In mid-September, Britain's rainy season seemed to have arrived a little early again. A light drizzle began falling on London's streets, once shrouded in cold fog. Pedestrians with umbrellas hurried along, as though lingering on the road had become an unspoken taboo.
Since the heavy fog had appeared across Britain in July, everyone had clearly sensed that something was wrong. Especially after two months of frequent strange incidents, the dark cloud hanging over their hearts had never dispersed.
Among the hurried pedestrians, a middle-aged man carrying an umbrella and a briefcase stopped. He tucked the briefcase in his left hand beneath his right arm, pulled a slip of paper from his suit pocket, and carefully read the name written on it. Then he looked up and scanned the area, seemingly searching for something. Soon, his eyes lit up. He shoved the note back into his pocket, picked up his briefcase, and strode ahead, quickly turning into a Coffee shop two stores away.
As he folded his umbrella and placed it on the umbrella stand, Bill, disguised as a middle-aged man, surveyed the shop. He spotted a blond man in a corner, gave the waitress a smiling nod to indicate that he was meeting someone, and headed toward the corner table.
"I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long."
Bill greeted the unfamiliar man reading a newspaper across from him.
In truth, they were exchanging a password. No matter who arrived late, they would say that line.
"No, I only just got here."
The man set down his newspaper and gestured for Bill to sit with a smile. "Then let's begin!"
Once the password matched, Bill could not help but relax.
He sat down across from Albert, who was disguised as a blond middle-aged man.
"Take a look at this