“You’re here.” To Marcus and Gloria’s surprise, they had someone waiting for them when they reached a small hidden er in a deserted park in the Northern District. This was a middle aged looking man, with untamed hairs on his head, u beards and a pair of angry eyes behind a pair of thick gsses, who came here in a gray van with metal bar fences on its side and a crude satellite antenna pointing upwards.

  “Yes, old friend. We are here.” Master Liaoran bowed gently to this man: “How have you been, Liaowu?”

  “Not as bad as you, that’s for sure.” The middle aged man sighed: “So you’re really doing this? With these people? I don’t think you’d get past all the security, even with my help.”

  Marcus and Gloria exged looks, then shrugged.

  “This monk’s got to try.” Master Liaoran smiled: “This is never going to be a sure thing. But with any luck, we deal a mueeded heavy blow to those behind everything.”

  “Alright, fine, fine. As long as you know that you are aware of the risk you’re taking.” Liaowu shook his head: “Even if you failed, it’s still a good jab at them, huh? Okay, so before you go in, you in this - ” He said as he opened up the backdoors of the van and pulled out a small sports bag.

  “What is this?” Tae Kuo asked, frowning: “Some kind of - some kind of artifact? I ’t sense anything from it.”

  “The fuck you will. ” Liaowu scoffed: “This is an EMP.”

  “A what?” Tae Kuo was fused.

  “Aromagic pulse bomb. Basically it explodes then releases radio waves s that it fry the elei the area.” Gloria Tae Kuo, then turo Liaowu with a frown: “But this is gonna be dangerous for us as well, right? We won’t have any way to unicate with each other. It would fry our phones as well.”

  “That’s why this is a low power one, only effective at a retively she. And you’ll have to set it up in a fined spot away from you so that you won’t be affected. And why don’t you have any handheld radios?” Liaowu shrugged: “I have not tested it fully myself, but if it is three floors above you, your phones should work fine. No promises though.”

  “This is good. But how do you pn to use it?” Marcus asked.

  Liaowu did not answer, he simply looked at Master Liaoran.

  “Where should it be pced?” Master Liaoran sighed, then asked.

  “The third floor, there was a room he ter of the building, the parts above ground at least.” Liaowu poi a five-storey building, standing amongst nearby buildings of equal and taller heights. “You know - the ter of that building is where the trol ter of their defense system is. I try to hack the exterior surveilo help you get in. But you’ve gotta figure out the .”

  “That would be great. Thank you.” Master Liaoran nodded.

  “Here.” Liaowu went back to the back of his van and brought out a thick metal box, inside of which were a handful of handheld radios: “These shouldn’t be affected too much by the EMP, in theory. But you should know that all your other means of unication would not stand a ce.”

  “No matter. We leave everything in your custody.” Keryn took a deep breath, then looked around: “Right? We should be going radio silent anyways. Our phones are only to use as st resort. There is no way they won’t tap into our phones if they’re turned on.”

  “Good. Then we go.” Liaowu took a close look at everyone present, before pointing at Elvin Cai: “You’re not gonna go with them right? You stay with me, I ’t do everything by myself.”

  “What?” “What?” Marcus and Elvin asked at the same time.

  “No, my father’s going home.” Marcus shook his head.

  “Do you think this is game night?” Liaowu looked Marcus in the eyes, his gaze sharp and fearless: “No one leaves or acts alone. If he leaves as caught, what then? You want a hostage waiting to be used against you?!”

  “But - ”

  “It’s fine, Marcus.” Elvin smiled, wholeheartedly and with a sense of relief: “I want this. I am fine. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Then it’s settled.” Gloria chimed in before the father and son duo could argue any longer and waste precious time: “We go on foot from here, then we will deploy it as close to the defense system trol ter as we could whe in.”

  “Do you have the blueprint, my friend?” Master Liaoran asked.

  “Just a very old one.” Liaowu sighed and handed a small stack of folded paper to Master Liaoran. It hotocopies of a hand drawn blueprint - the proportions looked mostly sensible, and there were ample details to help them navigate around. “Don’t mind the hand drawing, it’s just - habits of people of old.”

  “It’s enough. Thank you.” Marodded at the man.

  “Now. It’s almost time for shift ges for the guard. So you’d better hurry.” Liaowu checked his watch: “Also, I’ll o drive closer. I will tap into one of their unication lines. I will need help opening up some metal boxes. There might be high voltage charged fences involved.”

  “We’ll follow. You go ahead.” Master Liaoran nodded.

  “You, e with me.” Liaowu poi Elvin.

  “Sure, no problem.” Elvin came to the passenger seat door, befetting on he looked back at Marcus: “Be safe, my child.”

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