Chapter Three: The Seller

Initial composition: Cheng Ye—appearance and family ties; Qin Fang—logic and vocational tendency; Zhou Lin—motor memory; Xu Zhou—language and auditory memory. Xu stared at the final name. It belonged to her brother. Beneath the certificate, another line showed the first listing time: seventy-two hours before the accident. “They knew people would die,” Xu whispered. Metal screamed at one gate. People were cutting through. Ji warned them that Bedrock was the leading buyer and Han Ce its broker. After delivery, Cheng's expertise would be copied to twelve employees and the originals—both Cheng and Ji—wiped. “Why help me?” Cheng asked.