Chapter Five: A Call from the Forgotten

After a long silence, gold flowed from the phone into Cheng Cheng. Her balance rose to thirty-five percent. The rest died in the air. Echo dimmed. Its voice became mechanical again. “Executed.” Cheng Ye did not thank it. Every phone outside received a system notice. 【Candidate count below one billion. Competition escalated. Forced cross-device mergers permitted.】 Across the street, a phone leaped from one pedestrian's hand and struck another screen. Both names flickered. Crashes and screams spread through the city. Five days remained. The node war had begun.