Chapter Three: Confession Does Not Mean Lightness

“My biometric key. If I wore it and spoke an authorization phrase, the vote would register as voluntary.” The ring was at the bottom of an elevator shaft, but Zhao still needed her voice. An announcement sounded upstairs: the response center was clearing the building. Su seized Lin’s sleeve. “They showed me your file. Scale Zero calls you a calibration object. They say you can make a secret accept the wrong owner.” “Objects recognize what people truly claim.” “What about people? What if someone gave you your identity?” Lin had no answer. In the loading hall, Zhao Kai blocked their escape. Zhou Fang stood beside him, one hand cuffed to a metal camera case. His crescent scar was visible. The case had shattered the loading platform beneath it.