tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21941527286634074402024-03-13T20:34:56.704-07:00Leveling Up in Real LifeShjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-86535311306446580442015-02-08T12:03:00.002-08:002015-02-08T12:04:06.182-08:00Half of First Year is GoneI blinked and the first half of my first year has flown by. I intended to write more frequently, but I have been so busy it just didn't happen. What are my impressions so far?<br />
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<li>It isn't that bad! Before I started, I was warned over and over just how completely impossible and daunting medical school is. I was extremely nervous about this, because everyone worries about doing well. After half a year I can tell you that it just isn't that bad. Don't get me wrong, it is difficult, but not in the way I was expecting. The concepts that we are learning aren't very difficult to comprehend, however the difficulty lies in the amount of information you have to learn and the extreme level of detail that you need to achieve.</li>
<li>Be prepared for long hours. The first six months is like a boot camp. Some people figure out things pretty quickly and are able to eventually spend less time than at the beginning. For me, I am still working on finding the best approach to maximizing my grades. I have tried many different approaches and each time I have spent a ton of hours. I still haven't reached my goals yet, but I have seen a constant improvement which means I am moving in the right direction. The hard part of medical school is learning how to learn. The most important thing is not to quit trying and changing things when you don't get the result you are expecting. You have to be humble and willing to admit that your approach may not be the best.</li>
<li>Pick only one student group to participate with. There are so many student groups that want your participation that you could easily become overwhelmed doing extracurricular functions. This is a huge trap and it robs you of valuable study time. I think people should be involved in at least one group though. It is a nice social outlet, especially if you spend all your time studying.</li>
<li>Find an organization system. Whether it be a calendar, a to-do list. There are so many assignments, labs, activities, and other items that happen within a week that it impossible to keep track of it unless you have it organized. What works for me is a sequential list ordered by when it is due (date + time). Every day I look at that list and make sure I have completed the top items before moving on. I didn't start doing this until I missed the deadline for a paper I was supposed to write. I knew about the paper, but thought the due date was later. That really hurt my grade and was the wrong way to learn my lesson. Learn from me and just start out doing that. You will thank me.</li>
<li>Anatomy sucks the first few times. After that you just stop thinking about it. I joined the cadaver team so that I could do all the dissections. I wanted to do this, because I learn better by doing and seeing than by memorizing a picture. The first time I was nervous about how I would react to a cadaver. Once we started the first dissection the nervousness went away pretty quickly. After that I would only get a headache after about 2 hours of constantly smelling the formalehyde. Take some Ibuprofin just in case.</li>
<li>Formaldehyde - It stinks. Don't make the mistake of wearing your street clothes to a dissection. They let you wear a lab coat over your clothes, or you can wear scrubs. Take the scrubs option. Get a pair of scrubs that you will burn later and use only those. The worst thing in the world is to be studying later at the library and to keep getting whiffs of formaldehyde from when it seeped into your clothes.</li>
<li>Avoid the temptation to complain. It is almost a past-time for undergraduate students to complain about their class. "Why are we doing calculus? I will never use this in the REAL world..." So far I haven't seen anything that I won't ever use in the "real" world. Yes there are probably a few things I will use rarely, but it is all applicable and important. Try to enjoy all of the material. It will make it that much easier to remember when you have to study it again for the Steps.</li>
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Those are the impressions that immediately come to mind. I have immensely enjoyed my experience so far. I am always up for answering questions, and can't write about something else if someone is interested. If you are still trying to get in, don't get in. It is worth it!</div>
Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-27550636481256853692014-07-17T08:44:00.003-07:002014-07-17T08:45:58.892-07:00How to Score 270+ on the USMLE Step 1I came across the following post while reading through Step 1 experiences over at SDN. By now you may have noticed that the content of my blog has switched to focusing on Step 1 and the first two years of medical school. Most of the stuff I am posting here is actually so I don't forget it. I want to come back and look at this as I start to study more aggressively for the steps. I know that most people will study for it during the six weeks after their second year, but after you read the following I think you may come to the same conclusion as I. Waiting until then, while you can be successful, will not yield an optimal score.<br />
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The following is a write-up posted by "Golf med student" over at <a href="http://forums.studentdoctor.net/">SDN</a><br />
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First of all I want to say that my
initial goal was 240. It seemed like the magical number that would at
least get you in the door at most specialties. The point I want to
make is this, get a score in mind that you want to achieve and work
towards it. You need goals in order to push you further. If you
surpass your goals in your studies then continue to increase your
goal so that you can achieve the highest score you possibly can. Even
though 240 was my goal internally and a score that I would be happy
with, I was really pushing for 250. When it comes to standardized
exams I have learned in my experience that I fail in achieving my
goals more often than not. Maybe that is just because I set too high
of goals for myself to begin with but that’s another story. The
idea here is that shoot for the moon because if you fail at least
you’ll fall among the stars. But when I started getting 250s on my
practice exams I tried to push for a 260. Don’t sell yourself
short! Believe in yourself!</div>
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My study prep really was based on a few
guiding principles that I used. I also experimented a bit with
different methods but I will give below the schedule that I would
follow knowing what I know now starting in the fall. This method is
really just my own but I think it gives you the best chance to get
the highest score you possibly can.</div>
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The first principle I based my schedule
on was the idea that we can only remember about 75% of what we
see/read. Since we are not in clinic yet (US medical students) it can
be hard to remember everything without actually having experienced
it. This concept led me to use multiple resources that used different
types of learning modalities. The idea is that you read something,
listen or watch something, and then also answer questions on the
topic.
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The next principle kind of ties into
the last one in a sense because I knew I would forget things, I
decided that I was also in need of spaced repetition. I did this by
narrowing down resources as the year went along. I’ll explain this
a bit later but all I really did was start with subject books focused
on anatomy, biochemistry, etc. before starting a comprehensive review
source like First Aid. It made knowing the information in first aid
seem like it wasn’t too much and just the bare essentials. I added
in firecracker also here but I used it in a way that I don’t think
many have tried. I’ll detail it out more below.</div>
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The last and probably most important
principle I used was that it takes 10,000 of something to become
proficient. In this case it is 10,000 questions. They don’t
necessarily all have to be unique but you want to try to go through
the thinking process of eliminating all the answers for a certain
reason. For instance maybe the first time I see a question I only
know what the correct answer is but all the other choices don’t
make sense. The second time I see the question I want to try to
eliminate all the others based on the information in the stem in
order to lead me to the correct answer choice. This makes the
question just as valuable the second time around.</div>
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Now on to the schedule!</div>
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If I were to do it again I would
personally start my STEP prep in August. I would spend the fall
getting a broad understanding of all the topics I covered in first
year and then onto in second year including the things we are going
to cover in the upcoming spring semester. By reading all of these
books you may not remember everything in the book but you become
familiar with the book to the point that you can use it for quick
reference during dedicated studying. Then if you have to reread up on
lets say the difference between conus medullaris and cauda equina
syndrome you have a general sense of where it is in the book and it
only takes a few moments to jog your memory rather than having to
learn it for the first time. At my medical school the topics we were
on a block schedule so during first year we covered anatomy,
biochemistry and cell biology, physiology, microbiology and
immunology. In the fall of second year we covered neuroanatomy and
pathology principles including hematology/oncology pathology and
musculoskeletal pathology. During the spring we covered behavioral
science, cardiology pathology, pulmonary pathology, renal pathology,
gastrointestinal pathology, endocrine pathology, reproductive
pathology, and skin pathology.
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Anatomy – HY Anatomy – I read this
book during the fall semester, I don’t necessarily feel that it
aided me in any questions but it was a good review of anatomy from
the previous year and I think helps in creating a solid foundation to
build on that you need in this area. As many have said before they
have many radiographic images that are helpful. I hardly ever missed
any anatomy questions when I finally got to qbanks so maybe it could
be attributed to this book or just learning it really well during the
block.</div>
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Embryology – HY Embryology – This
is really a great book! I didn’t feel like I really learned my
embryology well during our anatomy block but after reading this book
I felt much more comfortable answering the questions that would come
up. I think if you feel weak in this area, I would definitely pick
this up because it’s a quick read and prepares you well to answer
questions on the topic.</div>
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Biochemistry – Lippincott
Biochemistry – I also read this book during the fall semester. It
was extremely useful! I know that many say it is too long and is not
worth it. I graduated with my undergraduate degree in biochemistry
and I felt this was so much better organized than RR Biochemistry.
The images and diagrams were easy to navigate and I referred to it
many times during my dedicated step study</div>
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Cell Biology – HY Cell and Molecular
Biology – I was also a cell and molecular biology minor so this
book was something I was really familiar with. It was a good
refresher and a quick read so not too much of a commitment.</div>
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Genetics – HY Genetics – This was
also a very quick read and had good coverage of the topics that were
covered in questions. Not a big commitment in terms of reading but I
felt worth the little amount of effort.</div>
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Physiology – BRS physiology – The
gold standard when it comes to physiology. You can’t really go
wrong with this book. I re-read it but felt it was lacking in some
areas specifically cardiac physiology and respiratory physiology.
Maybe that’s just because I used big Costanza and West respiratory
physiology. I went back and added in some info that I felt was
important to the book but they ended up not being very important in
the end. Just stick to this book for physiology and you’ll be good
to go as far as the basics.</div>
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Microbiology and Immunology – Review
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology (Levinson) – I actually read
Medical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple (MMRS) but I felt this
book was much better and didn’t have all the fluff that was in
MMRS. Maybe I didn’t get a lot out of MMRS because I also used
picmonic (I’ll talk about picmonic soon!), which has a similar kind
of learning style but much better organized. The parasite review was
just so much better in Levinson and that was a weakness I felt that I
had so that could be it as well. The immunology section was also
short and to the point. I have a pretty strong background in
immunology so maybe it wouldn’t be ideal for those that feel a
weakness.</div>
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Neuroanatomy – HY Neuroanatomy –
This is another book that is great! Has everything in it that you
need to know for STEP and more. I would highly recommend it! Plus it
is short and does not take long to read.</div>
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Behavioral Science – BRS Behavioral
Science – I know that the last edition of First Aid recommended HY
Behavioral Science but it is just not enough. I read the HY and
constantly had to go back and read the BRS. I wish I would have just
sucked it up and read the BRS to begin with like I planned. My lowest
test subject on my actual exam ended up being this so I ended up
paying for not reading this book. In addition to reading this book I
would also recommend watching the Kaplan videos on Behavioral
Science. The guy that does them is absolutely amazing and simplifies
the subject enough to help answer a lot of questions.
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Pharmacology – Katzung & Trevor’s
Pharmacology Board Review and Examination – There are two of these
books that seem similar online but one is the entire text and the
other is a review. Pick the review book! It was short and had basic
information that allowed me to create a framework for each of the
actual drugs. Questions at the end of each chapter were nice as well
to make sure you picked out important information. I also watched the
Kaplan videos for this topic because Raymond is amazing and helps a
lot with understanding the pharmacology.
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Pathology – Pathoma/RR Pathology –
Your test no matter what subject it is heavy in or balanced will be
mainly pathology. It makes sense then to read a couple of books on
the topic. I started with Pathoma and watched all the videos while
reading the text. I then read RR. I did not listen to the audio and
I’ll tell you why. Those tapes are now almost 15 years old!
Information has changed and he has everything that he talks about in
the book. Read the book and you’ll be better prepared. It brings
everything together at the end because he integrates the physiology
and biochemistry with the pathology.</div>
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So those are the books I would read
during the fall to prepare you for a spring full of questions and
First Aid. The reason for reading is mainly a leveling process. Each
school is slightly different in the curriculum they stress so all of
our education is slightly different. I feel these books are basic
enough where it is material that everyone should have at least heard
of after the first two years of medical school. I added in videos to
the topics of behavioral science, pharmacology, and pathology because
I think they are the most tested. I know microbiology is also heavily
tested but it is just memorization in the end and we also had very
good lectures in the subject at my school. I also think here is a
good time to talk about picmonic. If you haven’t heard of it check
it out. It is definitely not for everyone but it helped me immensely
to have a starting point for memorizing the topics they covered. I
think that for me personally it worked best for biochemistry and
microbiology but that was most likely due to the fact that it hasn’t
been around very long and those were really the only cards I got to
see a lot. I would focus on doing whatever cards you are currently
learning in class. If you are in microbiology learning about
gram-positive bacteria do those cards. Listen to the audio for each
card once at the very beginning of the week or two weeks you are
studying that topic and then during the week look at them right
before you go to sleep. You’ll have some crazy dreams but it makes
them stick in your mind when you are under pressure. They have added
many more cards now and I tried to use them but I had already
memorized the topic before seeing them so they weren’t as helpful.
They correlate directly with what is in First Aid so you know it is
essential information that will show up on the exam. The amount of
questions I got right in biochemistry and microbiology were mainly
due to this resource so I would highly recommend it.</div>
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The springtime is for learning how to
answer questions and getting First Aid filled out to use as the
ultimate resource in your final study period. After all this reading
you might think that you would be well prepared to answer questions
but it really doesn’t happen that way. It takes time to understand
how concepts are going to be asked and what the important information
is. Don’t worry! I had the same experience and it is just a process
of playing the game.
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First qbank – USMLE Rx – Start with
this qbank! There are a little over 2700 questions so try to have it
done by the end of February. The questions all have links to the page
where it is in First Aid. This helps you get acquainted with FA and
where everything is. I cannot tell you even after doing this how many
times I would write something somewhere and then find it printed
somewhere else. Learn where things are in FA and you’ll save
yourself time from writing down redundant information. Go through the
qbank by the way it is divided in First Aid. For instance I started
with Behavioral Science. I first read the section in FA and then
would answer the questions associated with that topic. This will be
your first read through FA and will also aid in knowing where
everything is. For pharmacology and pathology, I answered the
questions by organ system instead. Reading FA and then answering
questions over the topic helps to cement the information in your
mind. When putting information from the question into FA I only wrote
down the core objective at the end of each question. I did the
questions in tutor mode because immediate feedback is so important. I
only used timed mode when I was in my final prep period. I will
explain this in more detail later though.</div>
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Second qbank – Uworld – The reason
for doing this second is that you can reset this bank and you want to
do this twice because it really is the best prep for the detail on
the exam. This will be your first pass through the bank. It is harder
than Rx so don’t worry if you see your scores drop. (Also unlike Rx
when you click on an answer it doesn’t let you change it and shows
you the explanation.) Do it on tutor mode and write in all the
educational objectives at the end of the explanations into your First
Aid. Don’t do this by specific topic like you did with the previous
one. Select all subjects and organ systems so you start to get a feel
for what it’s like to have mixed exams. You’ll want to try to
complete this by the end of March.</div>
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Third qbank – Kaplan – This qbank
tests a lot of minutiae but I got several questions on my exam
correct because of the questions I saw here. This was also my only
place to see menkes disease (it is definitely in FA in the biochem
section) so you know it has been on the real thing before. The bank
also does a good job of giving you plenty of practice with the arrow
questions for physiology. For example the patient comes in with this
disease, happens to x, y, z. It is also the best for behavioral
science and laboratory medicine. First do the diagnostic exam to see
where you are after two qbanks. Do it in tutor mode with all subjects
and organ systems selected. Write down the key concept at the end of
the explanation in your First Aid. You’ll want to try to complete
this by the end of April</div>
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During uworld and Kaplan banks read
First Aid for a second time. Take the time to find information that
you missed in your first pass! You’ll start to be surprised by how
much you missed and how much information is actually in First Aid.</div>
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Dedicated STEP study time:</div>
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So for this it really is up to the
individual but this is how I did it and I don’t think many other
people did it this way. I scheduled 5 weeks of dedicated study time.
It was a little more than the month that I thought I would need but
it gave me the ability to take one day off a week and also celebrate
my MBA graduation and my fiancée’s birthday. During the time I
thought that it was too much but now that I have my score back I am
happy with my decision on taking 5 weeks. So here is what I would
recommend based on that 5 week schedule. If you choose to do
something other than this it is fine, by this time you kind of know
where you are and where you want to go. I don’t think any of the
DIT or Falcon review courses are worth it at this point either if you
have followed this schedule from August. Those are designed to help
people pass STEP who haven’t been studying very hard during second
year.
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Uworld – Second pass. This time you
want to set it up for timed and select all subjects and organ
systems. Review the entire test after you complete it. This helps get
you prepared for the real thing by getting your timing down and
working on your thinking process. You stop worrying about whether or
not you got a question right and just learn to try your best and move
on. You know all of the answers to this qbank so any question you
miss means there is a fault in the process you are using to answer
the question. Find it and work on it. Sometimes it is that you are
thinking too much and other times its because you aren’t paying
attention. Find the right balance that allows you to function at your
optimum level. Try once again to finish this qbank in 4 weeks. It
should be easier this time since you aren’t writing everything
down. Don’t worry if you aren’t getting every question right! I
know of people who had a second pass percentage rate around the 80%
mark and still did well. The key is to figure out why you missed
those questions the second time around! I did my questions every
morning.
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Firecracker – This is what I did in
the afternoons. I know this is not how most people use this program
but based on my experience with it during first year this is what I
did because I knew it would work for me. I completely reset my
account so that I did not have any topics flagged. Prior to this I
may have flagged about 40% of the topics with none from the organ
systems section. I then did approximately 50 topics a day so that I
could finish flag everything within four weeks. It is definitely a
lot towards the end but this was my way of reviewing as much as I
could with spaced repetition so I wouldn’t forget what I learned in
the first week by the time I took the exam at the end of the fifth
week. I knew after the Kaplan diagnostic exam where my weaknesses
were so I did those sections first to give myself the opportunity to
see those cards the most. This may not be for everyone but it
definitely helped me with my microbiology, dermatology, reproductive,
and renal questions that were a relative weakness going in to
dedicated study time.</div>
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CBSSAs- DO THEM ALL! All of the ones
online are around $50 and there are 6 so it is an investment but I
saw several questions and pictures from these on my actual exam. In
my mind that in itself makes it worth it. Try to do one once a week
starting with the first week so you can have them done before your
exam. Don’t stress too much about the scores you get. Most people I
have talked to tend to get a score a few points above their highest
CBSSA. Also this is a great chance to meet with a study group.
Throughout my second year, I met with a group of like-minded students
that were dedicated to STEP studying at an early date. We would meet
once a week and answer 10-15 questions over an hour from a question
book and just discusses how we each arrived at the answer. We
continued this process by meeting up on Sundays to discuss the
questions we missed on the CBSSA. You don’t get the correct answer
for the questions you missed if you choose extended feedback (you
should choose this option, its $10 more but you only take STEP 1 once
so its worth it!). You just get the question and detailed statistics
on the different subjects and organ systems. You can use this to
tailor your studying for the next week if you aren’t doing the
Firecracker method.
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Last week before the exam: Do the two
practice exams on Uworld, they are pretty good but tend to
overestimate your actual score. Try to focus once again on limiting
the number of mistakes you make in your thinking process. At this
point you know or have seen it all and it is just about minimizing
stupid mistakes. By that I mean mixing up biostatistics formulas or
other simple questions that are supposed to be the easy ones. You
can’t get the highest score you’re capable of without learning to
do this. For example, on one of these practice exams was a classic
“EXCEPT” question. STEP isn’t allowed to ask these questions
anymore but they have technical way of doing it. They give you a
vignette and you have no clue what it is. You look at the answer
choices and see that you know four of them but the other one is a
mystery and you’ve never heard of it. The point of the question is
to know those more common four and exclude them based on the
information in the vignette so you can choose that one you’ve never
heard of before. If you are able to do that with good reasons for
excluding each wrong answer choice you are able to think like the
question writers and that is the name of the game! The other thing to
do during this week is read through First Aid for the last time. You
have put a bunch of notes in there from all of the questions you’ve
answered. Use a fine tooth comb and find all the little details that
you don’t remember. Don’t worry if you are finding there is too
much to First Aid and you can’t possibly know everything in there.
Just by doing this you’ll get several questions correct that you
wouldn’t have on your exam. I know because that’s what happened
for me (do you remember what the dihydrorhodamine test is used to
diagnose? Chronic Granulomatous Disease and it is in First Aid!) A
few days before your exam do the free 138 questions given by the
NBME. They are good questions and a couple showed up on my exam.
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Take the day off before your exam! You
need to be in top shape for tomorrow and not tired. Watch a movie,
eat well, and get some good rest! Do whatever you have to do to
relax.</div>
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Wake up early on the exam day and get
to your testing center early (like 30 minutes early). You don’t
want to add stress to the actual day. I ate some protein (eggs and
bacon) for breakfast. All I am saying is to eat something that will
last and keep your energy up for the exam. I also did 10 random
questions and read the rapid review section at the end of First Aid
before I left. This helped me to get in the question-answering mood
and was a good overall review of commonly tested items. Take plenty
of food and drinks. Try to mix it up so you can eat whatever you want
(I took some sandwiches, crackers, and candy bars… filling, salty,
sweet). I also took some 5 hour energy shots with me. I drank one
before I went in and then another in the afternoon. I know I’m
blatantly copying their ad but I don’t feel the crash with it as I
do with coffee or cokes so that is why I choose it over them. It kept
my energy up and felt great the whole day. Try to stay calm, cool,
and collected. Don’t over think and try to minimize your mistakes.
