Buddha fished out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow, then shoved up his spectacles. The temperature was mild, but that didn't matter. He seemed to sweat no matter what he was doing.

Boy Scout glanced over at him, shaking his head. "Have you considered a diet?"

They spoke in Mandarin, but occasionally Buddha would throw an English phrase at the kid to test him, like he did now: "You wanna play, you pay. That's the way it is, kid. And I'm way too old for a diet."

The kid frowned. Nope, he didn't quite understand that one. But hadn't the kid said he was an expert on American slang? Uh-huh . . .

Their inside man Huang finally reached the ridge, and Boy Scout gave a slight whistle. The elder moved into the dense stand of trees and nodded to them.

"How did it go?" asked Buddha.

After a slight shrug, Huang answered, "Okay, I guess."

"What you mean, old man?" snapped Boy Scout. "Did you tell them or not?"

"I told them, but they still want to meet you. They don't trust me."

"Quiet for a moment," Buddha ordered the kid. "Huang, all they need to do is stay out of the way. You keep telling them that those men coming tomorrow night are drug smugglers working with the army. You tell them the secret police will be coming to arrest them, and that everyone should remain in their rooms. And when we're finished, I promise you that those men will not bother you or your family ever again."

"I want to believe you."

"Just do as we say. And when you know exactly where each man will be staying, you will call us with that information."

"And if I don't?"

"Then we'll--"

Buddha slapped a palm over Boy Scout's mouth. "Then we'll assume you're dead. If you want to save your village, help us."

"But you are not with the secret police, are you?"

"What makes you say that?"

Huang flicked his glance to Boy Scout. "He is too young and too stupid."

Buddha smiled. "I agree. But the police are desperate these days, and we need anyone we can get."

"Okay, but remember our deal. The man I told you about?"

"Yes, Fang Zhi?" said Buddha.

Huang nodded. "You will kill him."

"Of course. Better go now. Fang will be calling you soon. And so will we."

For a moment, Huang just stood there, looking at them, and Buddha pitied the man. He was just a simple farmer caught up in something far more dangerous than he could possibly imagine.

Fang Zhi was assumably one of the Spring Tiger Group's cronies, a guard or security chief who meant nothing in the grand scheme. His name was not even worth mentioning to the Special Forces team coming ashore, and while Buddha had promised to kill him, that was only to satisfy Huang.