Chasing the Monkey

1

Cory Chase went through customs, answering the customary questions as simply as he could. He didn't want to get in a brawl with the inspectors in the airport. He had to get the next jewel for his ring and keep his appointment with the killers.

He hoped to take out some of his anger on them with no one around to get in the way.

He supposed he understood why he was supposed to chase the ring around the world. It showed him that he had the perseverance to keep going despite the accumulating enemies he was making in his wake.

At least the kid had survived the mauling his armor had taken from the gunman. Hopefully, he had learned his lesson and was getting out of the hero business.

He would get out of the hero business too when he had the ring assembled. That had worked for Oliver Hunt. It would work for him too.

Chase got his bag and headed for the entrance of the airport. He couldn't store it there. He had to keep moving, and his checking on the map coordinates for the village he had agreed to visit was far from plane and train. He would need a car to get around.

He doubted they would give it to him. He might need to hire a driver to take him where he wanted to go. How much would that cost?

Maybe he could get a bike. The ring gave him enough stamina to bike where he needed to go. That might be the way to go.

At least it allowed him to understand what people were saying around him. He only knew two phrases of Chinese. He doubted 'Where is the bathroom?' and 'What is in this?' would be of any help at the moment.

Chase paused as a girl ran into him. He looked down at her. He caught her with one arm before she fell down.

"How's it going?" He didn't like the fear that was rolling off of her.

"I'm sorry." She looked down at the sidewalk.

People parted on either side of the obstruction. Chase spotted two men taking an interest in the two of them. He decided that maybe he could be heroic again if he had the right reason.

"You seem to be having a problem." Chase carried her in one arm as he started walking. "I need a guide. You're welcome to come with me."

"I don't think I can." The woman looked at the two men getting closer. "I have a job I have to do here in the city."

The fear started climbing toward hysterical panic.

"You're safe as long as you're with me." Chase smiled. "I promise."

The two men moved in to block Chase and his new friend. He smiled at them. They thought he was easy to scare. He could see it in their eyes.

"The woman comes with us." The senior man clenched his fist. "Stand away, white devil."

"She's my new guide." Chase smiled at the smaller man. "She's showing me the town. Get your own."

The man swung his fist at the American's face. A bag of clothes dropped him to the sidewalk before he could finish moving his arm. The other man reached under his coat. A giant hand closed on his face and squeezed a little. That stopped the move for a gun as his hands tried to free his face from the fingers holding him off the ground.

"Tell your boss if he wants her, he should bring everybody he's got to a village called Kwan Lee. That's where we'll be in a couple of days." Chase took the gun and took it apart. "I'll be waiting."

He bent down and picked the other man up. He grabbed the gun from under that man's jacket. He took it apart.

"Start walking." He pointed into the crowd. "Remember to tell him to bring everybody he's got. Tell him to tell his friends so I can have a fair fight."

"Your bag." The woman handed Chase his duffel. "They will kill you."

"I'm hoping they run into some other people first." Chase smiled. "There will be a crowd up there waiting on me."

The woman looked around to run. She had a chance to get away.

"Don't run." Chase fished out the list of addresses. "Where is this place?"

"I can't read it." She frowned at the paper.

"Sorry." Chase read the address for her. She nodded that she knew it.

"Show me where it is." He put the list away. "The sooner I get what I came for, the sooner we can see if I can fix your problem for good."

"What are you going to do?" He smiled at her skepticism.

"I'm going to introduce him to some nasty people if he shows up." Chase slung his duffel over his shoulder. "If not, I'll see about talking to him in person."

"Their chief is a very dangerous man." The woman shook her head. "He will kill you for this."

"What's your name?" Chase kept her within arms' reach as they walked down the street. He might have to do something drastic. He wanted to make sure he could take her with him if he did.

"Lu Chin." She shook her head. "Do you really think you can stop them?"

"I don't know." Chase smiled as he shepherded her along with him. "How many men are we talking about?"

"At least twenty here in the city." She looked ready to start running again.

"I can take twenty guys." The American looked around. "How far to the address?"

"A few miles." Lu pointed down the street. "It's a long walk from here."

"I guess we can take a taxi." Chase looked around for a cab. "That will save us some time."

Lu waved a brown car to the sidewalk. Markings covered the side in yellow and green. The driver looked at them with deep set eyes in his round face.

She gave him the address. He nodded, indicating they should get in the back.

"I'm in a hurry." Chase told the driver. "Don't bother giving me a tour."

