Tangshan Tigers: the Silent Enemy

by Dan Lee

  ‘Yeah, but how do we find him?’ said Olivier. ‘No one knows where he’s gone. Last time, at least he left a clue, but this time –’

  ‘This time there’s nothing,’ said Matt heavily. Unexpectedly, Shawn grinned. ‘Nothing visible, anyway.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ demanded Catarina. ‘You’ll see,’ said Shawn. ‘Meet me at Chang’s office!’

  ‘But what…?’

  Shawn didn’t stay to answer. He was already running down the corridor.

  FOLLOWING SIFU’S TRAIL

  Matt, Catarina and Olivier were waiting at Chang’s door when Shawn turned up a few minutes later, out of breath. He was carrying a strange black machine, a metal box on wheels with a sort of robot head sticking out. He set it down on the floor in front of his friends with an air of pride.

  ‘Here we are!’ he said.

  ‘Er, Shawn,’ said Matt. ‘What is it?’

  ‘It’s an Electro-Hound,’ said Shawn.

  ‘A what?’

  My dad sent it to me. It’s the prototype of a new toy; gonna be the next big thing in the States. It’s kind of a robot dog, see? It’s programmed to recognize certain scents – you can send it to fetch chocolate, or cookies, or whatever. Pretty neat, huh?’

  ‘Yes, and it would be really handy if we needed to find some chocolate or cookies right now,’ said Olivier. ‘However, since we’re trying to find a missing martial arts master, it may not be quite –’

  ‘But the point is, I’ve modified it a little bit!’ said Shawn. ‘I was just tinkering around, and I’ve managed to re-programme it to learn new scents.’

  Matt and the others couldn’t help laughing. How on earth did Shawn find time to do all this?

  ‘You mean – it’ll find Chang’s scent?’ asked Matt.

  ‘That’s the idea!’ said Shawn. ‘Watch!’

  He pressed a button on the remote-control handset. The Electro-Hound emitted a whirring noise. Its eyes glowed red. It scooted into Chang’s office, making an electronic sniffing, snuffling sound.

  ‘Oh, it’s so cute!’ said Catarina.

  Shawn sent the Electro-Hound all over Chang’s office, sniffing out the areas where he would have spent most time: his chair, the window, the small Buddhist shrine where Chang meditated.

  The snuffling noise suddenly stopped. It was replaced by an excited bleeping. The Electro-Hound’s stumpy tail began waving madly.

  ‘It’s done it!’ said Shawn. ‘It’s picked up the scent!’

  ‘Amazing!’ said Matt. ‘And now – we follow it, do we?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Shawn. ‘Just like a real tracking dog.’

  ‘Problem,’ said Olivier. ‘Afternoon school’s about to begin. Maybe we should wait –’

  ‘No,’ said Matt firmly. ‘Let’s not waste any time – the sooner we find Chang, the better.’

  ‘How are we going to get out of school without being spotted, though?’ asked Catarina. ‘There’re security guards at all the doors!’

  Olivier clicked his fingers. ‘I have an idea. Wait here – I’m going to get something from my room.’

  He hurried out. The Tigers shared a puzzled glance.

  The Electro-Hound was still bleeping. ‘I’d better shut this thing up,’ said Shawn. ‘They might think it’s a bit strange if we walk out with it bleeping away.’ He picked it up. ‘Be quiet, Hound!’

  The bleeping stopped. ‘You mean – it does what you say?’ marvelled Catarina.

  ‘Actually, I just switched it off!’ grinned Shawn. He tucked the Hound under his jacket.

  Olivier returned, holding four plastic ring binders. ‘Here you are.’

  Matt took his and opened it. It was full of blank sheets of paper.

  ‘What’s this?’

  ‘You’ll find out,’ said Olivier. ‘Let’s go!’

  The Tigers followed Olivier to one of the side-exits of the school. A young, fresh-faced security guard was on duty there. His uniform was pressed and spotless, his cap-badge gleaming. He looked up questioningly as the Tigers approached, their official-looking folders tucked under their arms.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Could you let us through, please?’ said Olivier in an English accent. ‘We’re in rather a hurry.’

  Matt looked at him in surprise – Olivier had a gift for doing different accents but Matt hadn’t heard this one before. It was spot on, the type of clipped British accent that carried irresistible authority.

