The old southern toll station had once collected small amounts of money from annoyed drivers.
Now it collected armed people with trust problems.
Tang Li Yue considered that a natural career progression.
The toll station stood along a cracked provincial road south of Qingyuan, half-hidden by weeds, abandoned vehicles, and a row of dead streetlights. The roof over the toll booths remained intact, though one side had been blackened by fire. An overturned bus blocked the northern lane. The southern lane remained open, but only barely.
It was an excellent place for an ambush.
Which meant it was also an excellent place to discuss peace.
Tang Li Yue sat in the passenger seat of the armored SUV and looked through the windshield.
They had arrived twenty minutes early.
Lu Chengran had insisted.
Tang Li Yue had agreed because arriving before the other side was not obedience. It was good manners sharpened into strategy.
