Lu Yuan put away Flame and the ammunition belt, fastening them at his waist. The weight of the gun settled against his hip, and the familiar pull reassured him slightly.
He opened the cabinet and changed into a new Night Watcher uniform.
The thick dark-gray cotton coat had new buttons at the cuffs, their copper surfaces stamped with the Night Watcher's subtle pattern. It fit him much better than the previous one. Margaret had always been efficient with supplies.
The electric lights outside the window were already on.
A dim yellow glow filtered through the window and spilled across the table by it, carrying a hint of warmth.
There was hardly anyone in the branch corridors. One or two faint sounds of doors opening and closing drifted from afar.
Lu Yuan walked down the corridor toward Klaus's office.
Light shone through the gap beneath the door.
He knocked twice.
"Come in."
Klaus's office was the same as before: a broad oak desk, several unopened stacks of document files piled in the corner, an oil lamp and half a pot of untouched cold tea on the windowsill. But two freshly brewed cups of black tea sat on the desk, steam still rising from their surfaces.
Klaus sat behind the desk and gestured for Lu Yuan to sit.
Lu Yuan did not stand on ceremony and sat directly in the chair opposite him.
Klaus did not seem to be in too bad a mood—at least, better than the "ugly expression" Boer had described. He lifted his teacup for a sip, then looked at Lu Yuan.
"What do you want to know?"
Lu Yuan organized his thoughts.
"How is Leike doing now?" He asked about what concerned him most first. "And did they catch any of the Grey Covenant people afterward? As for