Chapter Three: Level Zero Is Not a Floor

Agricultural rations had been halved. Citizens smashed a water dispenser in the corridor. The central dome announced capacity for four thousand, while Dawnline’s registered population stood at 6,209. Nobody said where the rest would go. Security tape sealed Bay Three. Zhou forged a coolant leak and drew the guards upstairs. Lin crawled through a ventilation shaft into the inspection trench. R-17 had been dismantled. Only the fractured wheel remained, locked in a transparent evidence cabinet. Voss stood in front of it. He did not draw his gun. “I knew you’d return.” Lin raised her wrench. “You should have brought more people.” “I did. Three of us left Security.” Voss glanced behind him. Two breathing masks hung on the wall.