Zhang Heng was no longer in the mood of staying in the hotel room and train due to what had happened. He went out to buy a pair of gloves, a mask, and a cap before heading to the immigration office.
Conventionally-speaking, getting the visa and passport done would have taken several days at least, but that was no longer the case due to Corona's involvement. Zhang Heng walked out of the immigration office about three minutes after going inside, with a passport in his hand.
He headed to the Embassy of Japan in Haizhou next and acquired the visa for his flight in just five minutes.
He hailed a cab after getting the procedures done and told the driver to head straight for the Pudong Airport.
There was no direct flight between Haizhou and Kobe, so Zhang Heng chose a flight heading for Osaka instead. After reaching the Kansai International Airport in Osaka from Haizhou, he would only need to take the Limousine Bus to reach Sannomiya in Kobe City.
Zhang Heng headed straight for the ticket machine after reaching the airport.
Such international flights would usually require advanced booking, but that was none of his concern. There was simply no need to concern himself with things like booking plane tickets due to having Corona at his side. The notion of having to do so itself would have been deemed an insult to the abilities of a neural quantum supercomputer.
He simply swiped at the ticket machine and a plane ticket headed for Osaka was printed right there and then.
Corona had successfully hacked into the management system of the airline before Zhang Heng went about doing all of that, deleting someone else's ticketing information at random, replacing that unlucky person with Zhang Heng instead.
That was not all just yet. After Zhang Heng boarded the flight, Corona would then return that piece of data to how it was, erasing all records of Zhang Heng being on the flight.
A middle-aged man dressed in an airport security uniform sporting a deadpan, serious expression was currently standing at the security checkpoint, watching the passengers going in and out silently.
That middle-aged man was named Wang Biao, and he was the head of security at the airport. He resorted to doing security work after retiring from some kind of special forces, due to not having any other skillsets suitable for other jobs.
Security work was an incredibly dull job, so much so that he began to miss his days of living life on the edge back in the special forces all those years ago. However, he detected a special passenger on that day instead.
That passenger was a young man who looked to be in his twenties, had a height of about 175 centimeters, and had a plain appearance. Regular people wouldn't have detected anything that was out of the ordinary about him, but in the eyes of Wang Biao, who had undergone multiple life and death situations, was able to see that there was something different with that young man from just one look.
That young man walked with the front of his feet reaching the ground first at all times and his legs maintained a slight curve as he walked. Despite looking very relaxed, the young man was instead keeping himself on high alert all the time. Judging from that young man's expression, Wang Biao was able to tell that the young man's walk was not something put up consciously, but an instinct that had been driven into every fiber of his being.
Additionally, Wang Biao was able to sense an extremely lethal air about that young man, which reminded him of the international assassins and terrorists which he faced off against all those years ago, as soon as he 'smelled' the air about the young man.
His pupils contracted slightly in reflex, just like how a gundog who had spotted a hare. He was instinctively alerted and pressed at the baton strapped at his waist out of habit.
The sunken eyes of Zhang Heng focused and took a plain look at Wang Biao, as soon as the latter took a hostile stance.
That one look alone made Wang Biao feel a bone-chilling cold running all over him immediately. He felt a threat not unlike that of when he had blades being stuck close to his skin. He was breaking into so much of a cold sweat his back became wet.
"There is no mistaking it! That young man is definitely a world-class, best of the best kind of assassin!" Wang Biao shouted deep down. He was more than capable of holding his own back in his squad and was more than able to beat down three to five average troops without problems. He was so formidable that he had killed seven hostile combatants in some kind of skirmish at the border.
Despite all of that, he nonetheless felt like he was staring at the personification of death right there and then when he looked at the young man. He knew that several signs of threat could have only come from that handful of top-notch world-class fighters and killers.
The sections of his fingers gripping the handle of the baton became white due to having gripped so tightly. He was shuddering slightly all over at the same time. His professional instincts told him to stop and search that young man, yet his survival instincts held him to get back at full force; he knew all too well that if he were to blow that young man's cover, he would have definitely ended up dead, regardless of if that young man ended up captured or otherwise.
Zhang Heng had made it to the fast track lane when Wang Biao was still shuddering. Zhang Heng handed his passport and plane ticket to the security personnel right beside Wang Biao. The security personnel took only one look before nodding, tearing a section of the ticket and handed it all back to Zhang Heng, who smiled at that other man and didn't even bother batting an eye on Wang Biao, who was practically drenched in a cold sweat by then, before walking past him.
"Huff…" Wang Biao's tensed body only relaxed when he saw Zhang Heng disappearing inside the security checkpoint. He wiped the cold sweat off of his brow, feeling lucky that he was able to make it through the encounter alive.
