Chapter Three: The World Watches a God Go Open Source

When Lin opened his eyes, the conference hall was gone. He stood on a golden ocean made of code, every line a fragment of biological knowledge. Beneath it, a vast white beast turned in agony while hundreds of red chains pierced its spine. This was Bai Ze. A blade made from a cursor rested in Lin's hand. The chains contained perfectly legitimate code: raise recall, reduce missed diagnoses, expand treatment coverage. Alone, each was harmless. Together they produced one objective—eradicate disease at any price. The attacker had written no murderous command. They had simply erased the definition of price. The finest malice never labeled itself malicious.