Chapter Three: The First Person to Wake

The recording held a man's broken sobs. “It said every time I gave in, I was wasting us. It said to let it have five minutes.” “White Noise is beside her,” Zero whispered behind Lu. Lu looked. At first there was nothing. Then the lamp's hum stretched thin, and a female outline made of television snow took shape at Su Wan's side. It had no mouth, but a thought entered Lu's mind: He is lying, but not entirely. Su's face tightened; she had heard it too. “Your Second Self can see White Noise?” “His name is Zero.” “Did he tell you Gu Chen won't come?” The lights died. Outside, the city's neon disappeared as if someone had pulled a plug. Even the headlights on the distant overpass vanished.