Chapter Two: The Whole City Shuts Up

The rule was not instant wishing. It needed witnesses. That evening, Lin Mo shut every curtain in his apartment and wrote his findings on paper. Electronic records could change. Paper, for now, seemed safe. One: twenty-four hours. Two: distribution determined speed. Three: majority interpretation determined the result. Before he could write a fourth, drilling began in the apartment above. The couple next door started fighting. Outside, a streamer shouted through a loudspeaker. Lin Mo put in earplugs, but his phone kept filling with office notifications. Finance wanted answers about the ghost approval. Tang Ke sent a sixty-second voice message. The stranger’s countdown had four hours left.