Chapter Two: The Seven Seconds Every Camera Forgot

“It isn't watching them,” Lin said. “I am. It is measuring my attention.” He marked Zhao Not Interested. The weight dropped eight points. He searched Zhao's name; it rose thirty-four. Swiping the card away slowed the timer by seven-tenths of a second. Opening it restored the missing time. “The more you watch, the greater his danger,” Xu said. “Or the clearer the road becomes.” “Then stop.” Lin shut down his phone. The card appeared on his laptop. He logged out; Zhao's portrait surfaced in an operating-system notification. He disconnected the network; an electronic clock displayed Zhao's page. When he smashed a spare monitor, the gray sentence shone between the cracks. Observation cannot be withdrawn.