Chapter Four: Two Zhou Jibais

Iron Veil controls every beacon.” The vehicle swerved as a shell scraped its roof. Ember's carrier had thirty-one percent integrity. Six intersections ahead were red. Iron Veil was not pursuing; all five players had vanished together. Global Timing unfolded inside Shen Yan: two beacons rotated in nineteen seconds, a lift bridge closed in thirty-four, and the enemy's interception abilities had at most eleven seconds left. It was too orderly. “Stop the vehicle.” The driver stared. “In a crossfire zone?” “Yes. Everyone out. Let the carrier proceed on autopilot.” Lu Yao watched the empty street and understood. “They aren't ambushing the carrier. They're waiting for us to reroute around an ambush.”