Manage your break time. They give you about 45 minutes of break time
plus whatever time from skipping through the tutorial. I did a little
of the tutorial because the auscultation on the exam allows you to
move the stethoscope around and change from diaphragm to bell unlike
any of the other testing services. I would get done answering all the
questions around 20-15 minutes left in the block mark and then review
all of my answers for another 10 minutes so I would have about 5-10
minutes after every block. I took a thirty-minute break for lunch
after the fourth block. I took slightly longer breaks in the
afternoon because I knew that I would be tired from answering all
those questions earlier in the day. I ended up using almost all of my
time.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Congratulations! You’ve just
completed taking one of the most stressful exams of your life! Go
enjoy life and catch up with all those friends you’ve ignored for
the past month while you’ve been studying! It usually takes about 3
weeks to get your results which will be posted to the same website
where you registered for STEP 1. They only release scores on
Wednesday and will send an email saying your scores will be uploaded
later that day. If you take your exam during May/June they may have a
single date for everyone for a certain heavy testing period. For
example, when I took the exam all the scores from May through June
19<sup>th</sup> were uploaded on July 9<sup>th</sup>. They usually
post this information to their website if they are going to do
something similar during the time you take it. </div>
Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-83627385864647339512014-07-04T10:19:00.004-07:002014-07-17T08:46:18.499-07:00How to Honor Your Tests in Med SchoolSomeone posted the following on SDN. I thought I would catalog it here for future reference. It comes from a thread where people are arguing about how people manage to get 100s on tests in med school. Suddenly this guy pops in really late to the discussion and drops a bomb. It was the only good advice given, and I intend to follow suit.<br />
<br />
--------------<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">I had a horrible go of it in first year and failed four courses despite working long hours studying. I looked around and was in disbelief that anyone was getting or could get 100% or near that on these tests. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">When i was blessed with another chance at the year, i went to each member of the top 10% of my former class and took them to lunch to pick their brain.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">They told me consistently the same thing...and it worked for me the next year to get near 100% all the time...you should plan to review the testable content a minimum of five times before the exam. This seems very daunting but each subsequent trip through is much faster because you have seen and understand the interrelationships of the content sections. I struggled to do this at first, and had to set a time limit per page and set a timer. When the timer went off, regardless of how far down the page I was, I turned and started on the next page. I also had to limit the number of sources I used to study from to a dictionary, anatomy atlas, and the recommended syllabus (it was a bound set of provided pages back then). At the top of each page I made a hash mark each time I had reviewed the page. By the fourth, fifth, and sixth time through, I could flip the page at about a ten second clip and recite the core material per page. As others have said on SDN before, its not hard to know how to achieve success in these classes, it is hard to do it though. In my experience repetition is key. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">This was my experience…yours may be different:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">Barely one time through the content = barely pass</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">two times through = pass to slightly above average</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">three times through = above average to high pass</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">four times through = high pass to honors</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">five times through = honors to top three scorers</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcff; color: #141414; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14.545454025268555px; line-height: 18.666667938232422px;">six plus times through = top three scorer</span>Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-7483945734417798602013-09-28T09:35:00.002-07:002013-09-28T09:36:23.440-07:00Over Joy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://owenstrachan.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/tebow-point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://owenstrachan.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/tebow-point.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
As I sat in the Library reviewing my Physics notes, I heard that distinctive note from my phone informing me that a new email had arrived to my inbox. I quickly flipped over to take a look and felt my blood run cold when I saw who it was from.<br />
<br />
<b>MedAdmissions</b><br />
<br />
The dreaded moment had finally arrived. I was about to find out if my dream would finally come true, or if I would be forced to spend yet another year of my life trying to prove that I am worthy of the medical vocation.<br />
<br />
I called my wife over to share the moment with me. Initially she looked at me with a confused look. Why was I interrupting her study? Finally she acceded to my wishes and walked over. I pointed to the screen, and then clicked to open the email.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>On behalf of the Executive Dean, I am very pleased to offer you an acceptance...</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I literally felt my body start to shake. I was in disbelief, so I started to read the email again to make sure.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>On behalf of the Executive Dean, I am very pleased to offer you an acceptance...</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The words had not changed, yet my mind still could not comprehend. My body continued to shake uncontrollably, and my wife embraced me from behind. She was already crying, which caused me to cry too. These were tears of joy, tears of disbelief, tears of pent up emotion that craved release! I can't imagine what the other people, who beheld such an odd spectacle, were thinking at that moment.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">My wife rushed off to call everyone and relate the good news. I sat there in a daze, still trembling as emotion and adrenaline coursed through my body. I realized at that moment that over the past seven years I had convinced myself that it would probably never happen, yet I was stubborn enough to keep trying in the face of the impossible. Now I was confronted with reality, that it was possible, and the door to my dream had finally opened.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In retrospect, as I think about this now, I have never been so excited, happy, and relieved to have been given permission to start something. Something that will take more effort, time, and dedication than anything I have ever tried in my life. It is ironic, because many people would think it is over, but no...that was just the beginning, the first step on a road of training that will last at least 8 years.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This moment will forever be engraved in my mind. I payed a high price to reach this starting point, but looking back on my credentials they are only average at best. I can't help but believe that a miracle was enacted on my behalf. I would love to take credit for this, but the truth is I must defer to the athlete who has just scored a touchdown and raises his hands to point heavenward. I personally know several applicants with way better stats than me that were rejected. Somehow God saw fit to turn the hearts of the Admissions Committee in my favor. In turn I would also like to raise my hands heavenward and point to Him, because I can really see no reason why I am better than anyone else.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The blessing of God, have given me reason to be overjoyed and grateful at the same time. At least once a day a surreal moment overwhelms me, sending me back to that email once again just to make sure;</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>On behalf of the Executive Dean, I am very pleased to offer you an acceptance...</i></span>Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-2678975081065044882013-09-06T07:33:00.001-07:002013-09-06T07:33:08.658-07:00Step by Step<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71aMJ2990rL._SL500_AA300_.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71aMJ2990rL._SL500_AA300_.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Rights to Mcraw-Hill and junk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The first two years of Medical School exist to prepare you for one seminal moment in your medical career. That moment is when you take your first Board exam called "USMLE Step 1". The last four years I have been so focused on sitting for the MCAT and getting into Medical School that nothing else has occupied my mind. Although I have not been accepted into Medical School, I recently started focusing on it and making plans for how I will approach it.<br />
<br />
Although there may be some debate about this, I believe that the one key component which will allow you to apply to any residency unimpeded will be your Step 1 score. I always thought that as long as you score a 99 on the Step 1 you could write your ticket, but this is not the whole story. There are actually two scores and even if you are in the "99" range the second score can vary anywhere from 240-270+. From my research I have been able to determine that scoring a 250 is very good, the top people are in the 260 range, and the godly freaks are in the 270 range.<br />
<br />
Getting into Medical School will make me supremely happy, however that isn't my ultimate goal. I will probably be accused of "gunnerism" for my approach to medical school, but I prefer to think that I am going into my future studies fully informed about the process. As a non-traditional student, I am lucky to have already lived and done many of the things I wanted. I have traveled the world extensively, lived abroad, married a wonderful woman, and enjoyed many reunions with friends. As an undergrad I only wanted "to get my degree". <br />
<br />
This time around, I want to see what I am really capable of, to fully embrace the process, and actually push myself to excel. Most importantly, when it comes time to choose my residency I don't want my academic performance to have closed any doors. I want the freedom to choose from any residency. Even if I ultimately choose Family Medicine, which does not require a super high Step 1 score, I still want to have had the option to choose Neurosurgery or Dermatology.<br />
<br />
Traditionally most Medical Students will use their 6 week break after the second year of Medical School to study for and take the Step 1 exam. I plan on starting much much earlier. From my first day I am going in with one thing in mind, to crush that test. I will use every resource available to me to ensure that I am more than prepared on test day. <br />
<br />
I have been formulating a plan to achieve just that, but it is still not complete. What I have learned from the MCAT, is that I am not a super-freak that will be able to collate 2 years of study in just 6 weeks. Taking the long term approach and making sure I continually maintain and refine my medical knowledge as I learn it, is really the only way I can expect to come out with a top score on that test.<br />
<br />
Of course all this planning is still dependent on getting accepted into Medical School, so here is to hoping my interviews go well.Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-70543221519667521542013-09-02T13:24:00.000-07:002013-09-02T13:29:03.765-07:00Why Can't I Get Off the Couch?I always wondered why, when I wanted to get something done, I couldn't find the strength to get off the couch to do it. Today I discovered the culprit and you will be surprised as to who is responsible. The answer is gravity my friends. The equation for gravity is as follows<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://latex.codecogs.com/gif.latex?F=G%20\frac{m_1%20m_2}{r^2}" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://latex.codecogs.com/gif.latex?F=G%20\frac{m_1%20m_2}{r^2}" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is important to understand that gravity can be exerted between any two objects, and using that equation we can find what the force is between two distinct object. So bear with me as I quickly describe what each variable stands for, so that we will all be on the same page. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>F</i> is the total Force of Gravity, <i>m1</i> is the mass of one object, and <i>m2</i> is the mass of a second object. For our discussion I am <i>m1</i>, and the couch is <i>m2</i>; <i>r</i> corresponds to the radius between both objects, which we can basically say that it is the distance they are away from each other. Finally <i>G</i> is the universal constant of Gravity.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What I want you to pay attention to are two things. First the radius variable. As the radius decreases the Force of gravity becomes much greater. As radius approaches zero the Force approaches a value close to infinity which means, my ass is going to be glued to that couch and there is nothing I can do to escape. It is just too strong! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Oh, but gravity hasn't finished with me yet, because that brings me to our second observation. Pay attention to the <i>m1</i> and <i>m2 </i>variables. Well, if I increase the mass of one or both of the objects in this system, yes you guessed it, the Force of gravity once again INCREASES! This is where I really have a problem with gravity because the amount by which my own mass increases is directly proportional to the amount of time my ass is glued to the couch, which by now we have determined to be nearly all the time since the radius is close to zero and the Force is near infinity.</div>
<br />
It is a vicious cycle my friends, and Gravity has me in her cold hard grip. She is a fickle lover, jealous of all distractions. Will I escape? My mathematical calculations lead me to believe that there may be little hope, but that is not why I am writing this. I want this message to reach you, dear reader, so that when you see a couch you will know that you should run and run far. Save yourself, it is already too late for me!<br />
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Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-55768537749495781672013-08-20T13:22:00.001-07:002013-08-20T13:25:19.971-07:00The Vagaries of Change<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtw_s4tKS-BC90Mw_tEH0oRow4ej9Sdhupb46cEz-BmkyAyB-5mPFVQUOXNzvi2upZupsdwz2G4YW7pMaN86wAtOUvYPTsaysn6de4OMdRGGYl1k2CkZUFH1PkXl_oZo37MRNJUP1l7Waz/s1600/IMG_20130801_115927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtw_s4tKS-BC90Mw_tEH0oRow4ej9Sdhupb46cEz-BmkyAyB-5mPFVQUOXNzvi2upZupsdwz2G4YW7pMaN86wAtOUvYPTsaysn6de4OMdRGGYl1k2CkZUFH1PkXl_oZo37MRNJUP1l7Waz/s1600/IMG_20130801_115927.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Beatiful Sign Close to My New Home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Things have changed since I last posted. I quit my job and moved 850 miles away from my home. The day I took the MCAT my wife shared a surprise with me when I got home. She told me that she had been accepted into a Graduate program at Tulane University. I was absolutely shocked by this, because it was something I never expected. Somehow, in less than two months I was able to find a new place to live, a new job, and relocate to an entirely new city.<br />
<br />
I am now settled in and we have established our new rythm of life, however things are different. For one, living arrangements are vastly different from before. I went from a three bedroom house with a nice yard, to a tiny 1 bedroom apartment. When my neighbors have friends over, I can hear it. They often wake me up in the middle of the night, which is something that never used to happen before. The hallway often carries suspicious odors that whisper to me their nighttime activities. I never realized that living in an apartment would mean being more intimate with your neighbors...you literally share everything with them, whether you want to or not. <br />
<br />
The smallness of our apartment and the need to walk everywhere has also drawn my wife and I closer together as well. We have been spending much more time together, and I am now thinking that bigger is not necessarily better. Most people dream of having a big house, but I am not so sure I want one now. I don't like that family members can hide from each other by going to other rooms in the house. I especially don't like the maintenance duties of a large house. Cleaning, upkeep, and yardwork take up so much time. Now these are things I don't have to worry about, and I love it!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEF91kya9IfdcOKsYfrvzrrbZCpFcyp0yhdUgCW23idOwnksR94AmevnyGB72XICbABP98Otb__0Al762CEjlU8ymYhq1P1AkzeDhByWIbFCZ9yuPTHEpXDnMtd2nxe9G-s2TcqGf6gTRo/s1600/IMG_20130806_082019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEF91kya9IfdcOKsYfrvzrrbZCpFcyp0yhdUgCW23idOwnksR94AmevnyGB72XICbABP98Otb__0Al762CEjlU8ymYhq1P1AkzeDhByWIbFCZ9yuPTHEpXDnMtd2nxe9G-s2TcqGf6gTRo/s1600/IMG_20130806_082019.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A View From my Morning Commute</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My work routine has changed as well. After moving here, I decided that I would bike to work everyday instead of driving the car. Many things contributed to making this decision, such as traffic, expensive parking rates, and my lack of knowledge of the city, however, the main reason is because I was really craving a way to lose weight. As an aspiring Physician I think that it would be hypocritical to meet patients as an overweight person. If I am going to preach the high principles of healthy living, then I must also follow those principles as well. My problem is that I hate going to the gym, especially when I have to do it by myself. Forcing myself to bike to work accomplishes several things at once. It allows me to learn the city, it provides me with a means of transportation, and it ensures that I get a healthy dose of exercise every single day. With a 22 mile round trip I have already managed to lose 10 pounds in two weeks.<br />
<br />
All of this upheaval has been difficult, yet instructive as well. I have learned that sometimes we need a drastic change that will take us out of our comfort zone. In the short month I have been here I have totally revolutionized my lifestyle. I look back on who I was before and I am amazed at the change that has happened in only one month. Most people battle to keep things from changing, because that way they never have to face a scary or uncertain situation. It is those situations, that makes us grow the most. The more of them I experience, the more I look forward to it. <br />
<br />
All of this has caused me to evaluate my personal goals as well. Last year I was so sure I would get accepted into Medical School that I was rocked when the rejection came. This year, I decided I have to prepare for it. I must have a contingency plan in place so that I can smoothly transition into plan-B instead of being caught unprepared. I was scared to quit my current profession before, because the stability that an Engineering income provides is very comforting, however I have realized I am reaching a point where I need to go the extra mile if I am really serious about Medicine. If I am not accepted this cycle I will be going to Graduate school starting in January to study Neuroscience. I have finished all the pre-med courses that I can take at a community college. The only thing left ot me now is some GPA redemption by going through a Graduate program. GPA redemption isn't my only goal, because I also want to study something that I find interesting while also continuing to prepare me for Medical School.<br />
<br />
Change can be scary, but change is necessary. The saddest thing to me is to see someone who has done the same thing, in the same place, for thirty years or more. I know there are probably many reasons for this, but to me it looks like they were scared to go further, so they decided that where they were at was "good enough". The possible risk to go further was too much for them so they settled. I hope that I never settle in my life. I hope that when I reach my goal of becoming a Physician that I will go even further from there. I never want to be satisfied with where I am at, because the alternative is scarier than any nightmare I could ever dream up. Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-28913513849689206872013-07-16T09:15:00.001-07:002013-07-16T09:15:36.147-07:00Being Successful<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN8RWLnNWEnfAjEHxusBaHoL8i8WWkZmxX8LDKh42DjEwseDmQDQ-ku_BKLsZvCCq912NlZWcyhCTGJEU__YzmjO4v3cYt_Vbr42jL-lkgFjsMtt-eYW4u-EZzIlmsXxu8B5A8_DiSdTv/s1600/start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN8RWLnNWEnfAjEHxusBaHoL8i8WWkZmxX8LDKh42DjEwseDmQDQ-ku_BKLsZvCCq912NlZWcyhCTGJEU__YzmjO4v3cYt_Vbr42jL-lkgFjsMtt-eYW4u-EZzIlmsXxu8B5A8_DiSdTv/s1600/start.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sort of<em> </em>cliche, but sports are an appropriate metaphor for success</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I often think about success, and say to myself "Wouldn't it be great?" I don't think I have the traditional definition of success where the end result is tons of money, a hot car, trophy wife, and a white picket fence with a two story house. No I am always impressed by true success. Success that people reach where they look back after a long journey and say to themselves "I made it!"<br />
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One thing I have noticed about success is that I hear other people speak of those who have achieved it in hushed tones of envy. "Oh if I was only as LUCKY as them." or "I could never do that, he's a GENIUS." or "It's just not FAIR" or "I just don't have the TALENT they have". These people always look at a fully realized successful person and assume that they have always been that way. They totally ignore the journey that person had to take in order to become successful. They completely ignore the hard work, the agonizing moments, the long tear-filled nights, the times of self-doubt, the times when they believed they couldn't go on...yet they did.<br />
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I find my favorite success stories by reading through blogs. I love reading about the journeys people take to become better athletes, to learn a new hobby, or to reclaim their lives from obesity. Every day "average" people decide that they are going to do something great. They are going to go from a sedentary life to running the Ironman in Hawaii. Maybe it is someone who is going to get on a bike and ride from Alaska all the way down to the tip of Argentina. How about a person who decides that their life has been ruined by complacency and that they are going to lose a tremendous amount of weight one day at a time?<br />
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For me, I always have to start at the first post when I read those blogs. I want to know about the days when it was impossible. I want to read about the times when they felt weak, unable, and inadequate. It is because I feel like this all too often, and I hope that one day someone is going to read my blog and realize that they can do it too. I want to say now, that I FEEL like I will never become a doctor. The cards are stacked against me. I have an average MCAT, and substandard GPA, and I have been out of college for more than 8 years. <br />
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It is impossible for me, but I have something that all the lazy apathetic people don't have. I just can't find it within myself to give up. For some reason, after I was laid out flat by rejection after five years of preparation I got back up and said, "Lets try again." Even after everyone online said, "No, it is impossible for you, you just don't have the right stats." I closed my ears and decided to keep going.<br />
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When I start my residency, I want to look back at this post and remember what it was like when it was impossible. Because I know what will happen when I get into medical school. People will start saying those things about me. "Oh it is because he is so SMART." or "I wish I was as LUCKY as him." But it isn't true. <br />
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None of them who say that noticed the tears streaming down my face. None of them were with me when I was defeated. None of them sat with me during the long study sessions I had to do AFTER I had already worked a full day at the office. None of them were there when I had to turn my wife down for date night so that I could do well on a test. None of them used their vacation time to study those final two weeks for the MCAT instead of going to Peru for some fun. The only thing they see is the end result, the fruits of my labor, what happens AFTER all the sacrifices. So they simply dismiss it with a casual statement, because it makes them feel better for giving up on their own dreams. That is the real truth, and that is why when I am successful I want to look back and remember how high the price was.<br />
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I also hope I can inspire someone, somehow. I want them to read about my journey and realize that Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, Businessmen, or whatever you choose to be has no bearing on your intellect. It has to do with how much time you spend practicing, improving, sacrificing and moving towards your goal. An elite athlete practices for years so that one day he can stand on the big stage and compete in front of thousands. It is no different for the highest levels of success in any arena. <br />
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I did not improve on my MCAT score this year. Conventional wisdom says, that after 2 tries you should quit. That a 29 is "good enough". You know what? It isn't good enough for me. After three tries, guess what? I am going to start studying again. Because it is all stuff I NEED to know. Because I know I can do better, and because I want to do better....for me.<br />
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I think that the key component to success is the ability to maintain discipline. By managing to put for a solid effort every single day over a long period of time someone inches ever closer to the success that they have in mind. Writing a novel does not happen in a one week flurry if intense activity. It consists of research, writing, revising, and often times throwing away large portions of script that have to be redone. Losing weight does not happen in a week, even if commercials tell you it does. It happens over a long period of time after someone has changed their lifestyle and committed themselves to a new discipline of diet and exercise. My own success, hinges on daily efforts of reviewing material I have learned in the past, keeping up with current advances in medicine, and constantly striving to involve myself in the opportunities that exist to participate in volunteering or research.<br />
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Today my goals seem impossible, but I can see that every day I am inching ever closer to what I truly want. Once I reach the starting line of Medical School I am looking forward to raising the bar even higher and making a new set of goals that will further define my new success story.Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-82478888140627567892013-07-12T17:11:00.002-07:002013-07-12T17:12:12.485-07:00Coming CleanI have been avoiding this post for some time, because I honestly just didn't want to come clean. I didn't want to own up to the disappointing results of my MCAT. I studied hard for that test, like I have never studied before in my life (and if you are familiar with this blog, this is now the third time I have taken the MCAT.)<br />
