Chapter Two: Ten Seconds Ahead

He withdrew his finger. Not from mercy. He still needed answers. At nine, his sister called. “Did you stay awake all night again? You sent me a blank location.” The log confirmed it. At 12:21, while he fled into the hidden corridor, the phone had shared coordinates with Cheng Cheng. The address was a string of negative numbers. “System error,” he said. “Don't use your phone today. Turn it off.” “I'm an ER doctor. I might as well stop breathing. Come to the hospital tonight so I can examine your brain.” Before the call ended, someone in the background summoned Doctor Cheng. A hollow feeling opened in Cheng Ye. The voice had seemed to use the wrong surname, though he could not remember what the right one should have been.