ThewestentranceofKowloonParkislocatedattheteemingendofNathanRoad,aseeminglynever-endingstripofhotels,mid-rangefashionstores,restaurants,cafes,bars,jewelrystoresandelectronicsshopssellingJapaneseandChineseimportsatgrosslyinflatedprices.Despitethelongtraditionofbargaininginmanyoftheneon-bathedretailestablishmentsliningthepavements,itwasararepunterindeedwhocameawaywitharealbargain.However,priceswerecheaperthananywhereintheWesternworldsoeverygadgetoritemboughtonNathanRoadwasstillconsideredabargainbyamostlytouristclientele.
TheatmosphereatthisendofNathanRoadisdistinctlytouristy,tracedwithhintsofillegalimmigration,visitorsfromlessaffluentcountriesinAsiaandAfricawhohaveout-stayedtheirthree-monthvisas.There’sastrongMuslimelementonNathanRoad,especiallyatprayertimewhenasizeablechunkofHongKong’sMuslimresidentsandtouristsheadtowardsthewhitemarbledomeofKowloonMosquewithitsfourminaretsdefiantlyproclaimingthefaithinalandwhereTaoism,Buddhism,ConfucianismandadwindlingChristianityarethekeymediumsthroughwhichHongKongcitizensfulfilltheirneedforreligion.
There’sacertainanything-goesqualitytoTsimshatsui,theareastraddlingthisendofNathanRoad,whichstandsinstarkcontrasttoprimandproperHongKongIslandjustacrossVictoriaHarbor.IfHongKongwastheoldersonofawealthymerchantwhoexcelledatschoolandwashandpickedtorunhisfather’sempire,thenKowloonasviewedfromTsimshatsuiwastheyoungerbrotherthatnevergraduatedfromhighschool,can’tholddownajobbutsureknowshowtohaveagoodtime.
Inthe1830s,KowloonParkusedtobeaBritishmilitarybaseoverlookingthevesselsanchoredinVictoriaHarbor.TheoverzealouslandreclamationpoliciesofsuccessiveHongKonggovernorsandgovernmentshadsinceresultedintheharborshrinkingovertheyearslikearecedinghairline.Yet,nomatterhowmuchmorelandwasreclaimedorhowmanynewskyscrapersemergedfromthesidewalks,Kowloon’sthirstformerceandthefastbuckremainedunquenchable.
LiJin’sslowtrainfromBeijingarrivedattheEastRailStation,knownastheKowloon-CantonRailwayStationinpre-unificationtimes,atapproximatelytwoo’clockintheafternoon.Ithadbeenamereten-hourtripfromBeijing,yetthejourneyhadfeltlikeithadtakenforever.Ithadtakenhimascaryhalfanhourtoemergefromthecustomscheckpoint.Nobodyhadcheckedhisbags.Theimmigrationofficers,satedfromlunch,didnotseemtohavetheenergy.LiJinboughthimselfatickettoXianforeighto’clockthatsamenightandheadedtowardsnearbyTsimshatsui.
Thetediumofthejourneyhadhadsomebenefitsthough.IthadaffordedLiJinsomemuch-neededtimetofine-tunehishastilyconstructedplans.WhyusearadiowhenhecouldhaveinstructtheRussiantopickupadisposablemobilephoneatoneofthemanySundayphoneshopsdottedaroundHongKong.Youcouldorderthephoneonline,chooseanumberandprepayforaspecificnumberofminutesinpleteanonymity.
Therewasadirtyconsoleinthetrainpartment.Partofthemonitorhadbeendiscoloredwithsomeunknownliquid,probablytheresultofmotionsickness,butitwasdefinitelyuseable.LiJinwaiteduntiltheotherpassengersinhisfour-personpartment,ayoungmanwithabuzzcutandhisover-paintedgirlfriendandamiddle-agedacademictype,wereasleepandloggedontoSunday’sHongKongsite.Heplacedanorderforaphonewithtenhoursofpre-paidtalktimeinKrachev’sname.Thepick-uplocationwasoneofSunday’swalk-inshopsonNathanRoad.Thenhesentane-mailtoKrachevnotifyinghimwheretopickupthephoneandthenenteredthenumberinhiscontactlist.NexthesetupaninstructionwiththeHongKongandShanghaiBanktoimmediatelytransferanypaymentsoverthenextfortyeighthourstoanobscureaccountwithabankinXian,ShaanxiProvince.