The driver nodded. His amazement of having someone guess what he was going to do hid behind his round face. He pulled away as soon as his passengers settled in the back seat.

"As soon as I get what I came for, we'll head inland." Chase kept an eye out for anyone interested in their cab. The two toughs weren't likely to give up just because he punched them in the face.

They had the makings of sterner stuff.

He smiled at the driver when the man looked in the rearview mirror at them.

"Why are you doing this?" Lu eyed him from the opposite corner of the back seat.

"Because I can."

2

Sun scratched his head. He had thought he would have to swoop down and save Lu Chin. He had not expected a westerner to appear out of the crowd. He had not expected the man to stand up to the Tong.

He sent one of his servants after them. He wanted to keep Lu in sight, but he also wanted to know what the Tong would do. She seemed safe with the westerner for the moment. His servant would interfere if there was trouble.

He followed the two toughs. He doubted they would give up so easily. They would make killing the westerner a priority. No one stood in the way of the Tong and lived.

Sun bounced along the concrete canyons. His two targets were on the phone, and heading to a minivan. They seemed to be intent on going after Lu again.

He might have to discourage them.

Sun used his staff to drop down to the ground. It expanded to give a solid footing on the sidewalk. Then it retracted to lower him down safely. He walked over to the van behind the two hatchet men.

The driver started pointing through the window. He reached for the door to issue a warning. His expression must have told the two men that there was trouble coming. They started to turn.

"Keep walking." Sun warned them with a tap on the concrete with his staff. "We don't want this to get messy."

That didn't stop the two men. They were already in mid-turn. Momentum pushed them past the halfway point.

The staff slapped their faces in alternate turns, then cracked against their feet. The hatchet men started dancing from the pain in their legs.

"I told you not to turn around." Sun spun and swung the staff. He knocked one of the men on the flat front of the van.

The other man reached for a weapon under his coat. The staff cracked against his face about ten times before he could complete the move. He dropped on the sidewalk.

Men started climbing out of the van. They had grabbed their weapons before leaving their protection. Sun had made their most wanted list and everyone knew he was a dangerous man.

Sun's servants appeared with their characteristic chattering. They dropped on the men, swarming them with sharp teeth and pinching hands. The Tong members tried to retreat into the van. If they closed the doors, that should keep out the vicious beasts.

Sun pushed the men in with his staff. The servants went in with them. He shut the doors to confine men and beasts together. Screams started.

He gave them a few seconds, then he opened the doors. His beasts assembled outside the van, watching the men inside. Some waved their furry arms to express their anger.

"I see some dangerous men here." Sun tapped his staff against the sidewalk. "I see the princess walking on her own. That's unusual. Taking her home, I suppose?"

"What is it to you, you damned monkey?" One of the men wiped the blood from a bite from his hand.

The servants chattered at his disrespect. Some advanced to go back in the van again. The man held up his hands.

"I'm the damned monkey king." Sun tapped his staff again. "Why is the princess walking around alone?"

"She slipped out." The man pointed to one of the men on the ground. "Chow was told to bring her back."

"I don't see that happening." Sun laughed. "The princess has a champion. I doubt that your forces will be able to take her from him. He seems formidable."

"He told Chow where they will be." The man shrugged. "We were going up there to get her back."

"Where is this destination?" The monkey king leaned forward. His grin showed his massive teeth.

"Some place called Kwan Lee." The man leaned back from the cheerful expression.

"Let the king of monkeys advise you." Sun leaned back. "Do not go to this village to retrieve your princess. It is obviously a trap of some kind. It is better to stay here in the city and let her go."

"We can't." The man shook his head. He looked at his beaten companions. "We have to get her back."

"Then the king advises you to remain in hiding for as long as possible." He snapped his fingers. His servants vanished into the urban jungle. "Telling you where she will be speaks of confidence that you will be destroyed if you show yourselves."

"Lu Chin has to be returned to her father." The soldier squared his shoulders. "If we don't, we will be hunted and killed."

"Good luck." Sun used his staff to reach a roof. He vanished from sight in one leap.

The king of monkeys placed a servant on watch. The hatchet men were desperate. They might do anything to further their cause.

Their master was not known for his tolerance for failure.

Sun wanted to know if they did anything other than traveling to Kwan Lee. He would have to stop them if they threatened innocents.

Why had the princess fled? She knew the power her father exerted in the city. Nothing happened in Shanghai without his say. He could even break party members with a casual effort.

