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the position with only minimal expectations. One such anticipation was a properly prepared lunch. He couldn’t see any justification for eating a bad meal in these prosperous times.
    The minister had consumed enough substandard dishes to qualify as a food critic. He acquired his expertise early in life, born into a peasant family of rice farmers in the Jilin Province of northeast China. As a child, availability of food and variety in diet were elusive. His parents worked hard and did the best they could, but full stomachs were the exception. 
    By the time he was six years old, he astounded his schoolmarm by speaking fluent English, Mandarin Chinese, and French. Communist party officials whisked him from his small village to the provincial capital to quantify his gift. His math, science, and analytical skills were only slightly above normal, but his brain’s capability to absorb and process the intricacies of language was off the scale.
    Such a talent quickly drew the attention of the Central Communist Party . At that time, during the late 1960s, China was desperately trying to climb from behind the shadow of the Soviet Union and establish its own presence in the world. Nixon had just visited the most populated nation on the planet, and a great thawing of international acceptance was underway. China needed people who could quickly become confident in foreign dialects for trade, diplomacy and most importantly of all – espionage.
    By that time, MOSS was rapidly advancing to the top tier of the recruiting hierarchy. Still underfunded, with only a regional presence, the leadership of the Red Nation was beginning to give weight to the advantages of a strong intelligence service. That realization elevated MOSS’ position on the ladder of funding, influence, and ability to tap the nation’s talent pool. The young man from the remote province was transferred into the best conservatories and closely monitored by the agency until his graduation. Hong’s command of English, combined with an unwavering belief in the communist ideology, made him the perfect candidate to recruit.
    Hong’s first assignment took him to British-controlled Hong Kong. A faction within the Central Bank of China was beginning to grasp the power of currency manipulation. The government possessed few experts who understood the complexities of international finance, and the city’s reputation as the “World’s Fair of Food” made the assignment more palatable.
    After establishing himself as a reliable agent, a string of foreign assignments soon followed. Hong served his masters in Australia, where the glass noodles had the consistency of cardboard. East Germany and the Soviet Union followed, complete with food so putrid, the thin man actually lost weight. Were it not for a six-month mission in Singapore, he would have surely died of malnutrition. 
    His mundane missions always involved either industrial espionage or international finance. MOSS didn’t have the same modus operandi as the famous British, American, and Soviet intelligence services. There were few, if any, gunfights, kidnappings, or adrenaline pumping border crossings. In fact, risk avoidance was always a high priority. Chinese leadership was calculating and in no immediate hurry to dominate the world arena. Most senior members of the party fully comprehended the fact that economic supremacy would override military power in the long run. These men sensed the shark-like hunger of the world’s more mature economies to access their country’s considerable consumer base. One minister compared Western companies to a groom waiting to ravish his new bride; such was the lust to enter Chinese markets. Hong became one of the thousands who assisted the country in manipulating this blind greed to China’s advantage.
    His foul mood was further stimulated by the worker sitting across from him. Yangdong wasn’t one of his favorite people. The team leader’s desk was littered with remnants from street