I thought for a moment: "What else can I do? Find a place to buy another plane ticket..."
My mind was a mess just now. Everything happened so suddenly, but I've figured it out now. Anyway, we didn't do anything outrageous at the airport, except someone saw us chasing each other… As for breaking through the security checkpoint during the chase… that's okay…
I know this chase must have alerted the airport, and I'll definitely be stopped when I get back to the airport to catch my flight. But it's okay, I can just say I was chasing a thief and that I only broke through the checkpoint in a moment of panic.
At most, they'll just impose a fine.
Looking back now, it doesn't seem like such a big deal.
In the fat man's words, I was "clean" in Vietnam.
But then a few words from this woman completely shattered my spirits!
“If you’re planning to buy a plane ticket right now and go back to the airport… I suggest you reconsider.” She looked at me and sighed, “Considering you gave me this emergency money, I’ll give you a heads-up: you’d better not go to the airport.”
"Why?"
“Because of me.” The woman gave a bitter smile. “Let me tell you something. I’m being arrested by the police in Hanoi and I’m on the run right now. I’m rushing to catch my flight so that I can get on the plane before the police find the airport… But now that we’ve caused a scene at the airport, the security personnel are definitely reviewing the footage from the security cameras. According to airport procedures, they will definitely report this to the police… And the police are looking for me.”
I was stunned.
I had originally planned to turn around and leave, but now I had to stop. I walked over to the woman, grabbed her hand, and said coldly, "Explain yourself! What exactly happened?"
“You know I’m Tiger’s man. You also know Tiger has connections with the Vietnamese.”
"Hmm, and then what?"
“Last night, Tiger died at your hands,” the woman said slowly. “I ran away, but I didn’t get far before the police stopped me. I don’t have your ability to kill someone and disappear without a trace, leaving the police with no clues… Last night…”
I pulled her to a quiet spot by the roadside, questioned her a few times, and finally realized I was in real trouble…
Last night, after Tiger died, I took advantage of the chaos and, with the help of the mixed-race beauty beside me, rode back to the nightclub. But this woman was clearly not as lucky as me… In fact, how could she have known that something like this would happen?
After the shot rang out, she immediately ran out of the restaurant, but then she had bad luck and ran into two police officers!
And there was blood on her!
"Wait... how come you have blood on you?" I squinted. "I remember you weren't covered in blood!"
“I ran away first, but after a couple of steps, I came back.” The woman confessed at this point: “The situation was very chaotic at the time. You actually killed Tiger and Ponytail. My first reaction was to run! I knew I was no match for you. If I stayed and fought you to the death, I would definitely be the one who died… But I immediately thought that I had to go back because there was something on Tiger that I had to take with me.”
"You went back again?" I was quite shocked. This woman is incredibly bold! Anyone with common sense knows that in that situation, you must escape the scene as quickly as possible…
"What is it?" I asked.
"Money." She answered decisively, "Money, a lot of money. I worked for Tiger, not for money, but for what? After all that hard work, Tiger died, and I didn't get a single penny... Now I have to worry about being hunted down by Eighth Master's men. Isn't that a huge loss for me?"
She gestured: "Tiger has a key around his neck, which he always carries with him. That key is used to open a small safe deposit box in Citibank New York, where Tiger has deposited a sum of money. Tiger is a very strange person; he doesn't trust bank accounts because they can be checked, and with so much money in his account while working for Eighth Master, if Eighth Master knew he had so much money in his account, it would definitely be exposed. So that bank safe deposit box is full of cash! And there are no account numbers; it's anonymous."
"And then?" I smiled knowingly, looking at the woman with a hint of mockery.
“Then when I ran back, I took the key from Tiger.” The woman looked up at me. “But when I ran out, the police were already at the door. I thought I could sneak out, but I had blood on me, so the police stopped me.”
She smiled wryly and said, "The police were suspicious at the time. They wanted to detain me, most likely to take me back to the police station... I dared not go back with them."
"Why?" I frowned. "You didn't kill him."
“But the waiter at that restaurant saw me with Tiger and the others. Now that Tiger is dead, the waiter’s testimony could prove that I was the deceased’s accomplice… In that case, I’m in trouble. Although I didn’t kill him, in that situation, I can’t go back with the police. If I go back with them, I’m finished.”
"Why?"
"Please, use your brain..." The woman smiled helplessly. "Anywhere, the relationship between the police and the underworld is tightly intertwined; they're all in each other's lives! Who is Tiger? He's connected to the Vietnamese mafia! And he came to Vietnam to kill Hong Da, to disrupt the Vietnamese's deal with Hong Da... Now that he's suddenly dead, the Vietnamese gang will get the news soon! After all, this is a murder case, and the Vietnamese mafia will soon get the news from the police. They'll know that it was Tiger who died... Then, Tiger is dead, and as Tiger's 'accomplice,' that is, me, I'll be taken to the police station... Do you think the Vietnamese mafia will let me go?" She said with a bitter face, "If I fall into the hands of the Vietnamese, I'm doomed."
