At tal Airport in Beijing, Caldion  a c t an immigration officer took a lot of convincing t ter. Caldc on and log on to cyberspace before t before and made a point of telling  it  and coolest computer o Cald t to do in Beijing o get t o start getting dangerous.

    “Believe me  get far in Beijing  being armed, if only to en our po caugo get yourself out of your predicament,” s place to get some  the hour.

    “Perfect,” Cald.

    After a long taxi ride, most of it on a spanking neo tinental el, a black obelisk bang in ter of Z Z a s singy, Beijing University and a ing edge of technology.

    Everyt to gigantic scale, making Caldotally Lilliputian. t buildings t filled tire  monolit  once modern and traditional. tecture ic fusion of East and est – ultra-modern arcecture eristics. t disappeared into acid rain clouds. t temples reflected sunlig places, sestaments to New Che world.

    Beijing today  everyte logos dominated top of ties’ greatest concrete and glass pe brands not only covered everyt niged yelloire o te brands.

    Mei Lin ed for a te, saying t s feel safe in Zec of Beijing,  an eyelid. Caldtle appre  to  o be to plan ure after Fouler  aken from ter of tions Cald Mei Lin probably considered it all a t.

    Nevert in  e ions t in denying it.   dinner tonig, if only to get it out of t out in tant t stake.

    So at dinner over fusion cuisine Caldhe unspoken.

    “Mei Lin, I o tell you.”

    “Yes.”

    “I till in love   to  in t it is not an issue. I  anyone  top all till s me. Yet, I am not even sure I am capable of ionserested.”

    Mei Lin said not stared at e and puseak er sauce and black beans around h her fork.

    “Let’s drink to you,” sly, picking up her wine glass.

    “to us.”

    “to us.”

    t of dinner  in silence. Not an uncomfortable silence, yet a silence all t a bit stupid for bringing up t touc, but  relieved t   in t ted  kind of distraction. Noe on t tsinghua problem.”

    “Maybe ake a ed.

    “Good idea, I may oo muco eat.”

    tly-lit streets of Z ts, t concerns dancing in tects o see rageous building. Caldicularly impressed by a toering cold and t Beijing at nig romantic city in tting Paris and Budapest in tting suit on a street corner t a ruddy-faced C, in  for sale, Cald.

    “ does y t really offering te ruddy face of tance.

    “I’m afraid olen from one of tals. to couples treet  c aken us for one such couple.”

    “Yea on a street corner? Yikes!” Cald Kat.

    “Cry of paradoxes, stark extremes. You s.”

    “I guess.”

    “Your parents spent a lot of time in Beijing, right?” Mei Lin.

    “Yes. Besides Xian, it ly Beijing and  about you?”

    “My parents died  perfect parents anyone could hope for.”

    “I’m sure. Oter like you?” Cald t  line t tered. Mei Lin blusly and lo sraigurally long eyelashes.

    “So omorrow?” Sely c.

    “I t ourselves some sing t if e ang Lin or Li Jin, raigo ter is sitting.”

    “Many of tment of Computer Science and tecures. e just need to get an ID on tail he professor.”

    “So o anotion?”

    “Don’t you  t. e’ll find out for sure tomorroter  some sleep. e’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

    ***

    Caldered tained plastic door flaps. tablis  of one of t fey t  fallen victim to tecry-fuelled property development. to indicate tablis. tor, a longeenage ac t een years old.

    “ VR suits man, state-of-t, totally immersive man. Public or private boot sex suits, tter t X-tacy man from Xyberia. test version ate of mind. e got t digital stuff man, non-addictive, totally no side effects. Just a computer simulated  ed from thin lips in rapid-fire fashion.

    “e are not interested in t. e are looking for some sers,” Mei Lin said.

    “ake it easy,” ting around there are eyes and ears everywhere.”

    “e don’t ime to mess about.”

    “ saying I o offer you but follo’s too loud in  ive glances around ty cybercafe. A couple of patrons  asleep at terminals. too many all-nigoo muc oil.

    t of stairs tained red velvet curtain into a badly-lit room. At any moment Calded to pull out an old sy cupboards lining to one side of t NORINCO firearm. Instead to  pocket and  a device he device.

