Chapter Three: The Voice That Was Cut

Every badge read WEN QUE, though each wore a different employee's face. Last came a mild man with black-rimmed glasses. “Ms. Ye,” he said. “Please confirm the schedule.” She threw coffee over the terminal. The screen died. He smiled. “The equipment is irrelevant. The schedule is written into the city.” Outside, every tower display became a poster for *The Faceless Age*. Subway announcements, phones, and navigation systems recited its premiere time. Jichuan was one enormous cinema, its residents an unwitting audience. Bai raised his weapon. Ye Lan stopped him. “He wants us to fight like characters in a superhero movie. Don't give him the scene.”