Chapter Four: North Bay Cold Storage

Then the memory closed. The second underground level remained active. Server racks surrounded a patch of black ice, cables entering it like veins. Lin inserted Xu Lan's card into a terminal. Its damaged files began repairing themselves. SUBJECT SEVEN: LIN CHE—CONTINUOUS CONNECTION. SUBJECT ZERO: SHEN YAN—REMOTE REAWAKENING. “They didn't discover Echo because of your goal,” Lin said. “The goal was its wake-up signal.” A youth-practice whistle sounded over the speakers. A puck appeared on the black ice and moved without being touched. Its blue path curved around Shen toward Lin. Three seconds later, a refrigeration pipe burst overhead.