Chapter Two: Twelve Hours at the Apex

It's as if another version of me has been fitted over this body.” Lin Wan asked, “Why twelve hours?” He produced the cover photograph. Silver words had appeared on its back: APEX MAINTAINED FOR TWELVE HOURS. COLLATERAL: SEVEN MINUTES. “I want one official run before it ends,” he said. “Not for a comeback. I just want to know whether the last thing I remember is the injury or the speed.” Shen Yan refused. Half an hour later, all three stood in a locked training center. He Xiao's coach had opened it in secret. Lin Wan set three cameras to independent timecodes. Shen Yan left the broken flash locked at home. The pistol sounded. Every stride He Xiao took was precise enough to be heartbreaking. 9.96—one hundredth faster than his career best.