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“Then ill you do?”
“Assu for this world, so it is logical that he would gradually pass control to his first deputy That is ill start our return to glory”
“And unlimited oil will help that journey?”
Tang smiled “I see Sokolov told you Good You need to knohat youto prostitute ourselves to Russia, the Middle East, and Africa—to fear what Aht do—just to ensure that our factories continue to produce, is worth the effort”
“So going after that larand display you and Pau devised?”
“Make no mistake, the lamp was important But it also served as the perfect bait to lure you there And you were supposed to die”
“Instead, four other men died”
Tang shrugged “As you said, Pau killed them”
“But you ordered the murder of the pilot”
Tang said nothing
“You have no conception of what troubles China”
“But I do This nation needs a firm hand”
He shook his head “You are a lunatic”
His fate seemed sealed
And naled that Malone and Vitt were likewise in deep trouble
CASSIOPEIA FELT THE BOARDS BENEATH HER FEET VIBRATE fro that if the bridge held hiht had also broken the rhyth sway They were now suspended in open air, halfway across, with zero cover, ht She spotted a trail on the far side, leading across loose gravel into h, carved in the rock face beyond the trail—a Buddhist iht place
“This bridge has seen better days,” she said as Malone turned back toward her
“I hope it has at least one more left”
She gripped the twisted ropes that held the span aloft, forn of any pursuers But a new sound rose over the rushing water Deep bass tones Far off, but growing louder
She caught the first glimpse of a shadow on a rock wall,rew, then was replaced with the distinct shape of a helicopter
And it wasn’t a transport An attack aircraft, equipped with cannons and missiles
“That’s not here to help,” she said
Then she knew The soldiers had herded them to this spot
The pilot started firing
TANG HEARD THE RAPID BURST OF CANNON FIRE AND KNEW as happening The Pakistanis had used one of their Cobras He’d told them that an aerial intrusion into the mountains would not, at least this time, be viewed unfavorably On the contrary, he wanted the task done right and thought the bridge ht offer the perfect venue He could only hope that Viktor had tea
If not, the soldiers could finish the job
“I will be the next premier of this nation,” he said to Ni “China will retake its superior place in the world We will also retake Taiwan, the southern lands, Mongolia, even Korea We shall be whole again”
“That kind of stupidity is what has brought us to where we are now”
“And you are the brilliant leader who can save us? You could not even see that you were being manipulated You are fatally naïve”
“And the world will simply sit by and allow you to do as you please?”
“That’s the interesting part You see, knowing that oil is infinite coe Keep that information close, use it wisely, and we can orchestrate the collapse of hts over oil as children fight over sweets They battle one another both physically and economically to satisfy their needs All we have to do is direct the fight” He shook his head “The armies of the world will not be a problee can be more powerful than a hundred nuclear weapons”
He motioned for the door
“Now, before you leave this world, theActually, he thinks we both will find it of interest, since it is so I have not seen, either”
“Then by all emon wants to show us”
CASSIOPEIA DOVE BELLY-FIRST TO THE BRIDGE BOARDS, STARING past her feet at Cotton as a steady procession of cannon fire came their way The helicopter roared toward theh the li wood and rope with a savage fury
Anger filled her eyes and she found her gun, came to her knees, and fired at the copter’s canopy But the da with the speed of a hubird
“Get the hell down,” he yelled
Another burst of cannon fire annihilated the bridge between them One moone in a cloud of debris She realized the entire span was about to collapse
He sprang to his feet
No way he could get to her, so he wisely tried to negotiate the final sixto the ropes as the bridge dropped away beneath their feet
The helicopter zooe