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So how did I do? Exactly the same. Yes, that is correct, I got the same exact score as last year. To me it was a disaster, because the whole point was to improve, not to stay static. The numbers tell me I haven't learned a thing, and yet I am positive I know VOLUMES more than I ever did last year. Last year after the test I felt horrible, I was in a fog, I couldn't even remember the content of the test. This year was different. I remembered almost every single aspect of the test, I spent weeks beating myself up over the questions I missed, constantly going over things I was unsure of in my mind. It was significantly more traumatizing this time around, all because I knew what I did and didn't miss.<br />
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Upon receiving my score, the feeling was horrible. It was almost as bad as realizing I wasn't going to be able to start Medical School this year. That every single school I had applied to did not find me worthy. That somehow intellectually I do not measure up to anybodies standards. I just turned 34 this year, and the thought of spending another year in exile from the path that I am convinced I should be walking, sounds like a death sentence. I am reminded of Moses and the nation of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years How many years will I wander before I reach my promised land? I have already wandered these last 5 years gathering pre-requisites one class at a time. One of those years of exile was a year of rejection.<br />
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So now we come upon this year, and a new application cycle. I decided to apply early decision this year. It represents a huge risk to me, because early decision means I am selecting only one University and declaring my intention to them to ONLY go to their school. I cannot send applications to any other school until I receive a rejection letter from my early decision application. This would happen by October 1, which means my applications would be going out late, putting me behind the curve for the rest of those schools.<br />
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Why did I take such a risk? I did the math. For some reason it comforts me. There are some aspects of my life in Engineering that I will never get away from. I only received an interview invite from one University last year, so that is the one I chose to investigate. I discovered that if I apply early decision I have a 37% chance of getting accepted versus only a 4% chance of doing a regular application. If I get an interview invitation my chances of getting accepted suddenly jump to 60% in early decision, versus 37% for a regular application. <br />
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So come August I will find out if I will have an interview or not. Until then I continue to second guess myself. Why did I work fulltime during my undergrad? I could have had a better GPA if I didn't. Why did I major in Engineering, instead of Theater? I could have had a better GPA if I did. Why didn't I sign up for a Master's program as a contingency plan? If I get rejected, yet again, it will be another wasted year. I find that I learn all too many things in retrospect, after it is too late. I wish I wasn't like this.<br />
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In other news I will be uprooting my entire life to move halfway across the country. My wife has been accepted to a Master's program for Clinical Research, and I decided it would be better to give up my career to keep our family unified than try to maintain a "long distance" marriage. Some of this hasn't been easy, but the process of relocating, of having to solve a myriad of life problems on a tight deadline has drawn my wife and I closer together than before. Sometimes I feel like things need to be shook up, that we need to be broken out of our routine so that we have an opportunity to rely on each other more, and build our trust in each other even more. <br />
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Some days I find it exhausting to be the one who has to carry the load, both financially and emotionally. Often I want to quit and say I have had enough, but how can I when this empty gnawing feeling of unfulfillment will just remain and grow even greater? I cannot allow my current misery spill over and ruin the hope I have for the future, for that is really the only thing that pushes me to move forward. Then there are the expectations of my family. How could I fail them, when I have already put forth so much effort? I don't think I could bear to look my wife in the face, to see the pain in her eyes.<br />
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I am very grateful for my wife, I don't deserve her. Even though from the outside it looks like I am the one "bringing home the bacon", the great Software Engineer making big money, while she merely studies; the truth is I see the effort she puts forth, I see the tears of frustration she cries, the resolve she has, the passion she fights with, the organizational skills she possesses, the brilliant mind she puts to use, her patience to see things through, the strong character that allows her to stand up after several crushing defeats, and secretly think to myself that I am way out of my league. Nobody is as lucky as I am. <br />
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I feel like we have been successful because she puts forth effort every day so she can please me, and I get stuck every day doing my best to please her. I think that as long as we both keep putting each other ahead of our own personal desires we are always going to have a wonderful marriage. The worst times I can remember have been when I got stuck on myself, instead of following that intrinsic Universal paradigm, that law of nature more reliable than Gravity, where I should love others more than my self. How much moreso should I love my wife then?Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-23916046689002797302013-05-21T08:54:00.001-07:002013-05-21T08:54:57.154-07:00Coming Back to Society<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fit50.info/images/geb_ethiopia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fit50.info/images/geb_ethiopia.jpg" height="320" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Haile Gebrselassie - Probably my most favorite distance runner of all time</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For the last two weeks I have been silent, but I have not been idle. I decided to take a two week vacation from work so that I could spend my final run into the MCAT in total isolation. Like the ancient Taoist masters who would retreat to a remote mountain cave to contemplate the Universe, I too felt compelled to divorce myself completely from society so that I might finish my preparations unimpeded.<br />
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During those two weeks I had a Biochemistry final that was soul crushing, but I did well. I was pleased by that. Somehow I also managed to do a practice MCAT and review it every day. I did not do exhaustive review, but rather re-read each question and determined whether I "guessed", accidentally got it right, or if my thinking was correct. This seemed to be an efficient method for me to find where I was deficient in my knowledge.<br />
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Much to my chagrin, I could not score over an 11 on the Verbal Reasoning sections, no matter how hard I tried. There always seem to be several illogical choices that the test writer insists is the "most logical" answer. Most of the time, after reading their explanation I could see why they chose the answer that they did, but in some instances I wasn't convinced.<br />
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On Saturday I took the test and I was extremely nervous. All that effort for a mere three hours of my life. Much to my surprise, I started to panic on the Biology section when my mind when blank for no reason. Fortunately I was able to take a breath, regroup and get back on track. That was a scary moment. Even post test, I feel like I did not do as well as I could have on the Biological sciences section. That really annoys me, since I was counting on it to help buoy my score. On the flipside, I felt more comfortable in the Physical Sciences section than normal.<br />
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Objectively I know that I did better than the last MCAT, but how much better? I will be devastated if it is only one or two points. If it is three or more points, then I will consider it to have been a success. Running into the test, I was averaging a 32 on the practice tests, and my highest was a 35 on one test. I think that realistically I can reach 33 if I didn't make any stupid calculation errors in PS, and I managed to see through the logic traps on VR. We shall see in thirty days.<br />
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For now I have decided to enact plan B of my journey into medical school. The last 9 months have been very trying for me physically. I would usually sit at work for 10 hours, after which I would go home to study for another 3 - 4 hours. I have gained at least 30 pounds, and I do not feel like I am presentable to an interviewing committee. To remedy this I am going to start my Triathlon training plan over again, while also doing a juice fast for the first week. The triathlon training will serve to replenish my overall health, while establishing a strong energy reserve, while the juice fast will be to reset my metabolism. I feel like endurance training will consume more fat than HIIT. I just have to be able to manage the increased food cravings that are inevitable with that type of training.<br />
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Tomorrow I will input my initial body stats, and maybe a picture to help publicly shame me into following through, although I don't know how violently the general public will react to my hideous form >:] I am excited to be able to exercise again, and to be honest...endurance training is sort of apropos to my path into Medical School. The journey is far, but if you take a measured pace you can reach your goal!Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-7857589209982583292013-04-24T07:46:00.002-07:002013-04-24T07:47:30.791-07:00It is Springtime!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIedlBCG_uvbdbQU5ztY0BoL6it-OtwE1Fo7n6fiuIrAzIvvto6RMa_kyqmwSRKU9eIFYbBDZfQyLPsXLEunFne-AWEQJ_QaThUd1cqAnG2pyv1UngwplBOaRYtoSX7hq3UFhFf2xvOnl/s1600/Compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIedlBCG_uvbdbQU5ztY0BoL6it-OtwE1Fo7n6fiuIrAzIvvto6RMa_kyqmwSRKU9eIFYbBDZfQyLPsXLEunFne-AWEQJ_QaThUd1cqAnG2pyv1UngwplBOaRYtoSX7hq3UFhFf2xvOnl/s1600/Compare.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Week Comparison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I thought I would switch up from posting about my medical journey to talk about a little side-project I have been working on. Every spring I usually get excited and want to plant a garden. It always goes well until three or four weeks later when weeds have sprung up, or a long dry spell comes through and inevitably wipes out my feeble efforts.<br />
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To be fair, I don't generally have much time to focus on gardening so the elements will have their way, whether it be the rapacious squirrels who always eat everything I try to plant or last year's heavy drought which sucked my plants dry. The only thing I have had real success with have been my grape vines. Those hardy plants grow despite me, which is a good thing.<br />
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This year I was planning on avoiding the garden altogether until I read a blog about hydroponic gardening. The author talked about how he preferred it, because he could control everything and more importantly he didn't have to deal with bugs or weeds. As soon as I saw that I was already 95% interested in what he had to say. I don't know whereas I could adequately summarize what I learned in that blog, so I recommend you head on over to <a href="http://hydroponicworkshop.blogspot.com/">Hydroponic Workshop</a> and start reading from his first post. He takes a very scientific approach to his hobby and has debunked a lot of the myths that have been circulating about growing vegetables hydroponically.<br />
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I think that hydroponics has been unfairly treated due to the many associations with illegal production of Marijuana. If you think about it, in order to maximize their profits, those engaged in such an activity are looking for the easiest and quickest way to get their product out. If that is not an endorsement for hydroponics I don't know what is.<br />
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As for me, I bought a simple set up and planted a tomato plant two weeks ago. I didn't know how it would go, because I don't plan to spend much time with it, however I have been very surprised by the results. If you look at the picture above you will see a "before and after" comparison of when I started. In only two weeks that tomato plant has outpaced the pepper plant next to it, and I have run out of grow space since it has already reached my grow light. Luckily I can move it outside this week since we will finally have some temperatures in the 70s, with no chance of freezing.<br />
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I am having trouble deciding how I will proceed from here. I am tempted to plant that tomato and put more plants into the hydroponic setup so that they have a quick growth boost before going into my garden where I can set up a trellis and let them fruit. This is opposed to letting the plant sit for it's entire lifecycle in the hydroponic setup. The negative part to this approach is that there are only four spots for planting.<br />
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I am also considering building an "ebb and flow" system, which would give me much more space to do pure hydroponic growing. This is an attractive idea to me, and I have learned (from the blog I mentioned above) that this can be accomplished for a fairly cheap price. Once I have taken the MCAT, I will have an abundance of free time that I plan to use to decompress initially, before going back to volunteering and hopefully doing some research. Rounding out this years garden looks like it will be my top priority.<br />
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After three years of substandard results, I was ready to give up. Now I am excited about gardening again. I can't wait to see what I can do!Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-30355784166819758502013-04-22T08:38:00.001-07:002013-04-22T08:46:40.474-07:00MCAT Update & Study Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://premedfaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/5220615809_95701884a4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://premedfaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/5220615809_95701884a4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I originally planned to take a follow up practice MCAT last week, but I was derailed by a Biochemistry test that was more pertinent to study for. After finishing up with the Biochem test, I was able to return to my original plan, so I continued my regular weekly study schedule and then took my practice test on Saturday.</div>
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This time I decided to go with one of the AAMC practice tests, since these tests are usually the most predictive of how you will do on an actual MCAT. This time around the test did not seem nearly as difficult as the Kaplan diagnostic I just took. When I finished I was pleased to see that I scored a 33. To be honest I was still a little upset by this score, since I thought I would score a 35 - 37.</div>
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When I reviewed the content I found out that the majority of the questions I missed were not due to lack of knowledge. Several of the questions I missed were because of some really stupid calculation errors. A few others were because I misread the question. This is good to know, because these are things that I can resolve quickly within the amount of time I have left. I believe that if I had not made those avoidable mistakes, I would have scored at least a 35.</div>
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My final analysis of that Kaplan diagnostic is that it is off-the-charts difficult. There is no reason that there should be a 10 point disparity between an AAMC practice test and the Kaplan diagnostic. The diagnostic did serve one good purpose, and that was to frighten me enough for me to reevaluate my study techniques and make a few changes. </div>
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If you are planning on taking the MCAT, I would like to share with you some advice that has helped me prepare. I have tried many different approaches, and after making quite a few mistakes I feel like I am on the right path to a high score.</div>
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<h3>
<u>Finish the Core Curriculum </u> </h3>
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My recommendation is that if you plan to take the MCAT you
should not even think about it until you have finished the following
courses</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>General Chemistry 1 & 2</li>
<li>Organic Chemistry 1 & 2</li>
<li>Principles of Cellular and Molecular Biology </li>
<li>Microbiology</li>
<li>Physics 1 & 2</li>
</ul>
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There
are also two other courses that AAMC says aren't necessary, which is a recommendation that I have recently come to disagree with. After having taken
Anatomy & Physiology and Biochemistry I suddenly find the Biology
section of the MCAT, which has always been my weak point, coming into
focus. You would do yourself a huge favor if you added these to your
pre-MCAT list of courses to take. </div>
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<h3>
<u>Prepare with Adequate Review</u></h3>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
There is an essential component of preparation that everyone has to do when studying for the MCAT. To prepare myself I chose to use the Berkely Review prep course materials. There are several test prep companies such as Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Exam Krackers. When I was doing my initial research, I discovered that a lot of the guys who scored high and wrote a "<i>how to study for MCAT</i>" used the Berkeley Review materials as their core, while supplementing their study with material from the other prep companies.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first, and probably most important step, is to simply slowly and methodically work your way through every subject and make sure you really understand what is being presented. I would also like to mention that these materials are a very condensed presentation of subject matter that you should have already covered in your undergraduate course load. I made the mistake of taking the MCAT the first time without having finished 4 of the main core required courses. This was an extremely stupid mistake, and led to my demise on the first test.</div>
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<h3>
<u>Identify Your Weaknesses</u></h3>
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<br />
Once you have worked your way through all of the prep books, then the hard work begins. You now switch from reviewing, assimilating and understanding information, to working on your instant recall, test taking skills, and identifying key weaknesses in your basic knowledge. I believe that the way you approach this portion of your preparation will be the difference between a 30 and a 35+ on the MCAT. </div>
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This has probably been the most difficult part of the process for me. I like the studying, and I like understanding the material intimately because I feel like I have a more profound understanding of how the Universe works. However, I become irrationally angry when I miss questions. I don't know why, but I take it really personally when I miss something. If you are like me, then you really have to approach each study session with humility, ready to miss every question, ready to set aside your ego to plow forward, otherwise you will find many excuses for why you just never get around to it.</div>
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Another mistake I have made during this phase of preparation was slamming through questions with the idea that "<i>the more questions I see, the better prepared I will be</i>." That is only half-correct. It is true that the more questions you do the more variety of questions you will have encountered so you will be less surprised by such a question on test day. The true point of running through so many passages and answering thousands of questions is to reveal to you where your major weaknesses are.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The main point of doing so many questions is so you can show yourself just where you don't measure up. This year I decided that in addition to doing thousands of questions I would also review every single one to see if I answered correctly because I knew the answer, or because "I got lucky". I also decided to find out why I was missing certain questions. If it were due to a lack of knowledge then I have been forcing myself to go back and re-read the sections I am weak in. This has resulted in a remarkable increase in my knowledge and confidence.</div>
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<h3>
<u>Fill the Gaps</u></h3>
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You cannot memorize every single tidbit of information, but hopefully by this point in your preparation you should have noticed that several tricky things seem to keep recurring, that cause you no end of trouble. The things I have struggled with have been; quick calculations, hormones and their corresponding organs, light spectrum questions, and chemical reactions. Here are a few things you can do to quickly plug some of those holes.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1VIlMmFJVvgvZSZ1PAUnSNDb_wkafEz5gFjo4qLyWhd3hBdx_RJO_-l5HfRLhOMAHq2jQtENCAsLQxWduIVNRZcwoNfNuF8JlFM0OLhUSzZkvZ2VFHVhczTeh3zJns075h9bey1fvo9L/s1600/IMG_20130406_120923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1VIlMmFJVvgvZSZ1PAUnSNDb_wkafEz5gFjo4qLyWhd3hBdx_RJO_-l5HfRLhOMAHq2jQtENCAsLQxWduIVNRZcwoNfNuF8JlFM0OLhUSzZkvZ2VFHVhczTeh3zJns075h9bey1fvo9L/s1600/IMG_20130406_120923.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Study Whiteboard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Note Cards - I always cringe at note card use, because I have never needed it before. I have had a change of heart, because they do serve a very specific purpose if they are used correctly. I stupidly bought some "MCAT Prep Notecards" from some company, that I have never used. Instead I have found that they are most effective when you find a formula or simple relationship that you totally bombed on, so you put that on a notecard so that you can review it in your down time. This is my opinion, but notecards only work if you fill them out yourself.</li>
<li>Mnemonics - I always thought these were childish, but now I see how awesome they are. All information is encoded in language and a mnemonic is an extremely efficient way to recall information you already know, but had trouble dredging up in the past. The best mnemonics I have found so far deal with light, and hormones. ROY G. BiV (Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Violet), etc.</li>
<li>Estimation Techniques - Every single prep book offers techniques on how to round to an easier number to make math quicker and give you a reasonable estimate of the answer. I have been trained as an Engineer so I was quite resistant to this idea. We are taught that a lack of exactness will lead to disastrous results. Breaking this habit was difficult but rewarding. Questions that caused me to sweat before, don't really stress me too much, and I generally finish the Physical Sciences section with plenty of time remaining. I also like to use a small dry-erase board/markers while I am studying so that I can quickly jot things down, or work through a math problem. I think it is way better than using a notebook, saves time, and simulates test day (you won't have previous notes jotted down to refer to).</li>
</ol>
<h3>
<u>Practice the Test</u></h3>
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<br />
The only thing left now is to practice taking the test. Take as many timed practice tests as you can, so that on test day the 3 blocks of question will be just like another day of study. If you are planning on taking the MCAT, I hope that the many mistakes I have made will help you prepare in a more rational manner so you can achieve a great score the first time. </div>
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As for me, I will sit for this exam again on May 18. I will let you know how it turns out so that you can see whether or not my advice is worth taking. Until then, lets keep studying! </div>
Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-28274957279307196222013-04-16T09:13:00.001-07:002013-04-16T09:31:31.039-07:00Shadowing a Surgeon - Part 1<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hAS8PH1uQzukMllL7dUTH0OjrKkt3hyMC3sT2TytUyofqIAA2RtfZXfYEX7FYW5pYuEjDVlT_93jHn3bGUlLRpbpC4hkKvH5oU0tjKVegS1j68cysPv4hs3VCc5ufV0hEnhshdm3mcwR/s1600/OR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hAS8PH1uQzukMllL7dUTH0OjrKkt3hyMC3sT2TytUyofqIAA2RtfZXfYEX7FYW5pYuEjDVlT_93jHn3bGUlLRpbpC4hkKvH5oU0tjKVegS1j68cysPv4hs3VCc5ufV0hEnhshdm3mcwR/s1600/OR.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is almost an exact replica of the OR I shadowed In</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>NOTE:</b> I am writing this to record my recollection of this event, so it will most likely be a long read. I completely understand if you don't make it through. I feel that it is necessary to write down this astounding experience before it begins to fade from my memory. <br />
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On Friday I showed up to the hospital bright and early to shadow a Neuro-Spinal specialist. I honestly did not know what to expect, and I was a little bewildered by how relaxed they were. When I arrived, I called the department office and they let me in. A few seconds later I was standing there alone and unattended. Knowing I only had about half an hour before I had to meet the doctor, I tracked down a nurse who got me set up with a locker for my belongings and some scrubs to change into. Normally when I go into a new work place, I am used to being micromanaged, followed everywhere and lectured endlessly so as to ensure that if anything goes wrong, they can be assured that I can take the blame. It was refreshing to be given an implicit level of professional trust from the outset.<br />
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Once I was all suited up I wandered around confused, but I found the OR the doctor was scheduled to work and decided I would wait for him there. Fortunately there was a window for me to look in, and I took note of how everyone was dressed. I am glad I did this, because it would have been embarrassing to immediately get kicked out of the OR upon walking in. After looking around, I found a mask, rubber gloves, some shoe covers, and a cloth surgical cap that I promptly donned before walking into the room.<br />
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It didn't take them long to ask who I was and what I was doing there. Of course I went through the litany, "I am a pre-med student, and I will be shadowing Dr. XXXX today." Apparently that was good enough, and they quickly went back to their various tasks of prepping the OR for the upcoming surgery. Soon the patient was wheeled in, a kindly looking elderly woman.<br />
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The nurses were very kind and attentive to her, letting her know exactly what was happening and instructing her as necessary. For me it is always the small details that really stick out and make an impression. I specifically remember one instance where, as the nurse was telling the patient to breath through the mask she set her hand on the patient's arm and lightly patted her in a comforting manner. That told me that this nurse was someone who really cared about what she was doing, she was someone who wanted the best outcome for the patient, and she was still able to display compassion when it was necessary. That is someone I could work with every single day, if I could. To me medicine represents a perfect outlet for my compassion, and to see someone else display this trait so openly made me realize that I am not wrong in making this drastic career change. Maybe many people will think that this is too idealistic and naive of a viewpoint, but I will have to simply disagree.<br />