LiJinshoulderedhiswaythroughtheteemingNathanRoadcrowdstowardstheHongKongandShanghaiBank’sNathanRoadbranch.Helookedupattheelaborateneonsignagejuttingoutontothestreetinvariousshapesandsizesandwonderedwhetherhewouldeverseethemlitupagain.HehadcheckedhisaccountbeforethetrainpulledintotheHunghomstationandhadbeenpleasedtoseethatKrachevhadgothismessage.AsimplehackrevealedthatKrachevhadloggedintocyberspacefromaserverthatbelongedtothePeninsulaHoteljustdowntheroad.LiJinsmiledwrylytohimselfashewalkedintoagraysteelandglassbuildingjustastone’sthrowfromKowloonPark.
LiJinkepthiseyestrainedonanyonewholookedCaucasianandmiddle-aged.ThelastthinghewantedwasfortheRussiantobetailinghim.TherewereafewsuspectsbuthefiguredtheyweremostlyAmericanandBritishbusinessmenortourists.HewasfamiliarwithRussiansfromtheRussianquarterinBeijingandcertainshoppingmallsandoutdoormarketsthatcateredalmostexclusivelytoRussiantraderswhofrequentlytravelledviaSiberiaandMongoliatobuygoodsinNewChinaandresellthematamarkupalloverRussia.Hecouldtellthemapartquiteeasily.Hewalkeduptooneofthemachinesthatdoledoutqueuenumbers,tookanumberandsatdownononeofthemanygraymetalseatsfacingtheservicecounters.Twohundredandeightyeight.ItwasaluckynumbertotheCantonese,whichsuggestedeasyriches.Thegodswereonhissidetoday.
LiJinwentthroughtherevisedplan.HewouldwalkaroundKowloonParkforabit,figuringoutthebestspottomakethetransaction.HewouldthencallKrachevatprecisely5.38PMandinstructhimontheplaceforthemeeting.GiventhatKrachevwasstayingatthePeninsulaHotel,LiJinfiguredthattheRussianwouldusetheentrancebesideKowloonMosque.WhattimewouldtheMuslimsbehavingtheireveningprayers?Evenasheponderedtheanswertothisquestion,LiJinwasformulatingaplaninhishead.Theputerthatmanagedthequeuescalledhisnumberandinstructedhimtoheadtocounternumbereight.Anotherluckynumber.
Tenminuteslater,LiJinhaddepositedthequantumneuroprocessorinabearersafetydepositbox.Thecontentsoftheboxautomaticallybelongedtoanyonewhohadpossessionofthedepositslip.Thatwouldavoidanyplicationsdespitetheassociatedrisk.AshewalkedbackdownNathanRoad,hethoughtabouttheimplicationsofwhathewasdoingforthefirsttime.WhathappenedifKrachevsoldthechiptoRussianmobsterswhothenresoldittoterroristsorcriminalsyndicates?Ifthefinalownersknewwhattheyweredoing,andtheprocessofsellingthechiponwouldsurelyensurethattheydid,theycouldpotentiallybringaboutamajordisruptioninthebalanceofpower.Butthen,whatgoodwasthechipwithoutthebenefitofapowerfulAItotakeadvantageofit?AnAIlikeBlackJade.Youcouldfabricateasmanyoftheseprocessorsasyouwantedbutwithouttherightsoftwareallyouhadwasasmartprocessor,onethatincreaseditsperformanceovertime.EvenwhenMoore’sLawwasstillineffectandputingpowerdoubledeveryeighteenmonths,thelackoftrulyintelligentsoftwarehadmeantthatmuchoftheincreaseinrawprocessingpowerhadbeenwastedonmeaninglessapplications.
AsignoutsideamallcalledtheMiramarShoppingCentreannouncedthattherewasafoodcourtinthebasement.LiJinenteredthemallandfelthisbodybreakoutingoosepimples,orchickenskin,asthephenomenonwasknownamongChinese.Theair-conditioningwasuptoohigh.HongKongpeoplelovedtheirair-conditionedshoppingmallsandcoveredwalkways.Theyofferedrefugefromswelteringheatandoppressivehumidity.TheartificiallycooledinteriorremindedLiJinofthelabatTsinghuathathewouldprobablyneverseeagain.
AsherodetheescalatorstothebasementLiJinfeltthatstrangefeelingpeoplehadwhentheywerebeingwatched.Helookedupandscannedthecrowdsontheescalatormovingintheoppositedirection.AsmallChinesemanwasstaringintentlyathimastheescalatorwentby.LiJin’sheartskippedabeat.Themanwasamainlanderandthelookonhisfacehadunmistakablybeenoneofrecognition.Theman’smask-likefaceshowednothingbutLiJinhadseenhiseyes.Theyhadbeenstudyinghimwiththeintensityofapredatorabouttopounceonitsprey.LiJinturnedtheotherwayandwhenhewassurethemanwasoutofsightstartedwalkingbrisklydowntheothersideoftheescalator.Assoonashehitthebottom,LiJinbrokeintoarun.
WwW/xiaoshuotxt.N et Txt 小＿说天+堂