Sun was the only one who had defied the elder Chin and lived to tell the story as far as he knew.

This westerner might be the second one to join the short list.

He wanted to see what happened. His curiosity called for it. Why had this westerner gotten involved protecting the princess?

He wanted to find out the answer.

3

Cory Chase looked at the address. He looked at the young woman. She nodded. He paid the driver half of what he owed.

"We'll be right back. Wait for us." He didn't want to take Lu into a problem area, but felt he couldn't leave her in the street until he got back.

She had an enemy with a lot of eyes. If they saw her alone, there would be problems. If she was with him, the problem of her presence would be minimized by what the ring allowed him to do.

Chase and Lu walked into the skyscraper. The tug on his ring said he had to go up. He looked around. He decided on the elevator. He wasn't walking up forty stories of stairs with a woman over his shoulder.

"There seems to be a lot of people giving us the eyeball." Chase looked around as he pressed the elevator button.

"This is the address where one of my father's rivals lives." Lu bit her lip. "They probably want to know what I am doing here."

"Hopefully, there won't be a problem." Chase led her into the elevator. A couple of men moved to join them. He waved them off as the doors shut.

He pushed the top button.

"They will want to talk to me." Lu grimaced. "I should have thought of that."

"No worries." Chase watched the numbers as the elevator climbed. His ring kept tugging him up. He reached the top floor and it still pulled him upwards. He stepped off the elevator.

"What are you looking for here?" Lu followed him. Her fear was back.

"A fragment of a jewel." Chase raised his hand. The ring tried to pull him through the ceiling. "It must be on the roof."

"There is a penthouse." Lu pointed upwards. "Mr. Chang is supposed to live up there."

"Let's see if he's home." Chase walked the hall first before heading back to the stairs. The ring still pointed upward.

"Mr. Chang will not like our intrusion." Lu covered her mouth. "He will be very angry."

"I'll be polite." Chase paused at the door leading to the penthouse floor. "Just be ready to run if I tell you to run."

"I'm ready to run right now." Lu straightened her skirt and hair.

"No fear." Chase smiled. "No fear."

"Which one of us are you talking to?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Me." Chase pushed the door open. He strode out on the floor. Two men at the door to the penthouse reached for weapons as he walked up. He hit them as he kept going. They fell against potted plants before hitting the floor. He made sure the plants didn't fall over.

He knocked on the door.

A bodyguard opened the door. He seemed surprised to see a western face looking back at him. A fist stopped that look.

"Mr. Chang will not be happy." Lu followed Chase as he stepped over the fallen man.

"He shouldn't have reached for his gun." The sailor raised his hand. The ring pulled him forward. "I hope Mr. Chang is a little more reasonable than his help."

"I doubt it." A young man stepped into view. He glanced at Lu Chin, bowing. "Miss Chin."

"This is Mr. Chang's son, Bao." Lu nodded back at the man.

Chase sensed something pass between them, but said nothing. They seemed to know each other better than their parents would like in his opinion.

"This is Mr. Chase." Lu indicated her companion. "He wanted to talk to your father."

"Not really." Chase crooked a finger for them to follow him. He had a feeling he could trust the younger Chang with Lu. "I only came up here for what's mine."

Chase followed his ring to a statue in the middle of the next room. His ring glowed. So did the jewel in the middle of the statue's forehead. He dug it out with his fingers and put it in place.

"What did you do?" Bao Chang looked amazed at the hole in the statue.

"Tell your dad I came by to get what he was holding for me." The sailor flexed his ring hand. "He didn't know he was holding it. If he wants to talk to me about it, I heading to some village called Kwan Lee. He can meet me there. Tell him to bring everyone he's got if he thinks he can get the jewel back."

"I'm sorry, Bao." Lu raised her hands. "I didn't know he would do that."

"My father will be enraged." Bao paused. "He will see this as a deadly insult."

"I'll be waiting for him in the village." Chase paused in walking towards the door. "We're about to have trouble."

He pushed Bao out of the way. He pulled Lu behind him. His skin turned to steel as he backed up to a window.

"Stay down." He pointed the younger Chang to cover. "No matter what."

Men burst into the room. They opened fire without looking at what they were shooting. The room filled with lead. Chase spread his arms to let the bullets flatten against his tough skin. The window behind him shattered.

"Idiots." Chase picked up Lu and jumped through the window.

