‘At the same time, they can be too recklessly pushing forward with their agenda, regardless of its consequences in today’s China. And there’s no ruling out, needless to say, that some of the so-called activists are taking advantage of the current situation with their ulterior political motive.’

A number of possible scenarios flashed across Chen’s mind. But then others were coming up, conflicting, contradicting …

He rose to take leave with the folder grasped tight in his hand.

As he strode into the high-speed elevator in a hurry, he nearly stumbled, the bulging folder heavier than expected.

Emerging from the hotel, Inspector Chen decided not to take a taxi from the long line waiting for customers in front.

He was going to take a short walk first. Walking, he was sometimes capable of making a concentrated effort to think.

But it took only a couple of minutes for him to realize the mistake. The polluted air outside was horrible, and more noticeable after he had been in the luxurious hotel suite installed with the advanced fresh air system.

Moving along Century Avenue, he found it hard even to breathe, as if all the surrounding high-rises were pressing down around him. It was too uncomfortable for him to think with any clarity. The fragments of Zhao’s talk kept swirling, even more entangled than before.

While Zhao did not give a hint about any knowledge regarding his relationship with Shanshan in Wuxi, his insistence on Chen taking the job – in connection to the poem – was darkly suggestive.

Nor would it have been too astonishing that the inspector, having ruffled enough high feathers, had been secretly placed under the governmental radar as early as his vacation days in Wuxi, where he was in the company of Shanshan.

So it was turning out to be something like an investigation against the investigations about him. With no other cops working under him, no official resources available, he had to grope along all by himself, employing those deceptive stratagems like in that time-honored Chinese classic The Thirty-Six Stratagems, maneuvering in a roundabout way, and moving stealthily without being detected by others.

‘To sail across the sea undetected by the eyes in the skies.’ He thought of the first stratagem in The Thirty-Six Stratagems. He had no idea how he could possibly achieve that.

But his opponents had been maneuvering against him, against Shanshan.

After making several wrong turns, he caught the sign pointing to the subway station at Lujiazui, where he could take Line 1 back home, but he slowed down, stopped, and turned into a side street.

He walked for a couple of blocks before spotting a small convenience store on the corner. For the time of the day, he found himself the only customer there.

‘A new SIM card,’ he said, handing over three one-hundred bills to a salesgirl – double the amount for the SIM card he wanted to buy.

‘Just for the SIM card?’ She raised the money in her hand questioningly. According to the latest city regulation, a SIM card purchaser had to show his ID for registration.