Nearing the shore of the great lake he found his way onto an important 
road that ran south toward Hangzhou. He set Kidnapper ambling northward. Suzhou 
had thrown out tendrils of development along its major roads, and so as he drew 
closer he saw strip malls and franchises, now destroyed, deserted, or colonized 
by refugees. Most of these places catered to truck drivers: lots of motels, 
casinos, teahouses, and fast-food places. But no trucks ran on the highway now, 
and Hackworth rode down the center of a lane, sweating uncontrollably in his 
dark clothes and drinking frequently from a refrigerated bottle in Kidnapper's 
glove compartment.