Chapter Two: The Person Who Was Replaced

“The cameras preserve the world seen through glasses,” Yanqiu murmured. It sounded absurd. It was also the most exact statement she had. Tang Qi locked the door. “Then we test it. You never authenticate an object from one observation. People shouldn't be different.” They began with Zhou Heng, the center's youngest registrar. Every morning at nine he carried unsweetened soy milk into storage, touched his left ear, then checked the humidity display. When nervous, he reversed two syllables in a common phrase. These were the abrasions left by two years of ordinary life, details difficult to improvise. Yanqiu watched through the window and removed her glasses. Zhou's face remained, blurred but whole. Tang Qi brought five more colleagues past.