"What about you?"
"We are fine."
They left the family behind.
The road grew quiet again.
Yan Cijin leaned back in her seat.
"You really do not think much of yourself."
Bai Li kept her eyes on the road.
"I think exactly enough."
"You saved them."
"They would have died otherwise."
"That is what saving people means."
Bai Li glanced at her.
Yan Cijin looked away first.
Neither noticed the faint smile that lingered on the other woman's face.
They eventually left the minivan behind and returned to the motorcycle.
The rest of the journey would have been simple if not for the siren.
It started somewhere ahead.
One long, broken wail.
Then another.
Bai Li stopped the motorcycle.
Yan Cijin listened.
"That sounds automated."
"It is."
The siren repeated.
A red light flashed in the distance.
The city beyond it seemed too still.
Bai Li started the motorcycle again.
They moved forward carefully.
The road opened into a broad avenue lined with office buildings.
