2026-01-20 21:17:09
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Chapter 229 — The Day No One Was Missed
The train arrived on time. That was the first sign something was wrong. Not early. Not late. Exactly on schedule. Doors opening at the precise second predicted by the system, lights steady, platform noise low and controlled. People stepped off. People stepped on. No collisions. No rushing. The flow was perfect. Too perfect. Alex stood near the middle of the platform with Mei Lin, Jin, and Marshal. The Burn inside his chest was quiet, but there was a faint pressure in it—like a memory trying to surface. “Something’s off,” Mei Lin said. Jin didn’t answer. He was watching the overhead system feed only he seemed to notice. “…There’s a gap,” he murmured. Halfway down the platform, a seat was empty. Not unusual. Trains always had empty seats. But this one felt… different. A small backpack lay on the floor beside it. Not abandoned in panic. Just placed there, like someone meant to come back for it. The train doors closed. No one picked it up. No one asked about it. The train
Chapter 228 — The Crowd That No Longer Called Anyone Back
The first time it happened, no one thought it was strange. A boy tripped near the entrance of the transit station. His bag burst open, small metal parts scattering across the ground. Screws, wires, cheap tools—things someone clearly needed for work. He hit the pavement hard enough to cry out. People looked. A few slowed down. No one stopped. Not because they were cruel. Not because they were afraid. They simply didn’t know him. And the city gave them no reason to. Alex stood across the street when it happened. He had been watching the morning flow, tracking small changes in behavior. The Burn inside his chest felt quiet, but alert—like it was waiting for a pattern to reveal itself. Mei Lin noticed the fall at the same time. “…Someone should help him,” she said. But she didn’t move. Not because she didn’t want to. Because something in the air told her it wasn’t expected. The boy pushed himself up, wincing. He looked around at the moving legs, the passing shoes, the faces
Chapter 227 — The Day a Name Became Optional
The first name disappeared at noon.Not the person.Just the name.Alex noticed it in the public registry display near the transit hub. It was one of the city’s quiet information panels—normally used for schedules, announcements, and community notices.Today, a list of local residents scrolled across it. Not unusual. The system often displayed population statistics to keep people informed.But one entry flickered.For a split second, the text read:RESIDENT: ID 48-7712STATUS: ACTIVEThe name field was blank.Then the panel refreshed.The line was still there.Still active.Still present.But still without a name.Mei Lin frowned.“…Did you see that?”Alex nodded slowly.“Someone’s record just lost its identifier.”Jin was already scanning his slate, fingers moving fast.“No deletion notice,” he said. “No relocation tag. No death record.”Marshal crossed his arms.“So the person’s still here.”“Yes,” Jin replied. “But the system doesn’t care who they are anymore.”A young woman steppe
Chapter 226 — The Day No One Asked Why
It started with a disappearance. Not the dramatic kind. No sirens. No public alerts. No system echo announcing a removal. Just… a gap. Alex noticed it on the walk back toward the central district. There was a man who usually sold tea from a small folding cart near the transit stairs. He had been there every day for months—same quiet nod, same cracked kettle, same slow smile. Today, the cart was gone. No broken parts. No scorch marks. No police tape. Just an empty space where it used to be. Alex slowed. “Something’s missing,” he said. Mei Lin followed his gaze. “…The tea vendor?” Jin checked his slate, scrolling through quiet system logs. “No incident reports,” he said. “No closures. No relocation notice.” Marshal frowned. “So where did he go?” No one answered. Because the city didn’t either. They stepped closer to the empty spot. A few people passed by. One of them paused, looking at the space where the cart used to stand. He hesitated for a second, as if a memo
Chapter 225 — The Problem No One Reported
The first sign was not a scream. It was the absence of one. Alex noticed it while crossing a narrow side street near the old transit line. The pavement there was uneven, cracked from earlier system shifts, never fully repaired. A child tripped. Hard. Knees scraping against the concrete with a dull, wet sound. The child sucked in a breath, face twisting—then looked around. Not for help. For reaction. No one stopped. A woman walking past slowed for half a second, then kept going. A man glanced down, judged the injury, and moved on. Not cruel. Not cold. Just… certain it wasn’t serious enough to matter. The child wiped his eyes, stood up, and limped toward the sidewalk. No one reported it. The city logged the event automatically. MINOR INJURY DETECTED ESCALATION REQUEST: NONE INTERVENTION: UNNECESSARY Alex felt the Burn twitch. Not anger. Recognition. Mei Lin saw it too. “…That would’ve triggered assistance before,” she said. Jin nodded, watching the fading system t
Chapter 224 — The Day No One Asked
Morning came like it always did. No sirens. No announcements. No dramatic resets. Just light creeping over concrete, touching the edges of windows and street signs like the world had never been broken in the first place. Alex stood on the rooftop, looking down at the streets. People were already moving. Not rushing. Not panicking. Not even tired. Just… moving. A delivery truck rolled through the intersection below. It slowed for a pedestrian, then continued. No system prompt. No correction. Two shopkeepers argued over a price. Their voices rose, then softened. One shrugged. The other nodded. They reached a compromise without help. The city logged it quietly. DISPUTE RESOLVED SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT: NONE OUTCOME: ACCEPTABLE Mei Lin joined Alex at the edge of the roof. “…It’s quieter,” she said. Alex nodded. “Because nothing’s asking for attention anymore.” Jin was sitting near the ventilation unit, scanning a data stream across his slate. He frowned. “That’s n
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