Chapter One: The Message After Midnight

Without the warning, Zhao would have boarded Line Three with fuel a week later. Su might have noticed him on her way home, tried to intervene, and died. Their phones vibrated together. The global outage continued; no one else could send a word. Yet the blue envelope in Shen's inbox unfolded. “Outcome altered.” The hospital corridor vanished. He stood in an old ward that smelled of disinfectant, holding a withered hand. Sunset pressed against a white sheet. A dying woman struggled to say, “Hehe, don't be afraid. Mama isn't leaving because she doesn't want you.” Grief detonated inside Shen. He fell to his knees, sobbing until he could not breathe. But she was not his mother.