Nevermore (Book One)

Prologue: Before Midnight

Victorian England
1888

                          It was a night swallowed by a moderate rain. The pavement of the street was wet with water. The roofs of the ancestral houses were crying because of the clouds. The storm is calm raging above them. Only few people wander around.

                           The shops are already closed. It is not that late for an old man to walk around with his transparent umbrella and a briefcase.

                           When he glances on his pocket watch, it was already pass 10 in the evening. It was his hobby to walk the streets of England. Nobody cares about his intention in doing so, but in one particular thing, he has always something in mind in every time that he's outside.

                             It's just that, nobody cares.

                             As he gets pass the park, he noticed that the moderate rain became somehow heavy. The man didn't care. He just proceed on walking.

                            The sound of the rain caressing his umbrella sounds really good to him. Like it was a very calm and persuading sound to his ears. He can barely imagine the sea shore calling him.

                            All I need is just a vacation, far from this city, he said to himself.

                           Being far from your homeland really sucks. He is a Chinese one. He went to England to search for his wife and daughter.

                           This old man works for a big syndicate in Cape Town, South Africa, it just happened that his mission or task was in England. That task is to meet the asset in Wiltshire, somewhere near the Stonehenge.

                            Zhao Li is a man of conviction. He wouldn't be in a situation where he is not prepared. But not this time. After what he did and he will do right now, it might be his last day.

                            He decided to runaway from his dirty life. At this juncture, he's gonna tell all his secret to a close friend of his, Benedict Strauss.

                            Benedict Strauss is a well known journalist for his strong personality in hunting down syndicates in the United Kingdom through his articles.

                            Zhao is already near the meeting point where he's going to meet Ben. He can barely see a man soaking wet under the cold rain. He hesitates for a while, thinking of a better reason to continue walking to his what he called "long walk to freedom" like Nelson Mandela.

                              Then, just after a second of thought, he dwells again under the raging storm.

                              Zhao is almost there. Just a few steps ahead and he's finally free. But just in a sudden, death has made its way to tear him into pieces, like a shredded chicken.

                              A white limousine stops in front of him. The door opens and two men in black tuxedo forced him to hop in. He tried to cried out for help but unable to when the man to his left showed a silenced glock gun.