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After the patient was anesthetized the nurse proceeded to double up the patient's legs, which would immediately straighten out when she let go. After a few attempts she quickly looked over at me and said, "Come over here and help me. You hold her legs, while I put this Foley in." Not knowing what a "Foley" was, I innocently walked over and held the patient's ankles, pushing her legs into a butterfly position. The nurse quickly raised the patient's gown as I now realized what she was going to do. I had a front row seat to see my first catheter insertion, which means I was spared nothing when it came to "presentation" of the patient's body. My first instinct was to look away in embarrassment, but I quickly quenched this sentiment, because I wanted to know how it was done. I calmly forced myself to look on, despite my discomfort, and saw the Nurse quickly and efficiently insert the Foley. It was on the next step of this process, that I was in for a little surprise. Grabbing a syringe filled with saline solution she inserted it into a side valve on the catheter and began to inject. Unfortunately she did make the connection completely and I was greeted with a face full of spray. I thought I would be horrified, but strangely I found the whole event amusing. I have to admit I was extremely happy I was wearing the mask.<br />
<br />
With my participation complete, I resumed my vigil in the corner of the OR, trying to stay out of the way as much as possible. The whole prep took about half an hour before the surgeon made his grand entrance (yes I deliberately made that sound overly dramatic). He greeted his staff in a friendly manner and I was pleased to see that there was a playful banter that existed within the team. I could see that they worked well with each other, and that they enjoyed working together as a team.<br />
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After working in corporations for the last 8 years, I am used to seeing discord, backbiting, false sincerity, and above all avoidance of any sort of responsibility. Here I was confronted with a group of people who were about to take someone's life into their hands. Each one had a very specific role to fulfill to ensure the success of today's surgery. If anything went wrong, there would be no way to obfuscate the mistake with a self excusing email that would pass the blame to some other unsuspecting coworker. They would have to face it, resolve it immediately, and deal with the consequences that would result from it. It was heartening to realize that incompetence could not survive in this environment.<br />
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<a href="http://southbaybrainandspine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/spinal_anatomy_09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://southbaybrainandspine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/spinal_anatomy_09.jpg" /></a></div>
The surgeon soon greeted me and gave me an introduction to the procedure they would perform. There was a 50 inch flat screen monitor on the wall with MRIs of the patient's spine. He showed me where the vertebral foramen on the L3 and L4 vertebrae had closed in, so it was compressing the spinal cord and causing loss of feeling in the lower extremities. Since the spinal cord passes through the vertebral foramen, he was going to enlarge the foramen again, so that the spinal cord would not be constricted anymore. <br />
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To my recollection, the surgery took about two to three hours total, not including the prep time. Several things stand out vividly in my mind. First, the technology that was put to use was incredible. Within the room there were three hanging flat screen screens, that were on moveable arms so that they could be adjusted to give view to whoever needed to see. These were in addition to the 50 inch wall screen I already mentioned. There were two large OR lights, that were in the center of these screens that extended out on retractable looking arms. Within those bright lights was a camera that would give a feed into those screens. So by merely standing in the back, I was still given a front row view into exactly what the surgeon was doing.<br />
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As a preface to describing the actual procedure, I want to describe how I felt at this point. I have never seen a surgery so I had no idea what to expect. More importantly, I had no idea how I would react to this experience. I have heard of people becoming nauseous, passing out, and all manner of other horrible reactions. As the surgery began I have to admit I was extremely amped up on adrenaline. It was all very unreasonable, because it was all self-induced based on my uncertainty about my own reaction. It was like a self-induced recursive reaction (if that makes nay sense at all :P ). To combat any possible adverse effects I made sure to bounce from leg to leg, and to keep my legs slightly bent.<br />
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The vast majority of the surgery seemed to be "digging" through the various tissues to actually reach the site that they wanted to fix. The surgeon used a cauterization tool (a laser scalpel?) to burn through the layers of dermis, and underlying adipose and muscle tissue. The smell of burnt flesh was initially uncomfortable until I forgot about it in my fascination with what was going on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS2acMKTyz960Pgg5ZD6pk3esCypP4Nkn6UaNEULCbPtaPQ1d1mhy7k0H3LBJ0MX1ijvWvtRMoDzmcZjowpypaY413y6EXiMKW0Cr4eVFZopyqwrBAHTbaWXVzBsSEnBrVThCz5N7vmx7/s1600/Diamond-Coated-Ball-Burrs.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS2acMKTyz960Pgg5ZD6pk3esCypP4Nkn6UaNEULCbPtaPQ1d1mhy7k0H3LBJ0MX1ijvWvtRMoDzmcZjowpypaY413y6EXiMKW0Cr4eVFZopyqwrBAHTbaWXVzBsSEnBrVThCz5N7vmx7/s1600/Diamond-Coated-Ball-Burrs.gif" height="145" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diamond Coated Burr Bit</td></tr>
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Once the bone of the spine had been reached a new phase of the surgery began. The surgeon started using a diamond coated bur bit to drill start removing bone. Up until this point my conception of surgery, was that it was very fine and meticulous, but the usage of this tool was savage and intrusive. The rotation of drill, suction, drill, suction, became rhythmic for ten to fifteen minutes as he quickly worked his way through the lamina of the spine. Once he approached the meninges, the membrane protecting the spinal cord, he switched tools from the mechanical device, to a manually operated tool that I am guessing was a Rongeur. Basically it was a surgical wrench for grasping and tearing away bone. He did this so that he would not drill through the membrane, which would have been a huge mistake, and quite the headache to fix. Using this tool, he methodically pulled out bone, piece by piece and exposed more and more of the spinal meninges. Once done with L3, he drilled over to L4 and repeated the process.<br />
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All of this I watched on the monitors, and he periodically spoke up to instruct me on what he was doing. He pointed out specific parts of the anatomy, and thankfully indicated where the head and feet were. It sounds obvious, but if he hadn't done that, I wouldn't have realized that the head and foot were interpolated on the screen (e.g. -- it was opposite on the viewing screen from how the patient was laying on the table.) My only complaint about this procedure was that I was behind the surgery, and he had music going while operating which made hearing what he said very difficult. I feel like I lost some key points of instruction, but seeing as I was just an extra observer the fact that I was able to intrude on their environment and still receive patient instruction is more than enough for me. I am very grateful they allowed me to participate.<br />
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The surgery finished up with a quick and careful closing up of the spine. At various points I noticed the nurses would take counts of the linens used for cleaning the blood, and the needles used for suturing the wound. It was a very organized and practical step, that seems like common sense, but obviously has been ignored in the past seeing as some of those items have been left in patients before.<br />
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Having completed the surgery the surgeon helped re-situate the patient on a gurney to take her to recovery, while the anesthesiologist started to bring her out of sedation. As she regained consciousness I noticed the surgeon had already left the room, and I had about half an hour until the next surgery. I took advantage of the time to run to the lounge and grab a snack, because it didn't look like lunch would be coming any time soon. From 7:30am until about 12:00 o clock I was in the operating room watching the pre-op and the surgery. I didn't know how long the next surgery would be, but I didn't want to miss a moment.<br />
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In closing to this chapter of my shadowing experience I want to recount my final interaction with the surgeon. As he closed up the patient he turned back and asked, "What did you think?" Already experiencing a complete sensory overload my only answer was "That was awesome!" I could see his cheeks raise up in a smile behind his mask and he began to teach, this time I could hear everything.<br />
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"My rule is that the surgery should be fun. The more interesting and fun the case is, the more I want to do it. If I get a referral I evaluate by two criteria. Number one -- Is it fun? Number two -- Is it imperative? If it is yes to both, I'll take the case. If I say no to both questions, I'll refer it to one of my partners...and if it is yes to one or the other I have to decide whether or not to take it."<br />
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Obviously the bit about passing it off to a partner was a joke, but I understood the lesson he wanted to convey. He was promoting a love of your job, enjoying what you do, and taking pride in it. I don't think he understood just how deeply that resonated with me. I will always be grateful that he took the time to pass that one on to me. I was never serious about surgery, because I thought you don't get to spend time with patients....my time with this Surgeon taught me just how wrong I really was.<br />
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Next time I will talk about the second part of my day, and reveal to you just how wrong I was regarding patient interaction. Stay tuned!<br />
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<br />Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-35746876535756497022013-04-11T07:12:00.000-07:002013-04-11T09:07:05.834-07:00Details and more Details<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_SGWZruYcIeK2sCfzamglu5nGK4Bhwqa1uOc022_1aut9UeIcsausebzA7OhSgtHXremAReSzEaiqCOURaT8dVPUfP_BVQzEgfs2A_nYLo9cgz0rhQuI2aNC3aKjvzvBeFqTISk0a9u1/s1600/xray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_SGWZruYcIeK2sCfzamglu5nGK4Bhwqa1uOc022_1aut9UeIcsausebzA7OhSgtHXremAReSzEaiqCOURaT8dVPUfP_BVQzEgfs2A_nYLo9cgz0rhQuI2aNC3aKjvzvBeFqTISk0a9u1/s320/xray.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Often times getting accepted into medical school is distilled down into taking the MCAT and sending in your application. It sounds pretty simple, but there are many details that you have to account for along the way, so that you can ensure your success.<br />
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The current detail that I am running after is finding shadowing opportunities. Last year's cycle I was told that my six years of medical interpreting at the local clinic wasn't a truly representative experience for the American Medical system, so their recommendation was to find more shadowing opportunities.<br />
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I have already exhausted my personal contacts and have been forced to rely on recommendations of friends. This has probably been one of the most difficult things I have had to do. My schedule is very inflexible due to my full time job and the fact that most physicians (that I know) work a traditional schedule. I also find it hard to ask other people favors. I personally would rather be in the position to grant a favor, rather than accept one.<br />
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Fortunately I have been able to rework my weekly schedule into four days of 10 hour shifts, instead of five days of 8 hour shifts. I am now able to pursue a more aggressive plan for securing a steady shadowing gig. The final roadblock for me now, is to find a physician who is willing to let me follow them around.<br />
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<b>Update:</b> Not even an hour after I posted this, I heard back from one of the physicians I have contacted. It looks like tomorrow I get to shadow in the OR at a Neuro Clinic. I am very excited to take part in this. Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-28278263540931687532013-04-05T07:43:00.000-07:002013-04-05T07:44:32.631-07:00If You Climb, You Might Fall<br />
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Last week I took a practice test to see how my preparations were coming and I was not pleased. The final score was....wait for it....a 23. That is one point higher than the first time I took it and six points lower than last year's test. You can imagine, that with the MCAT only 1 and a half months away that caused me to panic greatly.<br />
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There are several ways I can interpret this outcome. I can interpret it to say that I have taken a huge step back in my accumulated knowledge and have forgotten almost everything. However, I don't think this is the correct interpretation. I am positive I know much more than I did last year, so I have to examine the source of the test and where my deficiencies lie.<br />
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In my current preparations I have finished reviewing all but two chapters of the Berkeley Review test prep materials. It is a very dense and difficult review, but I think it is more than adequate to help prepare for the MCAT. The test I took, to show my progress, was a free diagnostic test from Kaplan. I did remarkably poor in the Physics section, and ironically it had a lot of questions from the two chapters I had not finished reviewing. What are the chances that the majority of questions would come from 2 of the 10 chapters that physics covers? I thought that was a little skewed, but I also have to think that on test day, if the same thing happens I would still be screwed so maybe it is a moot point.<br />
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Being a free diagnostic test I did some research on it through Google and found several accounts where someone scored remarkably poor yet did very well on the actual test. I began to suspect that the difficultly level on this diagnostic is much higher than the actual test in order to funnel more people into the Kaplan program.<br />
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With that being said, I still came out with some positives. I plan to take a different diagnostic next week to see if my suspicion is correct. Out of all the problems, there wasn't anything I didn't "know" per-se, but there were several problems that I knew how to do, yet couldn't remember the formula to do what I needed to do. That is definitely something I can remedy, and it is certainly something that is not allowable on test day.<br />
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Because I am a theoretical thinker, I have never put much stock in memorizing huge amounts of information. Since we have such a huge resource of data recall at our very fingertips that sort of exercise is unnecessary if you know how to find and apply theory to the necessary information. In physics I would usually memorize one or two key equations which would allow me to derive any subsequent equations on test day. It saves study time, and if you can derive the equations I believe you truly understand the fundamental concepts more intimately than someone who merely memorized formulae and variables by rote.<br />
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The theoretical approach is no good when approaching a test like the MCAT. Yes, the test is designed to reveal how well you can think critically, how well you can apply information instead of regurgitate it, but when it comes to the calculation portions that is not true, because you do not have enough time to derive and then apply the solution. Part of my past failures can be attributed to my desire to calculate the exact solution to "make sure" I was 100% correct, rather than estimating, answering, and moving on in a timely fashion. The difference in time between both approaches is probably on the order of 1 - 2 minutes per question...which can add up quickly.<br />
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With this in mind, I have decided to use the brute force method. I am simply going to slam as many physics formulas and chemistry reactions into my head as possible so that I will have a quick recall system ready on test day. It is not my preferred method, but I have to admit that when pressed for time it will be an invaluable tool. If I can immediately recall every physics equation, and quickly indicate what type of reaction is taking place I think my physical sciences score is going to shoot through the roof.<br />
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Another thing that accounts for my low score is that this is my first timed passage of my review. I have been taking everything slow and measured up until this point to make sure I truly understand the concepts I am reviewing. Now I am transitioning into the timed portion, and it is obvious that I am simply out of practice with regards to pacing and quickly moving through passages. I did not run out of time during the practice test, but there were four or five calculation question I knew how to calculate, but "marked" for later because I felt pressed for time. I know that practice will alleviate the panic I felt on those questions.<br />
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Next week I am going to post my score for the follow up practice test. If it still sits around a 23, I may have to consider postponing my MCAT date. Until then, stay tuned.Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-12387860322696785252013-04-04T08:27:00.000-07:002013-04-05T07:45:05.152-07:00The Difference Between a Dream and a Fantasy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 449px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 412px;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is This a Dream or Fantasy? Image by Karezoid Michal Karcz</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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As I was speaking to my wife yesterday something very profound flew out of my mouth. At the time I did not give it much thought, but as I mulled it over later I grew to appreciate how significant it was. I think my subconscious was using my effort to comfort my wife to teach me something instead.<br />
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<i>"The difference between a dream and a fantasy is that a dream is realizable."</i><br />
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The reason that statement is so profound to me, is that before I vocalized it, I had never made a distinction between dreams and fantasies. I have a very active imagination and one of my favorite activities is to give it free reign to express itself. I end up thinking along many different paths, oftentimes fanciful and impractical. I suspect that allowing this type of thought is the root of creativity, so I have never wanted to inhibit this tendency. This means that I have always been a "dreamer".<br />
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"Dreamers" get a bad rap sometimes. They are often accused of chasing after something impossible to achieve, something impractical, or "silly". I think that there is a certain level of hypocrisy injected into judgements like this, because children in the USA are often told,<br />
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<i>"When you grow up you can be ANYTHING you want."</i><br />
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When the child reaches a certain age, and starts to manifest their interest in certain areas the litany changes. Soon they are told they should go to college and study something "practical", or they are told that their chances of success in a certain field are too small because of the high amount of competition. I think that such a drastic change in message has a crippling effect on someone who dreams. Forced to settle for something less than their dream, they begin to fantasize.<br />
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I bought into those lies when I began my undergraduate studies. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and worse I had no idea what I was interested in studying so I took the practical approach. I thought about the professions that payed well and were in high demand and decided on Computer Science. That is a pretty safe call, right?<br />
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Fast forward to two years after I graduated and I was absolutely miserable. The realization that a CS degree was essentially meaningless in my chosen profession was a huge blow to me. Technology firms stand by the litany of "Experience over all", meaning if you have enough "experience" on your resume then you must be qualified. I have noticed that this is extremely misleading, because many people have a tendency to lie on their resume. I cannot count the number of "hotshot" resumes I have read, only to be met with incompetence when I performed the interview, or worse yet when I was overruled and was forced to work along someone who is merely an amateur at best. I could never understand why there is such a professional disconnect in the IT industry. Unqualified lawyers are not allowed to practice law, nor are unqualified physicians allowed to practice medicine, yet in IT as long as you put down you have "experience" you are good to go.<br />
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My discontent with my chosen field led me to fantasize. I wanted to hop on a bike and ride across the United States, vicariously living from day to day (<a href="http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/">Crazy Guy on a Bike</a>). I wanted to buy some land and go live off grid, experiencing the freedom that only nature can give you (<a href="http://www.wilderness-survival.net/">Wilderness Survival</a>). I began finding solace in long training runs, with the idea of possibly running a marathon (<a href="http://dailymile.com/">Daily Mile</a>). Inevitably the theme was always the same. I wanted to escape, and I was seeking a way out through ethereal unrealizable fantasies. The fact that they were unreachable only intensified my discontent, and I am pretty sure it ended up drastically affecting my attitude and performance at work.<br />
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I don't know if I can put my finger on it exactly, but a combination of things worked together to galvanize me into finally pursuing a dream. My wife and her father are physicians so I had been learning more and more about the profession through my interactions with them. I soon realized that working as a physician would give my life the purposeful meaning that it was missing, the professionally competent peers I was seeking, and an outlet for my fantasizing mind. On that day, and I do remember the exact day, in 2007 a dream was born.<br />
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I knew that it would take work, persistence, and time, however, I also knew that it was something I could reach if I were willing to work hard enough, and long enough. From 2007 - 2013, I have slowly chipped away at the pre-requisites I needed one night course at a time. Now I sit here, nearly at the end of the road and look back at what I have done in disbelief. I could have never come so far with a fantasy, but a dream...well that is something worth living for.<br />
<br />Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-55771835005766252842013-02-07T08:22:00.001-08:002013-02-07T08:23:30.097-08:00Real Life is My Favorite RGP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNspxvKSqqKQu3AloNC5RnVJTIZJH3TgBXZF3RC7EuWIZ8YMrFf7llOnebABQMY-3Uuv1zImL0iLXj-6knRfjVuH6RUe0Ak43ig4u23R-mH1xauHMlilgF0b5oZkYdJmK-UqfDxWEgEJ8/s1600/ff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNspxvKSqqKQu3AloNC5RnVJTIZJH3TgBXZF3RC7EuWIZ8YMrFf7llOnebABQMY-3Uuv1zImL0iLXj-6knRfjVuH6RUe0Ak43ig4u23R-mH1xauHMlilgF0b5oZkYdJmK-UqfDxWEgEJ8/s1600/ff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNspxvKSqqKQu3AloNC5RnVJTIZJH3TgBXZF3RC7EuWIZ8YMrFf7llOnebABQMY-3Uuv1zImL0iLXj-6knRfjVuH6RUe0Ak43ig4u23R-mH1xauHMlilgF0b5oZkYdJmK-UqfDxWEgEJ8/s1600/ff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNspxvKSqqKQu3AloNC5RnVJTIZJH3TgBXZF3RC7EuWIZ8YMrFf7llOnebABQMY-3Uuv1zImL0iLXj-6knRfjVuH6RUe0Ak43ig4u23R-mH1xauHMlilgF0b5oZkYdJmK-UqfDxWEgEJ8/s1600/ff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNspxvKSqqKQu3AloNC5RnVJTIZJH3TgBXZF3RC7EuWIZ8YMrFf7llOnebABQMY-3Uuv1zImL0iLXj-6knRfjVuH6RUe0Ak43ig4u23R-mH1xauHMlilgF0b5oZkYdJmK-UqfDxWEgEJ8/s1600/ff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNspxvKSqqKQu3AloNC5RnVJTIZJH3TgBXZF3RC7EuWIZ8YMrFf7llOnebABQMY-3Uuv1zImL0iLXj-6knRfjVuH6RUe0Ak43ig4u23R-mH1xauHMlilgF0b5oZkYdJmK-UqfDxWEgEJ8/s1600/ff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNspxvKSqqKQu3AloNC5RnVJTIZJH3TgBXZF3RC7EuWIZ8YMrFf7llOnebABQMY-3Uuv1zImL0iLXj-6knRfjVuH6RUe0Ak43ig4u23R-mH1xauHMlilgF0b5oZkYdJmK-UqfDxWEgEJ8/s1600/ff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNspxvKSqqKQu3AloNC5RnVJTIZJH3TgBXZF3RC7EuWIZ8YMrFf7llOnebABQMY-3Uuv1zImL0iLXj-6knRfjVuH6RUe0Ak43ig4u23R-mH1xauHMlilgF0b5oZkYdJmK-UqfDxWEgEJ8/s320/ff7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After my Bio-Chem class today, it sort of hit me. I really enjoy this daily struggle to try and improve myself. During my class we were going over the kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions and I was really digging what the professor was teaching. Later, as I was driving to work, I realized that only three years ago I wouldn't have been able to even follow the lecture. That was cool, really cool.<br />
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Every day my goal is to be better than the day before, and usually I feel disappointed that I did not meet that goal. When you are stuck in the moment it is easy to lose sight of the progress you are making. It isn't until you look back over a roadmap of months or years when you finally see that all that sacrifice and effort has really paid off.<br />
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Each day we have the opportunity to confront our weaknesses and try to overcome them, which will hopefully lead to a better life. Maybe it is ironic that I consider my weaknesses to be apathy, laziness, and procrastination. My only saving grace is that when I have a goal I really try to run after it, however I feel like those three weaknesses really derail me from reaching my goals as quickly as I'd like. I also have extremely outlandish goals, so if you are on the outside looking in you would think I am an extremely hard worker. I have never really seen it like that. If I compare what I have done to other people, then I would probably look pretty good in that aspect, but personally I still feel like I don't try hard enough. I tend to relax earlier than necessary, and I probably take too many walk breaks during my long study sessions.<br />
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I know that point of view seems obsessive, but it works for me. I am positive that I would not have made it this far if I didn't think like this. There was a time when I couldn't sit for more than ten minutes to study. It was a constant point of frustration for me, because I really wanted to dominate the material. My mind would flip between thoughts so quickly that I would find myself reading a textbook, but in actuality daydreaming about something entirely different. Through daily effort, I have been able to extend this study time to roughly 1 hour blocks. A huge improvement, but still nowhere near what I need it to be.<br />