  ‘May I see your pass, please?’ asked the guard respectfully.

  ‘We have an appointment to meet with students from a local school for the new Outreach Programme – you know all about that, I suppose?’

  ‘Er – Outreach Programme?’

  ‘You mean they haven’t briefed you?’ said Olivier in a tone of incredulity. ‘Really, I did think this would have been better organized. The new Outreach Programme is an initiative for Beijing International Academy students to help the education of local primary-school children – teaching them English, you know. I’d have thought Mr Wu would have told all the staff about it – but you’re fairly new to the job, aren’t you? Perhaps the briefing was before you joined?’

  ‘Er – perhaps, but –’

  ‘Well, you can always check with Mr Wu later. But right now we are in rather a rush, so if you wouldn’t mind…’

  The guard still looked undecided. ‘Why are you leaving by the side entrance?’

  ‘It’s quicker,’ said Olivier. ‘And as I said we are in something of a rush. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for BIA not honouring its commitments, would you? I don’t know what Mr Wu would say about that!’

  The other Tigers, standing behind Olivier, joined in the act. Matt looked at his watch; Shawn impatiently riffled through the pages in his ring binder; Catarina loudly muttered, ‘I dunno what the Embassy will say if we’re late, they’re not gonna like i t…’

  ‘All right,’ said the guard finally. ‘Outreach Programme – yes, I think I did hear something about it. Go on then.’ He waved them through the door.

  They left the building, walking quickly. They came out into a quiet side street, lined with trees.

  ‘Made it!’ said Olivier.

  ‘Mm,’ said Matt. ‘I just wish, sometimes, we didn’t have to tell such huge lies.’

  ‘Hey, the end justifies the means; that’s what my dad says!’ said Olivier.

  ‘What does that mean?’ asked Catarina.

  ‘It means it’s OK to bend the rules a bit if it’s in a good cause,’ said Olivier. ‘Besides, that Outreach programme seems like a pretty good idea to me – I might suggest it to Mr Wu. So it won’t really be a lie – just the truth a little bit in advance!’

  Shawn put the Electro-Hound down and switched it on. Immediately it began bleeping and scooted off down the road.

  The Tangshan Tigers hurried after it. The Hound took them down a street of apartments with a scattering of shops, and a cafe with a red and white Coca-Cola umbrella, where barefoot old men played chess.

  ‘So Chang must have come this way?’ asked Matt.

  ‘That’s right,’ said Shawn.

  ‘But hold on,’ said Matt. He thought he’d spotted a flaw in the plan. ‘What if Chang didn’t walk all the way to wherever he was going? I mean, he might have got a bus or a taxi at some point. Won’t the Hound lose the scent?’

  ‘That’s the clever bit,’ Shawn answered. ‘The Hound can always lead us to the last place a scent was located. From there, he should be able to pick up airborne scents and there’s a chance we can locate the next place Chang went to. I can’t promise, but it might just work. We might be able to track Chang to anywhere in this city!’

  They had reached a main road. Cars, buses and lorries thundered past. The Electro-Hound came to a halt. It stopped bleeping. Its eyes flashed red.

  ‘What’s it doing?’

  ‘This must be where the trail goes cold,’ said Shawn. ‘Wait.’

  There was a tinkling – the sound Shawn’s BlackBerry m
ade when a new email arrived. He took it from his pocket and showed the Tigers the colour display on the screen. Matt saw a map of Beijing and its environs. A red dot was flashing on and off.

  ‘That’s Chang!’ said Shawn. ‘Or that’s the nearest point the Hound can pick up the scent. He might have moved on from there by now, but we’ll get a better reading when we’re closer.’

  ‘We need take on the third ring road around the city,’ said Olivier. ‘But it’s too far to walk all the way – how are we going to get there?’

  ‘Let’s get started, anyway,’ said Catarina.

  They walked along the pavement to a junction where the road split into three. Several passers-by paused to stare at the robot dog, rumbling along by their side.

  ‘That’s the third ring road!’ said Catarina, pointing. ‘We gotta cross the first two!’

  Using pedestrian crossings, they made their way over to the third ring road.

  ‘And here comes our lift!’ said Catarina.