They floated to a roof across the street. Chase had been prepared to crash down into the street. Instead the ring kept him on a more or less shallow fall to the other building.

"You okay?" Chase carried Lu to the roof access. He wrenched the door open so they could slip inside.

"I'm fine." Lu checked herself out. She didn't see any blood, feel any pain. She smiled. "What about Bao, Mr. Chang?"

"He should be okay." He looked back at the building. Gunmen peered over the edge. "They seemed to be shooting at us more than him."

"Why would they do that?" Lu straightened her hair and dress.

"I guess that statue was more precious than it looked." Chase looked at his coat. "I loved this coat."

Holes ran up and down the torso. His shirt and jeans had taken some hits, but the coat was ruined.

"Let's go before I get mad." He emptied out the coat pockets and dropped the things into his bag. He left the coat on the rail as he shepherded Lu Chin down the stairs. They had to reach ground level before the gunmen arrived to finish the job.

Bao Chang seemed okay from his quick look. How much trouble would the Tong guys get into for killing the heir apparent?

He didn't give much for their chances of living out the day if Chang had been hurt.

The thought that Lu and Bao knew each other personally crossed his mind. He doubted he wanted to ask what was between them. He had his own quest to finish.

"When we get to the street, make sure to stay behind me." Chase dug out a fresh shirt from his duffel. He discarded the holey one for it. He had been lucky they hadn't shot up his wardrobe. "They might have called for people to wait for us."

"I understand." Lu took up a position three steps behind him. He had already proven resistant to weapons. She might as well use him for a shield.

Chase hit the lobby. His ring signaled hostile intent homing in on him. He saw men trying to get through the doors to do something to him. He felt his skin harden as he charged. He couldn't let them get to where they could fire into the lobby with so many bystanders hanging around.

He threw his duffel at the first man in the group as he leaped across the intervening space. He took the crowd down when his weight dropped on top of his bag. His metal fists started swinging. He heard some weak clanging as his hands dealt out agony.

He picked himself up and grabbed his bag when the mass lay senseless. He looked around. He didn't see any more goons around.

"Let's go before more get here." Chase walked out on the street. Lu walked next to the buildings as she followed.

"We need to get a car and get out of town before something else happens." He looked around for another cab to hire. "I have a feeling things are about to get out of hand."

"You have antagonized two of the major crime groups in the city, if not the country." Lu shook her head. "Things are already out of hand."

"How long have you been seeing the younger Chang?" Chase felt her embarrassment and guilt. "Your father would not approve."

"He wants me to marry a business associate." Lu shuddered. "I would like to marry someone my own age."

"I guess telling your father is out of the question." Chase spotted a bus rolling through the street.

"I should be seen and not heard." Lu shook her head. "He doesn't understand."

"Parents never do." He quickened his pace, jogging after the bus. "Let's see if we can catch the bus so we can get off the street."

Lu struggled to keep up with the strange westerner as he headed down the sidewalk.

Neither noticed the monkey leaping above them.

4 Sun arrived as his servant chattered about the princess and her protector being on the move. He shook his head. This man had no sense of restraint.

Not many people angered both bosses of the major crime syndicates in Shanghai and lived.

The princess was an additional complication that couldn't be good for the stranger.

A cab rolled up beside the two fugitives. The driver got out and shook his fist at the two. The man smiled. The driver didn't like that look.

Sun didn't like it either.

The protector urged the princess into the back of the cab as he went around to the driver's side of the car. He pointed at the driver to get in the back as he got behind the wheel. The cabbie hurriedly got in the back seat.

He wasn't going to let some foreigner take his cab without him.

Sun rubbed his furry chin as he thought about what he should do.

The Chins arrived a few minutes later. They met the Changs as they boiled out of their headquarters. A tense standoff cleared the street as the two groups eyed each other with weapons drawn.

The senior Chang walked to the front of his men. He beckoned Mr. Chin closer. Both sides refused to put away their weapons as their leaders talked. A truce seemed to be in the making.

The younger Chang stood at the back of the group, talking on a phone. He looked worried to Sun. The two syndicates meeting in broad daylight like this was unprecedented in his experience.

They should be trying to kill each other at this point. The senior Chang pointed in the direction the protector had taken the princess. Chin nodded at the news. He moved back behind the protection of his men as he got in the front car.

If one of the Changs opened fire, war would break out on the street between the two groups.

The Chins got in their vehicles and pulled away from the curb.