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I have also noticed that this inattentiveness has also extended itself into my personal hobby, which I could describe as "collecting hobbies". I bet you are wondering what that means. It is a phenomenon that runs like clockwork. I will discover something I find interesting and I will do nothing but that one thing until I have figured it out. I am always amazed by people who gravitate towards one singular hobby and do it for years without getting bored. For some reason once I have it figured out and have been able adequately reproduce whatever that hobby calls for, I am bored and no longer care for it anymore. This has led me to try knitting, cross stitching, home brewing, gardening, woodworking, luthiery, playing various instruments, engraving, calligraphy, creative writing, sports, etc. etc. The list is massive and never-ending. I still wonder why I am like this.<br />
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Another thing I tend to do is constantly examine other people and wonder how they lives their lives the way they do. I have noticed that the vast majority of people reach a certain age and suddenly decide that their life is "good enough". From my observations this generally occurs immediately after High School, upon graduation from college, or after marriage. Lets say the average age is around 25 years old. The average life expectancy for people in the United States is currently 78 years, so that leaves 53 years of a static repetitive non-progressive life. Think about that for just a second. Doesn't that scare you? It blows my MIND when I think about it. What could I accomplish in 53 years if I kept improving every single day?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR0kVSxq6pBr3bPd__TSJ2dht_7E57EbWvKcM449ovgsc86WWPTW8BjoyNxi2cMg7MYHczDQ0R1udstmL37m4DACt-WDJrAHSdrjnKjCK_-3xifTq_ufESJlh3vwOOx4cBWFxPl22mO0Z/s1600/couch-potato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR0kVSxq6pBr3bPd__TSJ2dht_7E57EbWvKcM449ovgsc86WWPTW8BjoyNxi2cMg7MYHczDQ0R1udstmL37m4DACt-WDJrAHSdrjnKjCK_-3xifTq_ufESJlh3vwOOx4cBWFxPl22mO0Z/s320/couch-potato.jpg" width="320" /></a>This apathetic behavior also manifests when people have children. It seems almost counter intuitive to me, that parents give up on improving themselves as soon as they have children so that they can "raise" their children. It is so hypocritical to me when a parent admonishes their child to get an education and be successful, to set goals and improve themselves, yet they aren't willing to do it in their own lives. Living for prime time TV and weekend sports is not my definition of success or happiness. It is merely another form of drug addiction, where you get an endorphin rush by trying to associate with the success of someone who is actually making it happen. <br />
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Entertainment has become the center of our culture and most people are too stupid to even realized how chained they really are. I watched my grandmother spend 30 years glued to a television and when she died she didn't even know who I was. Her brain was turned to mush because she never used it, and her body crumbled alongside. She was hypnotized by the fantasies unfolding before her and could never escape the temptation so that she could be fulfilled in her own life. This mass hypnosis has manifest itself in our society with the various health issues we are currently having. The overwhelming numbers of diabetics, and obese people (not to mention many other health issues) all stems from one singular problem, and that is a problem with lifestyle. Overeating, couch surfing, and inactivity for years leads to this end result. However, when people reach this state, they want to operate under the misinformed idea that they can take a "magic pill" and continue to abuse their bodies. I call this a slow measured suicide.<br />
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I have just realized how long this mind dump has gotten. This will probably be TLDR; for most people, but it's my blog so nyah! Maybe I'll follow up with a part 2, if anyone can stomach it.Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-69763350001503230772013-01-19T10:07:00.001-08:002013-01-19T10:07:57.213-08:00A Different ApproachNow that I am in the midst of studying for the MCAT again, I have decided to reevaluate my approach and make some modifications. Last year when I studied for this test I focused on assimilating as much information, and running through as many questions as possible. This seemed to be an okay approach, but I still did not do as well as I wanted to. This year I have decided to switch my approach. Instead of trying to slam through tons of information as quickly as possible, I will do my review carefully with one thing in mind. As I do the example questions, and practice tests I will extensively study <i>why </i>I have missed each problem and then categorize them into two different categories. <br />
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The first category will be for "silly" mistakes. That label is sort of a misnomer, since any mistake technically isn't silly. I expect to see a pattern emerge for the type of questions I miss in this category. Most likely it will be due to a particular approach, missed conversion or not carefully reading what the question is asking. The second category will be for deficient knowledge. These questions I will have to take, and review the particular subject matter that I am deficient on so that my knowledge base is complete going into test day.<br />
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The reason I decided to do this is because I feel like I subconsciously avoided subjects I didn't like or understand, and I rushed through many questions I missed with the simple explanation of "Oh that was dumb, I should have seen that stupid mistake. I'll get it right next time lol." In hindsight this is not a very good approach to studying for the MCAT, which is a test that purposely gives trick questions to test your knowledge.<br />
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I have already started this approach with my Chemistry review and after getting through 2/3 of the first chapter I am getting problems right, that used to challenge me. This is all because I took the time to really look into <i>why</i> I missed the problem, and then carefully document it. The going is slow right now, but I have a suspicion that these common "tricks" are going to keep popping up again and again. Actually I know they will, since this will be the third time I will sit for the exam ><<br />
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I no longer believe that I am missing any of the fundamental knowledge necessary to take this exam. Now I just need to refine my test-taking skills so that when I go into the test in May, I am ready to take the MCAT as they present it.Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-36706661528817790612013-01-16T09:06:00.000-08:002013-01-16T09:06:18.812-08:00Medical SchoolThis year I worked hard to make it into Medical School, but alas it did not happen. I scored one point below my average this time on the MCAT for a 29. I was pretty happy with that, but I think it was a naive score to "settle" for. Over the last year I have taken more courses, and I feel like I know so much more than before.<br />
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I decided to pick up this blog again more to document my struggle to get into medical school than anything. I have been working towards this for almost five years now, and have been extremely serious for the last two and a half years. I wish I was more serious from the outset, but that is water under the bridge now.<br />
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It is now mid-January and I need to start studying to take the MCAT a third time. Most people have told me that 29 is good enough and that I shouldn't "risk" taking it again. Honestly I am not satisfied with that number and I believe I can do much, much better. Last year I had a pretty good study schedule, but I think I will be even more aggressive this time around. It is going to require a sacrifice of nights and weekends, but I am okay with this.<br />
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The bitterness of getting rejected this year somehow galvanized my spirit into wanting to try even harder. I want to prove to myself that I am able. I want to prove to everyone who thinks I am full of crap, that I am not just "talk". I have made solid steps, but I feel like it isn't enough. The last 2.5 years I have maintained a 4.0 GPA, but somehow I feel like it is "too little too late". Or course that is the self doubt seeping in. <br />
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Last year I recorded a 7 point improvement from my first MCAT. That is a huge difference when you think about it. I know people who have taken the test several times and each time only had a variance of one or two points. With the hard work I have put in over the last year, I feel confident that I can push it up another seven points. That would put me at a 36, which is a score that a lot of the top tier schools would be impressed with. I know my GPA would keep me out of those schools, but my goal isn't ivy league. My goal is to be in Medical School, and I think that is very attainable with what I have already done.<br />
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When I called the admissions board after my rejection I also found out that I needed to Shadow more physicians. Somehow I thought that being a medical interpreter in a clinic was just as good as shadowing, but I was wrong. I am probably most bitter about this "weakness" than anything else in my application. I still find it hard to believe that interpreting between doctors and patients in a clinical environment isn't as good as or even better than simple shadowing. Deep down, I feel like I got shafted on this aspect and I will probably go to my grave believing that this assessment was extremely obtuse and short sighted.<br />
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With that being said, I also have to be practical about the whole thing, so guess what I will be focusing on this year? You got it! I will be shadowing as many physicians as possible. In my next post I want to post a tentative study schedule that I will follow, that will allow me to maximize my time usage and help me attain the highest grade possible.<br />
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Folks! For the next 5 months I am going to be LIVING the MCAT.Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-22705568145405602772012-06-18T07:51:00.002-07:002012-06-18T07:52:16.162-07:00Making ProgressThe MCAT looms close, and as it gets closer I get more worried. Lately I have been averaging a 30 on the practice exams. This is a very solid score, but it is still not at my goal score of 35+. Strangely the difference between a 30 and a 35 isn't that much. Missing just 2 or 3 difficult questions is all it takes. My biggest concern is coming in under the average on actual test day. This happened to me last year, and in a big way. I came in 4 points below the average that I was marking on the practice exams. Even though last year I wasn't ready, and I took the test more to see how it would turn out, it is still a major concern.<br />
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As for my physical training I have stopped completely to focus on my studies. This has been a trying decision, but I know it is the correct one. Although I am very interested in maintaining my overall health, I believe that this short time sacrifice is necessary in order to secure a very real long term benefit. Medical School represents and entire shift in my life. I will be throwing everything I have been doing for the last ten years away, and starting a completely new adventure. I am not interested in broken, failed, or half-fulfilled dreams so it makes sense to me to go all out while I still can.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1F7uSUvGptlqm57kkQEKei1GRtEuzC2-ajW8CbMD411E9V3IYgTRbsmKkoJYJCJKyNmH_RyItTc0mNZ4g24BegGYUC3_FhIZ2eNGHD_uPlH245E8rSLXgxgV9gJQrTqBewHFhTjSwqgfp/s1600/DSC00235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1F7uSUvGptlqm57kkQEKei1GRtEuzC2-ajW8CbMD411E9V3IYgTRbsmKkoJYJCJKyNmH_RyItTc0mNZ4g24BegGYUC3_FhIZ2eNGHD_uPlH245E8rSLXgxgV9gJQrTqBewHFhTjSwqgfp/s320/DSC00235.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My No-Dig bed with Tobacco plants</td></tr>
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I am very interested in horticulture. In my very limited free time I managed to put together a no-dig garden bend and plant some tobacco plants. This may seem counter-intuitive to many of you, especially after having read my fitness and life goals, but hear me out. For some reason I have a love affair with exotic and strange plants. Tobacco falls into that category, especially since it just isn't grown out in my part of the country. I decided to see if I could actually do it, and if I am successful I have several friends that just might appreciate a home-grown cigar.<br />
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I decided to make a small investment in a company called Synacor Inc. on the recommendation of a friend. He forwarded me to the website of a company called <a href="http://inflation.us/">National Inflation Association</a> who have provided analysis on this company. After reading their analysis I decided to take some of my "throw away" money and give it a try. What is "throw away" money you ask? This is a certain amount of money that I am willing to risk and if I never see it again I won't be upset. Since I am no investment guru, and i have heard the horror stories of people dumping their life saving on a "tip from a friend" I decided on a cautious approach. I initially invested at $12.50 and in two days the price of the stock has already gone up to $13.42. What does this tell me? Nothing really, because I intend to see how the stock behaves over several months. The natural human impulse, when seeing such a magnificent increase is to drop more money in, but my rule for investing is "be not emotional", so I will stick with my "throw away" investment. I'll provide an update on this in the near future. At that point I may look like a total fool or a remarkable genius :)<br />
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Finally I have been stricken by an odd interest in luthiery. What is that you may ask? It is the construction of stringed instruments. I have loved and played classical guitar since I was about 15 years old, but I have never owned a proper classical guitar. I don't want to drop the serious money required for a quality instrument so I have toyed around with the idea of building one for several years. The first time I approached it was probably 10 years ago while I was in college. At that point in time I could not find the resources to instruct myself so I abandoned the idea. Now the interwebs has come through in a big way and I see that this is a very doable hobby. Immediately after the MCAT I will be diving into this and seeing what I can come up with. I will post pictures, rants and advice accordingly. Having spent the last year pouring MCAT related information into my brain, a monotonous non-thought provoking hobby sounds like a dream right now.<br />
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As always thanks for reading<br />
<br />Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-74578538310374545472012-03-26T08:12:00.005-07:002012-03-26T08:57:40.373-07:00Getting Back to ItSo I have neglected my posting on this blog, but happily I haven't necessarily neglected my training. With this post I want to give a progress report, and then extend the scope of this blog. Since it won't only be about fitness, but about becoming a better person in general.<br />
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Let's start with the progress report. From that initial post back in 2010 until January of 2011, I trained hard and consistently. I did change my approach, somewhat, to avoid injuries but I saw noticeable improvement as well as a dramatic weight loss. After January, I stopped training for the rest of the year. It was against my wishes, but there were personal issues involved so I did it in the best interest of my family and our peace of mind.<br />
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I proceeded to pack on an amazing 35 pounds which was even more than I weighed before I started training the first time. After gradually hating myself more and more I decided to start up the training once again. Since December of 2011 I decided to have a regiment of running and Chen Taijiquan. The running is for my cardio and the Taijiquan is for leg strength. I will probably return to full Tri training when I have the time, but I am currently reduced to training 1.5 hours a day 3 - 4 times a week maximum. I don't always reach that goal :(<br />
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The second part of this post is to outline new goals I have set for myself and to set up a forum where I can maintain public accountability. One of the reasons my training did not go as smoothly as I wanted to is because I had made the decision to try and start Medical School...at 32 years old.<br />
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You see what I did there? I like to make huge goals for myself. I have to go big or not at all. How can I get motivated if the challenge isn't worthy enough? Anybody can buy a book and get a computer certification, but medical school. Now there is a beastly challenge that I can test myself against!<br />
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Don't get me wrong, this decision wasn't made on the spur of the moment. I might as well give you the whole story, since you asked. My undergrad degree is in EECS, which stands for "Electrical Engineering and Computer Science". I put the emphasis in CS and thought that all my worries were over when I graduated in 2003. Monetarily my worries have been over. The job pays well and has endless avenues for improvement and exploration. Unfortunately I made a grave miscalculation. I didn't realize how boring and meaningless the work in this field would be.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Elevating_depressed_skull_fracture.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Elevating_depressed_skull_fracture.jpg" style="float: left; height: 443px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 270px;" title="Depressed" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I look like this when I am depressed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After years of coming home unfulfilled I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I was faced with a decision. I could either let myself go insane, dragged down by the monotony of the work and the severe depression as a result of the tremendous waste my life was going to, or I could do something radical! The crux of the matter was that I could not see how my life was making a difference by pounding out code every day for some faceless corporation. That feeling was exacerbated when I realized that ALL the work I had done would be re-done in a matter of 2 years or less. So even the footprint of my body of work would disappear and no record of what I had done would even endure as a testament to my "brilliance", collaboration, or contribution.<br />
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These realizations made me start searching. At first I thought I could find peace in starting my own company so that I stood at the top of the ladder and would be able to have an impact on how the business ran and grew. It didn't take me long to realize I am not a business man. I don't think like one, I am not motivated by monetary gain enough to really push for things. I only care about a sexy idea, and once I have developed it I lose interest and want to move on to something else. This is not a good way to grow a business. I was stuck at this point, but after I started volunteering at a free medical clinic as an interpreter the light bulb suddenly flashed on. I could be a doctor! I love to help people, and making their lives better has a much greater impact than writing some faceless computer program.<br />
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Chalk it down friends! My decision was made and Medical School has become my goal. That decision was made roughly 5 years ago. This year, it is finally coming down to the wire. I have finished all of the prerequisites (by taking one night class a semester) and the MCAT is looming in July. The MCAT is my first true hurdle to getting accepted. This test is like the Triathlon of the academic world. You must take everything you have learned about Biology, Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry, and Physics and apply it one 4 hour test.<br />
<br />
Join me as I continue to post my journey to improve both my mind and body. I will keep you updated on my fitness, and my struggles to accrue the necessary knowledge for a future career as a Physician.Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-90580415325059933032011-12-03T14:37:00.000-08:002013-04-18T14:37:28.531-07:00Chapter 3: Airborn Tragedy<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.4585754566483057" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Book: Moon Demon</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.4585754566483057" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Author: Huang Yi </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.4585754566483057" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Chapter 3: Airborn Tragedy</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The sound of splashing water came from the bathroom.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu put on a bathrobe while he waited for Zhuo Chu Yuan to finish
showering. His head looked like it was covered in white dust, which was
left over salt after the sea water dried. After coming ashore, he
revealed his amazing heisting skills, spending little effort to jump a
small car parked on the side of the street. The crafty rabbit took Zhuo
Chu Yuan to another one of his lairs.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
made a long distance call to Chen Wupeng, what a pity that he had
already departed. The apparent hurry to get back to the city had him
lost in thought as he crossed his arms.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
bathroom door opened and Zhuo Chu Yuan walked out using a large towel
to dry her luxuriant hair that was hanging down to one side. She was
wearing a fancy blue japanese style night gown. The front of the robe
had a deep opening revealing cleavage that only accentuated the
exquisite volume of her chest, making Ling Duyu instinctively swallow.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As Zhuo Chu Yuan dried her hair to one side, at the same time she reached her hand out to grab the telephone.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu rushed over and slammed her hand back down.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan coldly looked up saying, "Why did you do that?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Both
of them were standing nearly in the same place, Ling Duyu could feel
the rush of her breath on his face. He was six feet tall, in comparison
Zhuo Chu Yuan would have been petite for a model, but she was only three
inches shorter than him. Standing together as a couple, they would make
an extremely good match. Unfortunately, since both of them were on the
verge of exploding there weren't any romantic thoughts at all.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Letting
out a snort he firmly said, "If you make a call to the police, I
guarantee that within one hour those commandos will be parachuting down
here!"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Without
yielding at all Zhuo Chu Yuan replied, "What kind of proof do you have
to base that on?" She then removed her hand from underneath his.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
laughed in spite of trying not to, "Proof? Their timing in striking was
flawless, they also made clever use of you by waiting for the search
warrant. They were wearing your uniforms, as if they were allies. The
way they finished you off so quickly, if they didn't have precise
intelligence then what am I supposed to believe?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">His
sarcastic way speaking only made Zhuo Chu Yuan more angry. Her face
tightened and she said in a low voice, "I admit that what happened was
not a coincidence, but that does not mean that the police was their
information source."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu shrugged his broad shoulders, "This society values freedom, and as
my guest you may think what you want, but you will never force me to
change my mind."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She replied, "That is not an idea, it is called prejudice."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu respectfully replied, "That group of unwanted guests moved like
thunder, and were well equipped even though they were heavily disguised.
Anyone with a sharp eye could tell they were a unit sent by the
government. The government is well known for their intelligence network,
its possible that Interpol has a mole planted within." Narrowing his
eyes while taking a look at her he said with a grin, "Maybe you are
their mole and are now carrying out the clever ruse of a beautiful woman
inflicting pain on herself to gain my trust."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With
a frosty stare Zhuo Chu Yuan said, "Mr. Ling, please watch what you
say. I have personally promised the Egyptian president that I will
retrieve their priceless national treasure for them. Regardless of any
tricks you try to pull I am not going to quit half-way." She took the
phone without asking him and dialed a number.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The receiver transmitted the sound of a man's voice, "Zhong Yue Han."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Superintendant Zhong, this is Zhuo Chu Yuan."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhong Yue Han cried out, "Director Zhuo, where are you, we sent everyone to look for you!"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan wrinkled her two delicate eyebrows, she was apparently not
happy with Zhong Yue Han's shouting at her, "Don't ask me that! What is
the present situation?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Suddenly
comprehending he gently replied, "Ma Xiu Ming and seven plainclothes
officers were hit with anaesthetic needles. Fortunately the dosage
wasn't very strong. They are already awake, but we are keeping them at
the hospital for observation."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"And the aggresors?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhong
Yue Han awkwardly sighed, "All of them were first class experts. Except
for the two large holes they blew in the house, there is nothing left
of them. Our demolitions expert said they used explosives that are
common in the international market. There is almost no chance of tracing
the original source. The investigation is still underway, but I doubt
there will be any concrete results."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Did you find anything after searching the house?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
immediately responded to her angry voice, "Your organization sent an
expert, Specialist Tan who performed as expected. He discovered a hidden
compartment in Ling Duyu's study just like you said." He went on to
recite a long list of firearm names.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do
not reveal my whereabouts, I will contact you again." As soon as she
hung up the phone she turned around to look for Ling Duyu.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu noticed that she had a different glint in her eye, it seemed to
him that things had taken a dark turn. He didn't know that she had just
got a few helpful cards to play. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan turned the tables. She took hold of the robe and pulled it up
adjusting the chest, slowly and deliberately right in Ling Duyu's face
as she gradually walked towards him.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He wanted to slap her, but he knew he couldn't do that.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When
she stopped walking towards him, Zhuo Chu Yuan said with a charming
smile, "Mr. Ling's house is luxuriously furnished, and you also have a
world renowned reputation as an electronics specialist. That is why I
specifically asked for an electronic specialist to come help us, and he
made some huge finds. In Mr. Ling's study he discovered a hidden closet
in the wall. Inside that closet he found a splendid signal interference
and jamming device installed, that allowed it to evade metal detectors.
