Chapter Three: The Breathing Door

Vault Eleven had one exit. Gu placed himself before Yanqiu and Tang Qi, reaching instinctively toward a holster he no longer wore. Lin Mo stood in the doorway with Zhou Heng and Old Chen behind him. All three displayed courteous, nearly identical smiles. “Don't be frightened,” Lin said. “We only want to restore Curator Shen's normal vision.” “With other people's lives?” Yanqiu asked. “No one dies. Low-resolution versions are preserved while stable versions continue their lives. Families function. Duties are fulfilled. Social loss approaches zero.” “You call people versions.” “Authenticators divide paintings into originals and copies. The only difference is that a good copy can correct the original's defects.”