“Tell me, Guardian Inspector. Do you stand behind this report?” Xiao tapped a single paper on his otherwise empty desk. There were no portraits or mementos on it, no pens or computer styluses ready or cell phones or even trays. The Police Minister’s scrupulously clean hands rested on either side of the paper, which was aligned precisely with the edges of the desk.
“I do, sir,” Shun Li said.
“Hmm, interesting,” he said. He didn’t glance at the report, but continued to study her.
Shun Li didn’t smile or nod. She stared at the distant, unseen point. She was petrified and berated herself for taking things too far.
Several days had passed since she’d shot the East Lightning operative in El Paso, the one who had given her the Behemoth Tank Plant report. Shun Li had studied the report in detail. Several aspects of it had bothered her. First, she couldn’t believe the Americans made these war-winning tanks one at a time. It sounded preposterous. Yes, she knew none had appeared so far in the summer and autumn battles. It was something that deeply concerned Chinese High Command. Still, one tank each month—no, that wouldn’t matter to anyone. It wouldn’t frighten those in power enough. The danger must be greater if she was going to use the data as a steppingstone out of North America and away from the task of eliminating unhinged killers for the State.
Therefore, Shun Li had carefully doctored the report. She was an expert at such things. She’d become so by ferreting out forgeries and altered accounts from her underlings. Later, she had practiced deceit herself, knowing what to look for and knowing how to make a report seem genuine.
In her opinion—at least until now—the new Behemoth Plant information was a perfect piece of forgery. It was more logical and sounded more terrifying. Her discovery of this data therefore should go far toward attaining her new ambition.
Now, however, with Police Minister Xiao Yang staring at her with his crocodile gaze, with his stillness adding to his grim reputation—Shun Li wondered if she had gone too far. She should have adjusted the information, not turned the single plant into a full-fledged production facility able to mass-produce the giant tanks.
The question would surely arise. Why hadn’t any one else discovered what she had? Originally, she’d seen that as the report’s greatest flaw. Because of that, she had invented a host of American deception ploys, which until now had worked wonderfully to trick Chinese intelligence, and had only been discovered because of her keen insights.
Xiao Yang cleared his throat, and he touched the paper. “This is incredible,” he repeated.
Shun Li suppressed a shudder. The man spoke without inflection, without emotion. It confirmed her worst fear. He was a monster, the ultimate butcher sitting in his gigantic web. If she could have her way now, she would kill him with a shot to the heart. She had dealt with many blood-maddened individuals. The Police Minister struck her as the worst of the lot, a feral beast hidden behind his soulless inhumanity, a bloated alligator with a gargantuan appetite.
What made her sick at heart was that she had knowingly given herself into his hands. It would have better to live her life in North America. There, she had been the queen of her fate. Here, she was a pawn among ruthless, all-powerful creatures.
I have cursed myself.
“Do I have your attention, Guardian Inspector?”
“Yes, Police Minister.”
“You seem preoccupied.”
“I leave myself a blank slate in your presence, Police Minister.”
“Stop that,” he said. “You are a Guardian Inspector. You were chosen for your intelligence and your ability to act swiftly and decisively. I have studied your profile. You are a capable eliminator of waste and inefficiency. I approve of that.”
“Thank you, Police Minister.”
“This paper you have personally brought to my attention…It is incredible.”
Shun Li nearly groaned. She couldn’t tell anything from his voice or anything from his face. The man was a zombie, a mass murderer-in-chief. He was possibly the most dangerous man in Greater China, making him the most dangerous man in the world.
Why did I come here? I wish I were back in America.
Xiao Yang closed his eyes, then opened them again. To Shun Li, it seemed as if an obscene frog had blinked. She’d seen a YouTube video once of a bullfrog devouring a bird. That had been obscene. Maybe the Police Minister was such a creature that a princess had magically transformed into China’s killer expert.
“I am about to attend a strategy meeting,” the Police Minister said. “The Ruling Committee members will be in attendance. You will join me.”
Shun Li almost moved; she almost let her eyeballs twitch down to look directly at him. She almost asked, “Sir?” But she did none of these things. She waited as befitted a servant of the Police Minister.
“Hmm,” Xiao Yang said. “You have great poise, Guardian Inspector. It speaks of an honest heart.” The barest of smiled appeared. It seemed strange on the Police Minister’s face. “I am an excellent judge of character. My nose sniffs out traitors and liars, who I eliminate as I would a fly. Watching you, Guardian Inspector, gives me confidence in our police apparatus. The best has risen to the top, as it should. Your record also speaks for itself. Your purity of motive is unequaled and your rigorous work schedule demands a reward. Yes, I will reward you.”
“I labor for my love of China,” Shun Li said.
“As do we all,” he said. “You will accompany me to the Ruling Committee meeting. I will have you give a verbal report of this unique find.”
Shun Li’s neck twitched as one of her muscles there spasmed. She gazed into the Police Minister’s face.
He stared at her with his expressionless features. Something didn’t seem right to her. She blinked and snapped her head back up, looking again at the distant point.
Her heart thudded. Why would he have her give the report? The single glance into his eyes had shown her something awful. Xiao Yang wasn’t human. He was a demon in human guise. The soullessness of his stare had almost caused her to shriek.
“Are you well, Guardian Inspector?”
“Yes,” she said, in as normal a voice as she could manage.
“Good. We leave in nine minutes. Go outside, refresh yourself and then wait for me in the car. We will ride together.”
Guardian Inspector Shun Li turned smartly and marched for the door.
What part will my doctored report have in the meeting? The idea left Shun Li faint. This was far more than she’d bargained for, far more. In the next hour, maybe longer, she would no doubt be playing for the highest stakes of her life.
The Ruling Committee met underground in Mao Square in the center of the city. The security procedures were amazing, like nothing that Shun Li had been through before.
Hulking Lion Guardsmen frisked her several times, each a thorough and embarrassing probe. They searched the Police Minister, too, which surprised her even more. Did Chairman Hong distrust his closest ally? That did not speak well of the Leader’s confidence.
Soon she stood in the opulent underground chamber. Its golden conference table was massive and must have weighed tons. Each seat had its own embedded computer. Giant screens adorned the walls. A map of the Midwestern United States showed on one screen. On others displayed details of various American states or cities. Vast chandeliers lit the chamber. They were unmilitary, but impressive, and poured illumination everywhere. Lion Guardsmen were present, eleven security personnel wearing body armor and cradling submachine guns.