across the pavement. For one second even
the zombies seemed to pause.
Then the thing beneath the festival stage came up.
Bai Li did not step back.
Yan Cijin did not either.
The enormous red dragon above them remained frozen in its old mechanical
pose, one claw raised, its brass plates glowing in the strange white
light coming from its open mouth. Beneath it, the circular opening in
the center of the square widened with a grinding sound. Something was
pushing against the old metal platform from below.
Luo Ren stared at the opening.
"That wasn't in the plans."
Yan Cijin looked at him.
"What was supposed to be there?"
"Nothing."
"That's not very useful."
"I mean exactly that. Nothing. The old mechanism was supposed to be a
sealed balancing chamber. It powered the dragon's head and the bells.
There wasn't supposed to be another machine under it."
Bai Li's eyes stayed on the opening.
"Then somebody changed it."
Luo Ren swallowed.
"Or something did."
