In the drizzling rain of June 1938, the slender schoolgirl Gao Yanli walked along the slick streets in a blue blouse patterned with tiny flowers and a side-fastening front. A conical hat sat askew on her head, and two thick, glossy braids swung behind her with every step.
From deep in an alley in Changqing County came the intermittent rise and fall of voices reading aloud, accompanied by the patter of rain.
Gao Yanli stopped across from Nanyuan Academy. Before her stood a great black-lacquered gate covered in copper studs. Beside it hung a conspicuous sign bearing the words "Changqing County Security Command" in bold black characters.
Gao Yanli gently knocked on the black gate. It creaked open, as if a monstrous beast were opening its bloody maw...
