Chapter Two: Twenty-Three People, Nobody Missing

She recorded the evidence on her phone. As soon as she saved it, every annotation vanished. So she took a marker and wrote on her skin: SHEN YAN. TWENTY-TWO. PARTNER. ALIVE. Executive director Gu Chenzhou entered carrying two cups of hot water. In his early forties, he always wore an immaculate gray shirt and spoke as though he had adjusted everyone's volume in advance. “Insomnia is normal after a live incident,” he said. “Our psychologist is available.” “Why are there only twenty-three beds for twenty-four qualifiers?” His gaze lingered too long on Shen Yan's name. “The equipment team overcounted.” “You know him.” “I know every applicant. I also know the ghosts pressure can create.” He picked up her fallen marker.