Chapter Four: Midnight Station

Passengers from many decades crowded the platform. An old inspector approached, punch clicking. “Present a ticket purchased before you arrived.” Lin had none. Fault Vision marked the gate: 【Failure condition of a valid ticket: Its holder's destination does not exist.】 The announcement began a sixty-second countdown. Unticketed passengers aged into dust while their stolen years flowed into the station clock. The ticket machine sold passage only to “Tomorrow,” for half a passenger's remaining life. Lin pressed his badge to it. “I'll pay seven seconds.” 【Insufficient payment.】 “Put it in escrow.” Damage Escrow delayed the loss. A silver ticket emerged. Lin had seven seconds before payment resolved.