Chapter 109: Being Followed

My thoughts began to spiral into chaos, disrupting my ability to think clearly. Back in my room, I lay on the bed with my eyes closed, trying to process everything. But no matter how I turned it over in my mind, all I had were conjectures. Conjectures are just that—conjectures—and they will never be the truth. At best, they are merely approximations. Yet, at this moment, I didn't even have a starting point for my guesses.

Time crawled forward until ten o'clock at night. I had dozed off for a while, and upon waking, I found that Black Sunglasses was already up. We grabbed a quick meal and packed our things, preparing to head to the train station.

The Jinghe County train station was not large; it was little more than a single hall. Especially at night, there were very few passengers, giving the place a desolate, chilly atmosphere. Black Sunglasses and I found a spot to sit and checked the time. We had twenty minutes before boarding would begin.

Suddenly, Black Sunglasses whispered to me, "Something feels off."

His words triggered an instinctive thought of Old Ghost, so I asked, "Are you saying someone is on our tail?"

"I'm not certain, but look at those two."

As he spoke, Black Sunglasses gestured with his chin toward a corner of the hall. Two men in black stood there. They were of average build and wore face masks, hiding their features. Each held a magazine, appearing to read intently.

"Old Ghost’s men are truly unprofessional," Black Sunglasses remarked coldly. "Their tailing technique is hardly clever; it’s far too obvious."

I asked him how he was so sure they were Old Ghost’s men. He replied that, for the moment, he couldn't think of anyone else who would be following us. However, since we had already been spotted, there was no other choice. We couldn't exactly shake them off right now—not that we necessarily could, and even if we managed to, we still had to take the train to leave this place. Furthermore, given their resources, we wouldn't be able to stay out of their sight regardless of what we did.

Since they weren't making a move, we simply sat and waited for our train. When it finally arrived, I glanced at the two men and noticed they were indeed heading toward the platform, though it was still impossible to confirm if they were truly sent by Old Ghost.

The train was an old-fashioned green-skinned model, and the carriage was quite empty. There were only about a dozen people in our section. Since it was the middle of the night, most were resting, making the car unusually quiet.

We found our seats, and before long, a conductor began checking tickets. Just as I was about to close my eyes to rest, Black Sunglasses nudged me with his elbow. I opened my eyes to see the two men in black sitting in the row next to us. I noticed their eyes darting toward us every so often, which made me instantly alert, driving away all traces of sleepiness.

I exchanged a glance with Black Sunglasses. He traced a sign on the table, clearly signaling for us to leave. I understood his meaning. I stood up, grabbed my backpack, and headed toward the next carriage. Black Sunglasses followed close behind, while the two men remained seated.

I thought perhaps I had been wrong, but as we walked into the space between the carriages, Black Sunglasses pulled me aside into a secluded corner. Moments later, I saw the two men in black follow us through. When they spotted us, they were visibly startled.

We stared back at them, unblinking. Since our suspicions were now confirmed, there was no point in hiding. I lit a cigarette and watched them through the smoke. They stopped, moved to the opposite side of the corridor, and lit cigarettes of their own.

The air grew heavy and silent. No one spoke; we just smoked in the quiet. Because of the security checks before boarding, no one was carrying firearms, which eased my mind—I wasn't afraid of what they might do. Moreover, major conflicts rarely broke out on trains; they were the type of people who preferred to stay in the shadows.

I realized they were simply keeping tabs on us, likely waiting to intercept us once we disembarked to get their hands on what they were after.

The next stop was another county town, larger than Jinghe. The train was scheduled to stop for three minutes. As soon as the train pulled into the station and the doors opened, Black Sunglasses grabbed me, and we jumped off. The two men followed immediately.

Though I didn't know the specifics of his plan, I followed his lead, trusting him completely. In a situation like this, his experience far exceeded mine.

They tailed us openly, knowing we had spotted them and no longer caring about being exposed. I noticed one of them making a phone call. Outside the station, we hopped into the first taxi we saw and told the driver to go, without specifying a destination.

"Where to, buddy?" the driver asked.

Black Sunglasses glanced behind us and said, "I've forgotten where I'm going. Just drive for now. Once I get my bearings, I'll let you know."

The driver was taken aback, but before he could protest, Black Sunglasses tossed a fifty-yuan note at him. The driver fell silent immediately, smiling, "Sure, take your time. No rush, I'll just drive."

Another taxi followed closely behind us—presumably carrying the two men. Black Sunglasses stared out the window in silence, and having no better ideas, I waited for him to reveal his plan.

Although this was an ordinary county town, it had its share of nightlife. It was past one in the morning, yet the area we were driving through was vibrant with neon lights. KTVs and clubs were bustling. As we passed a particularly busy spot, Black Sunglasses suddenly said, "Stop here."

We stepped out in front of a KTV. The other taxi pulled up right behind us, and the two men emerged, staring at us intently. It was a truly grating sensation.

The area was loud, filled with shouting and the sound of music. Drunk patrons staggered along the sidewalk, while heavily made-up women kept trying to strike up conversations. The sounds of arguments and scuffles drifted through the air. As we stepped out of the taxi, two of those women began walking toward us.