Chapter Three: Gu Yan Is Dead

The call ended. Ye Ning went pale. “It's deleting you.” “Not memory.” Gu Yan called back; his mother did not answer. “If it could rewrite her brain, she wouldn't hesitate. She would be certain. Someone gave her an answer she had to obey. Institutional records changed first. Human judgment is conforming to them.” The conclusion was calm and brutal. Ye Ning offered no false comfort. She removed the offline camera's card and sealed it in a metal film canister. “Then we'll keep one copy of you off the network.” A relay closed behind the wall. A narrow door appeared in its center. A woman of about fifty stood inside wearing a Municipal Data Center uniform. She held a pistol in her right hand; her left glove was stained with silver-gray powder.