When Tie Long arrived at Baoshan Wharf and got out of the car, he saw Hai Ge and the ship waiting in the harbor.
Hai Ge stood on the shore, waving to him. Tie Long breathed a little easier. The cops shouldn't have been able to find this place on such short notice.
Even so, he did not let down his guard. His sharp eyes swept the area behind him.
He opened the trunk without taking his eyes off his surroundings. Anyone could be hiding in the suspicious corners of the quiet wharf.
He was about to board the ship, precisely when he was most likely to relax. So Tie Long was more alert than ever.
He was like a wild beast drinking at a river, glancing over its shoulder between sips. He almost wished he had eyes in the back of his head.
Still looking back, he reached into the trunk and made a grab for the suitcase.
Whoosh.
He lifted his hand on instinct and turned to walk away.
Halfway through the turn, he realized he had grabbed nothing. He swept his hand to the side, but still felt nothing.
"Huh?" Tie Long spun around. The trunk was empty.
"..."
Sweat had soaked through his clothes. The evening breeze chilled him to the bone.
Cold. He was so cold.
Then indescribable fear swallowed him. For the first time in his life, Tie Long heard something cracking inside his head.
Pop! Crack, crack! Pop!
He really heard it, as though someone were snapping plastic and crunching corn chips inside his skull.
Under extreme mental stress, excess blood rushed to his brain and raised the pressure inside his skull. His narrow capillaries could not handle the increased flow, impeding circulation.
People who stood on their heads for too long could