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And as unspoken hung in the air
What of the premier?
“I asked,” Ni said “He says that he is no eunuch He refused the operation”
“You believe him?” Vitt asked
“I don’t knohat to believe anymore”
“There’s so to the phones “Notice the border surrounding the map in the premier’s study”
“Chinese nu to the top left “Three, four, six, eight, two, five, one, seven”
Malone gently balanced his finger over the character that appeared two up from the left-hand vertical side “Nine Up here On the top roo over Four”
He pointed to his phone and the ie from Pau’s residence “They are identical But check this” He flicked the screen with his finger and revealed the top of the plinth “Different symbols in different places”
He watched as Ni assessed the fact “These are not numbers They are characters”
The thought seemed to occur to them all at once
From an ancient one he once saw
With changes
“Pau has been in that tomb,” Malone said
“So has the premier,” Ni added
“Is that how those lights got there?” Malone asked
Ni nodded
Malone traced two lines in the air above the screen One down from the four Another over from the nine
“It’s a grid,” he said, “created for their rids used on maps everywhere They used four and nine Lucky and unlucky Pau showedthat where those lines intersect is important”
He lifted his phone and enlarged the relevant portion of the map The lines did indeed intersect at a defined point What had Pau said? A lonely locale in the western mountains Denoted by three characters
“I knohat those mean,” Ni said “Beside the capital”
“We can’t see it on this tiny ie on your phone,” Malone said “But if so those same three symbols will be in the same location”
Ni placed another call, and it took only a few moments for the confirmation to be reported
Dots were connecting in Malone’s brain
Ni’s phone chiain He lifted the unit, tapped a button, and read
Malone caught the consternation on the man’s face He and Cassiopeia listened as Ni explained about a telephone call his people had intercepted just a short while ago, between Tang and Pau
“There’s so between the, and noants o we opened a website to allow informants to report corruption electronically Pau is aware of the site He h the site Inform Minister Ni that I await him in the Hall for the Preservation of Harmony Much corruption can be located there Tell Cassiopeia Vitt that what she seeks is there, too”
“The bastard knew all along where the boy is,” she said
Malone shook his head “His information network must be top-notch Pau knoe survived and that you have us”
“Spies,” Ni said
“We have to go there,” Cassiopeia said
“Karl
Tang is headed west, as we speak,” Ni quietly noted
“She’s right,” Malone said “We have to go”
Ni shook his head “I can’t allow it”
Cassiopeia didn’t want to hear that “Why not? I’ you know all about the Ba You also see, but I’ve had enough experience with hi how far this threat stretches You’ve got Russia and Aether to stop them I know you have a proble what he did with that pilot, but he saved your ass Now it appears the premier himself may be involved You don’t know us at all, Minister But we’re theis about to end—” She pointed to the ht there” She checked her watch “It’s nearly seven PM We need to go”
Ni’s expression softened “There’s so that has to happen first I was informed of it outside, earlier”
Malone waited