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"If s happening," he said, as if Li Yuan should understand what he
meant "I
can't believe it, but it is."
Yuan sat on the far side of the desk, puzzled by the look on Cho's
face. He
didn't seem troubled so much as bemused.
"Okay, what is it? We bought some valueless stock?"
"You might say," Cho answered, vague to the point of
irritating Li Yuan. "Look ... I could be in bed now, Master Cho. Have
we a
problem, or haven't we?"
Cho laughed. Again, it was strange, because Li Yuan could not grasp
what was
meant by it Was he amused or not? And if he was, then why!
"Well?" he asked, when Cho did not answer. "Look for yourself," Cho
said,
sitting back and folding his arms' across his chest "See what you make
of it."
Yuan frowned, then activated the screen in front of him. For a moment
he simply
stared, then his mouth fell open. "Fuck ..."
"Yes, fuck. Fuck times eighty billion neh?" "Eighty.. .?" Li Yuan
looked up and
met the old man's eyes. This time he did understand. "But can't we
...?"
"Stop it?" Cho Yi laughed again. This time Li Yuan had no difficulty
placing Cho
Yi's laughter. It was the ironic laughter of a man who saw that his
time was up.
"But there are controls, surely?" "Whoever started this removed them."
"Removed
them? That's not possible, is it?" "Oh, I'd say anything was possible,
if you
wanted to commit financial suicide. You simply have to bribe men, or
threaten
them, or have them killed. And then replace those you've had killed.
Until you
control the system. And then ... see, Yuan? ... see how if s happening
before
our eyes? ... you just kick
away the props."
Yuan stared at the screen, bemused now. "But who would do that? Who'd
have the
power? And if they had the power, then why? It would be like shooting
oneself in
the head!"
"Exactly. But someone has. Someone big."
Li Yuan shook his head slowly. "You've made projections?"
Cho nodded.
"And?"
"Freefall," Cho answered, smiling a beaming smile at Yuan. "Straight to
the
bottom and out the other side."
"But why? I mean, surely someone's spotted whaf s going on? Surely
someone's
taking action?"
In answer Cho Yi turned and switched on the news screen just above him
and to
his right. As it came alight it showed the image of a woman lying on
top of what
looked like an airduct of some kind. She was quite clearly dead, blood
oozing
from her in a dozen different places.
As the commentary switched in, the camera travelled up the external
window-wall
of what appeared to be a plush hotel of some kind, until it focused on
the
shattered window of a room.
"... of what was President Newell's own suite in the prestigious Eight
Dragons
Hotel. While the President's spokesman refuses to give details of the
incident,
it is understood that the President himself was not involved, and was
actually
at an official reception across town in Ching Shan Park ..."
Cho cut the sound then looked back across at Li Yuan. "Rumour is that
Newell's
dead. Assassinated by the girl. She too committed suicide Threw herself
out of a
thirty-eighth-storey window. Strange that neh? A curious synchronicity,
wouldn't
you say?"
"You think the two things are connected?"
Cho laughed. "Don't you, Yuan? What better distraction than the
assassination of
a visiting President? What better way of keeping eyes off one screen
and on
another?"
Li Yuan gestured towards the screen. "But this is more important,
surely?"
"You know that, and I know that... but our friends in the media don't
Not yet,
anyway. They're still speculating as to whether Newell has been killed,
and if
so, whether there will be a war."
"A war?"Cho nodded, then looked down.
And then it struck Li Yuan. "Oh, shit! Han Ch'in!"
Kim followed K. into the lift, a sense of real urgency gripping him. He
had seen
the pictures on the news screens in the lobby of the apartment block,
and heard
the commentary, and knew now that time was running out for them.
As the doors slid closed behind them, he looked up at the screen in the
corner
of the lift, then spoke to the air
"Channel 96. With sound."
At once it switched to the news channel, showing the latest pictures
from
outside the Eight Dragons Hotel.
"... and whilst the woman cannot be immediately recognised after
falling
thirty-eight storeys, it has been confirmed by eyewitnesses that she
was naked
and that, according to one, she appeared not to scream as she fell."
The image cut to the view from a news glider, positioned in line with
the
shattered window of the Presidential Suite. Armed men were gathered in
that
window, blocking any view into the room, but that only served to stoke
up
speculation.
"It is now almost twenty minutes since the incident, and still no word
has come
from President NeweE's spokesman, or indeed the President himself,
about the
affair, but it has now been confirmed that earlier reports from their
office
that the President was at a reception in Ching Shang Park were
erroneous, and
that President Newett was not seen by anybody at that reception. Which [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
"If s happening," he said, as if Li Yuan should understand what he
meant "I
can't believe it, but it is."
