"I was playing pong," Remo told him.
"I do not know pong."
"It's kind of war game played with people's heads and T-55 tanks," Remo explained in a serious voice.
"You have tank in room?"
"I like to improvise," Remo told him, bringing his hands up and together with enough force to crack a girder.
The PLA soldier's head happened to sit exactly at the point of impact.
It went pong!
Jumping back in case the jugular started spurting from flying bone chips, Remo was amazed that the sound was exactly like Fang Yu had described.
The jugular hadn't been severed, so Remo caught the man on his way down to the rug. He dragged the jerking body to the other room, his head like a collapsed balloon on his red-stained shoulder.
Remo laid him on the floor. He noticed the other soldier fighting to open the balcony door, and slipped up behind him.
The guard whirled.
"Your friend fainted," Remo explained, jerking a thumb back.
Startled, the guard hurried around Remo. "What happen?" he asked as Remo followed him.
"I don't know. He was playing pong and just keeled over for no reason."
"What is-"
Pong!
Remo eased the second PLA corpse to the rug and beat a hasty retreat for the door. On his way out, he noticed the first soldier was missing an eye. A gray string of eye-controlling muscle hung out of his empty socket, along with a squish of oozing gray brain matter.
"Oh-oh, can't leave anything lying around," Remo said cheerfully. "Might cause problems later."
He went in search of the eye. It wasn't in the room, by the door, or out in the corridor.
Remo snapped his fingers. "Ergo, it's in my room," he said aloud. He was in a happy mood. Not only had he gotten laid, but he was getting other frustrations out of his system.
It turned out the lost eye had rolled under his dresser. Remo had to get down on one knee to get at it. It jumped out of his reach the first time he touched it. It was slippery slick.
Finally Remo got it between thumb and forefinger. He was straightening up when he heard the ding of the elevator.
Remo rushed out of his room and made for the next room.
Too late, he saw Fang Yu coming up the corridor.
He slipped one hand behind his back and put on a disingenuous smile. As she approached, he made a pretense of leaning against the doorframe.
"Well, well, look who's dropped by," he said, toeing the door closed on the bodies of the dead soldiers. "Here to test the mattress, are you?"
"Is something wrong, Remo?" Fang Yu asked, her face worried.
"Why do you ask, Cinderella?"
"Lobby filled with PLA men," she said anxiously, slipping into clipped Pidgin English. "They very angry. I had to sneak upstairs and take elevator to this floor. Why you leave?"
"You weren't there when I woke up."
"Ah," she said taking him by the elbow. "Soldiers come. We must speak quickly." They closed the door to Remo's room behind them.
Since Remo was in his shorts, he couldn't palm the late PLA soldier's eyeball into his pants pocket, so he folded his arms. The eye felt like a hard grape against his concealing forearm.
"I woke up and you were gone," he told Fang Yu in a brittle tone. "I didn't know what was up, so I came back here. What happened?"
"I went out," Fang Yu said simply.
"Glad it was good for you too," Remo said thinly.
"I did it to please you," she said quickly, her voice filling with hurt and resentment.
"Funny way to show it."
"No, listen," Fang Yu said urgently. "I woke up, very excited. You were asleep. I knew you wished to find this Korean, Old Duck Tang. I know many people in high places, so I went to see one of them. From this man I learn that there was an incident at the Long Wall of Ten Thousand Li, you know, our Great Wall. Many soldiers die."
Remo's stiff expression softened. "I'm listening."
Fang Yu sat on the edge of the bed. Remo looked down at her, trying to gauge her truthfulness by her expression. He found it impossible.
"A bus was stolen at the Great Wall," she said. "Soldiers were crushed under its wheels. Then it was discovered that a caboose had come loose from a tourist train going to Badaling. It was found in a ravine, filled with more PLA men. All dead."
"What happened to it?"
"The coupling had been shattered. Such a thing is not known to happen. There is talk of sabotage and hooligans."
"Might not be him," Remo said half to himself.
"When the train arrive, a woman was found to be unconscious. She was train propaganda broadcaster, like American JD, you know? "
"DJ. JD is 'juvenile delinquent.' Close, but not exactly the same thing."
"She spoke of a Chinese man the guards took into custody and an older man in a kimono who lured the guards from the train. These were the same ones who were found dead."
"That's Chiun!" Remo said. "Definitely Chiun."
Fang Yu's eyes turned to wary slits.