Chapter Four: The Kiss Experiment

The theater lay beneath a sealed mall. Zhou Lin's silver nail opened a fire door that had not existed on any plan. Dust covered the stage, but a new oven waited there. It lit when Chenxing entered. Names appeared across the walls. Under ultraviolet light, one line read: RECOVERY AGENT SEVEN—ZHOU LIN—FORTY-SEVEN DELIVERIES. On the opposite wall: BREAKER APPLICANT—XU MANQING—STATUS: BAKING. Zhiwei recognized every stroke of her mother's handwriting. “Zhiwei,” a woman called from the oven. “Don't open the door.” Her hand was already on it when Chenxing caught her wrist. “It isn't her. The fire uses the voice you most want.” Madam Wen's face appeared in the glass. “At midnight, bring something all four of you willingly surrender.