​    Mitsui’s journey from Kagoshima to Qingdao was just over 800 miles, or almost 700 nautical miles.  The Captain had made the journey before, but it was, of course, Mitsui’s first time.  It is normally not a long trip, taking about a week in calm seas.  However, as part of Mitsui’s testing, Sung had The Captain make the trip last almost 2 months.  She, of course, didn’t know any better.  She is in for quite a surprise on her return trip.

    The Captain was prepared to stop at the island of Jeju, Korea, if it became necessary but, fortunately, the trip was relatively uneventful and they did not need to stop.  Normally, a Chinese--or, Japanese, for that matter--vessel would not be able to stop at Jeju, as it’s a South Korean island.  However, Sung, having made use of this route before, had made certain arrangements with the inhabitants of the island and his ships were always allowed safe harbor and ready access to any supplies they needed.
    It was also uncommon to see the types and number of sharks that were on hand to attack when Chang made his fateful leap towards the end of their journey.  But an unseasonably warm current had pushed the mackerel and other fish further into the Yellow Sea and the sharks were only too happy to follow their prey.
    It is unclear if Sung had any knowledge or part of these circumstances, or if it was all an unfortunate (for Chang) coincidence.