Chapter Three: The Price of an Apex

“The flash seeks balance,” Lin Wan said. “Borrow someone's strongest part, and it takes the part that best proves somebody lived.” She layered the three negatives on the light table. Their edges joined perfectly. Silver grains formed an old street: a tram, crowds in hats, a newsboy raising an extra edition. A date showed faintly—September 17, 1927. With the third negative in place, a door appeared at the street's end. Gu Changzhou stood beyond it. This time, he moved. He approached from the film's depth and raised a hand against it. Frost formed on the glass. Words surfaced from within: NINE REMAIN. All three negatives grew hot. Shen Yan touched them before he could find gloves, and the apartment vanished.