Chapter Four: The People Taken by Light

Shen Yan touched the crystal. Nineteen reflection chains flooded him. For seven years Qichen had replaced streetlamps, screens, and cameras. Every lamp was an eye collecting citizens' images; every screen a mirror forcing starlight to pass again and again. Seven routes formed the Big Dipper around Linjiang. “Where is the first anchor?” Li Wu asked through clenched teeth. In the river's reflection, Shen Yan saw an old ferry landing demolished seven years ago. “Not inside the lamps. The lights make the whole city remember the entrance for them.” The crystal brightened. Zhou Jibai appeared across every cabinet door. “Yan,” he said calmly, “the system your sister left behind has finally recognized you.”