chapter 3 The door is evil ===

In the first-class cabin, the lights were dim.
The few passengers present had all reclined their seats and were deep in sleep, except for a corner in the first row, where the sound of casual conversation was sporadically heard.
Having companionship on a long journey seemed to make the time pass much faster.
Aileen found her conversation with Dunstan extremely enjoyable, and Dunstan felt the same way.
One was engaging in a seemingly innocent inquiry, yet with keen interest in the other's words, the other was subtly pretending to be profound under the guise of casual remarks.
Land Resource Consultant
Mr. Flores, the consultant, indeed developed many lands, which have now all become part of peace.
During the journey, the plane had a layover in Dubai, where, unfortunately, a delay occurred, making the originally scheduled fifteen hours seem indefinitely extended.
In the VIP lounge, Dunstan continued to pass the time in conversation with Aileen.
It was 3,30 PM in the Red Dragon time.
The plane landed at Chom City International Airport.
Dunstan finally managed to get a good sleep thanks to Aileen's psychological counseling. Upon waking up refreshed, he fetched their luggage before waking her up as well.
“We're home, time to get up.”
Aileen was restless in her sleep, tossing and turning, which caused two buttons of her white shirt to come undone, revealing a glimpse of her black, sexy bra underneath.
When she suddenly realized it, her cheeks flushed with heat. However, noticing that Dunstan hadn't paid any attention, she discreetly adjusted her shirt and sat up, “Thanks for your company on this trip, it made it far from boring.”
“I should be the one thanking you,” Dunstan replied.
Amidst their laughter, they both left the cabin. Just as Aileen was about to ask Dunstan for his contact information, her phone, which she had just turned on, rang abruptly.
“Aileen, you finally answered the phone. Have you landed?”
On the other end, a crisp female voice suddenly spoke, bringing a smile to Aileen's lips, “Just got off the plane. You have quite the timing, huh?”
“Of course, I've been calling the airline every ten minutes to ask. Wait for me at the airport, I'm on my way and should arrive within an hour.”
“You're kidding,” Aileen said with a wry smile. “An hour, Mr. Hayes, I've been on a plane for nearly twenty hours, and you're making me wait at the airport?”
The woman on the other end let out a coquettish laugh, “Come on, Aileen, be good. We haven't seen each other in four years; I've missed you so much.”
“And about the thing I mentioned to you, have you considered taking the job at my pharmaceutical company? Since your family is arranging blind dates for you, and you won't be able to work for the next year or so, instead of meeting blind dates all the time, it might be better to find an excuse to avoid it.”
At this, even though Aileen hadn't fully decided yet, she couldn't help but feel intrigued.
Blind dates, marriage, having children
It wasn't like she was completely against it, but how could it be possible?
“Let's talk when we see each other. I've got something else here. I'll wait for you at the airport's coffee shop. Hurry up.”
With that, Aileen hung up in a rush, about to look for Dunstan, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, she felt a sense of emptiness, wondering,
“Why did he leave so suddenly?”
“I don't even know his contact information.”
Chom City Airport was Dunstan's first visit.
Everything around the airport was unfamiliar and bustling, a stark contrast to ten years ago when he had read in the newspaper that this area used to be a wasteland.
Walking to the taxi stand and getting into the car, the driver's first question made his heart skip a beat.
"Brother, where to go?"
"Let's head to the old district in the slums."
In his mind, the streets near his home were vividly passing by, and Dunstan's excitement was palpable.
But just as he finished speaking, the taxi driver suddenly turned around with a look of astonishment, "The slums? Which place are you talking about?"
Dunstan was momentarily puzzled as well.
However, after a brief moment, the driver quickly laughed, "I got it, you're talking about the old city area that was demolished a few years back. That place has now become a high-tech park, and as for the old street..."
He paused for a moment, "How about this? We'll head towards the slums you mentioned, and as for the old street, I'll check with some of the veteran drivers over the radio to see what it has turned into now."
Times changed.
The slums had evolved into a new urban district, a development Dunstan hadn't anticipated.
The domestic development speed was astonishing, far from comparable to the war-torn, impoverished lands of Africa.
As the car was about to enter the highway, the convoy's walkie-talkie in the car erupted into chaos.
"Damn, anyone heading to the airport, stay off the highway. A truck spilled a container of scrap metal nails because its door wasn't secured, scattering them all over the road. I'm stuck and can't move, it'll be at least three hours before traffic resumes."
Hearing this, the driver turned and said, "Brother, we have to take a detour. There's a jam near the airport, let's take the provincial road into the city."
"Alright."
Since the airport highway opened, traffic on the provincial road had significantly decreased, with only local residents and delivery vehicles passing through.
Dunstan watched the street scenes on both sides, searching through his sporadic memories.
In the driver's seat.
The driver was simultaneously asking for the new location of the old street and complaining with his colleagues.
"It's been over an hour since the traffic jam started, and no rescue vehicle has shown up."
"Are you heading back to the city?"
"Yes."
"Then it's no mistake. I just came from the airport direction and saw a business van making a U-turn on the highway, directly hitting the emergency rescue vehicle parked on the emergency lane."
"The rescue vehicle was fine, but that business van was completely immobilized."
"Man, today is just weird."
"It feels like all the bad things are happening at once."
At that moment, the driver boasted, "See, lucky we didn't take the highway. With how cursed it looks, it won't be cleared for another five or six hours."
However, just as he finished speaking.
Bang!
A loud explosion suddenly erupted.
The driver, startled, braced himself and instinctively slammed on the brakes.
However, With Dunstan's hands propped against the back of the front seat, remained unmoved even as the sudden stop generated a strong inertia.
The road ran east to west, with hills to the north and rice paddies to the south. This particular section was notably open on both sides.
Across from Dunstan's taxi, a garbage truck had directly crashed into the front of a business van, indenting it. Behind them, a dozen cars back, a stretched cargo truck was blocking the road, causing a complete jam.
Suddenly, several off-road motorcycles burst out from the trees on the hillside, heading straight for a few luxury Mercedes behind the business van.
"Protect Mr. Hayes!" a bodyguard shouted from one of the cars.
As soon as these words were uttered, a gunshot rang out, and someone on one of the motorcycles fired a shotgun, creating several glaring bullet holes in the passenger door of the van.
"Holy shit," the taxi driver cursed, his face pale with shock, "Today is seriously cursed."
But Dunstan sneered in disdain.
Cursed?
Of course, it was cursed.
A convoy of Mercedes AGS models, each priced over two million, totaling over ten million in value for just five vehicles.
They not taking the highway but instead traveling on the provincial road.
Was the owner insane, or was it out of desperation?
A chilling thought indeed.
"The trick is slick, but I wonder if they have any real skill," Dunstan mused.