Chapter Four: Grandma Died Twice on Sublevel Seven

Date of death: fifteen years ago. Zhou's knees buckled. “Impossible. She repaired my watch after that.” Lin opened the drawer. A woman of about fifty lay inside. Grandma's brow, earlobes, and the burn scar between her right thumb and finger were unmistakable. She had not decayed. Silver wires entered the back of her skull, and beneath a long autopsy seam, her heart was missing. Su photographed the tag with her offline camera. “Shen Zhiwei. Zhulong neural-mapping trial. Subject Zero. Cause of death: voluntary termination.” “The dead are always easy to volunteer,” Lin said. Grandma's voice came through a speaker. “Don't touch my left hand.”