Page 6 of Rescuing Mia

Which leads me to this moment.

Instead of going to my quarters as Dr. Mei suggested, I hail a taxi and give the driver an address on the other side of the city.

Dr. Mei did tell me to get out, go to a bar, and take a day off from work.

I need that time.

I need time to figure out my next steps.

As the taxi pulls away from the curb, I glance back at the towering edifice of Red Phoenix Pharmaceuticals. The building thatonce embodied my dreams and aspirations now feels like a looming threat, a symbol of corruption and deceit.

I clutch my bag tightly. The world needs to know the truth, and while I may be just one person, I have the power to make a difference.

And that’s exactly what I intend to do.

The fate of the world depends on it.

It sounds a bit melodramatic, but it’s true. It’s terribly, and horribly, true.

Chapter Five

MIA

The taxi takesme to a little internet café, where I hope to figure out what happens next.

Tucked away in an alley off Shanghai’s bustling Nanjing Road, here, amid the digital noise, I find fleeting sanctuary. The faint hum of aged computers fills the air.

My fingers hover over the keyboard, aching with the weight of the secret they carry—information that could ignite a geopolitical inferno.

I thought about it on the way over.

What to do.

I know who I’m going to reach out to.

The message I’m about to send to the American Embassy could mark me as a traitor to my country.

Could?

No.

This makes me a traitor.

There’s no coming back from that.

With a wary glance over my shoulder, I draft my encrypted message to the American Embassy. The café’s dimlight flickers, casting long shadows that seem to watch my every move. I shudder, feeling eyes on me even when I see none.

Each keystroke seals my fate.

It’s a desperate plea for asylum, a gamble with my life at stake. With a shaky exhale, I hit ‘send’ and feel the finality of the act settle over me like a heavy weight.

Mia:I’ve uncovered a stockpile of deuterium at Red Phoenix Pharmaceuticals, potentially for nuclear weapons. I’m alone, desperate, and seeking asylum.

U.S. Embassy:Understood. Please secure a burner phone immediately and contact this number.

Purchasingthe burner phone drains the last of my yuan, leaving a cold pit in my stomach. I dial the number, and a crisp, American voice answers without a preamble.

“Seeking asylum within China isn’t an option,” the voice cuts through the static. “We need to get you to Manila.”

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