Handel had almost never seen such an expression on Mulan's face. He immediately realized something was wrong and hurriedly set down the two cups of coffee. Mulan strode to the doorway, glanced toward the stairs, then at the window in the corridor, and leaned close to Handel to speak in a low voice.
"Your name is Brooke now. Help Mr. Moor pack his manuscripts and books. You have five minutes."
Handel merely nodded, offering no other reaction, and immediately went over to Moor, who was still somewhat bewildered. Mulan turned toward Moor and raised his voice in a shout.
"Pack your most important things within five minutes. I'm not joking. Move!"
Mulan's sternness jolted Moor out of his daze. Although the man was a stranger, trusting him seemed the best choice at the moment. Moor hurriedly began packing and fetched a wicker suitcase from the adjoining bedroom.
"Don't bother packing clothes. Just manuscripts and important belongings!"
Mulan helped him pack, mainly gathering the manuscripts on the desk. Only Moor himself knew which of the other things were worth taking.
Five minutes was a short time, but Mulan did not even want to wait that long. Only three minutes had passed when he saw Moor start packing his fountain pens and other such items, and he decided to take him away at once.
First, Mulan fetched two sets of clothes from Moor's bedroom. He stuffed them into the suitcase, pressed everything down, and closed it before leading Moor straight downstairs.
At the ground-floor entrance, Mulan gently drew Fang from his cane. Using the sword tip as a pen, he carved a line of peculiar pictograph-like symbols, as Moor saw them, into the inside of the doorframe. Then Mulan took a deep breath and gently opened the door.
Outside, the street had