Monday, January 1, 2007
8:29 PM
6.
It was one hour past midnight at one of the most populated cities in the world, Shanghai. Nevertheless, the cool and damp atmosphere was overshadowed by glimmers of city lights, animated illuminations from moving vehicles and light beams projecting from skyscrapers, reminiscing of those in Batman and also Hong Kong’s Symphony of Lights. Nocturnal people of the modern world had just had their day kicked-off, and swarms of clubbers and revelers could be seen gathering, drinking as well as socializing in a myriad of clubs and pubs.
Kyle had just completed his check-in procedure in his first hotel and was eager to end his exhausting day with a good night’s sleep. However he was even enthusiastic about his solo journey which he had planned for months, and he thought that Shanghai couldn’t be a better city to start with.
As he entered his hotel room the very first thing he did, like most of us, was to settle his luggage one side and launched himself onto the fluffy bed, letting out a comfortable, relieved sigh and savored the moment.
“Ahhhh…. This is simply awesome.” He smiled.
But Kyle couldn’t resist the temptation to jump off the bed and look at the night panoramic view from his 10th-floor high room. Arms akimbo, he unhurriedly tilted his head from left to right, enjoying the dark scenery of the urban setting he’s in which is further enhanced by effects of a mass combination of different light sources in a variety of tones, striking a chord in him of how genius Thomas Edison was.
But first, Kyle had to leave his room and search for the nearest convenience store to obtain some snacks and water. As he put on his jacket and walked through the hotel’s revolving doors, Kyle heard a scream.
“Help! My handbag!”
The voice of an elderly women yelling for help quickly caught Kyle’s attention. He ran towards the source of the voice and found the old lady, in her late sixties, on the ground near a shadowy alley. Her trembling finger pointed towards the alley helplessly, indicating the direction of the runaway snatch thief. Kyle spotted the silhouette of the running burglar and pursued him, leaving the elderly women behind.
On the other end, the snatch thief darted out and paused for a second, looking at either side of the road and preparing to turn to his left, a less congested lane. All of a sudden, he felt an icy gush of wind swooshed past his eyes and was literally stunned. He wanted to move any of his appendages but his body just wouldn’t react to his commands, and the only movement stimulated is a cold shiver. Kyle walked coolly over to him and apprehended the thief as some of the pedestrians helped him as they prepared to hand him over to the cops.
Meanwhile, meters away in a black Mercedes, a guy in a suit and tie observed the whole incident. He got himself out of his luxurious sedan and walked towards a lamp post. An ice arrow, the mist still clearly visible against the dark background of the night, was struck on the streetlamp at eye level.
The mysterious man turned away from the street light, and dialed a number from his cell phone as he returned to his car.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Bridges? This is Mikael. I have something to inform you.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I guessed I’ve found the final piece of puzzle, Mr. Bridges.”
