Zhou Wang felt he was ridiculous.
In a society governed by law, why was he so nervous for no reason?
But then again, even though there were surveillance cameras everywhere these days, it seemed they couldn’t directly save his life in case of an incident...
While Zhou Wang was lost in thought, the man had already walked up close, and Zhou Wang could see his face clearly.
Even though he was a bit unkempt, it was obvious that the man wasn’t very old. His skin was dark, but his eyes were full of spirit, and he had a good build. His strong arms made you think that a punch from him would carry a good three to five years of skill.
However, his appearance was a bit scruffy, and his clothes were somewhat dirty, giving off a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of an old-time internet celebrity "Cool Guy."
"Excuse me... Which direction is the highway to Magic City?"
He seemed to know that his appearance was a bit intimidating, so he stopped a few meters away and asked in somewhat awkward Mandarin.
"Probably over there, you just go under the overpass, and you’ll see the sign for the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway. But if you want to buy a bus ticket, you need to go to the bus station, as for the bus station..."
Zhou Wang got halfway through his explanation before he noticed the man remained calm. He suddenly realized something and couldn’t help but grit his teeth, "No, buddy, it’s at least two hundred kilometers to Magic City from here, are you planning to walk there?"
He didn’t even ask why the man wasn’t using a phone for navigation. It was obvious he didn’t have one... which was strange. It was 2024, and you could still encounter someone without a phone in the city.
"Two hundred kilometers isn’t far."
The man nodded, "Thank you."
After saying that, he turned without hesitation and started walking in the direction Zhou Wang had pointed.
Seeing his swift and vigorous stride, Zhou Wang hesitated for a moment but still called out to him, "Are you from Yunan Province?"
"How did you know?"
The man paused. He then turned back to scrutinize Zhou Wang, his eyes carrying a hint of danger.
Feeling uncomfortable being stared at, Zhou Wang replied helplessly, "I noticed your accent sounds like you’re from Jing City, I’m from there too."
Upon hearing this, the man’s gaze returned to being calm, and he nodded, "I am from Lu City."
"A fellow townsman indeed!"
Zhou Wang was surprised but then felt relieved. Since they were from the same place, he thought he should lend a hand, as it was just a simple matter.
"Are you out of money? How about I help you book a ticket to Magic City?"
"If it’s not too much trouble... Thank you."
The man hesitated briefly, then gave Zhou Wang a deep look and nodded.
"Wait a moment."
Zhou Wang first pulled out his phone. After opening the app, he seemed to remember something, "By the way, buying a high-speed rail ticket requires an ID. Do you have yours?"
The man was silent for a moment, then unfastened his backpack. After rummaging through it, he pulled out an ID card and handed it to Zhou Wang.
Zhou Wang took the ID card, glanced at it while filling in the number, and noticed the photo matched perfectly. The man’s name was "Gao Xing"... although he certainly didn’t look too happy.
It wasn’t until he finished filling out the ID information and the phone screen popped up with a "Booking Successful" notification that Zhou Wang finally let out a sigh of relief.
Jing City folks, unkempt, suspected to have traveled from Yunan Province to Hang City by truck, no mobile phone, obviously well-exercised...
With all these points connected, it was hard for Zhou Wang not to think of the news broadcast he heard in the car earlier.
He had even paid special attention later. As of yesterday, among the six convicts who had escaped from Jing City Second Prison, one still hadn’t been found.
He vaguely remembered that the wanted man was somewhat overweight, which didn’t quite match Gao Xing’s appearance, but he wasn’t entirely sure.
Speaking of that fugitive, it had already been several days, yet with modern criminal investigation technology, they still couldn’t find a suspect who could only run on foot. It was incredibly puzzling, and so far, there were still many people online discussing this bizarre case.
Many so-called "tech enthusiasts" had even analyzed possible escape methods and whereabouts of the fugitive from various angles.
This man named Gao Xing, since he could produce an ID and his ticket was successfully booked, shouldn’t be the wanted fugitive.
He was probably overthinking it.
He returned the ID to the man, and just then, Zhou Wang’s phone rang; it was Miao Ying calling.
"Yes, it’s this road, walk another two hundred meters and you’ll see me... okay, bye."
A few seconds later, the Rolls-Royce Phantom driven by Miao Ying appeared in view.
Zhou Wang returned the ID to the man and said, "Wait a moment."
He approached the car, and a moment later, came back holding a stack of cash.
"The ticket I booked for you is for 7:26 AM tomorrow. Go to Hang City East Station, get there half an hour early, and take this money to find a place to stay for the night."
Zhou Wang handed over a thousand RMB with a smile, "I don’t know what you’ve been through, man, but you don’t look like someone who’s going to starve. Get some rest and hit the road again."
Watching Zhou Wang hand over the cash, Gao Xing fell silent once more.
He extended his hand and accepted it. Then, in front of Zhou Wang, he unzipped his backpack and placed the money inside.
Because they were close, Zhou Wang had a clear view of what was inside Gao Xing’s backpack, making him question, "?"
No, buddy, are you playing with me or what?
Inside Gao Xing’s backpack, there were stacks of RMB...
Zhou Wang couldn’t tell at a glance how much there was, but it was certainly at least a hundred thousand.
What the hell!
You obviously had so much money, why act like you were poor!