Chapter Three: Confession Does Not Mean Lightness

Only when he notified affected schools, recalled the food, and let them cancel contracts did its weight fall. “Confession isn’t a password,” Lin said. “You must return the choice.” They had to return Su Rui’s. Xu found that Su had never left Linlan. Her cards were frozen, and her last access record came from Chenghai Biotech’s old laboratory, sealed that morning for overweight equipment. They entered through a drainage channel. Inside, desks, computers, and sample cabinets bore paper transfer labels but had sunk into the floor. Legal ownership had changed; possession in the owners’ minds had not. Su Rui was locked in a temperature-controlled room below ground. Her wedding dress was wrinkled. A portable oxygen tank sat by her feet.