Chapter Four: The Mirror That Moved First

Backcity had no sky. The underside of Linchuan's streets covered the space above; shadows of cars swam across it, and rain fell upward. In the distance, every face of a clock tower showed midnight. Tang showed Shen the identity card she had awakened with. Its name changed daily, though the photograph was always hers. Signing any name would let her survive safely as someone else. She had refused. “The vanished livestreamers?” he asked. “In a waiting room. Anyone who publicly identifies a face trades places with its owner. Erasure is filing, not death.” An announcement rolled through the streets: “Platform Zero will open shortly. Forty-three identities remain.” The count had fallen by one.