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Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd - Cliff David

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137 pages

English

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Description

Harry Long is sent to China in order to unravel the secrets of a Chinese military experiment that may have gone wrong. He goes undercover in a Chinese university in order to solve the mystery about the deaths of two Chinese students involved in the experiment. Harry cleverly uncovers different sinister plans and motives. But we also witness his dealings with different individuals. The association with Lily Wang, academic colleagues and British Intelligence all have an impact on him. This is especially the case with his relationship with Lily Wang and their discussions. We can experience the impacts and changes in Harry as he learns that Chinese culture offers him a different way of thinking. Things finally get complicated when he has to take some difficult loyalty decisions. The impact of his experiences in China and questions about moral principles leads him to take self-determining decisions. "This captivating thriller offers a masterclass in understanding how an individual can be so mesmerised by a culture that they revise their worldview." "Eagle's Impact provides an action-packed book which takes place in China. The author shows a depth of knowledge of Chinese culture that will fascinate the reader."

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Thriller

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Publié par	Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
Date de parution	28 mai 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781398427914
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0175€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

E agle’s I mpact
David Cliff
Austin Macauley Publishers
2021-05-28
Eagle’s Impact About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgement Chapter 1: Dalian Taxi Ride Chapter 2: Institute of Technology Drive-By Chapter 3: Unexpected Encounter Chapter 4: Strange Morning Chapter 5: Entering the Zone Chapter 6: First Meeting Chapter 7: Morning Fix Chapter 8: Surprise Recognition Chapter 9: Restaurant Conversations Chapter 10: Knowing Lily Chapter 11: Important Information Chapter 12: Labour Park Chapter 13: The Break-In Chapter 14: Attempted Abduction Chapter 15: Further Insights Chapter 16: Having to Tell Chapter 17: Moving Out Chapter 18: Clarifying Things Chapter 19: Tiger Beach Chapter 20: Comrade’s Bar Chapter 21: How They Died Chapter 22: Lily’s Place Chapter 23: Mother Ship Chapter 24: The Boffins’ Assessment Chapter 25: Doing Things Differently Chapter 26: Meeting Geoff Chapter 27: Hiding Away Chapter 28: Institute Visit Chapter 29: Destruction Time Chapter 30: Old Contacts
About the Author
David Cliff is a successful author as this is his third book. However, this is the first thriller he has written. He is not new to publishing given he was employed in journalism for six years at Woman’s Own magazine before changing to an academic career. He studied at London and other universities gaining his bachelor, master and PhD qualifications.
During the past ten years, he was an academic advisor and teacher in China, where he was deemed a ‘National Distinguished Expert’ having gained a prestigious Chinese award. His experiences in China inform the basis of the culture and places in this book. Currently living in Surrey, he loves the countryside, travel, jazz and art. Creativity is his passion and any outlet for this gives him inspiration.
Dedication
To all my family and friends, present and past.
Copyright Information ©
David Cliff (2021)
The right of David Cliff to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528997539 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781398427914 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2021)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
Thank you to all those people in China and elsewhere whose impact helped me unravel life a little more.
Chapter 1 Dalian Taxi Ride
I flipped shut the computer and focused my thoughts. It was time to leave for the institute where the experiments were taking place. I grabbed my keys, punched in a text on my phone saying I was leaving, double-checked the number and hit the green button. I slipped the phone back in my pocket, feeling an urge to get things moving. Then left the room in high spirits given this was the start of my new assignment.
My high spirits were similar to those felt when on holiday. However, the experience would be the antithesis of a normal vacation, as nothing about my mission would be relaxing. I was in Asia for the first time. While everything seemed intriguing, I couldn’t do what I fancied; there was no free will over choice. My time spent in China would be work: undercover, secret agent work. To be exact, my journey to the Chinese Institute of Technology was to carry out covert surveillance. This was a scoping exercise to find out what secrets the Chinese had in developing DNA warfare. Therefore, nothing was being left to chance and I was in China to figure things out.
I needed to identify my taxi. The taxi was due to arrive at the main entrance of the university to take me to the Institute of Technology. This was no ordinary taxi though, as this one was linked to the secret intelligence unit in Dalian. This ground unit carried out secret intercepts to target and monitor Chinese communications. Nothing was unusual about this covert MI6 base. The base in Dalian was just one of the many regional arms of the UK’s global spying network.
