Chapter Two: Ten Seconds Ahead

“It is only the most expensive outcome of your current choices,” Echo said. Cheng Ye passed the phone to Lin Wu, released his grip, and caught an abandoned cable. The future's composition shifted. Echo sailed over the hunter instead of into his grasp. Lin Wu caught it in midair and shone the lighthouse behind the gray coat. There was no man beneath it—only a data cable extending from the base of a spine. Lin Wu slashed with the copper bookmark. The coat collapsed into an ownerless heap before it touched the floor. The black phone shattered, its white square shrinking to a pinprick. Cheng Ye slid down the cable, palms bleeding. He opened Camera to verify that the danger was over. The next ten seconds appeared—but not in the basement.