Chapter Two: The Deleted Woman Looked Back at Me

When Shen Wu brought the cassette to the temporary command center, Zhou Jibai was deleting the cache. At two in the morning, the converted shipping container was still a feverish metal box. Lights blinked across the storage array. Zhou pulled a cable, and "Cleanup Complete" appeared on-screen. "What did you delete?" "Duplicate footage. The broadcast backup is due tomorrow, and we're out of room." He saw the cassette in her hand. "Where did that antique come from?" "The stage." "Who left it?" "Someone you don't remember." His smile faded. They had known each other for nine years, from a university club to their first commercial event. He had always followed Shen Wu into even her most ridiculous plans.