It was a extremely admirable piece of work."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu sighed and sat down on the sofa. The arms and ammunition from his
hidden closet were no doubt in the hands of the police. Possession of
firearms were illegal so he was facing heavy charges. Zhuo Chu Yuan was
very fierce and went straight for his weak point.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan walked behind the sofa and layed her hand down while she
whispered into Ling Duyu's ear, "Mr. Ling never had the intention to
cooperate with us, even though we did." Her voice was extremely pleasant
to hear, but Ling Duyu was not in the mood to appreciate such things.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With
a wry smile he responded, "I have always been a good citizen, and I am
very happy to cooperate with the police. How can Miss Zhuo say these
things?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She
lightly said, "I forgot to tell you that I have also been trained as a
CSI forensic investigator. This afternoon as soon as I arrived at the
airport, I rushed straight to the crime scene and made a detailed
inspection. I found a bunch of strange tiny objects. Maybe, as such a
cooperative citizen, you can help me find a firm answer."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Astounded Ling Duyu said, "You have my undivided attention."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"The
five fingertips on the right hand of Professor Xie's corpse were
blemished by little blue paper fibers. Using that and paying close
attention to the shape of his hand, he should have died grasping a book.
I am not sure if my theory is correct."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu smiled, "Director Zhuo is careful and astute. Is there anything
that can be hid from you? There was a journal that I removed." He was
defeated by the news. He could deal with the constant attacks by
escaping immediately, but he would become a wanted criminal chased by a
warrant soon afterwards.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan's spirit was aroused, as she fixed her eyes on him. She patiently waited for Ling Duyu to make a confession.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Suppose
I hand the journal over to you, how will that benefit me?" They had
both reached a point where they could bargain for what they wanted.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With
a cunning smile she said, "If you can help us find the 'magic stone', I
promise that you will not be prosecuted for possessing illegal arms."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Getting
angry Ling Duyu retorted, "That nuisance of a "magic stone"! This is
the first time I have said it with my own mouth, how can I possibly help
you find it?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The color in Zhuo Chu Yuan's face drained, "That is your problem, first hand over the journal."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Still indignant he said, "When we fled the house I activated a destruction device. That journal is now just a heap of ashes."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan anxiously asked him, "Did you read the contents?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Seeing
her anxious appearance, his heart began to cool. He leisurely said, "I
saw about half before your assault interrupted my reading. All so that
you could talk about things that we both already knew."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan couldn't hide her disappointment, "What were the contents of that half?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu noticed she wasn't still trying to coerce him with the illegal
weapons charge. Feeling more at ease he said, "I can tell you
everything, but I am not sure it will be very useful to you. When I was
flipping through the journal I noticed that the last two pages had been
torn out."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Was anyone there before you?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Right now the only clue came this afternoon from Chen Wupeng. He may know something."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan looked at the clock on the wall. It was just after 9:00am, the
start of office hours for the airlines. She opened up the telephone
book and started calling different airlines. After the seventh call the
female secretary immediately responded with, "Mr. Chen Wupeng will be
arriving this afternoon at 3:00pm on flight number 708"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They both sat there in astonished silence.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan finally said, "Miss, how were you able to tell us Mr. Peng's
flight information without looking up the passenger list?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"You were the fourth person to call asking for his information."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"I am a police officer, can you give me more information about the three previous callers"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The secretary mumbled, "Well..."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In an authoritative voice she said, "What language were the phone calls in?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
secretary hesitated before saying, "Of the three phone calls, two were
in English and the other one was in Japanese. They were all spoken
fluently, but..."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"But what?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With
lingering fear in her voice she continued, "The first English phone
call the speaker had a wierd tone, almost as if he wasn't all there
upstairs. After I gave him Mr. Wupeng's flight time he just repeatedly
mumbled, 'Thats very good! Thats very good!' over and over. After a
while I got scared and hung up the phone."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With no expression she said, "What is your surname?"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"My surname is Ma."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan thanked her and hung up the phone.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu looked at her, she didn't want anyone to think she cared about
anything. He noticed a look of concern in her eye, but he didn't hear a
word of what she said. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan picked up the telephone again, dialed Zhong's number, while
she said, "Are you in the mood to take a trip to the airport?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">--------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2:45pm</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The autumn sun peeked into the terminal from the west.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A light breezed danced through the deep blue sky. It was a beautiful day.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Through
the large glass window of the airport arrival gate, Ling Duyu watched
an airplane gracefully descend to a runway that reflected blinding rays
of the sun back to his eyes.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu hid the fact that he was attentively looking around, but the enemy
was concealed very well. He couldn't spot anyone suspicious. He only
noticed a few plainclothes detectives watching him from distant
locations. This was Zhuo Chu Yuan's so called "protection", but they
were also using him as bait to make the enemy reveal themselves. They
also forced him to wear a wire-tap on his body so they could listen to
anything he said. It goes without saying that he was extremely
irritated.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Within
the large concourse camera flashes mixed with joyous laughter. Moving
around excitedly several Japanese tourist from a travel group were
taking pictures of each other. If someone told him that the entire group
were made up of Japanese Bunya Okono members he wouldn't be surprised.
The Bunya Okono easily had that kind of power.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It
was near Zhuo Chu Yuan where he first noticed three people by the
telephones. One had to be a governmental spy, one had to be a Bunya
Okono family member, and the third certainly had to be "M".</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu laughed to himself, who is going to guard him, they didn't assign
enough people for that, it looked like Zhuo Chu Yuan was going to be
defeated by him. At this moment she was waiting on the tarmac. As soon
as the plane landed Director Zhuo arranged a special deboarding so they
could retrieve Chen Wupeng who would be accompanied by several special
police. An elaborate escape plan had already been set up. A bullet proof
car used for dignitaries, followed by two police cars and an escort of
six motorcycles. In addition the honor guard was commissioned to protect
Chen Wupeng as he deboarded. Even heads of state didn't receive such a
welcome.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Flight
708 drew a beautiful arc in the sky as it slowly approached the
airport. It turned toward the runway and began its slow descent. It was
like watching a slow motion sequence in a movie.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu still felt at ease when suddenly his facial color made a drastic change.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
suddenly felt a dangerous premonition. This was the second time in the
day. The first happened at 2:00 am while he was meditating in his
office, and the second had just occurred.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He felt that a major crisis was approaching, but he didn't know what it was.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
quiet runway under the gentle sun extended out, the airplane's landing
gear was lowered, like a large bird extending its wings the airplane
descended toward the tarmac.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All was normal.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But Ling Duyu's hands and feet were ice cold, a shiver ran up his spine.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He knew that a horrendously terrible event was about to happen.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By
now Zhuo Chu Yuan and several heavily armed airport special security
officers were standing to one side of the runway near the airport
terminal, they were all staring at the other end watching the jumbo 747
make its descent. On that airplane was their distinguished guest, Chen
Wupeng who they were waiting for respectfully, he was possibly the only
clue left in the world for this investigation.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She was holding a radio tuned to the pilot and air traffic controller's frequency.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
pilot said, "Everything is smooth, the landing gear is down, start
decelerating and initiate the landing procedure, please report the
runway conditions. Over."</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Runways is open, you are cleared for landing. Over"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Following the transmission there were 34 seconds of silence.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The airplane descended straight to the runway.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan held her breath, the investigation was about to move on to a new stage.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So
far everything had gone smoothly, but suddenly the nose of the airplane
dropped from a 45 degree angle to a 75 degree angle, straight towards
the runway.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan's heart gave a jump as her face turned a grayish white. The
people around her all began to rush to the other end of the runway.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The radio control tower shouted a trasmission, "708, what happened?!"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A
sorrowful voice responded, it still sounded like the pilot but was
strangely different, "Nobody can destroy me, when I have enough strength
I will certainly be back." The transmission continued with wild
laughter that covered up the shouting from the control tower. Then the
sound of struggling mixed with a loud alarm could be heard from the
airplane transmission.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The nearly vertical airplane hit the runway.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the concourse of the airport, Ling Duyu could not believe what was happening before his eyes.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He saw the airplane hit the runway.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"BOOM", a ball of flame instantaneously spread out onto the runway, it looked like a series of continuous detonations.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu jumped up quickly, wildly shouting, "NO!"</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
entire frame of the Jumbo 747 passenger jet disintegrated in the
flames, dense clouds of smoke shot up miles into the sky. Debris was
scattered all around the runway from the staggering impact.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was another explosion and more fire.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In
front of Ling Duyu the concourse windows all shattered. The force of
the explosion was so strong that the glass couldn't withstand the
shockwave.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The airport seemed to calm down before another explosion rocked the foundation of the building.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Following
it was a deafening wave of sound. There were some people who fell down,
some people were scrambling towards the exits, suddenly thousands of
people were thrown into chaos.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu's eyes smoldered, he never thought this would be possible, but it really did happen.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What was this "Magic Stone"?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What power caused the destruction of the entire airplane? </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
sound of fire engines surrounded the airport. Now what? Under these
circumstances it would be a miracle if they could even find a complete
corpse.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Murder! A despicable murder.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It
took Ling Duyu a brief moment to calm down. His many years of
meditation along with repeated life threatening situations allowed him
to be able to quickly steel his nerves and, with an iron will, confront
situations calmly. He had been the first person at Professor Xie's crime
scene and now Chen Wupeng was dead, in the rush to find the 'magic
stone' Ling Duyu was going to be the primary focus.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He had to go.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed that there were people close by all around him.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu shouted out loudly, borrowing some of the inner anger he had built
up. He used this opportunity to melt in to the rushing human tide.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
chaos in the concourse was astonishing, ten seconds before the airplane
exploded the world had never seen anything like this. Men, women, and
children were all shouting frantically, it happened at the airport's
busiest time, while thousands of people were crowded together. When the
impact of the blast wave shattered the glass walls it caused an instant
panic, fear rapidly spread to hearts of the people. There was an
indiscriminate stampede as a result and a mad rush to reach the exits.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The sound of four fire engines approaching only increased the crowd's fear.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This gave Ling Duyu the perfect opportunity to escape.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thousands
of people continually rushed forward, the movement of the human tide
made it even more difficult for enemies to reach him.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu's physical conditioning was much better than the average person,
keeping his body low he drilled into the human tide and worked his way
to a side door he spotted earlier.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ten
yards away from the side door an enemy appeared, a tall well built
solid looking man. He was moving toward him against the rushing tide.
Ling Duyu immediately noticed a glistening black pistol clutched in his
hand.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu called out an apology while at the same time using his shoulder to
hit a stranger in front of him. He knocked him forward causing him to
stumble and fall towards the armed man.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
man lifted his hand up to shove the falling stranger out of his way
while his other hand lifted up the pistol. He was just about to shoot,
but how could have known that Ling Duyu didn't retreat. Instead he
followed right behind the falling stranger.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
armed man's view was blocked, he didn't see Ling Duyu rushing forward
until he finally shoved the falling man out of his way. Amazingly, Ling
Duyu magically appeared and he was only three feet away.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He immediately lowered the raised pistol and took careful aim, but it was already too late.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Even
though the armed foreigner was expertly trained in weapons and hand to
hand combat, something already unexpected had happened. On top of that
he was also dealing with Ling Duyu who was a world-class master.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
was just about to pull the trigger when Ling Duyu shot his hands out
and clamped on to the right hand holding the gun. The man made a
miserable sound as the pistol fell from his hand, his abdomen was
immediately in severe pain because he received a simultaneous knee
strike from Ling Duyu. His body bent over in pain and he was struck by a
second blow to the side of his neck. Everything went black as he
crumbled to the ground.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu defeated the opponent, but he didn't dare to delay anymore. He
quickly rushed through the side door. The river of people around him
continued to move at a furious pace and he moved along with them towards
the concourse exit.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
squeezed himself to the right side of the passage. His goal was to
quickly leave the airport, he originally wanted to take a car from the
parking lot, but it was too dangerous.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
sirens from the fire trucks could be heard all around, it continually
reminded the people of the terrible tragedy that just took place.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While
Ling Duyu was walking he pulled off his yellow jacket, he reversed it
and put it back on now a blue color. He then took out a fake beard with
adhesive and put it on his face. He added a pair of thick glasses that
made him look like he had a severe case myopia (near-sightedness). The
new additions immediately changed him into a scholarly looking
professor. The magnitude of this crucial situation forced him to use all
the means at his disposal. </span>Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-65937897714743567392011-12-02T14:29:00.000-08:002013-04-18T14:30:23.478-07:00Chapter 2: The Moonlight Fugitive<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.4585754566483057" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Book: Moon Demon</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.4585754566483057" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Author: Huang Yi </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.4585754566483057" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Chapter 2: The Moonlight Fugitive</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.4585754566483057" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Next
to the front door was a closed circuit television that displayed an
automatic camera. A man and a woman were standing outside the garden
gate. Behind them were two police vehicles.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu sighed heavily. He had just come back from the police station two
hours ago. Police generally made a house call when they were suspicious
and wanted to keep an eye on someone.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
furnished his house with multiple antiques for a unique style; large
Persian rugs, Taiwanese rosewood, colorful Victorian Furniture, Chinese
calligraphy and painting. Underneath this deceptive exterior was a very
modern system made up of many electronic devices, because he was top
notch at electronics. This computer and weapons expert designed and
installed the entire system himself.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu moved his hand to his waist opening a leather bag hanging on his
belt. Inside was a delicate remote control the size of a box of matches.
He skillfully pushed a sequence of numbers and the loudspeaker close to
the gate began to transmit a raspy noise.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu turned toward the intercom saying, "Officers, is there a matter so
urgent that it cannot wait until tomorrow morning to be discussed?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
young officer, MaXiu Ming, loudly replied in the direction of the
intercom saying, "Mr. Ling, we are sorry to disturb you tonight, but
there have been significant developments in this matter that we find
very strange. To my side is Director Zhuo Chu Yuan, who is in charge of
Interpol's special operations group. She just flew in from Taiwan to
lend a hand in the investigation, and was hoping that she could see you
immediately."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu stretched his hand out with the remote pressing a button. Outside
the iron garden gate opened slowly while Director MaXiu Ming and
Interpol's Director Zhou walked towards the house. After they were in
the yard the gate slowly closed behind them. Beyond the gate the light
shifted the shadows of at least six to seven other police officers
located at different points around the house. Ling Duyu muttered to
himself, "Are the police afraid I am going to flee?"</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu pressed the remote control again and the big wooden door of the
house opened. MaXiu entered first taking the lead and walked over to
Ling Duyu giving him a customary handshake.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Facing
this young officer, Ling Duyu had a favorable impression of him. They
exchanged a few pleasantries before MaXiu Ming moved aside to make the
introduction, "This is the Director of Interpol's Special Operations
Group, Zhuo Chu Yuan."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ever
since he entered the room MaXiu obstructed Ling Duyu's line of sight
and he could not see the person following behind. When he stepped aside
the female behind was revealed. When Ling Duyu finally saw her he almost
whistled involuntarily.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan was informally wearing blue colored civilian clothes. The
mini-skirt displayed her wonderful waist, hips, and legs in such a
perfect way that it would make any man feel that she is at the height of
youthful arrogance and vigor.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Like
a floating cloud, her hair was tied in a small bun. Her skin was bronze
and glossy, with a delicate stiff nose, corners and edges forming a
small distinct mouth, all serving to contrast a charming, moving evil
little deity. What goddess descended like a meteor to stand here?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once
MaXiu finished introducing her, Zhuo Chu Yuan smiled, revealing a row
of neat snow white teeth. Taking the initiative she hurried forward to
shake Ling Duyu's hand.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu secretly pondered this beautiful woman with super model looks.
Failing to become a celebrity would be almost impossible. Why did she
join Interpol, and not only that, how could she climb up to such a high
position.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">However
when he shook Zhuo Chu Yuan's hand he changed his impression
immediately. Her delicate hands were slender and powerful. Ling Duyu
himself was a highly trained first-class fighter. He knew that this
beautiful woman had been strictly trained in martial arts.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan said, "Mr. Ling, How are you?!". Her voice was somber and graceful, with a pleasant sex appeal.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Greeting them both Ling Duyu led them to a reception room with a row of sofas to sit down on.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu sat on one side. MaXiu Meng and Zhuo Chu Yuan sat on the other side.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Both
people fixed their four eyes on Ling Duyu with an intense gaze. It gave
him the feeling that two armies were about to square off in an epic
battle.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu spoke first, "Miss Zhuo just arrived and immediately rushed over. Your hard working attitude is much appreciated." </span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan did not appear to appreciate Ling Duyu's speech. She wrinkled
her elegant eyebrows and coldly replied, "Mr. Ling, on the airplane I
read through your international profile. I know that Mr. Ling possesses
the unique skill set to handle matters such as this one, but the death
of Professor Xie has wide implications. As a representative of Interpol I
would like to ask you, Mr. Ling, for your full cooperation with us."
Her concise and orderly speech was very persuasive.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu was impressed by Zhuo Chu Yuan coming so quickly to the point, but
he would not be persuaded so easily. Although he was only 33 years old,
he had more experiences than the sum of several people would have in
their entire lives. There weren't many storms he hadn’t already
weathered. With a slight shrug he replied, "Is there still something I
haven't cooperated in?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan's ice cold expression remained unchanged, "Mr. Ling, if you
are so cooperative then please hand over the 'magic stone' immediately."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This time it was Ling Duyu's turn to frown as he mumbled, "Magic Stone? What exactly is that?"</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Instead
of getting angry Zhuo Chu Yuan smiled and leisurely said, "Ling Duyu,
before 20 years of age your background is unclear. At 13 years of age
you obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT. The following
year you received a Master's degree from Harvard University with a
thesis paper titled, 'The Relationship Between Egyptian Pyramids and
Astronomy.' At 25 years of age you received a doctorate, the submitted
paper was 'Black Holes and the Age of the Universe'. This established a
reputation of being one of the finest young minds of our generation.
After that you travelled the world working as a self-proclaimed computer
programming expert."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While
she spoke, MaXiu's eyes continued to open wider as if it is the first
time he has heard about Ling Duyu's prestigious accomplishments.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu sat comfortably on the sofa, unruffled, but displayed a disrespectful attitude.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan continued, "This is what the average person knows about Ling
Duyu, but according to reliable intelligence Mr. Ling is involved in
many national movements across the world. It highly likely that he is a
top ranking member of the secret global organization known as 'Alliance
to Resist Violence'. Although this organization is involved in arms
smuggling, hiring mercenaries, assassination, and other illegal
activities, its goal is to assist the soldiers of all democracies in
avoiding confrontations of power. This is why the intelligence agencies
of all the great democracies have only observed and have not interfered
with Mr. Ling's activities. This is the current situation."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan's expressions could change swiftly and fiercely. She used both
persuasion and threats. Ling Duyu was getting in touch with the fiery
side of this beautiful woman.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan revealed a trace of a smile that was unexpectedly moving. She
continued on in a careless tone, "Mr. Ling's skills don't end there. For
example in the knowledge of weapons and unarmed combat he could
probably be ranked as one of the world's top masters. Mr. Ling is also a
master hypnotist. My goodness! I almost forgot that Mr. Ling enjoys
picking and defeating locks." The color from his face drained as she
spoke, "With a person like this, when he found the old man in the room,
after a possible accident, would he be at a loss? Would he just
helplessly wait for the police to arrive?"</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan's refined speech put things in perspective making it difficult to refute anything.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu shot a strong look refusing to yield any ground while Zhuo Chu
Yuan stared directly back. MaXiu had become a temporary bystander.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After
a long period of time Ling Duyu concisely said, "Earlier today I
already told the local police every detail where it should already be on
file. Only in court will I make another statement, otherwise you will
have to forgive me I will not repeat myself again."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zho
Chu Yuan sighed angrily, she appeared to regret Ling Duyu's
uncooperative attitude, "Mr. Ling, perhaps you do not understand the
gravity of the situation. Including the professor more than ten people
have already traded their lives for the 'magic stone'. Interpol formally
accepted the Egyptian president's request last year to investigate. The
first group identified seven people to investigate and track down, but
they all died before they could be reached and the group was forced to
disband. I am in charge of the second group that has taken over.
