Chapter Four: The Sixth Teammate

Gu Chen linked senses and caught the half-second delay between the public broadcast and Midnight layer. “Zhou, feed Iron Curtain positions delayed by half a second. Lin, look seven seconds ahead only after they fire. Wanqing changes terrain. Pei Jin captures without killing.” Iron Curtain always saw Echo half a second behind. Bullets chased ghosts into walls. Lin predicted shots already committed, reducing the cost to her memory. Wanqing collapsed an arcade and forced all five opponents into a jewelry shop. Pei Jin stepped inside, then escaped. The confinement transferred. Every door and window locked. Iron Curtain was ruled incapacitated, but no one died. The Midnight teams met at the fountain. The system flashed impatiently: