Chapter Two: Playback of Death

He chose the brightest path, raised his glove, and caught the real puck. The rink vanished. A rainy night. An unknown woman sat in a white sedan, wrists bound to the wheel with clear ties. A silver ring hung from the mirror. A harbor clock pointed to one. Water entered beneath the doors as she struck the horn with her forehead and repeated a license plate: FROST A–7K312. Shen fell to his knees. Lin Wu forced through the players and checked his awareness. He caught her sleeve and repeated the plate three times. In the locked medical room, she said, “Your scan is clean. Tell me what that number means.” He told her everything. Instead of diagnosing hallucinations, Lin opened a locked drawer and removed an old photograph.