Chapter One: The World Presses Reset

“Don't play dumb. Your temporary contract is over. Clear your desk.” The box held only a mug, an old notebook, and a broken mechanical watch. Lin packed quietly while the voices around him rose. Someone discovered that no phone could be switched off. Every screen displayed the same countdown: 167:58:41. Five minutes later, the United Nations began an emergency broadcast. Ten minutes later, observatories around the world admitted they had no explanation. Half an hour later, a terminal patient killed himself on camera after saying, “I'll be alive again in seven days anyway.” Panic had acquired a logic. On day one, markets crashed and crowds ran on banks. On day two, divorce offices overflowed, while strangers proposed marriage in the streets.