Regarding Mr. Ling's earlier propensity for justice, this is already a
precious Egyptian cultural relic. From Mr. Ling's earlier response this
item should be returned to the original owner, it would only be the
right thing to do."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan's military strategy was not lacking either, with good communication and quick, flexible changes.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu wondered how he could find the correct words to persuade her,
"Miss Zhuo you are wasting your time, I really do not know anything.
This is the first time I have heard about the 'magic stone'."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan lowered her beautiful face, "I hope that Mr. Ling will not
regret this decision in the future. No one can escape our watchful eye."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a soft voice Ling Duyu said, "Please feel free to search the house when you have a warrant."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan looked at MaXiu expectantly who looked a little embarrassed.
He awkwardly said, "The search warrant should arrive at any time." </span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu was disappointed that as soon as Zhuo Chu Yuan arrived she wanted
to search his house. However to execute a quick search, a warrant must
be obtained which requires certain legal procedures and time. As a
result the rest of the officers cannot legally perform a search of the
property. Outside the gate there was definitely a large group
respectfully waiting for the warrant to arrive so they could begin an
organized search.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu shrugged his shoulders, as he turned over many ideas in his mind
that would allow him to reduce the journal in the desk cabinet into a
pile of ashes. Among his equipment the remote on his waist was the
single most important tool. All he had to do was push a sequence of
passwords and the system would trigger a small fire. There would be no
guarantee that the source of the fire could be determined afterwards.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The three people temporarily sat in silence.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The sound of cars floated into the house. Ling Duyu estimated it to be at least three approaching vehicles.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why were there so many people?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MaXiu
Meng seemed to have the same sense of doubt as he pulled a radio out of
his pocket, "Police Head 0137, Who is approaching? Over."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A voice transmitted in response, "They have ministry credentials, and brought the search warrant. Over."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Scowling MaXiu Meng replied, "Only permit one of them to enter with the search warrant. Over."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He was also extremely cautious, as the other side gave an acknowledgement.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MaXiu Meng turned to Ling Duyu saying, "Mr. Ling, please open the gate."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu did not use the remote control hidden within the leather pouch on
his belt. In front of the sofa was a small tea table. On top of the
table was a control box with a row of switches. Ling Duyu pressed the
right-most switch and the outside gate automatically began to open
slowly.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Standing up MaXiu said, "Mr. Ling's accommodations are refreshing..."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He did not finish what he was saying as he left the room, moving towards the front door.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu suddenly felt alarmed. His keen hearing told him that a total of
three people were entering into the house. MaXiu clearly ordered only
one person to enter a moment ago, what happened?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Startled into awareness he jerked his head up. At the same time he began typing into the remote control on his waist.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At
that exact moment a long needle entered MaXiu's left cheek. His body
slugglishly dropped to the floor. It was an anaesthetic injection!</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Three foreigners entered the room, each of them holding a small shiny black pistol.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu fought many battles and he had a %100 sensitive response. As soon
as he pressed the remote control the entire house fell into darkness. He
immediatly twisted his body and threw himself behind the sofa.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Several
sounds rang out. Ling Duyu knew that the sofa shielding his body had
already been hit by no less than four needles. This was an extremely
formidable enemy.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
slightest noise couldn't be heard from outside. It appeared that the
waiting police officers had already quietly fallen to the enemy. As he
switched the lights off in the house, he thought he saw Zhou Chu Yuan
spring into action at the same time. He wondered if she had enough time
to avoid the needle attack.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another
button was pushed and a rumbling sound began to come from the glass
wall. On the outside hatches began to close sealing the house even
further, blocking out the glimmering moonlight. Now, even if you held
your hand in front of your face you wouldn't be able to see your five
fingers.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Complete Silence.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">No one dared to make the slightest sound, for fear of becoming the target of many needles.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Outside the front door and the big garden, the giant gate closed</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu was fully aware that the situation was most advantageous for him. Nobody was more familiar with the house than him.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The only distressing thing, was that all his weapons were stored in the wall of the study within this dark house.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu gradually began to crawl backward over a rug, which cancelled out
any noise he made, allowing him to noiselessly escape. He must take
advantage of the unsteady enemy position to escape to the second floor.
Judging by the facial expressions and by what the three men were wearing
it was higly likely they came from a government commando force. If his
estimation was correct, Ling Duyu thought that if he used his boldness
and skill to somehow escape and live another day, it would already be
something to brag about. Fortunately coming from outside the house they
did not know that the total number of people including Zhuo Chu Yuan was
only two. In order to deal with the current situation of modernized
equipment they would have also needed the strictest military training
for raids. Their attack effectively became futile.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Halfway up the stairs to the second floor Ling Duyu stopped all movement.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A
light delicate fragrance floated to his nose. It was Zhuo Chu Yuan's
perfume. She must be nearby. Ling Duyu was willing to bet she had a
pistol in her hand. It would be difficult to distinguish between the
enemies and himself. If he allowed himself to get shot now everything
would be in vain. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Immediately
he had an idea. He pressed the remote control and a tremendously loud
noise began to shake the room. Ling Duyu heard someone closeby gasp in
alarm. First Ling Duyu used the remote control to angle the speakers and
turn the volume all the way up on his stereo. He then pushed the "power
on" switch which caused the stereo to start playing at full volume.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was pitch black inside with a deafening noise</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Everything was thrown into chaos</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The enemies were stumbling into objects. They were in total disarray.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu shouted to clear the way, "Its me, Ling Duyu!"</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He heard Zhuo Chu Yuan three feet to his left let out an "Oh!" of surprised recognition.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
soon as he heard her, Ling Duyu approached rapidly with his hand out
searching. He bumped into Zhuo Chu Yuan's shoulder and took the
opportunity to follow her arm down and grab on to her smooth white hands</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan was subconsciously relieved when he grabbed her hand. She
didn't know until then, that only Ling Duyu could lead her out of that
dark place. This was the first time she had encountered such a sudden
change.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu led her to the steps of the staircase. She fell down several
times, but with the deafening sound of the music, who would be able to
hear such an insignificant bump compared to the singing?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
two of them continued to tiptoe up the stairs towards the second floor.
The deafening music didn't seem to diminish at all as they moved up.
Ling Duyu feeling troubled in his heart, pulled Zhuo Chu Yuan forward
with all his strength. Strangely Zhuo Chu Yuan displayed extraordinary
agility and was able to follow him closely. She quickly figured out the
curve and angle of the winding staircase.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A
brilliant explosion of white light came from the room below, flashing
into their eyes. The sudden change from complete darkness to a brilliant
light left them temporarily blind.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Flares!</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*
Note: For those of you who don't know a flare is basically a chemical
burning torch. Generally the police use them during night accidents to
help direct traffic.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If Ling Duyu had any suspicions before, they were gone now. The enemy were definitely a military commando unit.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was no precious antique in existence that should make a group like this strike in such a manner.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Just as their eyes began to adjust to the bright light, they both reached the second floor.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu keyed in on the remote again. A solid iron portal slid shut at
their feet closing off the stair entrance to the second floor. This
equipment that took a thousand days to plan and install was used all in
one day. The iron portal would repel the soldiers pursuing on the
staircase below. There was finally calm on the second floor, but
probably not for long.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu turned the lights on. The indistinct music playing downstairs suddenly stopped.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shaking his head he said, "Those military types don't appreciate good music."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Under
the light, Zhuo Chu Yuan's face was a little pale. The enemy's
unexpected attack caught her completely off guard. When she heard Ling
Duyu's joke she gave him a withering stare. That was before she realized
she was still grasping his hand.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Forcibly she shook off his hand.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu said cheekily, "Miss! Don't burn your bridges so quickly,
everything is just getting started." Planting his feet firmly on the
ground he continued, "They can come up from here." He was not being
sarcastic, since the house was not made of iron and steel so how could
it defend against a well-prepared army?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
conversation had not ended before the noise of an explosion rang out,
the entire second floor shook violently. A blast of wind rushed in as
both of them lost their footing, they fell to the floor together.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dust
and the pungent odor of explosives filled the entire floor. The sound
of windows shattering could be heard from every corner of the house.
Ling Duyu's peaceful retreat turned into a battlefield.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">His earlier speech turned into a fulfilled prophecy. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
time Zhuo Chu Yuan responded quickest, she shoved Ling Duyu who was
lying on top of her firm but delicate chest. The scene looked like a
scared cat shooting upwards.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was a metal impact.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu jumped up, with a faltering voice said, "Grappling Hook!". It was an essential tool that is used in mountain climbing.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
could not take on the enemies now, because they could be anywhere after
exploding a big hole. Dragging Zhuo Chu Yuan behind him they dashed
wildly towards the roof. Everything they saw was littered with dust, and
jumbled in confusion.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu keyed in a password on the remote control, activating the automatic destruction device in his desk.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After 100 seconds everything in the desk would be incinerated in a ball of flame.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was no other choice.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Finally fresh air, as soon as they breathed it they felt as if their spirits were renewed.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The sky was bright with the moonlight of the crescent moon. It was ten days until the mid autumn festival.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It
had been two years since the completion of the house, at that time he
had a blue hang glider installed on the roof. As a professional weapons
expert this hang glider quickly became part of his plan to escape from
the mysterious soldiers. He never had to use it until this day.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu helped Zhuo Chu Yuan into the glider and strapped her securely in.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan urgently said, "What are you going to do?" She was filled with
concern. The glider was outfitted to carry one person, but both of them
needed to escape.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With the moonlight strangely reflected in Ling Duyu's eyes he said, "So, you are actually very concerned for me."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan angrily shut her mouth tightly, turning her head to the side.
That son of a bitch was about to die, and he still treated her with
disrespect.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Attached
to the base, on the frame of the hang glider, were three wheels
situated on top of three long rods. The rods hung down and extended from
the roof at a 30 degree angle making a runway for the glider. It was an
ingenious design.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That night the winds were blowing strong.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The distant city and harbor sparkled magnificently under the moonlight. It carried an alien beauty.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Unfortunately this wasn't the time to be admiring the moon.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tight
steel pins tightly held the glider to the steel rods. Previously Ling
Duyu often worried that there wouldn't be enough steel rings for the
glider to take off, but with the tremendous winds there might be too
many steel rings, causing the glider to be ripped away from line before
reaching the end.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The glider was straining to be free.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Soon
the glider would start to roll down from its high perch and slowly
accelerate until it would dive from the roof into the night sky.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A
second explosion rang out. The iron door to the roof, which was tightly
shut, flew out hitting the railing with a noise so loud that it would
be enough to rob anyone of their courage.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu shouted wildly as he pushed with all his strength. The glider
suddenly sped up, grinding loudly as it slid to the end of the rods.
Right then Ling Duyu showed his uncanny skill, as soon as he reached the
edge of the roof he jumped with both feet. He looked like a pouncing
leopard. With both hands he reached out and tightly grabbed on to the
base of the glider.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two people glided off into the night sky.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Facing the roof, Ling Duyu saw figures moving.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another
explosion came from the office. The auto destruct device had completed
its task. Now there was no trace of Professor Xie's journal.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the blink of an eye the house changed from the size of a box to a small black dot.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Since
the day he was born, he had never lived in a house for more than two
years. He lived here for 18 months in relative peace, but in the end he
couldn't maintain it.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Using
his strong waist Ling Duyu moved his feet up into the hang glider's
frame support, reducing the workload on his arms. He was now facing Zhuo
Chu Yuan underneath, she was on top. There wasn't much room in the
frame, so their bodies fit snugly together. They were so close they
could feel each the other's breath on their face.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A
blast of wind scattered Zhuo Chu Yuan's hair, sending it into Ling
Duyu's face. The contact made his face itch, unfortunately he didn't
have a hand free to scratch it.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan could not withstand the close intimacy, she shut her beautiful eyes tightly, nature had slowly taken its course.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The glider moved at an incredible speed as it swooped down towards the broad harbor.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu impulsively wanted to offend this arrogant and beautiful woman. He
wanted to evoke such a response that she would open her apricot eyes,
but he finally gave up this attractive idea muttering, "I guess we were
lucky. Those madmen forgot to bring missiles."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan seemed to be indifferent, her fate had been delivered into his hands.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
glider, the life saving bird, banked steeply. Ling Duyu was constantly
correcting the angle of the wings in order to avoid flying into the
surrounding skyscrapers. Most likely they would die on impact.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The glider was specifically designed for one person, overloaded with two people of course it wasn't as easy to control.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">His
goal was at the foot of mountain on the harbor. He was very grateful
that at one time he had been fanatical about this sport.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They flew straight down the coast next to the buildings until the harbor slanted 30 degrees.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
glider welcomed the sea breeze as it filled both wings, a graceful arc
was drawn through the empty sky before it slowly slid into the mighty,
silver waves.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan smelled the sea water, but couldn't bear to open her eyes. A
faint smile played across Ling Duyu's face, he looked like he had just
eaten a satisfying meal. At that moment Ling Duyu let out a miserable
cry. His back made contact with the water, at such speed it was quite
painful.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The glider's speed gradually reduced while sliding over the water. After it travelled about 100 yards it slowly came to a halt.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
water was ice cold, it was a mid-autumn night, and just a moment ago
they were suffering by being blown about by the cold upper air currents.
Neither of them were wearing clothes suitable for the water, they both
groaned at the same time.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu got out of the frame and began to loosen the straps holding in
Zhuo Chu Yuan. Were his hands so frozen by the cold seawater that he was
unusually clumsy, or perhaps Zhuo Chu Yuan's exquisite floating body of
health caused an extreme attraction, to always be bumping into places
that few should touch.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan felt rising panic, as she grabbed on to him trying to get free. Her lung capacity would soon be exhuasted.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two people broke the surface of the water.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
soon as Ling Duyu looked at how far away the shore was he felt lucky,
it was only about 200 yards away. A moment ago he climbed out from under
the glider frame, he nearly exhausted the rest of his strength in the
process. He felt like he didn't have much left to make the swim.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zho Chu Yuan kicked off her shoes and jacket while treading water and gasping for air.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu also took off his shoes trying to stay afloat, "Young lady, please
forgive little brother for not preparing a bathing suit for you."</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo
Chu Yuan stared at him with her beautiful eyes before giving a snort
full of contempt "HMPH!" Then she turned around and swam for the shore.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu shook his head, the ice cold water caused him to smile bitterly,
if he could be at home now reading a book that would really be nice. As
he fantasized uselessly he forced himself to move through the water, he
overexerted himself enormously already. If not for his life long strict
training and discipline it would have given out on him long ago.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Under
the moonlit night the sea water appeared to be a 10 million color
glittering snake that was pulsating. Using the freestyle Zhuo Chu Yuan
rapidly swam towards the shore, the graceful movement was pleasing to
the eye.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu secretly admired the beautiful mermaid. A moment ago while they
were both riding the glider he let an opportunity to kiss that vain
woman go.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu sighed again, then forced himself to pursue the beautiful mermaid who was far away towards the shore.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Both
of them successfully reached land, it was the dead of night and
completely quiet. They were in a parking lot, but nobody was around.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Looking at Zhuo Chu Yuan, Ling Duyu praised her, "I originally didn't notice Miss Zhuo's beautiful figure!"</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He then shrugged and said, "Good Night!" as he turned into the night and walked down a dark street.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Zhuo Chu Yuan hesitated for a moment, clenched her teeth, then hurriedly followed after him. </span>Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-5351212923088962452011-12-01T14:24:00.000-08:002013-04-19T09:23:23.455-07:00Chapter 1: Death of the Professor<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Book: Moon Demon </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Author: Huang Yi </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Chapter 1: Death of the Professor</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.4585754566483057" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu returned to his home, as the hanging pendulum in the hallway clock struck 12:00, announcing the end to another day.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
buzzing of the mountain cicadas faintly penetrated through the windows
and doors spreading throughout the house. It was a modernized replica of
a foreign-style house. Ling Duyu's home was built near the top of a
mountain. In the living room there was a wall made completely of glass
giving a broad view of the surrounding landscape. It had a panoramic
view of the harbor and the opposite shore, with the many lights of an
enchanting city coloring both banks brightly. The sea reflected an
inverted image of the beautiful city making it difficult to tell which
was real and which was not. It was like a scene straight out of an
imaginary dream.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu turned on some soft music, and sat down on his sofa. His back sank
into the soft pillow sending a feeling of comfort throughout every
nerve of his body.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That
day a strange matter had occurred which was still puzzling him. Ling
Duyu took out a blue leather-bound booklet from his bag. On the cover
there was a clear title inscribed "DIARY" in bronze type-face. The
letters were made of flying dragons, and little dancing phoenixes,
showing how much thought the craftsman put into it.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He wasn't interested in the diary's elegant design, but the contents
dwelling within. When he discovered Professor Xie's corpse, the diary
was clasped tightly in his thin hand. It was held so tightly that if one
looked close enough they still might be able to see the finger marks
left on the cover. Whatever was inside this diary had to be an
astonishing secret since even in death he could not put it down.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu did not dare to rashly force Professor Xie's fingers from the
book. When he died he was already grasping the book tightly. In death
his muscles began to stiffen and become even more rigid. At this point the only way to
remove the book would be to break the fingers one by one.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Luckily
this was Ling Duyu who used acupuncture. Taking one of the needles he
carried with him, he pricked Professor Xie in the arm, then on the
shoulder following several acupuncture points. While he pricked the
professor he began to pull on the Professor's body at several different
places. Only after going through all of this was he able to control the
hand.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Soon
the hand loosened and opened up allowing him to retrieve the book.
He learned many methods for dealing with the dead from his teacher, during his
childhood in Tibet's celestial burial place.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Since
that event, earlier in the day, he never had the opportunity or the
time to read the diary. At noon he received a long distance
phone call from Chen Wupeng in the US. With a breathless and frightened
voice Chen asked him to hurry immediately to his Uncle Professor
Xie's place, but he would not tell him the reason why.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu's disposition was to take care of any request even if it was from
someone passing on the street that he didn’t even know. His righteous
attitude would never let him refuse Chen Wupeng who was part of the same
secret organization as Ling. They had also shared several life and
death trials and in the process became best friends.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jumping
into his pearl white vehicle he quickly accelerated to 80 miles per
hour. When he noticed a policeman on a motorcycle chasing him, he tried
to shake him. After running five red lights he was able to safely
continue. He quickly rushed to Professor Xie's suburban residence, but
was shocked to discover that the Professor was already dead. The
corpse's chest was still a little warm. Ling estimated that he had been
murdered about half an hour earlier.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
he observed the corpse he noticed that it was situated in a strange
position. The professor had apparently suffocated to death. His
breastbone also appeared to have been completely shattered. What was
strange was that there was no obvious bruising or trauma visible on the
skin. Even with a slight hit you would expect it to leave a small mark. How was
this even possible? It would take a force of a thousand pounds or more
to shatter a breastbone like that. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Very
carefully he examined every inch of the room, but he could not find anything that a criminal could have used to cause these wounds. The room was
actually in good order. There were no signs that a struggle took place.
The front door and window were both intact. Ling Duyu used two steel
wires he took from his suit to skillfully unlock the door and quietly
enter. Even the unwitting ghost inside did not notice his entry.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Professor
Xie's eyes were both wide open. Fear was reflected in his eyes, his
facial expression registered a state of panic and dread. He looked like
he didn't want to believe that his death was happening at all. Even for
someone with a lot of courage like Ling Duyu, after looking at this
scene, he couldn't help feeling afraid.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
corpse seemed to have tumbled from a chair looking up, the mouth was
open wide where it unwillingly sucked in its last breath of air. The ash
white face was raised to an impossible angle, eyeglasses hung suspended
from the right ear swinging back and forth longing to fall to the
floor. He seemed to have met with an invisible demon who tightened its
powerful hand around his frail throat.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Throughout
Ling's strange and wonderful life, he had never seen someone die
like this before. He once saw someone whose skin was peeled off until
they died, another man he saw completely dismembered leaving him with no
arms or legs. Even though both of those methods were extremely cruel
and merciless they weren't necessarily worse than the strange and
inexplicable death Professor Xie endured. What could cause such a
terrifying death?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Professor
Xie's left hand hung limply to the side, while his right hand lay
between his chest and belly with the grasping fingers that Ling retrieved the blue leather diary from. He quickly eliminated any
evidence of his forced entry, and then calmly reported it to the police.
The diary was concealed for himself. He has only ever trusted in his
own ability. At the same time within the diary there was a great secret
waiting to be discovered. He hoped he would be able to keep it
safe until Chen Wupeng came back.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When
the police arrived he appeared to be very calm as they repeatedly
interrogated him in order to get to the bottom of their investigation. At Dusk, later that day, he also hid a phone call he made from the police.
