Chapter Four: One Life Divided Twelve Ways

“Kill the screens!” Lu Chen dropped beside Gao Yuan. Every pulse of blue flame from the luxury suite burned another piece from the number above Gao's chest. Chen Jiudeng had said the Covenant could take nothing without consideration. It needed a conduit. The conduit was not Gao's heart. It was the broadcast. A screen over the tunnel still looped Gao's highlights beneath the words EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS: RETURN OF THE KING. Lu Chen smashed it with a folding chair. The instant it went black, the countdown stopped at [11 days, 2 hours]. “Who authorized that reel?” Su Tang asked. Luo Xiao found the document. “A lifetime image-rights license from three years ago. Every broadcast counts as Gao accepting fame income again.”