Chapter One: Two Characters at Midnight

“Were you waiting for this rain?” he asked. “I've been waiting for Untitled for six months.” Ye Ning turned her camera toward him. The first reply beneath the post was timestamped 23:59:59.987—thirteen milliseconds before the displayed publication time. The reply's account had already been deleted. Its text read: Don't look up. Look at the cover. Gu Yan's finger stopped over the screen. If a prophecy was published at midnight, no one should be able to answer it before midnight. Unless the forum clock was false. Or what had leaked was not a prophecy at all. Sirens approached. At 00:07, the rising water crashed down as if the sky had suddenly remembered its duty. The crowd scattered. The C-17-13 cover remained perfectly dry.