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General Quan probed through the remnants of the thick sauce。 〃One more piece of delicious meat。〃 He picked it up with the tips of his chopsticks； was about to pop it in his mouth when something caught his eye。 He held the piece of meat out so that he could see it better。 He shook off the excess gravy。
What he saw was the unmistakable glint of a magnificent Burmese sapphire； and he thought。 Ah； the foreign devil is very clever … here is my real gift。
But then his eyes opened wide and everything he had just eaten came spewing out； along with a long； low wail。
The sapphire was embedded in a whole； human ear。 His beloved Mai's ear。
BOOK 1
Legends of Evil
You will always find some Eskimos willing to instruct the Congolese on how to cope with heat waves。
… Stanislaw Lem
1
Saigon/Tokyo
Nicholas Linnear was waiting for his man。 While he did so； he drank a warm beer and observed the cockroach as large as his thumb survey the filthy room as if it were the shogun in feudal Japan。 He was in a third…floor front room of the Anh Dan Hotel； a thoroughly unpleasant establishment that nevertheless suited his purposes。 The sickly light thrown by one disheartened forty…watt bulb exposed the cracks； noxious stains； and peeling and discolored paint。 It worked when electricity was provided （which wasn't all that often） if one touched two ends of the exposed live wires together at the point on the wall where a plate and switch should have been。 The smells of raw sewage and stale sex pervaded the entire hotel； and outside the appalling clamor from Ngu…yen Trai Street was an incessant and disreputable panion at all hours of the day and night。 This was Saigon； after all； and worse； Cholon； where sooner or later ail the dregs of the city ended up。
Nicholas turned to look at Jisaku Shindo； the Japanese private detective hired by his partner Tanzan Nangi to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder of Vincent Tinh； the former director of the Saigon branch of Sato International； the giant keiretsu … conglomerate … Nangi and Linnear co…owned。
〃Do you think he'll e？〃
〃The friend of a friend said he would。〃 Shindo's clipped speech cut through the humid atmosphere。
Nicholas mentally reviewed the activities of Vincent Tinh。 Tinh； it seemed； had had a private agenda。 He had used his job at Sato International as a mask to conceal his nefarious business； stealing and selling the proprietary technology of Sato's ultrasecret Chi Project。 Under Nicholas's guidance； the Chi Project was creating a revolutionary generation of puters that was a quantum leap beyond anything currently on the market or elsewhere in development。 Based on neural…network technology； the first…generation Chi puter processed data in the same way the human brain did。
Like most criminals … even those of the genius class … Tinh had been undone by his peed。 Cobbling what he could purloin of the Chi technology with elements of the new American Hive puter （also based on a type of neural…net chip）； he created here in Saigon a bastardized hybrid that he began to sell on the vast and immensely lucrative Southeast Asian gray market。
Because of Tinh； Sato…Tomkin … the American arm of Sato International … and Nicholas in particular； had been accused by the Americans of theft； illegal manufacture； and espionage leading to treason。 Nicholas； who had hired Tinh in the first place； had a pelling personal as well as a professional stake in finding out how much damage Tinh had done before his demise。
Even more alarming； now that Nicholas was here and had listened to Shindo's perspective on the situation； he had e to the conclusion that Tinh wasn't the only key to the severe blow given to Sato International's business and reputation。
For instance； who had constructed the Chi…Hive hybrid？ Certainly Tinh had lacked the requisite knowledge and expertise in advanced puter design even to attempt such an audacious leap of faith。 Indeed； merging two parallel but undoubtedly different precepts of cybernetics was a feat beyond an overwhelming majority of technicians。 Sure； there were a million cyber…techies out there who could burrow their way into an existing system； but it would take a theoretician of remarkable talent and insight to do this job。 Whom had Vincent Tinh found for such a difficult task？ And then there was the question of Tinh's curious death。
According to Chief Inspector Hang Van Kiet of the Saigon police； Vincent Tinh had been killed accidentally while trespassing on property he did not own。 The said property was a vast creaking warehouse in the northern district that stored barrels of sulfuric acid； salt； gasoline； bicarbonate of soda； and potassium permanganate。 In other words； it was a drug factory。 Nicholas knew that Van Kiet was lying。
Last week Shindo had interviewed the chief inspector。 Van Kiet； a wily…faced； slender Vietnamese with the yellow eyes and teeth of a back…alley predator； had doggedly kept to his story that Tinh's death had been accidental。 When Shindo had pressed him； he retaliated by intimating that because Tinh had trespassed it was far better to leave the matter where it lay； in a closed file。
Shindo had wisely not revealed that a friend of a friend had smuggled him a copy of the autopsy report； which showed that while Tinh had； indeed； been burned in a vat of sulfuric acid； the coroner had also extracted twenty…five heavy…caliber machine…gun bullets from his flesh。 This was information； Shindo had decided； that Van Kiet was better off not knowing he possessed。
Shindo had sized up the chief inspector quickly … this was a necessity in his business … and reported that he suspected Van Kiet knew far more about Tinh's demise than he was willing to share。 Shindo made it abundantly clear to the chief inspector that he was willing to baiter U。S。 dollars for information。
Van Kiet's face had closed as tightly as a vise and he had abruptly terminated the interview； an odd and downright discourteous reaction for a Vietnamese。 This was very bad news； indeed。 It meant that the chief inspector had been impolite out of a sharply honed instinct for survival。
Law and order had no meaning in present Saigon … at least none that would make sense to any civilized human being。 This was a city … indeed； a country … so inured to the dogs of war that its society had been reshaped by the utter lawlessness that was one of war's major byproducts。 A ferocious form of negotiated anarchy ruled here。 As a result； the police had less power than the army； which； in turn； had less power than the dark； mercenary forces that swirled at the periphery of society … hidden yet subtly defining it。 These were men who； as children； had been bred and nurtured by the frenzied chaos of a centuries…old war waged variously against the Chants； Cambodians； French； Chinese； Russians； and Americans。
It had been a war that； like a great serpent shedding its glittering scales； periodically transformed itself until； at the end； it had bee some perniciously mutated form of psychedelic happening： an absurd agglomeration of dropped napalm； mind…altering drugs； massed ordnance； high…decibel rock'n'roll； a cornucopia of destructive hardware； a releas