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.Blinded momentarily by the mud, he almost did the one thing that could get himkilled: he started to tighten his muscles against the impact.But his musclesknew better.They had been trained too well by Chiun, and so instead hestretched out like a long strand of silk.As he let the mud and water washover him, becoming one with the lake and the riverbed, he let the mud behindhim absorb the impact of the explosion.He moved down the shallow river for about a quarter of a mile and then climbedup the bank.Behind him the dam disgorged mud and water, but not so much as tocause flooding.The dam had stopped vibrating.America's pride had held.Along the lakeshore, Calvin Rutherford and the other engineers were readingtheir meters and cheering.The sluice could be closed and the smashed turbinewould be replaced.As a side benefit the powerful current was even desiltingthe lake, carrying tons downriver.At this rate, they would probably not haveto dredge.When Chiun saw Remo walk up the road covered with mud, he felt joy that Remowas alive.In an instant he knew his joy was to be fleeting.Remo walked into the motel room with a big grin."Well, here I am, littlefather.Alive.""So far," said Chiun."But I have come to the conclusion we have only onechance.""What's the one chance?" asked Remo as he headed for the shower to wash offthe mud.Even his pores had breathed it in under the pressure of the water,and his body had to breathe it out again."We must join this Palmer, Rizzuto, and Schwartz, who we are not allowed tokill, and eliminate Smith for them.That is our only way.And it isrighteous.""How is betrayal righteous?" said Remo, stepping into the shower.He didn'tuse soap, because soap, which actually burned off dirt with lye, left itsfatty residue still burning his skin."It is not we who are betraying, the mad emperor Smith, but he who isbetraying us.""I thought we worked for him.""Assassins are not used as targets.in decent civilized lands, like India,people appreciate a great assassin for what he is.In America he is turnedinto a palace guard, some local official who investigates things.A catcher ofthieves.""Detective," said Remo."That," said Chiun."I used to be a cop," said Remo."All this training, the awesomeness of Sinanju, and you are still a cop."Remo paused before turning on the water."Little father.I have not dishonoredSinanju.I have not learned nothing.But you did teach it to an American.So Iam an American and I am Sinanju.""One cannot be both Sinanju and American, two things at the same time.This isimpossible.""But I am.""Then get rid of the lesser one, or die.""Okay," said Remo."I'll get rid of Sinanju.""You can't," said Chiun."I have trained you.You are Sinanju.You can no morerid yourself of Sinanju than a cloud can forfeit its air, or the sun itsPage 72 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmllight, or the river its water.""So I'll stay stuck.""You could try ridding yourself of being American.There are two hundredmillion of those.The world will not mourn the loss of one.""You know that's not possible either.""Then, my son, you are dead, unless we kill Smith.There is precedence for it.Good precedence.""You mean a tale of Sinanju? Which one was it? The Great Wang, and the Mingemperor? Let's see, he pointed out that an assassin never lost a king, so thatcertainly wouldn't be the Great Wang, or even the Lesser Wang, who did onlyone assignment, which wasn't all that important anyway.Then we have themiddle period when the House of Sinanju worked Asia heavily.Could it havebeen the gateway to the West, when we served Rome and the caesars who nevertook our advice? No, I think we worked for Livia, except she was a chronicdo-it-yourselfer, if I remember correctly, poisoning people.Then there wasthe later Western period of Ivan the Righteous, whom the rest of the worldcalled the Terrible but whom we knew as a man of honor who paid on time.""Do not mock the glory of Sinanju? You know perfectly well it was Sayak,during the middle period, a time of prosperity and peace and honor.""Wasn't that something to do with a love affair? Some tawdry thing a privatedetective in America might handle? An unfaithful spouse?""Like a typical American, you remembered the dirt and missed the point
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