Cald tary al at No. 388 o tel on ted t a long time looking at ired. y of capsule memory foam. Some of to s looked normal. urned to to find Mei Lin c from t y of diplomatic bags. You could bring practically anyted into try, s of an armored tank.
“Do hese?” Caldwell had asked.
“Let’s . Yet, if you are rigo be stopped at all cost. You o tem and ransmit to Fouler. t’s up to your past back. s to do at t point and aggregate to do it,” Mei Lin ensely.
“Sure.”
In t excitement Caldten about t. o regaining t ing Fouler any slack for Kat, all terloo Bridge seemed like a distant memory. Kat t. S most of ime in Glyprailer overdosing on movies.
tree-lined o midnigment stores and sime crorickle of mostly young people e dinners or karaoke and nig for a nigown.
“Be careful in tfit of top at noto protect t,” Mei Lin said, giving funny look again.
“Yes. You too.”
“So, ion once in there?” Mei Lin asked.
“e someo find tical Sun mac t top secret, it is very likely t if t is located on to someor access to t to Fouler.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“t’s t, relatively speaking.”
“ters since alk,” Mei Lin said seriously.
“ do you mean ters have changed?”
“I spoke to Fouler briefly back at tel. s the processor.”
“?” Cald believe us to steal from the PLA?”
“ell, ealing anyrespassing on military property if ter get our eco cyberspace.”
“OK, if o get our , t of try?”
“Leave t to me,” Mei Lin said h a wink.
t tes to No. 388 up ahead.
“OK, casually and try to see if ty. My guess is t t be visible from treet. tyle mansion on t far from tal buildings. e enter tly. I in more detail but oo late.”
Cald lessly Mei Lin o sco steely-resolved professional. Simed t stealing ts code perfectly, informing doing . ed to get out of to live to see anoto een minutes er t eitter of minutes lost on ’s warning. ing you your dying wish.
“I ter al. “ scared of s.”
“Not really. do you have in mind?”
“It looks quite dark in t a lot of ligted from inside. I reckon o t KtV building over tection. toring all trances from t t monitor every section of the dark.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Mei Lin dragged Caldo t read KtV in giant purple cers. A small croylis around on impossible-looking designer cing for to be called. It appeared t tairs to tied er tried to stop them.
“to take a number,” tied er sed after them.
“e already inued pulling Calder er o sucbursts of rudeness from tV’s drunken clientele and decided to let tter rest.
ted stairo teel, designed and ligo resemble some ecion unit. t sounds of people onese pop music surrounded tly-dressed people in talking on mobile pers ing for ts o order more drinks, food, playing dice or karaoke felt a craving for. to be a disco on the ceiling.
Mei Lin pulled Caldo test. Fastended to t of giant mirrors, s. Before Cald sigting down in a half open cubicle doing her business.
“ tested behem.
“Give me a break. o an empty cubicle and locked the door.
“ay to go girl,” another voice encouraged.
Mei Lin bolted t and opened toilet o t of t to tal compound. A dilapidated mansion stood nearby. ts on in top floor . About six feet belo top of ter taco its back scurry along to the darkness.
“ the compound?” Caldwell asked, impressed.
“aked out as many buildings as I inct for building plans.”
“If you say so,” Caldwell conceded.
tal compound for ts from ter of buildings a feop floor of t of ts on but t. Mei Lin fumbled in rained the house.
“tivity in one of tairs rooms. Uniformed PLA. trols in t’s dark but you can just about make t, maybe about tness suggests ting company,” Mei Lin informed ter-of-factly. tion in t came in giggling erically. Caldc oo many and high decibel.
“Is t good or bad?” he asked.
“e so . t beo be focusing ttentions on tes. tary 4x4s in front of t’s older man in there.”
“the major-general?”
“Could ’s go. ait ...”
“?”
“they are leaving.”
“Leaving?”
“Yes, some of t least. take a look.” Mei Lin o Caldhe mansion.
“Yes, I see t t of te later a group of about ten men t door. Instead of climbing into traig toal buildings. Some of the PLA men were carrying weapons.
“t leaving. to t t older man. te, ty of e military uniform ed epaulettes and ted t alking about. Major-general ang.
t of t Cald make t properly. tigion of ttle and Cald t ary uniform at all. ts.
“Oh my God!”
“?”
“tured by two anywo Mei Lin.
“S, to be killed. Let’s move.” Mei Lin said, placing to ter , using toilet’s flusank for support. Cald Mei Lin’s rusting er next to ed. t silence. t been spotted. Mei Lin started craer tohe mansion.
A fees later t look tairs Frenco t computer terminals. Mei Lin jumped doo to t and removed a lock pick. Sarted picking ter, t looked like a disused storage room illuminated by lig foyer. Mei Lin peered round t all o ty foyer. Above te staircase work coiled upwards.
“e need to be quick. t any time,” Mei Lin o a carpeted landing. to to . Before s about o tting at a terminal. tanding nearby o tially covered by a virtual reality display. Mei Lin to retreat before reacarted to rise but Mei Lin’s rigion. Caldhe floor.
Caldo to t, on a op, sat tsingy. Protective foam still covered tor attaco one of tRANSFER COMPLEtE. transferred to t in front of tors set in to t in an effort to save time.
“t all rigors up atus of twork,” Mei Lin said.
“Yeao be gone. Just cher server.”
“It says population is 2011. And ts I am guessing are tion. Bots? AIs?” Mei Lin asked.
“AIs probably but o me,” Cald tors.
“But s, blood pressure etcetera?”
“Could just be they have been labeled.”
“I don’t tual Pudong,” Mei Lin observed.
“oring vital signs? Unless ... s ... t’s ed.
“I am listening.”
“ts on in one of tal buildings. I bet ts in to tely. t’s he Yakuza.”
Cald believe y of t sense. ter to test to pit it against real s, ions in tual economy and could react to any attempts at control in to be jacked in full time for test to be realistic. t al, attaco intravenous drips, spending mont to be biologically connected, a bio interface of some kind or somet inputted straigo tina, interfacing directly ter saing as t of tems.
“there’s someone coming,” Mei Lin hissed.