“Yes.” I nodded: “You really can’t go back with the police.”
“So I fought back.” The woman sighed. “The situation was chaotic. I quickly knocked down a policeman. You know… people like us can be quite ruthless. I was in a hurry to escape, so I was pretty brutal. I slashed the neck of one policeman, and another was injured. I don’t know if the policeman whose neck I slashed is dead or not. Then… I thought about it. The police will definitely draw a portrait of me based on the eyewitness descriptions and then search for me everywhere. But that will definitely take time… The Vietnamese police are very inefficient, so if I act quickly, I can catch the earliest flight out of Vietnam before my portrait is plastered all over the city. Once I’m gone, no one will be able to find me!”
I understand, and I sighed.
Things are a bit complicated, but they are really troublesome.
Now, after our outburst at the airport, they'll definitely check the security footage, and once they report it to the police, they'll have the woman's image—after all, she's now suspected of being involved in the murder and injured two police officers…
Well then! With the police's portrait and the airport video footage, this woman can forget about leaving Vietnam through open and legal channels. She can just wait to be wanted!
As for me...
Just thinking about it gives me a headache!
If I get to the airport, I'll definitely be stopped and asked to explain.
You were at the airport, chasing after a "murder suspect" and a "female criminal who assaulted a police officer" for so long... What is your identity? What is your relationship with her? Why were you chasing after her?
If the police ask me this, how should I answer? How should I explain it?
And also, it's better to be safe than sorry! Last night I went into the Western restaurant, after all, a waiter there saw me! Now I'm connected to this woman. What if the police detain me and then try to identify me from the eyewitnesses last night... If a witness from the restaurant identifies me, it'll be clear that I went to the restaurant last night to see the "deceased"...
I feel my head starting to hurt.
If I had originally decided not to kill this woman... then now, I really want to kill her!
If I had bumped into her at the airport by chance, and then ended up in a chaotic chase... If none of that had happened, I would be sitting on a plane home now, chatting and laughing with Ciro, while admiring the beautiful flight attendants!
Noticing the anger on my face, the woman quickly took a step back: "Don't get angry... You need to understand. If I hadn't told you just now, and you had actually bought a plane ticket to go back to the airport, it would have been like walking into a trap! I'm only grateful to you for giving me this money. We don't have any grudges now, otherwise, if you went back to your death, what would that have to do with me?"
I was so angry I laughed, threw my head back and chuckled, staring at her: "Ha! So, I should thank you?"
The woman retreated step by step under my intense gaze, eventually backing up to a corner where she looked at me cautiously.
Although I was very angry, I also knew in my heart that she was telling the truth.
Indeed. If she hadn't told me, I would have been asking for trouble by rushing back to the airport.
But I quickly thought of another problem. I gave the woman a cold look: "I don't believe you're being kind by telling me all this! Humph, don't lie to people with eyes to see. What are you up to? Just tell me straight."
The woman sighed. "The key was in the bag I lost at the airport—the key to the small safe in Citibank New York! It's likely the airport staff picked it up. Soon, once they confirm my identity, they'll hand it over to the police… I can't get it back myself… I know you're amazing, incredibly resourceful. Last night, even under seemingly impossible circumstances, you managed to take down Tiger. Since you're so capable, I'd like to ask you for help… We'll find a way to get my bag and the key back… How about we split the money Tiger left behind?"
I glanced at the woman: "Are you crazy... What do you think a police station is? A restaurant? Or a teahouse? You think I can just walk in, wander around, and come out with your bag?" I looked at her and laughed: "Go find someone else, I'm not interested."
After causing a ruckus for most of the night, I looked at the sky and it was almost dawn. The sky was beginning to lighten, so I ignored the woman and walked to the other side of the street.
The woman behind me seemed unwilling to give up, trailing me at a distance. I ignored her, preoccupied with my own plans.
The problem I'm facing now is: How do I leave Vietnam?
Taking a plane from Hanoi is not an option; airport security is the strictest of all modes of transportation.
So for the remaining route, perhaps I can take a car to other cities, then see Dossauds Bay and take a boat trip, or see the northern border cities and take a tour bus across the border.
After all, while the Hanoi police might notice me, the other cities are currently safe. Besides, I don't have many leads in their hands; they're looking for this woman. If I act quickly… before the police become aware or take action, I can get to another city quickly…
Three paths lie before me:
The first option is to immediately take a car south to Saigon, the largest city in southern Vietnam. I can buy a plane ticket in Saigon and then fly out of Vietnam from there.