Yuan sat on the far side of the desk, puzzled by the look on Cho's
face. He
didn't seem troubled so much as bemused.
"Okay, what is it? We bought some valueless stock?"
"You might say," Cho answered, vague to the point of
irritating Li Yuan. "Look ... I could be in bed now, Master Cho. Have
we a
problem, or haven't we?"
Cho laughed. Again, it was strange, because Li Yuan could not grasp
what was
meant by it Was he amused or not? And if he was, then why!
"Well?" he asked, when Cho did not answer. "Look for yourself," Cho
said,
sitting back and folding his arms' across his chest "See what you make
of it."
Yuan frowned, then activated the screen in front of him. For a moment
he simply
stared, then his mouth fell open. "Fuck ..."
"Yes, fuck. Fuck times eighty billion neh?" "Eighty.. .?" Li Yuan
looked up and
met the old man's eyes. This time he did understand. "But can't we
...?"
"Stop it?" Cho Yi laughed again. This time Li Yuan had no difficulty
placing Cho
Yi's laughter. It was the ironic laughter of a man who saw that his
time was up.
"But there are controls, surely?" "Whoever started this removed them."
"Removed
them? That's not possible, is it?" "Oh, I'd say anything was possible,
if you
wanted to commit financial suicide. You simply have to bribe men, or
threaten
them, or have them killed. And then replace those you've had killed.
Until you
control the system. And then ... see, Yuan? ... see how if s happening
before
our eyes? ... you just kick
away the props."
Yuan stared at the screen, bemused now. "But who would do that? Who'd
have the
power? And if they had the power, then why? It would be like shooting
oneself in
the head!"
"Exactly. But someone has. Someone big."
Li Yuan shook his head slowly. "You've made projections?"
Cho nodded.
"And?"
"Freefall," Cho answered, smiling a beaming smile at Yuan. "Straight to
the
bottom and out the other side."
"But why? I mean, surely someone's spotted whaf s going on? Surely
someone's
taking action?"
In answer Cho Yi turned and switched on the news screen just above him
and to
his right. As it came alight it showed the image of a woman lying on
top of what
looked like an airduct of some kind. She was quite clearly dead, blood
oozing
from her in a dozen different places.
As the commentary switched in, the camera travelled up the external
window-wall
of what appeared to be a plush hotel of some kind, until it focused on
the
shattered window of a room.
"... of what was President Newell's own suite in the prestigious Eight
Dragons
Hotel. While the President's spokesman refuses to give details of the
incident,
it is understood that the President himself was not involved, and was
actually
at an official reception across town in Ching Shan Park ..."
Cho cut the sound then looked back across at Li Yuan. "Rumour is that
Newell's
dead. Assassinated by the girl. She too committed suicide Threw herself
out of a
thirty-eighth-storey window. Strange that neh? A curious synchronicity,
wouldn't
you say?"
"You think the two things are connected?"
Cho laughed. "Don't you, Yuan? What better distraction than the
assassination of
a visiting President? What better way of keeping eyes off one screen
and on
another?"
Li Yuan gestured towards the screen. "But this is more important,
surely?"
"You know that, and I know that... but our friends in the media don't
Not yet,
anyway. They're still speculating as to whether Newell has been killed,
and if
so, whether there will be a war."
"A war?"Cho nodded, then looked down.
And then it struck Li Yuan. "Oh, shit! Han Ch'in!"
Kim followed K. into the lift, a sense of real urgency gripping him. He
had seen
the pictures on the news screens in the lobby of the apartment block,
and heard
the commentary, and knew now that time was running out for them.
As the doors slid closed behind them, he looked up at the screen in the
corner
of the lift, then spoke to the air
"Channel 96. With sound."
At once it switched to the news channel, showing the latest pictures
from
outside the Eight Dragons Hotel.
"... and whilst the woman cannot be immediately recognised after
falling
thirty-eight storeys, it has been confirmed by eyewitnesses that she
was naked
and that, according to one, she appeared not to scream as she fell."
The image cut to the view from a news glider, positioned in line with
the
shattered window of the Presidential Suite. Armed men were gathered in
that
window, blocking any view into the room, but that only served to stoke
up
speculation.
"It is now almost twenty minutes since the incident, and still no word
has come
from President NeweE's spokesman, or indeed the President himself,
about the
affair, but it has now been confirmed that earlier reports from their
office
that the President was at a reception in Ching Shang Park were
erroneous, and
that President Newett was not seen by anybody at that reception. Which [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]