He was able to find Chen Wupeng in the United States and told him the
bad news about Professor Xie's death. Chen had always been very
irritable, but when he heard the sad news about the Professor his
reaction was unusual. Instead of being distressed and agitated, he
responded vaguely, "He is really dead, he really did die..."</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling Duyu asked, "Wupeng, is there an explanation for what happened?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The conversation turned out to be one sided. Chen didn't hear a word and only muttered, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;">"This was really unexpected, I was the only person that knew..."</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Abruptly, he madly screamed out, "What kind of hideous ... its too much!!"</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling was secretly amazed. Chen had been through many great
storms, any matter that could make him act so abnormally must be very frightening.
After five minutes of gasping for breath Chen finally started to
calm down. Ling listened until he forced himself to respond with a
great surge of willpower saying, "Wait for me to come back, we'll speak
again." With that single phrase the call ended as the line went dead.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling expected his conversation with Chen to clear the dense fog,
but it only made the puzzle more complex. At least he would
shortly be on his way back.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A
new song brought Ling out of his reverie as he opened the diary to
the first page. The date written on the page was March 15, 1984. It was
written four years ago. The diary entry read: </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>This
morning I returned to the University Research Institute. I had a chance
encounter with Lao Xu. I found out his friend Dr. Zheng Yunlin died
right in front of him. I couldn't bear the sound of his sobs. From the
spring of birth to the autumn of death is like a cloudy dream. His fame
and fortune are nothing to him now, all he has is the grief and sighs of
old friends...</i></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling turned several pages. The diary was not continual. Sometimes
several months would pass between entries, it would be more appropriate
to call it a registry.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Professor
Xie Ning became an internationally known archaeologist at the age of 35
when he published "The Migration of the African Coast Populations". The
world archaeological community praised his efforts, propelling him
forward as a leader in the field. After that he spent dozens of years
meticulously researching the culture and language of ancient Egypt, he
became a recognized archaeological authority in the world of
education.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;">His
life was devoted to educate others, he was also a renowned </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">traveler</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15;">.
The Professor was a modern Xu Xiake. The inexplicable death of such a
prominent scholar was definitely a huge loss to the archaeology
community that could never be reclaimed.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
year the Professor was 65 years old. He had retired from teaching five
years ago. According to what Chen Wuping said, for the last 20 years the
professor had been infatuated with finding ancient civilizations. He
believed that before modern civilization emerged, there existed on Earth
other highly civilized cultures possibly with "the Peking man" and "the
Lantian man". This was around 400,000 to 500,000 years ago in
prehistoric times. This particular theory belonged in an archaeological
no-mans land. If a credible discovery could be found to prove it, it
would be a landmark day and an astonishing feat.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With
disquieting thoughts, he continued to browse through the
archaeological giant's notes, the contents not recording his life's
feelings but his studies, newly acquired knowledge, and penetrating
analysis of archaeology. Ling galloped through the scholar's
unbounded inner world of thought, his famous reputation was not
undeserved. This great scholar had a high level of academic attainment,
coupled with a daring and rich imagination. There was a huge difference
between him and others who filled their brains with small facts just to
become so-called scholars.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For example on July 7, 1985 he wrote:</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Humanity
has become used to a tiny knowledge of its present immersion in history
spanning a narrow space of time. Like an ostrich hiding its head in the
sand, it remains to be seen whether or not they have the courage and
perseverance to search out history's numerous unsolved mysteries.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>For
example in each established culture's history, there has been recorded a
flood that encompassed the entire earth. Our Chinese history speaks of
Da Yu who was able to control the rivers. His father tried to block the
waters, but his method failed. Da Yu later unblocked the rivers and led
the water away. Only after this solution did the flood finally
disappear. This great flood endured for 15 years before it was able to
subside.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>A
skillfully written account also appears in the Jewish culture who speak
of Noah's Ark. In the Holy Bible it is written that Noah was warned by
God that a flood was coming and he was instructed to build a great boat.
He was to sort all of the animals of the world into male and female
pairs and put them on the boat. Noah ,and the animals he took on the
boat, were the only life-forms that were fortunate enough to survive the
great flood allowing humanity to continue. Currently there are people
seeking traces of Noah's Ark.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Other
histories, like Greece and India, don't fail to mention shocking
accounts of a catastrophic flood. This should be irrefutable proof, that
every modern civilization's history has recorded some version of a
global catastrophic flood that did not subside for a long time. Over the
entire earth through different nationalities there are abundant
examples in their ancient histories of this great and terrible disaster.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Such
a great disaster could have possibly destroyed the remnants of any
former civilization. The current modern society is actually a recently
developed civilization. The question therefore is can such a great flood
repeat? This is most certainly an extremely urgent question.</i></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu was not a scholar, but the professor presented his argument
concisely making it easy to understand how such a great disaster could
plague humanity again at a later date.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The journal continued on: </span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>In 1976 on
the ice-fields of Siberia a herd of mammoths was discovered. The mammoths were a species that could only survive in a
tropical environment. These mammoths had three interesting
characteristics.First their bodies were completely intact, and the meat
taken from the bodies was still edible. Secondly, inside of their mouths and
stomachs undigested green grass was found. Finally their stomachs were
inflated, indicating that they died of suffocation. The only reasonable
explanation for this phenomenon is that when the tropical mammoths were
grazing, the weather suddenly changed to an extreme cold that instantly
froze them.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Could
this be the most significant evidence of a shift in the earth's axis?
There is a prevalent theory in scientific circles. According to the principle of centrifugal force,
an object revolves around a single point with the greatest mass. This is how the earth also rotates around it's own axis. It rotates around the point having the greatest mass,
therefore the earth's rotation must be about the equator, which also has
the greatest diameter and mass.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>According
to an investigation it was demonstrated that the ice at the North and
South poles is continually growing more layers. When the ice at both
poles becomes heavier than the equator, the rotational balance can be
broken. At that moment the entire Earth would reverse. The poles would
become the new equator and the equator would establish new North and South poles.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>This
model adequately explains the mammoths instant death. The tropical
mammoth would have most likely been grazing in a prairie located at or
close to the equator. The earth suddenly made this reversal transporting
them from the tropical prairie to a new world of ice and snow as
Siberia froze in an instant. At the new equator the sudden increase in
temperature melted the ice causing an astonishing global flood.
Scientists estimate that if the ice at both poles melted all at once,
the Earth's water level could surge upwards by 50 meters or more.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>This
would certainly cause Noah to escape in a boat, it would also explain
how Da Yu became a flood conquering leader. When the earth shifted its
axis there were earthquakes, and tsunamis everywhere. In the face of
such a sudden occurrence any civilization could instantly disintegrate
and disappear like a puff of smoke. This type of calamity could be a
cyclical event. With each occurrence of the cycle one civilization is
destroyed with a new one taking its place.</i></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling sucked in his breath heavily. A sudden worldwide transformation
could happen at any time. He looked farther down the page, written a
week later,</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Many
people who are relentlessly searching for the answers to Earth's myriad
mysteries aspire to the thought that the answer lies in outer space.
They believe that visitors from other worlds could be responsible. I
prefer to believe that the answers are right in front of us. The
explanation for these riddles comes from previous civilizations who were
highly advanced, and it is even possible that they were not all of the
human species.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Prehistoric
history has always puzzled me. The earliest memories of the primitive
African cultures all testify to the worship of the same god named
Sirius. Given to this god was the position referred to as 'the Dark
Partner'. It was said that 'the dark partner' was the possessor of the
'most important materials of creation'.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>This
ancient belief results in an amazing revelation. Modern astronomy was
recently developed within the last century. Accordingly, astronomers
have discovered that the star known as Sirius travels along an unusual
path. Based on these findings, it has been shown that Sirius is a double
star system. The second star is a neutron star which does not emit
light. Could this neutron star be the 'dark partner'?</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>A
cubic meter of a neutron star is an extremely dense body of matter. The
nature of it is an extremely dense form of matter sometimes referred to
as neutronium. It is quite possible that such a small amount of matter
from a neutron star would be heavier than the entire Earth. Could the
neutronium be 'the most important materials of creation'?</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Science
is currently trying to develop more advanced telescopes to prove these
theories. Why did these primitive cultures have such a creative
knowledge of the universe? Did a previous highly advanced civilization
leave them with pieces of their memory??? </i></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
Professor put three questions marks at the end of the entry,
illustrating his confusion. Ling read with interest 10 more pages
all written between 1985-1986. Every single entry focused on the repeated
discussion of prehistoric civilizations, and this continual question.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Turning to the page marked August 8, 1986 another strange account was written,</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>The
day before yesterday I finally contacted M. He has seen the material
that I transcribed for him personally. He asked why I didn't take any
pictures. He doesn't know how hard this was for me. Only after offering a
bribe was I allowed, one evening, to enter into the temple library.
Only then was I able to copy the flagstone's inscriptions. It is an
extremely rare find to have an an artifact, such as the flagstone, that
has seen the horrors of war survive intact and in such good condition.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>M
bluntly stated that he doesn't believe the inscriptions left on the
flagstone. He said that it is just a myth and a fictional account that
has been grossly exaggerated.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Yes!
It caused me to linger in Egypt for three full months! I must make the
significance of the flagstone known. They are really stupid. They don't
even dare to touch it. Even others who have requested to study it have
been strictly prohibited and sent away.</i></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling thought to himself, "Who is M? What kind of incredible artifact
could it be? What could possibly make the experienced Professor Xie
marvel so much? Why didn't the people even dare to touch it?"</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The next page was written on March 2 1987. It was written half a year after the previous page,</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Last
night I received a phone call from M in Paris. He called to let me know
he was taking a trip to Cairo. He said that he had witnessed a strange
event that he still can't believe really happened. He admitted that he
saw a strange "world" and at the time he began to weep.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>The
stone is really fantastic. Even separated in a display case behind a
thick sheet of glass it still possesses a magical power. If we simply
followed the method described on the flagstone, then during the autumn
lunar cycle we could ascertain whether or not it really works. If it
works would it be possible to examine unknown worlds, and other
dimensions?</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>I
certainly did not believe in existence of spiritual realms and other
dimensions before. That thing could quite possibly be part of an earlier
civilizations higher technology left behind, that is way beyond our
comprehension. Maybe it is like our video cameras, recording the
civilization as it was then. If this were the case then its value would
be impossible to estimate.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>But
why does it correspond to the lunar cycle? Does it draw some kind of
energy during this time? Although science has never established a
reasonable explanation for the "full moon phenomenon", statistics have
firmly demonstrated that during the full moon phase, traffic accidents
increase greatly. Psychologists have also observed that during the full
moon phase, the human mood is generally more unstable. In fairy tales and
myths the werewolf would change form only during the full moon. Poets
from our country would see the moon and burst forth with many sad
verses, their minds in a deep place feeling a strength that others
didn't understand. Maybe 'that thing' can use this different power
emanating during a full moon.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>It
is important to find the answer. In order to find the solution it must
be tested thoroughly. I am confident that M will be able to research it
extensively, but he said he requires the help of a good friend from
Japan, who is from the Bunya Okono family. He is going to have to bring
him over secretly. Luckily he has many connections in high places that
can help.</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling was stunned and paused for a minute. It was difficult for him to
make his brain associate the Bunya Okono family with an actual person.
He was simply unable to accept that written within a master
archaeologist's diary the name of an internationally active yakuza
family could appear. How could he be associated with the Bunya Okono?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
Bunya Okono family was a yakuza society that began in Japan after World
War II. They had a spectacular rise to power in the underworld.
Reportedly these people cannot be compared to common yakuza but operate
according to righteous principles and rules. They did not use wanton
slaughter and violence to intimidate, and they did not engage in the
drug trade or any other crimes against humanity.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Because
of their cunning and ability to be successful in all aspects of social
interaction, like helping the needy and giving to charities, they were
able to operate on two fronts. They have a legitimate face that is legal
and accepted, but they also have the underworld side.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling received very reliable information about Bunya Okono. They
secretly control one of Japan's major political parties. If Professor
Xie's friend "M" is truly part of the Bunya Okono family, then his true
identity would not be the same as what Professor Xie thought. This whole
affair had become extremely complicated. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The
diary still needs an expert to examine it more completely” he thought to himself as he got up. Taking the diary through the
hallway and up a revolving staircase he moved South through his house
into a studio. His study was about 600 square feet with Chinese
calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls. There were also bookshelves
loaded with books.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He
always loved to surround himself with a vast selection of books. He was
proud of his collection ranging from literary history to the most state
of the art scientific and technical books. Interested in every possible
subject, through books he was able to contact the great minds of the
world which allowed him to unceasingly increase his knowledge.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A
large majority of the books on his bookshelf were devoted to
linguistics. He always believed that the only true way to study other
cultures was to study the language that the culture spoke. Language is
the mark of that culture's experiences, for example the Eskimo people
have more than a dozen adjectives for the word snow. This reflects on
the life experiences of the Eskimo people who live in a world of ice and
snow. Only through understanding their language could someone
comprehend their culture and their way of life. This is why Ling devoted so much time to studying each language. It also gave him a
convenient reason to extensively travel the world.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In
the center of the studio was a large desk. Near the desk a computer sat
as his most effective research assistant. On the wall opposite
of the desk hung a vividly colored portrait of a person. The eyes
flashed within the painting as the appearance of a dignified Lama was
depicted. Below the portrait there was a verse written in Tibetan.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling
Duyu stared at the portrait respectfully. Slowly he muttered a
ritualistic chant, "Father! I am good." He then sat down in the chair
facing the computer and turned it on. The computer screen blinked to
life and began to run through its self-checking procedures. Soon he started typing on the keyboard. This equipment allowed him to record his
thoughts in a file. He would then transfer it via the Internet to a
secret data warehouse located in America. Using a password known only to
him and a small group of people, he was able to access his information
from any location in the world as long as he had the basic equipment.
This was by far the most secure method of archiving his information.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
computer stopped at a login screen. Ling Duyu quickly typed several
passwords and the screen turned black with the following display,</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"[instruction]# "</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Opening the diary to the first page he set it on the scanner. The
scanner copied the physical page temporarily into the machine's memory,
and then sent the information on to the secret data archive. He
continuously worked until two o'clock in the morning. The work was
almost complete when Ling suddenly began to curse vehemently. Unexpectedly
the final two pages of the diary were torn by the scanner. These two
pages had the most crucial information written on them.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Closing his eyes he began to exhale slowly through his nostrils.
He began to take slow and steady breaths following a strange rhythm. He
followed this routine every day before going to sleep. Ever since he was
taught this ritual he never deviated from its daily practice. Within
several minutes his spirit reached a calm state, he had entered a void
full of empty calmness. His breath continued in a powerful yet slender
rhythm slowly diminishing until it appeared to be one single continuous
breath. Suddenly he stopped breathing completely from his nose and
switched to "foetal breathing" proceeding from the mouth as he entered
into the spiritual level of his meditation.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In
some secret Tibetan monastic scriptures there is a so-called breath type
mentioned, "There exists a breath from the heart, not from the rest".
The character 'xi' ,meaning rest, is composed of 'zi', which means self,
is the top component, and underneath 'xin', which is heart. This is
because one must abandon the worldly desires of the heart in order to
enter into the spiritual meditation. As a result the "foetal breath" is
an important step in the process of freeing one's heart from earthly
desires. Ling had already achieved a very high level in this practice. Soon his body was loose with the sensation of tingling everywhere. Some
popping noises could be heard as his qi began to flow freely. He
experienced a heightened clarity in his awareness.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After
twenty five minutes, a feeling of danger approaching suddenly rushed
forth into his spiritual sense. This ability has been labelled by Psychologists as "Forest Awareness". A common example of this phenomenon is
the behavior of wild animals right before an earthquake. They tend to
behave unusually. This is because they are attuned to the rhythm of
nature and when there is a small variation in the natural rhythm it does
not escape their senses, resulting in their restlessness.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling possessed this awareness, not only on a physical level, but also on
a spiritual level. The great Lama's called this spiritual sense
"Universal Consciousness" which can be achieved when the common
consciousness that people experience every day has been surpassed. The average person can only
reach this state if they are dreaming. In this spiritual state many people experience strange and wonderful dreams that can be interpreted as
omens. In Ling's world of rigorously training his heart and mind
awareness, being without this sense would be like a normal person
missing the sense of touch. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Although
in the material world there does not appear to be any apparent
differences or changes he felt a dangerous presence.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Opening his eyes, he continued to breathe through his nostrils before stopping mid-breath. His breathing suddenly changed from the full body
foetal breath to his regular respiration through the nose.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ling looked at the portrait on the opposite wall and thought, "Father,
has something terrible happened?" He had never met Lama Ling Da
portrayed in the painting. He was the leader of Tibet's most mysterious
secret religion "Shang Mi Sect", the 36th generation incarnation of the
Living Buddha. Because he was born in the ninth month of Lama Ling Da's
journey to the joyful boundaries of death, he was miraculously born
without a father. In Lama Ling Da's 98th year of life, the venerable,
holy living Buddha made something marvelous happen to Ling Duyu's
mother. Ling Yahuai was a Chinese woman from America who came to pay her
respects to him. Within her he placed his child and three days later
Lama Ling Da died in a sitting posture. After he entered nirvana Ling
Yahuai gave birth and named her child with her own family name - Ling
Duyu. She also obeyed the instructions that Lama Ling Da had given her.
He ordered her to leave her son in Tibet to receive their strict
teachings and lead a pious life until he was 15. He would then be able
to return to see her for the first time in America and receive a Western
education.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is Ling Duyu's strange family background.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Outside
the house the sound of a car could be heard. The house was
located at the end of a private drive. Ninety nine percent of cars that
could be heard this close ended up at his house.</span></div>
<br />
S<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">witching off the computer, he grabbed Professor Xie's journal and
placed it in the desk drawer. As he walked back downstairs the doorbell
rang.</span>Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194152728663407440.post-12820368152008018772010-06-08T09:33:00.000-07:002010-06-08T09:34:03.896-07:00Setting Some Goalsrom my previous experience in athletics I have a pretty good idea of what I am capable of. I think that with some good training I can reach a peak performance once again. There are several things I am not sure of, being that triathlons are three distance events piled together.<br /><br />For one thing, I remember that interval training was a key aspect to achieving the desired results. I also remember training very hard, but yet on this site I see reference after reference to maintaining a specific heart rate. To me that does not make much sense, but then I do not have any degrees in sport science either.<br /><br />Let me explain my confusion so that you are tracking with me. I always thought training intervals was a way to prepare your body to be able to swim long distances at the particular pace you wanted to keep. In cross-country we ran quarters, in swimming it was generally a series of 100 yard laps. Let us say that my target pace for swimming a 500 yard freestyle in a race was 5:30. That means I would have to keep a pace of 1:06 for every 100 to reach that goal. So during my practices I would start doing intervals at 1:10. Do twenty 100's at 1:10. I swim as fast as I can, comfortably as possibly but also trying to swim faster than 1:10. If I swim the first few 100's at 56 seconds, then that means i get 14 seconds to rest before I have to go again. That is my rest period. I don't ever remember worrying about my heart rate during those intervals...I just remember trying to get back to the wall as fast as possible so I could rest longer.<br /><br />So then if I train as I did before it would be "all out", which is really the only method I know. Of course I must get through the "initiation phase" where my body has to be reminded that it is in fact actually training and that no matter how much it hurts, it will just have to buck up and do it.<br /><br />My best times from way back were a 5:30 for 500 yards, and 17:59 for a 5k. I am convinced that those times do not represent my peak. I think I could have gone faster in both sports so my goal will be to train up to those times again. Unfortunately I have no biking experience, so the sky is the limit on that one. Luckily I have very strong legs from all the martial arts training which I think will help with the cycling. The aerobic aspect won't be a problem.<br /><br />On the down side I have a touring bike, which is a steel tube (can you say heavy?) bike. It is a Surly Longhaul Trucker which I am quite proud of. That is my "racing" bike and I think it is going to be my only detriment unless I can convince a friend to lend me their hot-rod for race day. That would be kind of cool, like when you take your drag pants off and swim in your speedos all shaved and tapered (Oh I feeeel so fast!!). I also have to consider my left knee, which has gone through 2 surgeries. The first was in high school, so I didn't run long distance my senior year (and I think I could have gone 17:00 that year). The second being 3 years ago after tearing the ACL playing baseball. I don't know if I should wear a brace, but I have rehabilitated it quite well. The muscles are all very strong and I only feel minor aches every now and again...<br /><br />So let me recap my goals.<br /><br />Mile pace - 6:30 minutes (A fast mile for me is 5:05)<br />100 yard pace - 1:20 minutes (this may be too conservative. A fast 100 for me is 52:00)<br />Bike Pace - You tell me!<br /><br />Here is a disclaimer for these figures. I may not reach those metrics this year, but those are conservative estimates of what I think I could do if I were at my peak. I recognize I need time to acclimate myself to training, lose weight, build muscle, re-establish aerobic capacity, to learn about how to do a triathlon, to adjust my schedule, etc. etc.Shjanzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11103391991529939088noreply@blogger.com1