9
Cradle of Civilization
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
—P.J. O’Rourke
Jam spent the first few days back in China reveling in being warm again. They meandered across the countryside, hopping by copter hither and yon to meet the successful Accel test-takers, moving by truck in a drunkard’s walk that nonetheless had a specific destination as its goal.
Jam was dozing, half-listening to the sound of gravel crunch under their wheels, when Julissa spoke doubtfully about approaching their destination. “I think we’re coming up on Baotong. It’s hard to tell. There’s no welcome sign, and not even a dot on a map unless you want to count the GPlex satellite view that no one near here has ever seen and doesn’t recognize so they can’t tell
