Chapter Two: Ten Seconds Ahead

The man's face spasmed. He opened his mouth, but a system alert came out. “High-value application detected. Beginning merge.” “Use a hidden road,” Echo urged. Maps marked a route fifteen centimeters wide in the kitchen wall: GAS-LINE SERVICE GAP—SEALED FOOD LIFT—UNDERGROUND SHELTER. “Stay close.” Cheng Ye plunged through the wall, Lin Wu behind him. The square grazed his back, erasing the name from his coat's laundry label. They dropped through a dark service shaft while Echo rotated the route, turning a vertical fall into a slope. The hunter followed. Cheng Ye raised Camera again. Six seconds ahead, the three of them reached the basement. The hunter landed first, consumed Echo, and extinguished Lin Wu's lighthouse. “Can the future change?”