“But once I'm inside, how am I supposed to find it?”
“HaiZhe stores the weapons in a special wing at the eastern end of the building. There is only one door way in or out, and it's located inside his office. Find the office, and you'll find the door. This will be a challenge, because the doorway into his office is secret. It's hidden within a huge mural down a very long corridor.”
Great, ShaoShu thought. This is going to be impossible. He said, “If I find a way into the office, how will I know which door is the right one?”
“You can't miss it; it's huge. Be very careful, though, because there is a nearly invisible web of silk trip wires positioned in front of the door. If you so much as breathe too hard on the trip wires, four rows of muskets will simultaneously fire down on you from the ceiling. When I worked for HaiZhe, I saw three different guards accidentally brush against the web. Not even their closest family members could have identified their remains.”
“I'm going to die, aren't I?” ShaoShu asked.
“Maybe. I told General Tonglong that I thought this was a bad idea. He said he has faith in you.”
ShaoShu stared at Lei. “Tonglong is going to kill HaiZhe, isn't he?”
“With the right kind of information, we might be able to avoid conflict. The last thing General Tonglong wants is a bloody battle in the middle of the city. Perhaps we can pressure HaiZhe into surrendering his position with the information you retrieve, or maybe we can devise a plan to capture the weapons wing with only minimal casualties. If we take control of that wing, HaiZhe will have no choice but to surrender. I have to tell you, though, HaiZhe did not get to be where he is by giving in to pressure. He is as cunning as they come.”
Lei turned to the porthole again, and ShaoShu saw the workmen leaving the transport. A mast and sail had been raised, and rugged seamen armed with muskets and pistols were climbing aboard.
“Time for you to go, Little Mouse,” Lei said. “Good luck. HaiZhe's life might just be in your hands—as well as your own,” he added with a smirk.
CHAPTER 13
ShaoShu's transport vessel sailed hard for hours, the sailors often dropping oars into the water to urge the boat on faster than the sail alone would allow. They were obviously in a hurry, which was fine with ShaoShu. He needed to get there before LoBak's evening visit.
They arrived in front of HaiZhe's warehouse soon after sunset. Most of the merchant ships and smaller transport boats were tied up for the night, bobbing gently in the river's steady current. The sky was overcast, but it didn't look like it was going to rain. ShaoShu couldn't have asked for better conditions. He just hoped they hadn't arrived too late.
He jumped out of the boat and headed for the enormous warehouse without bothering to say goodbye to Tonglong's men. ShaoShu knew that they would be watching his every move. Or at least as many moves as he would make along the waterfront, which probably wouldn't be many. He was headed around to the back.
As he circled HaiZhe's facility, keeping to the shadows, ShaoShu began to grow anxious. The perimeter was brightly lit with oil lanterns every few paces, and armed guards patrolled the area in random patterns. There was no rhyme or reason to their movements, which meant no weakness for ShaoShu to exploit. He considered trying the roof, but after climbing a tree and looking around, he found that the roof, too, was swarming with guards. Men were stationed within the various roof peaks, armed with muskets. There was no way he or anyone could get inside there without being noticed. These guards were very different from the soldiers at the fortress.
As ShaoShu shimmied down the tree, he heard someone approaching. He dove beneath a small evergreen and watched a well-worn path that led to one of the building's back doors.
An older man came strolling up the path toward the warehouse, carrying a drinking bowl filled with a steaming liquid. ShaoShu smiled. It was LoBak. As LoBak neared his hiding place, ShaoShu whispered, “Psst! LoBak! Mr. Medicine Man! Down here! It's me, ShaoShu—Hok's friend!”
LoBak slowed but did not stop. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead and whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “Lower your head and cover your face.”
ShaoShu was about to ask why when LoBak appeared to stumble. ShaoShu ducked as instructed, and the last thing he saw was LoBak twist around and fling the drinking bowl in his direction. ShaoShu bit his lip as the scalding liquid splashed over the evergreen branches onto him. He didn't cry out, though. Not even when the drinking bowl bounced off the side of his head.
“Oh, dear,” LoBak said loudly to no one in particular. “I shall have to make another batch. Now, where did my drinking bowl go?” He bent down and stuck his face into the tree.