The second option is to go to Xialong Bay immediately, take a cruise ship there, just like the luxury cruise ship I took here. You can buy a ticket and then go through the departure procedures.
The third option is to go to a northern border city and then take a car directly to China.
Having figured these things out, I felt a little relieved. And the most crucial factor is speed!
Because I'm unsure what the consequences will be if the incident at the airport is reported to the police. It's possible the police will treat it as a minor matter or simply ignore it. But there's also the possibility it will be taken seriously… after all, because of that woman! That woman is on the police's radar! Now that I'm associated with her, the police might also take notice of me…
I quickened my pace, deciding to take the second route to Xialong Bay to catch a boat and leave! At least for now, it seemed to be the fastest way. I checked the time; at this hour, it would be difficult to hail a taxi. Looking at the empty streets, I felt a pang of hunger.
I crossed a street and saw what appeared to be a market; some food stalls were already preparing to open. I randomly picked a stall, sat down, and ordered a bowl of rice noodles. Just as I was about to eat, the woman came up to me and sat down.
“This is my last warning, don’t follow me.” I took a sip of rice noodles and said slowly, “My patience is running out. I’m letting you go now because of Tiger, but if you continue to cause me trouble…”
"Seven-for-three split." The woman seemed to grit her teeth, then made a huge decision: "You take seventy percent, and I only want thirty! Is that alright?"
I laughed and looked at her: "Not interested."
"But... I only want 30%! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even know this money existed!" The woman said anxiously.
"It's not about the money," I said calmly. "I'm just not interested, and I don't have the ability either."
“I desperately need this money.” The woman sighed. “You know, I’m Tiger’s man. Now that Tiger is down, everyone connected to him will be purged… I have no choice but to leave and find a safe place to live in seclusion. But before that, I need to get some money, enough to live comfortably!”
"That's your problem." I continued drinking my rice noodles.
“Fine…” A resolute glint flashed across the woman’s face. As if she had made up her mind: “I only want 20%…you take 80%, plus…me!”
"What?" I was stunned.
"I'm just a woman." She seemed to give a bitter smile. "Besides money, all I can give you is myself. I'm fairly pretty, maybe you're interested in me..."
As she spoke, she pursed her lips, while simultaneously puffing out her chest as if deliberately doing so. In the sweltering Vietnamese heat, she wore thin clothing, and the top two buttons of her blouse were intentionally left undone, revealing a patch of snow-white skin…
I sighed, put down my bowl, and patiently looked at the woman in front of me... In a sense, she was actually my colleague.
“You’re not a prostitute,” I said coldly. “Only prostitutes openly sell themselves for a price.”
"I desperately need that money," the woman pleaded.
I turned my face away: "I'm about to leave Hanoi, so take care of yourself... I just want to say one thing to you: no matter how good money is, you need to be alive to enjoy it!"
I finished my rice noodles in one gulp, then took a banknote from my pocket and put it under the bowl. I stood up, looked at the road, and prepared to flag down a car and leave.
At this moment, it's faintly visible. The sky is already beginning to brighten, and I can see a few slivers of sunlight peeking through the buildings in the distance; the sun will be rising soon.
I stood there for two minutes, but no taxi passed by. I had a feeling the woman behind me was watching me. But in a situation like this, I didn't have the energy to help her. Not killing her was already being very merciful.
Finally, I saw a vehicle approaching from the roadside. It wasn't a taxi, but one of those "motorcycle taxis" that are common on the streets of Vietnam, which are motorcycles specifically for carrying passengers.
I frowned, thought for a moment... A motorcycle it is, as long as it can take me to Xialong Bay, a motorcycle is fine.
Three or four motorcycles appeared at the street corner. When I raised my hand, they all sped up and rushed over, probably to grab business.
At first, I didn't think much of it, but when a car stopped on the side of the road in front of me, I was just about to speak to the rider when I noticed that he hadn't taken off his helmet...
helmet!!
I immediately realized something was wrong!
Motorcycles are everywhere in Vietnam, just like bicycles in China! But just like bicycles in China... people here don't wear helmets when riding motorcycles!
The three motorcyclists approaching were all wearing helmets...
As I was wondering, I suddenly saw the driver closest to me, wearing a floral shirt, stop his car, and then he suddenly pulled a gun out of his pocket!
(There was no dragging on; staying in Vietnam was useful. Otherwise, all that effort I put into creating a mixed-race girl would just be for nothing, right? Hehe... The later story is quite convoluted, but I think it will be very good. The events involving Hong Da are over; there aren't many more scenes in Vietnam now, and they're just Xiao Wu's personal adventures, which will be very exciting.)
Part 1: In the Martial World, Unable to Control One's Own Fate, Chapter 179: Life and Death on the Brink