    “Unionist e need to be sure you are not from t be too careful in tohere are eyes and ears everywhere.”

    to  as quickly as it ion of tion  t  a blur. A door set fluso reveal sion t would ry proud.

    “Step o my boudoir,” teenager said iced from t y  s favored by the grills on a harley Davidson, only flesh-colored.

    “Cool  ted.

    “Oinctively going beest Cybernaut from Japan, made under license by Great all Computronics. Cost a fraction of  does else rig of console time.”

    tack of steel storage units t looked like overgros. t teel trays. And inside -lined recesses, y Velcro, ely caug  t Jones and Agent Jackman ed t morning in the Docklands.

    “ is t’s your name?” Caldwell enquired.

    “Call me Mozi,” tter-of-factly as s holding place.

    “tube. Japanese import named after tiny self-propelled bullets are like mini-rockets ed raigube in London, rigs raig slo.”

    “t I kno thing.”

    “Is t trutold cory but  of t anyher. Your friend Yak by any chance?”

    “Is t truted, observing t on reference to ted of a long tube, ubby al stock. ts, all ty-six of to tside of tube by an intricate lattice of springs and coils t seemed to abide by turdy translucent polymer. t a car s s like you o Mozi.

    Mei Lin o a tray of diminutive  pistol  disappeared completely in .

    “Polymer frame mini Glock pistol, named after Austrian entrepreneur Gaston Glock. Syntic polymer is stronger teel, traditional material for t its eig ligurer claims it is virtually indestructible. Kind of like tory because it operated on completely different principles,” Mozi expounded. Caldabase in his head.

    “ tongue.

    “You are referring to t it. Glocks offer great reliability and accuracy. You can c trigger pulls and trigger is to operate t bloake. tent every time you squeeze trigger. Its like ime,” Mozi explained, looking at Mei Lin suggestively.

    quot;Mozi, dude. Can you cut ty stuff out?quot; Caldrange reason  appreciate t t it  Mei Lin.

    quot;I can cut it out but I . ts ake it or leave it. Besides te lady finds it funny, doesn’t s; Mozi asked, grinning c Mei Lin.

    “Sure. So you reckon he Glocks?”

    “Absolutely. No-brainer, really? tomatic safeties. rigger ties sequentially disengage, re-engaging automatically urns to its position. Some reckon t pistol on t, kind of like saying Durex is t condom on t. t to be some truto it but ?” Mozi flasy grin. Cald t saying anyto teenager.

    “Sounds good,” Mei Lin said examining the Glock.

    “trigger system is one of tions. to cock, no ernal safety to disengage. tal components of Glocks used to be treated enifer. Metal finisenifer becomes as enifer as Viagra for guns. Of course toms virtually undetected,” Mozi continued, clearly relis t ting on Cald quite like tually sing someone  its appeal.

    “Do you have any sound guns?” Caldwell enquired.

    “You guys just fooling around rig you guys o cause some serious mayo Mei Lin.

    “Look, do you ?” Calded. to kill anyone in China.

    “e don’t do sound guns. t do t s.”

    Cald of spunk and you couldn’t  like him.

    “Beretta t can easily be concealed,” Caldwell conceded.

    “Noalking. e got tta Mini Cougar, a compact pistol, NAtO qualified, fiberglass-reinforced teced barrel bla as easy to get toms t as idiot-proof as the Glocks.”

    “OK ake terrupted.

    “OK, on Glock rays and rummaged in anotray below for spare magazines.

    “teen rounds eacook one of the Glocks from him.

    “Anoty rounds y-eigly removing ty magazine from t h a loaded one. Mozi eyed her suspiciously.

    “No can do on to pay outrig toss tong kids arget practice before popping ts.”

    “how much?”

    “For you guys 190,000 New Cs.”

    “ill give you 80,000 Neered.

    Mozi briefly considered Mei Lin’s offer before breaking into a smile.

    “You drive a h us before Ms. ...”

    “Never you mind,” Mei Lin said. Sed out eigen te bills and o Mozi. tes disappeared into teenage gun dealer’s bomber jacket. Mei Lin placed ts in ion of he wall.

    “I must tell you sometairs into t lige noise of the cybercafe.

    “?”

    “You are a migeac lovemaking.”

    “I could teac manners,” Mei Lin said affably as t into ttention.