The escapees in the metal cart travelled until beams of light began to appear in front of them. They had reached the end of the tunnel. Jerusalem was long behind them. 

Before the metal cart had made it out of the opening, a few people appeared. They obstructed the light shining into the tunnel, each of their silhouettes had included that of a weapon. Xia Lei could see it clearly. The light at the end was not natural. It was merely bright artificial lighting.

Though he couldn’t see what was going on above the ground, Xia Lei’s mind had helpfully offered him a simulatory image. Over their heads was a damaged courtyard that belonged to an old Arabian man. On the floor of his bedroom was an entrance into the tunnel that was hidden by wood panels and a frugal rug. While he was preoccupied with the mental image, a few men with live ammunition took their places at the exit. 

Xia Lei spoke, “There are two men at the end of the tunnel, armed with AK-47s. Keep them unharmed for now. There are more above them. We’ll take action after we get out.” 

Everyone else in the...