  She pointed at a truck with an open trailer. The driver wore an old blue cap and a dirty yellow vest; a cigarette hung from his lips. The truck was heading their way, rattling along. The driver blared his horn as he swerved, without touching the brakes, to avoid a cyclist whizzing past him.

  Matt felt the blood drain from his face. ‘You’re joking, aren’t you?’

  ‘What’s the joke?’ said Catarina. ‘We jump in the back. No problem.’

  ‘But it’s far too dangerous!’

  Catarina raised her eyebrows. ‘I never expected to hear that from a Tangshan Tiger! You gonna quit without even trying?’ Matt felt stung. ‘I’m not a quitter!’ he said. ‘Just watch me!’

  ‘No, you better watch me!’ said Catarina. ‘I’ll show you how to do it.’

  Staying low, she led the way as the Tangshan Tigers ran along beside the truck. Shawn snatched up the Electro-Hound and stuffed it inside his jacket. The truck pulled ahead, but it slowed down to take the bend as the ring road peeled off to the right. For a few precious seconds they were catching up.

  ‘Now’s the moment!’ said Catarina. Sprinting at top speed, she reached out and put a hand on the tailgate of the trailer. In one graceful movement, she vaulted into the trailer, her long legs arcing through the air.

  Shawn and Olivier followed, not quite as gracefully as Catarina, but efficiently enough.

  Now it was Matt’s turn. He was breathless and his heart was hammering like a machine gun. The Tigers were beckoning to him, holding out their hands.

  ‘Come on, Matt!’ called Olivier. ‘Nearly there!’

  Matt was running as fast as he could, but already the truck was picking up speed. He reached out, but could not quite close the gap of a metre or so between him and the trailer. If he didn’t jump soon he’d be left behind!

  ‘Come on, Matt!’ shouted Catarina. ‘You can do it!’

  Matt put on a desperate spurt, grabbed for the tailgate, and jumped. His legs were swept off the ground. For a moment he dangled perilously, the road rushing by beneath him. The muscle in his stomach was really pulling, but Matt couldn’t let go now. The truck swayed, shaking him from side to side. He heard horns blaring, and knew that if he fell it would be right in the path of the traffic behind.

  Then he felt the hands of Catarina, Shawn and Olivier grabbing his arms, holding him tight, hauling him in.

  He tumbled into the back of the trailer, gasping for breath.

  He’d made it!

  The trailer was filled with sacks of wheat. The Tangshan Tigers sat up and grinned at each other. In the cabin of the truck, the driver was listening to loud music from the radio, nodding his head, tapping with his hand on the steering wheel. He had no idea he was carrying four passengers.

  The Tangshan Tigers exchanged triumphant high fives.

  ‘See?’ said Catarina. ‘I told you there was no problem!’

  ‘Right,’ laughed Matt. ‘No problem at all.’

  Just at that moment, the Hound began to bleep again.

  ‘Why’s it doing that?’ asked Matt.

  ‘We’re going off course,’ said Shawn, consulting his BlackBerry. ‘Getting further away from Chang. We better get off as soon as we can.’

  He sat up and peered over the rim of the trailer.

  ‘We’re just coming up to the Suzhou Bridge. There are two streams of traffic that join together just before the bridge, so the truck will have to slow down – that’s when we get off.’

  Matt felt the truck begin to decelerate.

  ‘Here goes!’ said Catarina. With one hand she vaulted lightly over the side. This time Matt didn’t have the slightest hesitation in following her. His confidence was high and he knew he could do it. He jumped out nimbly and hit the ground running – he felt almost as light and agile as Catarina herself. The other two also jumped out. The driver cast a surprised look out of the window as four kids suddenly appeared out of nowhere, running along the pavement beside his truck.

  Matt bowed and said ‘Xie yi,’ the Mandarin phrase for ‘Thank you’.

  The driver, still looking bemused, nodded before speeding away. Laughing, the Tangshan Tigers slowed to a walk.

  ‘Which way now?’ said Olivier.

  ‘Let’s ask the Hound,’ said Shawn. He placed it on the ground and it began bleeping again. It added an excited, electronic bark. ‘This way!’ Shawn cried.

  The Hound led them along the pavement for a while and then they turned off the main road. They followed a winding, tree-lined track uphill. The sounds of the traffic grew remote.

