A gray car was parked by the harbor, bearing no royal crest. Two guards sat in the front and two in the back.
Their guide was a man in a gray uniform, in his thirties, with what little hair he had combed flat against his scalp.
He raised a hand toward Bai Zhu.
"Mr. Bai Zhu, Her Highness the Princess Consort is waiting for you."
Bai Zhu stopped by the car door.
"Can you smoke in your car?"
The man froze.
"No."
"Good. I don't smoke either."
Morel kicked him from behind.
Bai Zhu climbed into the back seat.
The door shut, and the lock clicked into place on its own.
A partition stood between the front and back seats, and every window was covered in dark tint. Several black circular dots were embedded on either side of the seats, close to the armrests and roof. Their purpose was impossible to tell.
Bai Zhu touched one of them.
The guard in the front turned around.
"Please do not touch the equipment inside the vehicle."
"What is this?"
"A security device."
"Security for whom?"
The guard fell silent.
Bai Zhu leaned back and popped a mint into his mouth.
The car left the harbor and did not stop for a long time.
An attendant handed him a cup of water from the side.
Several tea leaves floated in the transparent cup.
"Welcome tea designated by Her Highness the Princess Consort."
Bai Zhu did not take it.
"Did you put anything in it?"
The man's hand stopped in midair.
"No."
"Was it tested?"
"It was prepared by servants from the Princess Consort's estate."
"Servants aren't poison testers."
"Mr. Bai Zhu, you may rest assured."
Bai Zhu looked up at him.
"I'm worth tens of billions. Anything I put in my mouth needs