As if disturbed by his gaze, the thin man walking ahead, wearing a boat-shaped hat, turned his head and glanced at him.
The violence and malice in his brown eyes were undisguised, as if he might pounce at any moment and tear the flesh from his body.
Cyril raised the glass in his hand in greeting, then made his way to an empty seat in the corner as if nothing had happened.
With the arrival of the three men, the atmosphere in the bar had turned strange. It seemed to grow more charged, yet at the same time, more stifled.
Cyril opened and shut the gold-trimmed black pocket watch in his hand until he had finished his beer. Then he stood up and left the bar.
Not long after he left, the two men who had just come in, wrapped tightly in their padded coats, also left the bar.
A little while later, several more people left the bar.
The thin man sitting alone at the bar watched the suddenly quieter room and curled his lip. He downed his drink, then left as well.
After leaving the bar, Cyril followed Haifang Road all the way to the freight docks, where only a few lights were visible. Then he disappeared into the darkness.
Not long after he vanished, two figures bundled in thick padded coats arrived at the spot where he had been.
"Where'd he go?"
"Let's look around. He should be nearby."
Snap!
With a snap of their fingers, the area was suddenly flooded with pure, blinding white light.
The sudden brightness in the darkness left the two men momentarily blinded before they could close their eyes.
"Watch out!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several blank sheets of paper shot out like sharp flying knives, slicing through the air toward the two men