At two o’clock, as arranged, I arrived at the front of the Donghai University building and stood on the wide pavement. Rectangular shadows crossed the pavement and the sun’s heat shimmered off passing traffic. Squinting in the bright light, I tried to identify my pick up. It wasn’t easy as the road was congested and cars merged into each other. I pulled out my sunglasses and put them on to reduce the glare. A taxi cruised into sight with its red for hire light switched off. It was a standard Volkswagen with a livery like other taxis in the area. No difference, and no standing out from the others. It was just another boxy, stock-standard local taxi. However, this one had the feature of painted green wheel hubs to signal it was my arranged pick up. It rolled along hugging the kerb.
The driver was leaning forward, observing people along the street. His gaze fixed on me once I’d been spotted. I wasn’t difficult to spot, because as a Westerner in China, I stood out from the crowd. The taxi pulled up with a slight screech of brakes. I opened the door and slid into the front seat. The first impression was unpleasant as my nostrils reacted to an unfamiliar odour. I took shallow breaths. Plastic and soya sauce smells intermingled in the heat of the day. A fan was working its hardest, but was simply recirculating nauseating smells. I rolled down the window and fastened my seat belt. I turned and smiled, but there was no response. The Chinese driver sat expressionless, watching me while I settled in.
“Where’s the best English place in town?” it was the prearranged question.
The composed look and a nod from the driver indicated I’d chosen the right taxi. However, it was later I realised this could have been misleading as my driver often assumed a serene, hooded eye expression when confused. The driver spoke, but his English wasn’t clear. “Hi ahh, Harry.” He nodded again. “You’re fitting his description.” He engaged a gear and we accelerated off into the rush of cars jostling for position.
“Good meeting yer.” He glanced sideways, “I’m, Leo.” Leo pulled back his mouth when talking, which exposed his teeth. “Will need update you, ah.”
He talked with his mouth hardly moving and his lips pulled back. This hampered his tones and communication, but provided for a continuous, pleasant smile. The smile showed his teeth were a little stained but quite regular. His face was moon-shaped and his eyes full of fun. Like many Northern Chinese men, he was relatively tall. Perhaps, he was around 1.85 metres, and a few centimetres shorter than me. He wore a short-sleeved shirt and his smooth arms lacked hair. He seemed stress-free as he drove. Fixed to the dashboard was a taxi driver permit alongside a small Buddha statue. A new briefcase was on the floor.
Leo’s expression seemed relaxed and compliant. It was noticeable that he didn’t seem to fit in as an intelligence or military type. There was softness to his character and slackness in his posture. The first impression was he must be a low-level operative. I couldn’t help thinking he looked something of an anomaly. Perhaps he’d been recruited due to a personal grudge against the political regime rather than his expertise.
“Hello, Leo. Thanks for being on time.”
“Oh, okay. Good we met.”
“Can you update me on what’s been happening?”
“Yes, things happening,” Leo spoke in clipped tones. “Our electric …’vestigation knows big thing with, Jinying med…ical test. The Jinying test happens with two deaths.”
I cut in, “We say electronic surveillance.”
“Oh. My English no good. Sorry.” He gazed sideways at me. “I understand more than speak.”
“What does Jinying mean?” I asked.
“Oh. In Chinese, it’s mean eagle. Jinying is the code secret test uses.” He looked to see if I understood. “You know what’s eagle bird, ah?”
“Yes.” I visualised one swooping down on its prey.
My focus became fixed on the road. The taxi was navigated precariously through the veering angles of other vehicles. I stamped my foot on the floor when a car cut in front of us. Leo glanced at me and smiled in his broad mouthed way. He didn’t change his driving. I felt impatience and was at the point of needing to say something.
“How safe is this taxi – with all these dangerous drivers on the roads?”
Leo didn’t understand my meaning and simply explained the taxi’s modifications. “Emm, some bullet proof bits, and windows no break it.”
“Yes – BUT am I safe from an accident? Like a crash with other cars! The drivers here take lots of chances.”
“What you mean? I’m not good.” He was bemused, so I decided the subject was not worth pursuing.
“I’m sure we’ll be able to work well together…but you’ll see that I like to do things properly. That may make me seem awkward,” I explained.
“No problem.”
“Okay. So, get us there without an accident. We need to remain secret.”
We drove on through the grid pattern streets. I watched the other cars change direction or swerve, listened to inconsequential horn noises and waited for an accident. The scene was like a weird computer game played out in real time. Leo shouted something in Chinese when a car emerged from a side turning without warning.
“Shit. We don’t need to hurry?” I decided the double white lines of the lane markings were a waste of paint. “There’s