Chapter Two: Blank Takes the Job

The safe stood on basement level two. Alongside the ledger was expired film labeled: White Tower Project, Administrator Seven. Never digitize. When Lu touched it, the ringing exploded. He glimpsed a white laboratory and a man behind glass saying, “Xiaochen, if cameras forget you, never let people forget you too.” His father, missing for five years. The lights died. A red umbrella opened in the darkness. “Give me the film,” a woman said nearby. “Keep the ledger. You need money; I need to live. Fair.” Lu hid the roll inside his coat. “Let me see your face first.” Emergency lights rose. The umbrella tilted, revealing a pale, beautiful woman. At the same instant, the security feed changed to sunrise over snowy mountains.