Morning.
The sky was just beginning to brighten as the warm sunlight slowly bleached the heavens white.
Outside Tokyo International Airport, Dong Xuebin tightened his suit collar and slowly wandered around the area. From time to time, he glanced toward the entrance to the terminal. There were more airport guards than usual, along with several armed detectives patrolling nearby, their radios crackling constantly. Seeing this, Dong Xuebin deliberately lowered his collar and swaggered over, making a point of brushing past several detectives.
The officers merely glanced at him before looking away.
Dong Xuebin felt reassured. Sure enough, no one had gotten a clear look at his face.
Then there was no problem. Time to go!
Dong Xuebin had worked as a police officer for a year and was thoroughly familiar with police procedures. The more cautiously someone hid, the more likely the police were to find them. So he swung his arms and strode openly into the airport terminal. After looking around, he headed straight for a large display screen and checked the flight schedule beneath it. Beijing... Beijing... There! J311, boarding at six o'clock, Tokyo to Beijing!
He checked the time. Five fifty!
This was it!
Dong Xuebin currently had neither identification nor a ticket. By normal means, forget boarding the plane—he could not even get past the terminal gates.
His eyes shifted, and Dong Xuebin slipped into an unnoticed corner.
STOP!
Time abruptly froze in that instant.
Stepping out sideways, Dong Xuebin glanced at the motionless crowd in the terminal and quickened his pace toward the escalator. There were too many people, and the escalator was packed tight, leaving no room for him to pass. He lifted a foot, jumped onto the handrail, and wobbled his way down. Several times, he nearly lost his balance and fell. Once