BLOOD DRAGON by Freddie Peters (books to get back into reading .TXT) 📕

They left the hotel by descending a few steps to arrive at street level. Licot led the way, making idle conversation about the next lecture he was about to give, and the growing interest in contemporary art in Hong Kong.

They walked one block, arriving at a flight of stairs with access to the hanging corridors Hong Kong was famous for. When monsoon struck, these were used regularly by residents to avoid the street, where they could be swept away by torrential rain in an instant.

Nancy recalled one of those occasions. It had been terrifying to see the water lashing at her windows and the rain filling up the streets to almost waist level.

Licot courteously moved aside to let her climb the staircase ahead of him. She stopped at the top. Licot indicated they should turn left and they followed the network of corridors which connected above the road system.

She had no idea where she was and for a short moment wondered whether she should follow Licot so readily. He must have sensed her unease.

“We’re almost there. It’s much more pleasant to take the corridors, and more discreet too.”

“I’m not sure I would be able to tell if someone was trailing me. The corridors are still very busy.”

“But I would.” Professor Licot smiled.

Nancy raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Licot stepped ahead as they exited to rejoin ground level. They arrived in a part of Hong Kong that looked modern. Tall buildings that were, however, no match for the skyscrapers rising to over 20 or 30 floors in the most recently built areas.

“It’s the part of Hong Kong that was built in the early 60s. It looked fancy then but things have changed dramatically.”

The streets were much narrower. The square façades of the buildings constructed from large concrete blocks had been rendered rapidly. Some had been freshly painted in light blue or green colours. Others had their external render peeling off.

Nancy noted the name of the street, Stratton Street. That turned into a small lane, the stones of its walls green with moss and the paving slippery from the lack of sun.

Professor Licot entered a small tea shop. He walked straight through the crowd of regular customers minding their own business. He turned into a small private room at the back.

“Here we are. We’ll be safe to have our chat here.”

Licot took a seat at the table large enough for eight. Nancy sat opposite. Tea materialised within a few minutes.

“If you like Chinese tea, this in my opinion is the best … aged pu-erh tea.”

“Aged for 27 years …” Nancy grinned. “I haven’t had this for a very long time.”

Professor Licot waited a moment, poured some tea into his cup and raised it to his nose. “Perfect …”

He poured Nancy a cup. “I’m sorry I couldn’t speak in front of Philippe yesterday.”

“Don’t apologise.” Nancy took her cup in both hands to warm her fingers. “I don’t want him to be involved in something that is becoming … well … more dangerous by the minute, it seems.”

Licot nodded. “It’s dangerous for many parties.” He drank some tea, grunted in approval, and continued.

“I must repeat that I don’t know what happened to your father when he went back to China. The artists I knew told me they lost touch with him very suddenly.”

“But I presume you know more about the circumstances of his return.” Nancy took a sip as well. She closed her eyes … the tea was deliciously aromatic and smooth.

“The answers you are looking for are no longer in Hong Kong.” Licot hesitated. “You’ll have to go to mainland China to find them.”

Nancy put down her cup slowly. She had been expecting as much, but now that Licot had told her, the old enemy had reappeared … fighting the dragon once more.

“What is your involvement in all this, Professor Licot? I need to know a little more from you, if you don’t mind, before I contemplate embarking on a trip back to a country I left …” She was looking for the right word. “Left the way no-one should ever have to leave the country where they were born.”

“That’s fair, which is why we are here.” Licot had almost finished his cup. He topped up Nancy’s cup before helping himself to more tea. “Hong Kong has long been a place of transit for people who seek to escape the mainland … It was very much so while it remained a British colony, of course, but the transfer of Hong Kong to China has made things more complicated.”

“Hong Kong has a special status though …”

“Exactly, and we are using this to help people reach freedom if they are threatened in mainland China.”

Nancy pulled back a little, seeing Licot with a fresh eye. “Are you telling me you’re part of a network that smuggles people to the free world?”

Licot smiled. “Who would suspect a boring middle-aged Professor of Contemporary Art? Academics have sometimes a bad reputation for supporting liberal views, but the days of the Cultural Revolution are long gone and I don’t profess radical ideas.”

“I presume your network straddles mainland China and Hong Kong?”

“That’s right, but I would rather not discuss the details.”

“How long has the network existed?”

“Over 20 years …”

“Did my father use the network to get out of Hong Kong? Is that how you knew him?”

“I think you’re slightly mistaking the nature of his involvement. He created that network. He knew what it took to make that journey. He had done it twice already.”

Nancy bit her lips She stood up slowly and walked over to the window that overlooked a small courtyard. She wished she was in the middle of nowhere, so that she could scream.

Licot waited patiently until she had managed to quell her emotions.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be … it’s a lot to take in after so many years.”

“Where in China must I go?”

“Chengdu, Sichuan province.”

* * *

“The content of my USB keys should help you, but it won’t be enough.” Randy was sitting in