After dark, the temperature dropped, and the wind continued to howl. Ban Xia emerged from the building entrance, pulling up the collar of her hoodie, and stood at the doorway looking up at the sky. The sky was somewhat overcast, obscuring the moon.
It was estimated to take three hours to walk from Meihua Villa to the Zitai Office Building. The command center recommended she take Route 2 to avoid the Xinjiekou area as much as possible. Route 2 meant following Zhongshan East Road to Yixian Bridge, where she would turn right, head north along Longpan Middle Road, turn left onto Beijing East Road, and continue straight to the Zitai Office Building near Drum Tower Park, covering a total distance of approximately eight or nine kilometers.