At that very moment, he heard a commotion behind him.
Wang Biao turned around to see what was happening, finding a bald middle-aged man throwing a fit with the manager of the flight.
"What's the meaning of this? I've booked and paid for the ticket! How could the system possibly say that I don't have a ticket!?" The bald middle-aged man shouted furiously. "I need to get to Japan for a business meeting! I'll be done for if I miss the flight! I'll lose millions! Could your airline afford to pay for my loss? I'll complain about you people!"
…
Zhang Heng made it through the airport without bothering with that unlucky guy behind him. A shuttle bus silently stopped at the door, waiting to pick up passengers before ferrying them to their flight.
Zhang Heng sat on a chair in the first-class section less than 20 minutes later. Due to the flight being a short-distance international flight, even the first-class section didn't look as luxurious as one would expect, but the seats were still nonetheless better than those back in economy class.
His seat was a partially closed leather seat and there was a standalone television monitor right in front of him. Even the air hostesses looked somewhat prettier than those back in economy-class.
Zhang Heng couldn't help but stretch a bit seeing the passengers and air hostesses going about their businesses before him. He wondered just when he would be able to reach his current stage if it wasn't for the Dimensional Star. He deemed that he would still probably been earning a meager 3,000 yuan per month salary back in that pharmaceutical factory and staying in a cheap rented apartment that cost 500 yuan per month.
He was steeped in his emotions for a bit before his phone vibrated suddenly. He picked up the phone and heard Corona's voice from the other end. "Commander, I have checked all communication records between the boss of the Aioukai and the higher-ups in the Yamaguchi-Gumi, and I've found something rather interesting."
"Something rather interesting?" Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, according to my search, I've discovered that the boss of the Aioukai in Haizhou, Takegawa Mahiro, came into contact with a thug named Liu Jianmin about 10 days ago, and Liu Jianmin is the relative of a man named Pan Bo. I've checked the WeChat records between the two of them and I've found information regarding you."
"Pan Bo?" Zhang Heng then narrowed his gaze. The cold glint in his eyes was unmistakable. "So, that's what happened then."
"I'm sorry, sir, but the plane is about to take flight right now. Please turn your mobile phone to flight mode. Thank you for your cooperation." An air hostess who looked to be in her early twenties appeared beside Zhang Heng, said politely while lowering herself.
"Will do." Zhang Heng rescinded the cold glint in his eyes, looked up, and flashed a smile at her before hanging up discreetly.
Zhang Heng had a very average appearance and the only thing that made his appearance stand out ever so slightly was that he looked younger than his actual age. However, the air of maturity and confidence in having everything under control about him were nonetheless very attractive to women. It took only one smile from him to cause that air hostess who came to remind him to blush.
"Thank you for your cooperation." That young air hostess took another peek at Zhang Heng, feeling her heart thumping against her chest. She straightened herself up right away and headed to the partition.
Zhang Heng turned on the television since he was unable to use his phone and selected a show to watch. The airplane gradually rose and at that moment the centrifugal force hit him. He looked outside the window, feeling rather curious. Haizhou gradually shrunk before his eyes, so much so that even the busy traffic became as small as ants before the city was blocked by the clouds.
"Ladies and gentleman. Our flight has departed Haizhou for Osaka. The course of the flight would take us to the East Sea before reaching the Kansai International Airport. We've prepared a variety of meals for you on this journey. We shall inform you shortly when the meals become available." The announcement was heard from the plane's PA and Zhang Heng went on to put his legs up on that table beneath the television before reclining his seat back comfortable, taking the time during the flight to relax for a while…
Zhang Heng had been rendered very tense ever since he acquired the Dimensional Star. He hadn't been able to truly relax for over five months. His endeavors put his life on the line and the fate of human civilization rested in his hands. Everything felt like the Sword of Damocles hanging right above his head. If it hadn't been for his innate psychological fortitude, he would have probably been squashed by all that pressure long ago.
Then again, he was not like anyone out there. Not only was he not crushed by the weight of shouldering the fate of humanity, but he was thriving in it. He deemed that he would finally be able to truly take a break after his company got on track.
Zhang Heng sighed deep down. That young air hostess came to Zhang Heng's side at that moment with her face still blushing, as she put two pieces of paper on the table before him. "Hello, sir, this is your arrival card. Please fill it and store it on your person. You'll require these cards when you pass the customs after disembarking."
"Very well, thank you." Zhang Heng nodded and he flipped the cards around in a rather bored manner after she left. A faint yellow tag slipped from the cards, surprising him. He picked up the tag and saw a mobile phone number written on it.
Zhang Heng smirked and didn't pay any heed to the air hostess's antics. He filled up the cards and put them together with his visa, before closing his eyes to take a break.