Chapter Five: Applause, Calculated

All eleven Gu-affiliated members missed the technical hearing. Their empty seats carried more weight than opposing votes. Han Shouzheng announced that without two-thirds attendance, presentations could proceed but no resolution could pass. Cheng Ye cursed over his equipment case. Jiming sent the livestream to every supplier seeking access. “If they won't attend, we'll speak to their customers.” Xu Zhi renamed the event a public safety verification. Anhe supplied two identical transport boxes: one connected to a central database, the other loaded with Bright Mirror's module. Engineers cut power, raised temperatures, then attempted to alter records through an administrator account. The left-hand curve became perfectly smooth.