The Changs sent runners to get their own vehicles. No one could destroy the Boss's statuary and get away with it.

Sun shook his head. He needed to get ahead and talk to the couple on the run. They should at least know what was behind them.

He used his staff to cross the roofs. He made good time since he could move in a straight line as fast as he wanted, while those below had to work their way through traffic. He spotted his servant moving ahead. He hurried to catch up with his minion.

The monkey waved his arms when he saw his master vaulting a gap between buildings behind him.

Sun nodded before asking where the princess had gone. The servant pointed at a cab cutting through traffic, heading for a train station. The protector must be heading out of the city.

That almost made sense.

He decided that he should wait for them at the train station. He moved ahead with his dazzling speed. His servant trailed behind, keeping its eye on the cab in case the occupants got out and went in another direction.

Sun dropped down on the roof of the train station. He wondered where they hoped to go to get away from the Chins and Changs. He wondered how far they would get before the protector was removed.

The man was certainly bolder than many he had seen.

He watched the cab roll up to the doors. The two fugitives climbed out of the cab. The man paid the driver off before he started toward the train station doors.

Sun dropped down to talk to them.

The man pushed the girl behind him as his skin became tougher. He raised his hands to defend himself.

Sun thought his reflexes were too slow to be a professional fighter.

"Peace." He tapped his staff on the ground. "I have only came to converse with you."

"It's the Monkey King." The princess put her hand on her protector's arm. "He's a hero."

"I wouldn't say that." Sun smiled, showing his pronounced canines. "The kings are following you in the hopes of extracting their justice."

"The boyfriend called." The protector started forward, picking up his dropped bag. "We're heading north. Thanks for the warning."

Sun raised his furry eyebrows. The man was more unconcerned than he should be.

"Bao isn't my boyfriend." The princess possessed a beet red face. That was interesting.

"We have to catch a train." The man looked at the princess. "This is your chance to stay behind, Lu. I doubt your father will give you any trouble."

"I don't want to marry his crony." The princess shook her head. "I would rather go with you until something better can be worked out."

"You love the prince." Sun rubbed his chin, his staff in the crook of his arm. He nodded. That made everything much clearer.

"Do we have a problem?" The protector cut through his thoughts.

"I don't love Bao." Lu Chin denied the statement.

The men looked at her. The blush returned.

"I don't know if I love him." She looked down at the ground. "I barely know him."

"Go ahead." Sun looked at her. "The prince defied his father just to warn you. He might be worthy for a princess."

"I'm heading to a village called Kwan Lee." The protector nodded at the king. "I doubt I'll be this way again. Thanks for sticking your neck out."

"I think you should hurry if you want to catch your train." Sun waved as he used his staff to vault to the top of the station.

He vanished a moment later.

"The Monkey King is right." Lu looked back where they came from. "My father will know we're here and wanting to leave the city. He'll try to stop us."

Sun waited on the other side of the station. Trains rested on the rails. He doubted any went to Kwan Lee. That would be too much to ask.

He watched for the two to come out on the platform. The man handed his charge the tickets. She pointed to one train in particular. He nodded and they boarded.

Sun leaped across the roofs of the trains between the station and that train. He settled on the roof and waited for the train to leave the station.

It had been a long time since he had left the city. The change might do him some good.

His curiosity wanted to know if the prince and princess could be united despite their fathers. There was no doubt they would follow the pair wherever they went until they had their satisfaction.

And Sun wanted to be there to see them try to get it.

epilogue

The two kings of the syndicates met on neutral ground between their two territories. Their men surrounded them, watchful for treachery. A meeting like this was a prime ground for a double cross.

If someone pulled a gun, everyone would pull a gun.

The shooting would start seconds after that.

"This foreigner has to die." Chin glared at his opposite number, mustache bristling.

"I agree." Chang tapped the top of the table. "He destroyed a precious piece of art. He owes me for that."

"He kidnaped my daughter." The other man leaned forward. "I think I have a better claim."

"Your daughter is a slut." The boss dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Father!" Bao Chang couldn't stop the outburst.

"What?" Chin leaned forward even more. A vein stood out on his forehead. "What did you say?"

"I apologize for my father." Bao glared at the older Chang. "He knows her safety is paramount to keep the peace between our families."

"You do not speak for me." The king told his son. "Do not do it again."

"I apologize, Father." Bao stepped back. He shouldn't have said anything. It revealed how he felt about Lu Chin to the old men. Luckily they were too caught up in their wrangling to see it.

