The title refers to Zhao Yunlan who survived a crash that was meant to kill him when he was eight, and also to Shen Wei who continues to live on. In this book Wei has recovered from the death of his last partner who still comes to talk to him somet...
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The guards were busy in the museum. They worked in pairs and while two acted as security, the other two continued with their search for Yunlan for a set time, before they swapped places. Therefore they managed to keep the museum secure and search at the same time. Apep was amused at their behaviour but didn't know who they were trying to find, and he wasn't interested.
He liked living in the Egyptian Exhibition, even though the plants were plastic, however, these last three days, he wasn't feeling well and couldn't understand what was wrong. Snakes don't get sick, he'd never had a day's illness since he took this form of life, part time snake, part time mystical weapon. The only drawback he had, was trying to find his master time and time again. However he always did, except possibly once. He felt as if he was being called but didn't immediately recognise who or what was calling him and he was trying to ignore it, but the strength of the summons was increasing, and he knew that he would have to leave his world of plastic and follow the signal before he would he feel any better.
He left the museum just before the guards activated the protection wards and made his way through the city, trying to remain hidden for fear of being attacked or caught and taken to a sanctuary for snakes. Apep was never hungry because he was a predator and fed off small mice in the back streets as he travelled, but avoided rats. They were unpredictable and tough to eat. Therefore when he made it to the edge of the city, he was full of energy for his trip across some rocks to ascend the mountain, a path he had taken many times before and he had realised where he was being drawn.
There was a human male sitting on the edge of the cliff on the plateau, looking down and enjoying the view with his back to Apep. He sat talking to himself while he bitterly cried and then laughed alternatively, as he drank from a glass bottle. The snake felt nauseous, not because of the smell of alcohol, or the fact that the man hadn't washed or looked after himself, it was because he recognised him, and all the emotions behind his unexplained behaviour instantly hit the snake's mind. He felt an overpowering sense of guilt and sadness, mixed in with self loathing and a feeling of desperation to make it all stop. Apep now knew that the mountain had summoned him, and hoped that it would help with this wreck of a human, if he managed to stop him from doing something stupid.
The snake slithered through the short grass and slowly approached Yunlan who was finishing his bottle, the last one before he would take the quick way down. If he survived, he would buy another bottle and if he didn't, he wouldn't need to, simple logic Yunlan thought, and then heard the snake hiss. He turned around to look at him without fear, this was just great, it made things more easy. The snake could poison him and then he would jump, he definitely wouldn't need another bottle, and he put his hand closer to its mouth, waiting for it to bite.
Apep knew exactly what Yunlan was thinking and agreed up to a certain point, when he sank his fangs deep into the man's wrist before he released a controlled amount of venom. The drunk tried to stand up but his legs gave way and for a moment, Apep really did think that he was going over the edge, but he fell backwards onto solid ground, unconscious. Very rarely did Apep ever ask for help, in fact he couldn't even remember the last time, but today he did, and sent out a mental signal to any vipers who were close enough to hear him.
