I have no idea what I was expecting, going from the quiet and pristine tower of the World Paranormal Council, all white and hushed and marble tiled with polished glass and polite paranormals walking the halls to the center of downtown Hong Kong. And not to say I'd led a sheltered life but.
Yeah. Sheltered. Like, whoa.
From the moment my sneakers squelched in the running patch of disgusting whatever it was trickling from the trash heap in the alley to almost being run over by a pair of grumpy old men with cigarettes dangling from their lips and long, wispy mustaches wavering in the faint breeze, I realized I'd totally underestimated how overwhelming my life had become.
Just the idea of crossing the busy street under the towering buildings as the sun set over the West end of the harbor while vehicles from pedal bikes to motorcycles and small cars warred with the chugging busses made my stomach flip over with nervousness.