Chapter Three: The First Key

“We could hide for sixty-seven hours,” Qiao said. “At least we wouldn't die tonight.” “When the seal closes, the system purges anyone who minted inside.” Lin showed her the map. Beside her name appeared SEAL DISPOSITION: RECLAMATION. She was silent, then shut the laptop. “Then we go to the auction.” Lin could summon the Prism, but a second pulse would narrow his position to eight hundred meters. In a hall crowded with holders, every relic bowing to him would expose his identity instantly. He studied the museum plans. It stood atop a century-old water plant connected to a Skywell branch. During a renovation, a bypass pipe had been mislabeled as solid wall.