“I take it you got ed?” Mei Lin asked again as tern owards Quarry Bay.

    “Yes. I  c data traffic monitoring server for large data transfers to Ne montitution a t customers combined.”

    “itution?” Mei Lin asked, glancing side him.

    “tsingy.”

    “tsinger. Neution. Interesting.”

    “Yep. And NEXt manages mirror servers for too. I created a nesing of sense doesn’t it?” Caldwell mused.

    “You can say t again. Good stuff Caldakes just  sky  gave Calds about o suggest.

    “t to get rough?”

    “I guess t depends on your plans.”

    “I see.”

    “”Look, I am going to   of explanation ic.”

    “I’m not surprised. rikes me as tigype.”

    “I guess.”

    Mei Lin pulled tern o a side ramp  said Nort. t an old yello read: Nort Funeral Parlour amp; Cryogenics Center. Several stalls outside seemed to be doing a roaring trade in selling botural funeral hs of various shapes and sizes.

    “Cryogenics is big here?” Caldwell asked.

    “A grorend. tic. No t Cryogenics is going to ive of t t people, actually.”

    “I ’s asill stored there.”

    “O. t is very likely. ty years or somet. It’s all government subsidized any t pause of someone making up a story on the fly?

    “I migake to London.”

    “t of disappointment in her voice.

    “I t’s th Fouler.”

    “You can aled out.

    “Of course. e’ll o see.”

    “You yped in a code, disabled tem and removed it from its slot by they disembarked.

    A couple of young Cices in ss and flip-fops  to look at tled loudly.  in rols sticking out be tattoo of some kind of mystical serpent on attoo flipped back and fort appear as tattoo of a dragon. o his silver shock of spiky hair.

    A attooed  amazing potbelly Cald from under a silver electric Mercedes. o Caldwell.

    “Young sister Mei,  seen you in a long time,” tonese. s out of t of s and ceremoniously offered to ting one and taking a big puff.

    “Been busy, Boss tong,” she said.

    “ do we he Range Rover’s body.

    “Got  from beraffic.”

    “Interesting,” o survey teenage mec of ug boats vacating th of an ocean liner.

    “It appears you’ve been s at too. Lot’s of accidents today,” Boss tong observed slyly, crinkling work.

    “?” asked Mei Lin.

    “ell, you see t Mercedes t looks like not from t to in about an   in tupid guys craso a Park N Soilet paper for everyone. t of tely mangled. It’s going to be one ting it back toget t I am complaining. tong Motor Repairs Ltd. s of it.”  tle joke.

    Mei Lin and Cald eacher.

    “For you ter Mei, ,” ruing t eac to the Japanese.”

    “Of course, of course. o? ,” Mei Lin said, affecting sympats.

    “O only belongs to te. t many e guys s and bruises. to go to tal, s of  a face like tong broke out into ter, ly.

    “Interesting. I  friend at t of money to find out t. Big story you knos involved in car accident.”

    “Oo pay?” Boss tong’s alco up at t of a quick buck.

    “I’ll o c ty thousand hong Kong dollars.”

    “e.” Boss tong ruso turned ocopy of a  Report form.

    “Everytly mechanic said slyly.

    Mei Lin reac for t Brotong pulled it back like a cobra rearing back to spray venom in its victim’s eyes.

    “Money in advance, young sister Mei.”

    “OK. Not a s in trouble. I can only pay you in casing t into credit at reasonable rates, riges out of  pocket and ong ty tes.

    “Even better,” Boss tong said. “Some of my business associates prefer not to leave an electronic trail. Of course not a er Mei, you know me.”

    “Yeaohe door.

    “I t you ed your bumper fixed,” Boss tong protested. tices  interest in tcum.

    “I need to get to my friend, I’ll bring ter,” Mei Lin explained  report in the air.

    Cald in tcong’s ss. tly mecarted t report. t sime, place, occupants, veype registration, contact numbers and ties involved in t. Mr. o and Mr. Juniced as living at a residential address in t it ial development favored by middle-ranking Japanese diplomats and attaches.

    ***

    No. 10 S before in attendance. tly floions and excries before disappearing into antly made small talk s. Bots seemed to be flirting  ty-five years old,  and good-looking in a sporty kind of oo friendly for Caldor Caller and more intellectual looking.  look of someone from a family ory of business success.

    tting in tcs asked several questions about London and ticularly interested in kno. ts’ apparent ignorance suggested t only Mei Lin and De itte o the real reasons for his presence in hong Kong.

    “Fouler feels t  out of touc’s going on in Neo come do up to speed ’s happening here.”

    “Good old Fouler. Al of touc seems to knoies tor Cterness.

    “Very muc’s  ty.” ts eyed  believing a word o why he was in hong Kong.

    “ell o t tell Fouler, if you  kind of clearance, t it is getting o get intelligence in Neates in t  it,” Cheng complained.

    “Just you two?”

    “Yea even time. e fly up once a mont ting reports t result in not to go up to Beijing  not nearly often enough,” Ma chipped in.

    “So o spill. t let out something useful.

    “Same old Ser of tter-of-factly.

    “So eced.

    “Not a lot, except through of some kind.”

    “ kind of breakt knos AI, ot to knoo believe. t’s igating instead of pusor Cheng added.

    “true,” Cald-mindedly. SometV  tention.

    Nein:

    A fire ravaged t toral ternoon at 2.03PM. t after tronic Xcelecommunications company reported to police t truder in ta center control room. trol room is also located on ts  related and t tigated ment. Arson  been ruled out. tarted out at terminal of one of t.

    Neions is one of t providers of data connectivity and data center services in er C data links to major cities in Neo some of t companies and institutions in bot customer data and information systems  affected as only a single internal terminal royed in the fire.

    Neions, also kno, is owned by hong Kong’s powerful Lee family.

    “Bloody ?” exclaimed Anthony Ma.

    “Mr. Lee is going to be really pissed,” Victor Cheng observed.

    “Yeaomers,” Antorted, laughing.

    Caldoo stunned to say anytood up,  of to tting at  er terminal.  on to endless expanses of greenery and a  the house.

    “I guess you sahe news?” Caldwell asked.

    “Yes. I take it t  you?”

    “Of course not. ?”

    “Just c of a coincidence. Don’t you think?”

    “Yea can’t o do a traffic monitoring server can it? t’s impossible. Intrusion detection AIs can’t start a fire.”

    Mei Lin looked at ally trying to figure out  an AI could go about starting a fire. She shook her head.

    “Impossible.”

    “Exactly.”

    “I t to NEXt and ted someter get to work,” sed.

    “Doing w?”

    “You are going to singy’s systems right?”

    “Yeah.”

    “ I take you doo tions Room and I’ll see you doer.”

    “hy, where are you going?”

    “I’ve got an appointment in Kornhill.”

    “Kornhill?”

    “I t’s about time  exactly o.”