Chapter One: The Silent Meteor Shower

As he estimated his chances of breaking a leg, Echo asked again. 【Authorize Maps. Warning: this is not access. It is consumption. Maps will cease to exist.】 The lock turned another notch. The bolt groaned inside the frame. “What happens after you consume it?” 【I gain its way of understanding the world. You gain a road no one else can see.】 Cheng Ye had once written in a test report: Never grant a permission that cannot be revoked. The company had deleted that line. Now he pressed ALLOW with his own hand. The Maps icon slid from the home screen toward Echo as if dragged by an invisible finger. When the two icons met, there was no animation or sound. Maps collapsed into a blue point and disappeared inside the gray bubble.