Wolf Manor is located in the north of West Vancouver, near Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. The estate is an exquisite French-style building, covering an area of over two square kilometers. The main building is built on a central hill, offering a very open view. Standing on the terrace of the main building, you can see the entire affluent area of West Vancouver and the coastline of Burrard Inlet in the distance, with a large green forest behind you.
A straight, tree-lined avenue runs in front of the manor, serving as the central axis of the estate. It passes through the spacious main garden, with a secondary axis on each side of the garden. The three longitudinal avenues and several transverse axes intersect to form a strict grid. At the intersections of these grid lines, numerous fountains, sculptures, and garden ornaments adorn the space, creating a simple and bright atmosphere without any sense of clutter.
The tree-lined boulevard stretches straight ahead, leading into the neighborhoods of West Vancouver. From there, heading east along Highway 99 leads to North Vancouver, while heading south across the Lions Gate Bridge and through the famous Stanley Park leads to South Vancouver, the actual downtown Vancouver area.
The meeting place agreed upon by the second leader and Huang Liang was Stanley Park.
This is an island park located in Burrard Inlet, and it is the largest park in North America. Its southern end connects to downtown Vancouver, while its northern end is connected by the Lions Gate Bridge, which, along with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, forms a vital route to the affluent West Vancouver area.
The park is filled with beautiful redwood trees, with rose gardens and mini-golf courses nestled among them. A 22-kilometer fitness trail winds around the entire island, making it a paradise for joggers and cyclists.
Huang Liang rode a bicycle to Stanley Park.
Martha lent him the bicycle. He told Hong Kui he wanted to go for a drive around downtown Vancouver. Hong Kui offered to give him a ride, but he declined, saying he wanted to familiarize himself Vancouver the roads and relax. This reason wasn't entirely unfounded, since he had only stayed at Professor Dickinson's house and Wolf Manor since arriving in Vancouver.
When he left the manor in the morning, he ran into Martha and asked Martha about the bus routes and schedules to the city center. Martha asked him where he was going, and he said he was just wandering around, then remarked that he wished he had a bicycle.
Martha then took him to the parking garage, where many bicycles were parked. Looking at the puzzled Huang Liang, she said, "There's nothing strange about this, Dr. Huang. The gentlemen always come and go by car; we can't. In such a large estate, sometimes riding a bicycle is more convenient."
She pointed to the bikes, "You can ride them freely, none of them are locked. Those are electric, but you'll have to charge them in the southern part of the city, otherwise you might not have enough to get back."
Martha was very enthusiastic, Huang Liang felt that she was sincere, not just being polite or the insincere hospitality of servants in a large family.
He said, "Thank you, Martha, you're such a good person."
"You don't need to be so polite!" Martha smiled gently, her eyes crinkling, and the faint freckles on her face looked playful and cute in the morning light.
He rode his bicycle to Stanley Park. There were already many cyclists in the park, all fully equipped, but he was still wearing ordinary clothes and no helmet. He rode to the English Bay on the west side, where several old men had already set up their fishing gear and were leisurely fishing.
Huang Liang checked the map on his phone to make sure the location was correct, then found a quiet spot, parked the car, and sat down on a park bench.
The park was nearly deserted in the early morning. He carefully scrutinized everyone who passed by. To be honest, he was a little nervous. He wasn't sure if the person on the phone was the Second Leader, because the voice on the other end was distorted, and he couldn't determine the other person's gender. The other person hadn't given him any code words or anything, only telling him to wait there.
"Dr. Huang!"
Huang Liang heard someone calling him from behind, and the familiar voice made his heart pound.
He turned around and saw Martha, looking playful, standing there with a flower basket on her arm, smiling at him.
" Martha?..."
Huang Liang stood up, staring at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe it was Martha, but then he thought it made perfect sense, considering her identity and the timing of her call, except for her youth.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you by your name like that." Huang Liang paused, thinking about how to address Martha. Calling her "leader" was obviously inappropriate, but calling her "madam" didn't seem right either.
Martha looked at her innocently, "Why can't I call you by your name? Everyone calls me that!"
"But..." Huang Liang hesitated.
"No buts, just call me Martha." Martha walked over as lightly as a bird and sat down on the bench. "Weren't you going downtown? If I had known you came to Stanley Park, the books and I could have walked together. I haven't ridden my bike in ages since the old man's illness got worse!"
"You..."
Huang Liang was starting to doubt his initial assessment. Martha didn't seem to be deliberately teasing him; there was no one around, and there was no need to hide anything. Could it really be a coincidence?
"Didn't you come by bike?" he asked, trying to make conversation, which was also a kind of test.
"No, my driver Brandon, brought me here. He's waiting for me in the parking lot over there," Martha said, holding up her basket. "I'm going to pick roses in the rose garden. Mr. Wolf loves the roses here. He says no roses anywhere else are as good as those in Stanley Park. He loves the smell; whenever he's sick, the scent of roses makes him feel better."
Can I pick the roses in the park freely?
"Of course others can't, but we can. The rose garden and golf course in Stanley Park were maintained with money from Mr. Wolf, and the yacht club on the island is also a family business. Half of Vancouver's public facilities were built by the Wolf Family, and the city hall even awarded Mr. Wolf a trophy for it! Mr. Wolf is a good man, he'll get better, don't you think, Dr. Huang?"
Martha looked at the distant sea, which was calm and still, yet deep blue.
Her words confused Huang Liang even more. Was she testing him?
"Um... I'm not sure..." He didn't know how to answer.
"You must have a way, right?" Martha turned to look at him earnestly.
"Perhaps," Huang Liang said.
"No, I believe you have a way," Martha said confidently.
"Why... me?" What Huang Liang really wanted to ask was, why did you choose to send me to North America?
"You're different from the doctors who treated the master in the past... um... I can't quite put my finger on it, but you're special. I felt that way from the first moment I saw you," Martha said with great certainty.
"Is there anything I can do?" Huang Liang continued to probe.
"What for?..." Martha looked at Huang Liang, then suddenly laughed happily, waving the empty basket in her hand and saying, "Come with me to pick roses!"
After she finished speaking, she stood up, grabbed Huang Liang's arm, and walked towards the path ahead. She skipped and hopped as she walked, like a happy little bird.
At this moment, Huang Liang thought of his younger sister again. When they were little, she would hold her brother's hand and go to the fields to pick wild vegetables.
Just as he was following Martha in a daze, he suddenly saw Dickinson walking towards him. He was carrying a fishing rod, a net and a bucket, and a large bag on his back.
As soon as Huang Liang saw him, he thought of the chip in his neck, which was emitting radio waves into the sky.