Chapter Four: Two Zhou Jibais

Others bet he would retire again within a month. Shen Yan closed social media and drew two overlapping circles: Reality. Arclight. In the intersection he wrote Qiao Mi, and beside it, 11:59 p.m., three years ago. At midnight, ORACLE-0's silver seam ignited. There was no countdown or cheering. Shen Yan opened Yanhui's eyes inside a speeding armored vehicle. Red alarms washed the city outside. Lu Yao crouched before him, binding her left arm. “You're thirteen seconds late,” she said. “Where's White Duke?” “Of course that's your first question.” She shoved over a tactical board. “North Fifth District claim match. Best of three. We lost game one. Game two isn't base defense. We escort an energy carrier through twelve intersections.