Chapter One: The World Presses Reset

“Someone voted more than once,” Lin said. “What?” “There's a third hand in this election.” The Reset button became blinding white. The world crumpled like a sheet of paper. Gunfire, cries, raindrops, even heartbeats were dragged backward. Su reached for him, but her fingertips shattered into shining pixels. A voice unlike the public announcement whispered against the bones of Lin's skull. [UNREGISTERED OBSERVER DETECTED.] [MEMORY PURGE FAILED.] [ANOMALOUS PLAYER E-0 CREATED.] The next second, he was standing in the archive again. Zhao Heng's cardboard box had just left his hands and was suspended in the air. Sunlight filled the windows. Lin's phone showed the date from seven days ago.