Chapter 278 - Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Ji Hang’s Observations (1/2)
Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Ji Hang’s Observations
Translator: 549690339
Xiang Kun’s plan for today was to take everyone to the Wushu Mountain Scenic Area. Except for Zhang Qian who had visited before, none of them had been to Wushu Mountain. So since they were in Tongshi Town, it seemed logical to pay a visit. After all, the mountain was famous and close by, less than an hour’s drive away.
Actually, the scenic area had reopened yesterday. The specific spot of the incident two days ago, however, was still temporarily closed off due to a “safety hazard”. Measures were to be taken later on to ensure safety.
Around nine o’clock, Xiang Kun received a call from Liu Caifu, who mentioned that he had told “Brother Chu” about their plan to visit the Wushu Mountain Scenic Area today. Consequently, “Brother Chu” had scheduled two MPVs with drivers to assist them throughout the day.
In fact, Liu Caifu had initially planned to lend his car to You Meng so that they could drive three cars. Otherwise, eleven people would make things pretty uncomfortable with just two cars.
Remembering the encounter with “Brother Chu” two nights ago, Xiang Kun had a positive image of the man and guessed that “Brother Chu” had their best interests at heart. He thus agreed to ride in the vehicles they provided. Having two separate cars with drivers would indeed remove some of their worries.
However, when he saw the two drivers with their two GL8’s in the hotel parking lot around 9:30, Xiang Kun was a bit surprised.
From their appearances, both drivers seemed inconspicuously average. They were about 1.7 meters tall, had dark skin, and exhibited a sincere and honest demeanor. They spoke with the local Tongshi Town accent and appeared to have nothing unusual about them.
However, Xiang Kun’s way of judging people went beyond mere looks. With his infrared thermographic vision mode, his sixth sense, other more comprehensive sensory information, and his overall cognitive analysis, he could tell right away that these two drivers were different.
Both of them possessed physical attributes and muscular strength significantly beyond that of an average person, though not exceeding human limits.
Signs of heavy load and high-intensity training were evident. Old injuries could be seen throughout their bodies, from their muscles, soft tissues, to their bones. There were some injuries that were clearly inflicted by regulated weapons.
With Xiang Kun’s extensive observation database and comprehensive analysis, it was clear that these two were no ordinary individuals.
Where on earth did Chu Xiuwen find these two to serve as drivers?
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Xiang. My name is Ji Hang, as in ‘discipline’ and ‘space travel’. You can call me Old Ji. This is my colleague Xu Kai. We are responsible for your transportation today.” Right from the start, one of the drivers greeted Xiang Kun with a sincere smile and extended his right hand.
Even though he had some doubts about their identities, Xiang Kun did not show any abnormality on the surface and enthusiastically shook hands with Ji Hang: “Thank you in advance for taking care of us today.”
He could feel the numerous calluses on Ji Hang’s palm, and his finger joints were rather robust. Most people, upon noticing these calluses, would probably think that he often performed heavy labor. However, Xiang Kun could infer from these calluses the type of equipment Ji Hang normally used to train, as well as the exercises he performed, and the potential equipment employed.
Among the two drivers, Ji Hang was older and had more training scars and injuries. He was the one who communicated with them, while the other driver, Xu Kai, looked more introverted and honest and didn’t talk much. Even when asked a question, he only gave a brief answer. Of course, his attitude was very good.
Xiang Kun could detect Ji Hang’s covert observations and scrutiny of him, which he assumed was instinctual according to his understanding of the two drivers.
Around the time You Meng and Liang Yulong arrived at the hotel for the meeting, Xiang Kun allocated the eleven people into the two GL8s, and they set off for Wushu Mountain Scenic Area.
While arranging the seating position, Ji Hang was eager and enthusiastic to assist Xiang Kun. He made very pleasing suggestions and gave reasonable explanations for the seating arrangements.
When it was finally time for Xiang Kun to get in the car, there were only two spots left, one in the third row of Xu Kai’s car and one in the front passenger seat of Ji Hang’s car. So he naturally chose the front passenger seat.
Though it didn’t seem strange on the surface, Xiang Kun, through his various observations and understanding of Ji Hang, concluded that this arrangement had been intentional.
Sure enough, on the way, Ji Hang started to strike up a conversation with him casually.
“Mr. Xiang, is this your first time visiting Wushu Mountain?”
“I’ve been there several times, but the most recent visit was seven or eight years ago. Most of my friends haven’t been there before.” Xiang Kun responded without any hesitation.
After a while, Ji Hang casually mentioned his work and his past, leading Xiang Kun to share his own stories.
Ji Hang’s voice, accompanied by a hint of the local Tongshi Town accent, along with his unhurried speech and moderate tone, sounded sincere and trustworthy, easily evoking one’s willingness to believe his words. Moreover, he was very skilled in his conversation, subtly guiding the topic and eliciting others’ interest, encouraging them to continue the discussion.
If at the beginning Ji Hang’s observations had been considered a normal instinctual behavior, then his seemingly unintentional actions during the seating arrangements and his deliberate plan to have Xiang Kun sit in the front passenger seat had indeed given Xiang Kun the sense that the true purpose of these two unusual drivers in offering to drive them was probably to target him specifically.
However, Xiang Kun did not feel tense or uneasy, and he did not deliberately avoid Ji Hang’s probes and observations. For he could also sense that Ji Hang was relaxed and virtually had no sense of vigilance towards him. From the physiological feedback and cognitive model conjecture, Ji Hang seemed to bear no ill will towards him, but was merely observing and testing him.
Considering that Ji Hang was sent by Chu Xiuwen, Xiang Kun had a general guess about his purpose.
It seemed Chu Xiuwen was influenced by Liu Feibao and developed certain assumptions about his identity and background, and these two drivers were sent by him to learn more about Xiang Kun.
It was probably to figure out how to engage him in potential business collaborations or projects in Tongshi Town in the future.
If viewed from this standpoint, Ji Hang’s attitude and state were quite understandable.
Also, Xiang Kun was very curious about Ji Hang’s past. Judging from his training scars and injuries, the background of this “driving guru” was quite intriguing.
So, he politely responded to each of Ji Hang’s probes and guided topics, and then took the initiative to inquire about the information and experiences of Ji Hang in his own way.
As for Xiang Kun, aside from the last half year, his life experience was quite normal and ordinary. So everything he shared was truth without embellishments.
However, his judgment based on Ji Hang’s cognitive model revealed that the details Ji Hang shared about himself contained both truth and lies.
Although Ji Hang’s speech, expressions, and eyes during his conversation looked natural whether he was telling the truth or lying, suggesting remarkable mental resilience, and his words seemed thoroughly prepared, it became increasingly difficult for him to lie without being noticed the longer he interacted with Xiang Kun due to the extensive information Xiang Kun gleaned from him and the vast amount of data at his disposal for analysis.
What could be confirmed was that Ji Hang had spent quite a long time in an official military-related unit. However, he had either embellished or lied about his professional specialty, the types of work and training he had performed, and the years spent on them.