, stop with silence. Only now Zhang Qiu deeply understands the essence of this sentence. In the car, Zhang Qiu sent a QQ message to Jiang Xue, telling her that he was back and reassuring her. What Zhang Qiu didn't expect was that he replied almost instantly. Zhang Qiu asked: "Aren't you in class?" "Yes, the teacher is in front." Zhang Qiu asked again: "Then how can you reply in seconds." Jiang Xue sent a knocking expression, At the same time, he said: "Are you stupid? You are my special relationship. I will be shocked as soon as I send the message." "Okay, go to class in peace. I will find you at school soon." "Okay." Zhang Qiu He smiled at Jiang Xue's grimace. Zhang Qiu missed her a little when they were not together. Zhang Qiu I can’t help but wonder if it would be particularly difficult if I went to Africa and couldn’t see Jiang Xue for a long time. There was a bang, and the car came to a halt. The passengers in the car immediately started to commotion, noisily asking what was going on. The driver shouted from the front: "Don't panic, don't panic. The tire has burst. I will contact someone to repair it immediately." The passengers were very dissatisfied, and several people even shouted for refunds and refused to sit. Ticket Seller comforted everyone one by one and shouted: "Don't worry, everyone, we are not far away, very close to the Bus Station, we can drop another bus to take everyone away." Ticket Seller In this way, the passengers After their emotions had been somewhat assessed, the male passengers in the car wanted to get out of the car to smoke and walked down one after another. The female passengers also seemed to feel it was unsafe to stay in a car with a flat tire and got out of the car one after another. For a time, a crowded crowd formed around the bus on the roadside. Zhang Qiu's attention was entirely focused on Tall, Slim Man. He stood in the crowd and glanced at Zhang Qiu from time to time, and when his eyes met Zhang Qiu's, he took it back as if nothing had happened. Zhang Qiu looked at the Bus Station not far away and sneaked behind to stop an Electric Tricycle. Coincidentally, the person Zhang Qiu stopped was the person who just sent him to Bus Station. The old man in the driver's seat smiled and said, "Man, why didn't you leave?" "The car broke down. Please take me back to the train station. I see there are a lot of taxis there. I'll share a car to go home."
The elderly man turned the tricycle around and said, "How about this? I'll take you a bit further and help you contact a car. You rarely go out, right?"
"That's right, how did you know?"
"Because you're heading to the train station to catch a ride. Places like the train station are full of traps, and taxis are one of them. This place has long been monopolized, and you'll definitely get ripped off if you try to catch a taxi here. You just need to walk a kilometer, and the situation will be completely different. I'll take you to the South Bus Station; there are many taxis that operate between the city and the county, and their prices are much cheaper than here."
"Thank you very much."
"What for? You've taken my tricycle twice; it seems we have a connection."
The elderly man brought Zhang Qiu to the Agricultural Commercial Bank west of the train station, where indeed many taxis were waiting. The old man smiled and said, "Just pick any taxi going to your county."
Zhang Qiu thanked him again, gave the old man five yuan, and quickly found a taxi heading back to Beilan County. Fortunately, there were already three people in the car, and as soon as Zhang Qiu got in, they set off. Zhang Qiu looked back at the City Train Station and smiled; this time, there would be no one following.
Next to the Flat Tire Bus, a new large bus drove up, and the Ticket Seller called for passengers to board. A Tall, Slim Man scanned the crowd and suddenly cursed before boarding the bus as well. Once seated, he took out his phone and edited a text message to send.
"Target lost, preparing to head to Beiluan."
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