The explosion was not a bomb, but a controlled, powerful percussion charge, designed to destroy the structure, not the people. It sent a massive cloud of dust, wood, and steam billowing into the air, instantly cutting off the path and throwing James backward.
Xi, having pressed a remote detonator, was gone, vanishing into the smoke before Mei could reach her. It was a diversion, designed to create chaos and separate the targets.
Mei was instantly on the defense, her back to the crumbling embankment. Professor Zhou, remarkably, had managed to stop his bicycle mere inches from the precipice, holding it steady despite the dust storm.
"They're coming!" Mei shouted, her voice tight. "The explosion was a signal. They'll be driving up the main track to the estate now."
James, wiping wood dust from his face, realized they were trapped. A massive, ten-foot gap of churning, misty air separated them from the rest of the tea path.
"Professor, your bicycle!" James cried out, pointing at the gap. "If the chip isn't in it, then it's just a vehicle! A tool!"
Professor Zhou smiled, catching James's frantic thought. "A tool of desperate measure, perhaps? I'm too old for acrobatics, my boy."
"Nonsense, Professor," James insisted, adrenaline surging. He grabbed the bicycle by its handlebars. "It's the only bridge we have. I may be a clumsy agent, but I was once a surprisingly mediocre pole vaulter in university."
Mei understood immediately. "It won't reach! It's too short!"
"It doesn't have to reach," James grunted, hefting the solid, old-fashioned bike. "It just has to delay a fall!"
He grabbed the professor, ignoring his yelp of surprise, and pushed him to the edge of the chasm. "You first, Professor! I'll follow! And Agent Mei, if you wouldn't mind providing a robust push?"