Chapter Four: I Do Not Consent

No one spoke in the warehouse. Jianxia enlarged the photograph of Zero’s forecast. Tang Xiaoman swore. Su Wanxing killed her livestream. Wei Lan pulled Qiao Ran behind her as if the old laptop might lunge. “I do not consent,” Qiao Ran said. The screen answered at once: 【EXECUTOR INFORMED.】 The countdown continued. “Being informed isn’t consent,” Jianxia snapped. 【SILENCE, CONTINUED PARTICIPATION, OR ACCEPTANCE OF THE RESULT MAY CONSTITUTE CONFIRMATION.】 It was not a contract. It was a trap. If Qiao Ran stepped onto the court, Zero could interpret almost anything as permission. Xu Zhiwei removed the hard drive, but the black window migrated to Wanxing’s phone, the warehouse scoreboard, even an electronic billboard across the street.