Chapter One: The Encore Ten Thousand People Forgot

Shen Wu seized the nearest cameraman. "Where are the other two?" He removed his headphones, puzzled. "What other two?" "The emergency singers. A man and a woman." "Director Shen, are you hypoglycemic? The headliners never stopped." She questioned guards, lighting staff, and front-row fans. Everyone gave nearly the same answer. The girl who had cried during the strange song still had wet cheeks, yet insisted the scheduled band had moved her. Zhou Jibai approached with water. "You look terrible." "Pull every camera from 9:47 to 10:03." He did. On all eight feeds, the headline band performed without interruption. No blackout. No static. No Wayfarers.