A City Without an Owner

An hour later, nearby residents entered the atrium without a wealth check or a scan of their voting weight. A message appeared on every access screen. [OWNERSHIP DETERMINATION CHANGED.] [CURRENT OWNER: NONE.] A deep impact shook the mountain. Lin, Su, and Tang descended in a service elevator. The third shard hovered above a dry well, shaped like a line of code rewriting itself. Gu was waiting. He had no guards, only a gun. “You're faster than I expected.” He aimed at Su. “An anomaly may retain memory. That doesn't mean his allies retain their lives.” Before he fired, Lin activated the second shard. He removed the Material Mark from the server and placed it on Gu's gun.