Fiction: Group 3
“There, on the left! The stall there: Charsiew buns! They’re so good! Huh… I’m going to-”
“NO.” Bei snapped impatiently. “No breaks. Serious business here.”
Before long, Mo had recognised Karl, and they chased the famous spymaster around Hong Kong. Keeping
an eye out for the Pearl River Delta as a reference, the two girls scrambled through countless alleyways,
dodging people. Although Mo had trained for that, her body had forgotten everything. Staggering, Mo’s
legs finally gave way to her suddenly heavy weight. All her muscles drooped and her body crumpled like a
shot animal, unable to move. Bei knelt down in panic, felt her hand and frowned at the scorching heat.
“When did you last drink water?” Bei asked soothingly. It was such an unexpected reaction that Mo’s eyes
opened.
“Go on without me.”
Then she fainted.
Bei never had a soft heart. She had grown up with her older brothers, all so violent. Bei was the only girl;
she joined them in their games, becoming one of them.
Don’t let the emotions interfere
was her personal
motto, and she followed it well. But now, looking at her helpless friend, Bei’s eyes welled up with tears. Just
seconds ago she seemed indestructible. Now, she was a baby.
At some point Bei finally looked up, finding herself staring at an oddly familiar face. Bei dismissed the
thought. He was wearing a crumpled yellow shirt and damp khaki pants.
No, haven’t seen him before.
“My name’s Hua. A boss of an opium den nearby. I saw you two here, and thought you might want to rest
inside.”
Bei nodded timidly, helping Hua carry Mo to his den. Along the way, Bei learnt that Hua had increasingly
better income due to the development of the Pearl River Delta, as well as the increase of opium buyers. She
told him about tracking Gutzlaff in return. She avoided the reason, though.
When Hua opened the door, Bei immediately started coughing and shivering, unused to the strong smell of
opium and the decrease in temperature. Hua went and came back with a cold towel and a glass of warm
water.
When Mo woke, she looked around dazedly, taking in her surroundings silently, then fixed her gaze upon
Hua. Mo quickly shifted her eyes to Bei, and smiled meekly.
Hua cleared his throat urgently. “I’ll leave you two. Please feel free to continue on your quest. If you’ll
excuse me, I have to go.”
“We must repay you, your generosity!” Bei called.
“No need, no need.” Then he was gone.
Mo abruptly sat up with frantic eyes. She seemed well again, miraculously. “That’s him!”
Bei shook her head. “No, that’s Hua, owner of this opium den. He just helped you recover, and you’re
accusing him of being Karl?”
“YES! Just chase him! What harm can it do anyways?”
We’ll lose time
, Bei thought. But then again, she had no better plan. Reluctantly, Bei agreed, letting Mo
drag her out onto the streets once more.
