Chapter Two: The Shadow Performs Only Once

Lu's most dangerous previous assignment had been chasing a crippled freighter ahead of a typhoon. Then, he had possessed weather charts, a marine radio, and two spare batteries. This time, he had one vision of the future and no replay. His phone contained no recording. The livestream cache looked normal. Software labeled the black line at the ninety-third second a compression artifact. In his hotel room, Lu wrote down every detail he remembered—the tanker, lighting rig, glass rain, and explosion. When he added “black coin,” every light went out. His shadow appeared on the curtain. It stood three meters away and did not imitate him. Lu sat at the desk. It remained standing, one finger pressed to its lips. “Who are you?” It pointed to his notes.