Chapter One: The Encore Ten Thousand People Forgot

Qisha had not seen proper rain in seven years, yet on the opening day of its Revival Music Festival, the air smelled of wet earth. Shen Wu stood on the lift beside the main stage with six voices fighting in her headset. Security reported someone climbing the west fence. A sponsor wanted to know why one stroke of its enormous logo had gone dark. The drummer said his monitor sounded like a coffin. For the third time, Mayor Lu Bainian's secretary reminded her that at precisely ten, the mayor would announce Qisha's new highway project. "The highway can wait three minutes. The stage can't collapse," Shen Wu said. "Zhou, drop the left array by two decibels. Lights, prepare the sandstorm sequence. Medical, restock water."