Five o'clock in the morning.

A mid-sized plane from the capital of East Island slowly landed on Huating Lanqiao Airport in the early morning light.

The cabin door opened and a group of three people walked silently down the gangway ladder. Instead of taking the airport bus, they walked to the airport lobby a kilometer away.

The airport, which was slightly dimly lit, was deserted, and only its signal lights were flashing. Without carrying any luggage, ...