Something's Wrong

The moon on the fourth day was a crescent, a faint curve hanging high in the sky, like the lightly painted brow of a woman. Of course, that woman had to be beautiful; otherwise, no matter how lovely the brow, there would be little beauty to appreciate.

It was already past midnight, and the crescent moon could no longer be seen. Amid the hazy darkness, lit only by the occasional streetlamp, a truck and a sedan backed one after the other into an alley off Great West Road.

No one cared about the angry curses coming from the houses. Seven or eight people climbed out of the vehicles and hurried silently along the walls. Some wore long gowns, some coarse cloth clothes, some mediocre suits, and some fitted martial outfits. All wore fedoras pulled low over their faces, concealing everything above their noses so their features could not be seen.

About ten minutes later, the man at the front stopped. Once the last person caught up, he pointed to a shop across the street. "That Prosperity Trading Company used to be Harmony Trading Company. The Japanese agents entered through that entrance and are watching from the third floor. There are two of them. There are also two watching the back door."

Wang Yan nodded without saying a word and took the lead. The others automatically followed. At the entrance, two men remained to keep watch, while the other four followed Wang Yan up the stairs to the third floor, step by step.

He took lockpicking tools from his space, along with some lubricant. He smeared some on the hinges, calmly tucked the bottle into his coat, then, amid everyone's suppressed breathing, fiddled with the lock twice. With a click, the door opened.

Though he had applied lubricant, too little time