"My daughter is more important than your statue." Chin pointed his finger at his rival. "Therefore I will have my revenge while you sit here on your thumbs."

Chang glared back. If Chin got his revenge first, he would lose face before their peers. He couldn't let that happen.

"He invaded my home. He destroyed personal property. He destroyed part of my home. I will have my revenge first." Chang smiled. "You can have what's left after I am done."

"He is heading for a village in the interior." Bao broke in. "We can all go and capture him. Then we can decide what to do with him as punishment."

He didn't put in that the man had saved his life when the guards had burst in and started shooting blindly.

The old men would try to exclude him if they knew.

They wouldn't trust him not to interfere and try to save the other man's life.

That's what he intended and perhaps spoil his father's plan at the same time.

That would be perfect from his point of view.

"What village are you talking about, boy?" Chin focused his intent gaze on the younger Chang.

"He said he was going somewhere called Kwan Lee." Bao smiled at them. "He didn't make a secret of it."

"Never heard of it." Chin looked at his rival. The man shook his head. "Why was he going there?"

"He didn't say." The prince frowned. "Is that important?"

"It is if it is a trap for us." Chang frowned at his son. "It could be a lure to get us out of the city for some reason."

"I doubt he's that smart." Bao smiled. "I admit he attacked your weak points."

"Your son is smarter than you are, Chang." Chin stood. "I'm going to this village. I will wipe it off the face of the Earth for what this man has done."

"What if it is a trap?" Bao hid his face. He had wanted them both to stay there in the city.

"I will have to chance it." He looked at the elder Chang. "Some of us can't be cowards."

"What did you say?" Chang got to his feet. Half of his round face sprouted lines as his anger came to the front.

"I said some of us can't be cowards." Chin waved his hand in dismissal. "When I have this foreigner's head in a box, I might let you look at it."

"We'll see about that." He glared at his rival. "I will have his head in a box before you even leave the city."

Bao shook his head. They were one step from declaring an open bounty on the stranger's head before leaving the room. Every criminal in China would be hunting him if they did that.

"I can talk to him myself." He flinched at the look both men gave him. "We don't have to have an open war."

"We do." His father glared at him. "This is a matter of pride now."

"I'll see you there, Chang." Chin turned and headed out the back of the meeting place. "Unless you're fearful."

"When I see you, I will put your head in a box next to this foreigner." Chang turned and headed out the front. His men encircled him to make it hard for a sniper to shoot him from a distance. Bao followed last.

He hoped the man could protect Lu Chin from what was coming. He had no doubt there would be blood in the village when the rivals arrived.

He rode home in the last car with two men who had been his bodyguards for as long as he had known them. He worked his mind over the problem. He had seen the man stand up to bullets, he doubted his father could bring anything to hurt the stranger. Lu might get caught in the crossfire, and that worried him more than what they might do to the American.

He felt some kind of connection with her. She had gone with him when he could slip his leash, and she could sneak away. He knew what it meant to be trapped by your father. He wanted to get away from the city and do anything as long as he was with her.

What could he do to keep her safe? What could he try next? He doubted his father would take him to this village.

That would mean exposing him to danger and hardship.

The cars rolled to Shanghai's airport. They entered a shipping area. Bao frowned. His father must have asked for a plane to fly as close as he could to the village.

He must have called from the lead car.

This could be bad. He had hoped he could talk to Lu and her protector on his own. This would ruin that plan.

He knew there was no persuading his father to remain at home while he took care of things. The older man didn't trust him to walk across the street without supervision.

What could he do to get out going with them?

He wanted to go to this village on his own, or at least call Lu and warn her.

His father would burn the place down if he got a chance. His honor had been offended by the intrusion in his home.

Bao got out of his car. His father gestured for him to hurry up. He looked at his guards. He could tell they weren't happy.

"We are going to have to fly as close as we can and hire something local to get to this village. The map says it's in the middle of nowhere." Chang smoothed out the glare lines on his face. "Get on board so we can leave."

Bao frowned. The last thing he wanted to do was get on an airplane. He looked around. He climbed up the stairs. He couldn't fight all of his father's men and run for it.

He took a seat in the back of the plane. If the tail fell off, it would take him with it.

The senior Chang took the front of the plane. His men settled around him. The pilot told him to put his phone away until they were in the air. The king of the city frowned but obeyed the command.

The plane rolled toward takeoff.