  The Hound raced along, its bleeping getting faster. Presently the Tangshan Tigers found themselves standing on a grassy hill, overlooking a broad, shimmering green lake. Between them and the lake was a high wire fence. On the opposite side of the lake, surrounded by trees, was a white building.

  ‘This must be Longevity Hill and that must be Kunming Lake,’ said Shawn, checking the map on his BlackBerry. ‘It’s in the grounds of the Summer Palace.’

  Matt gazed over the grounds of the palace. Somewhere in there was Chang. The man-made lake and its surroundings were beautiful. A spectacular bridge crossed the lake at its midpoint, its graceful arches reflected in the water so that they seemed to form perfect circles. Matt counted the arches – there were seventeen.

  He breathed deeply. ‘You could only see something like this in Beijing,’ he said. ‘Amazing.’

  ‘Yes,’ said a familiar voice. ‘Sometimes nature and art can join together, to create something more beautiful than either alone.’

  Matt spun round. Chang Sifu stepped out from a clump of trees. The Electro-Hound raced up to him and sniffed the hems of his trousers, his shiny black metal tail wagging furiously back and forth.

  Chang smiled down at the Electro-Hound. ‘You found me then,’ he said.

  EXPLANATION

  ‘Sifu!’ said Matt.

  He made the traditional sign of respect, placing his right fist into his open left hand. The other Tigers did the same. Chang acknowledged the gesture with a slight movement of the head. He did not seem surprised to see the Tangshan Tigers, but then Chang seldom appeared to be surprised by anything.

  But what was he doing here? There was no sign of habitation nearby, unless one counted the distant Summer Palace. Surely Chang wasn’t sleeping rough? His hair was dishevelled and he looked tired. Then Matt caught sight of a small wooden hut, or shed, some way off behind the trees. Was that where Chang was staying?

  ‘Why did you come here, Sifu?’ he asked respectfully. ‘Why did you leave the Academy?’

  ‘Circumstances made it necessary,’ Chang replied. He began to walk across the grass, head bowed as if in deep thought. The Tangshan Tigers followed.

  ‘What circumstances?’ asked Shawn.

  ‘Nothing that need affect you.’

  ‘But it does affect us!’ said Catarina. ‘ We know something bad is gonna happen –’

  ‘Otherwise why did you teach us those street-fighting techniques before you left?�
� asked Matt.

  ‘You are mistaken. I never taught you street-fighting,’ said Chang Sifu. He was leading them over to an enclosed garden, with low hedges.

  ‘You know, the centre line theory!’ said Shawn, as they stepped into the paths of the garden.

  ‘That is a discipline to improve technique, nothing more. Real fighting, fighting to hurt –’ He shook his head. ‘It should always be avoided if possible.’

  Chang doesn’t want to tell us anything, Matt realized. How are we going to be able to help?

  Olivier tried a different approach, following their teacher among the paths of the garden. ‘Sifu, we have discovered something about the appointment of Sensei Ryan. He’s an old friend of Andrei Drago’s father, who financed his business. And Ryan has put Andrei in the squad – he dropped Matt to make way for him!’

  ‘I am sorry to hear it, Matt,’ said Chang evenly. ‘But Ryan is in charge of squad now. It is his decision.’

  ‘But it’s not fair! It’s corruption, isn’t it?’ said Olivier.

  ‘There is no place for corruption in selection of team, whether I am there or not. Do not accuse Sensei Ryan, or anyone else, without evidence.’

  Chang emerged on the other side of the garden. He stopped and gestured at the way back. ‘I suggest you return to Academy. Before you get into trouble. Thank you for coming to see me. It shows loyalty. But there is nothing you can do. Go back to Academy.’ His face looked tired and Matt noticed the dark circles beneath his teacher’s eyes.

  ‘Is that really what you want us to do?’ asked Shawn, taking a step closer to the man who had taught them so much.

  ‘Go back to Academy,’ repeated Chang. ‘Focus on studies. And on training. Always remember: balance is key to everything.’ It sounded as though Chang was saying goodbye forever.

  ‘When will we see you again?’ Matt asked. He felt helpless – was there nothing the Tangshan Tigers could do? They’d come all this way to find their teacher.