Jiang Lan hangs from the edge of the ninth level, the churning Dark Sea below him. The eye crystal at the back of his neck livestreams his desperate predicament to the entire network. Comments flash across the screen: “Another nobody from the slums is going to die. Boring.” But no one knows that he just used a simulated projection to glimpse the future: three seconds from now, a tentacle will drag him into the deep sea. The instant it bursts through the waves, Jiang Lan grabs a steel cable and swings toward a pipe, moving with the precision of someone who has rehearsed it a thousand times. The entire network erupts: this scavenger actually predicted the sea beast’s attack!
Even stranger, when Jiang Lan lands safely, a low murmur rises from the depths of the Dark Sea. Every livestream cuts to black at once, leaving behind a single line of blood-red text: “It has awakened.” Night is just beginning in Abyss City, and the hidden rules are shifting. Jiang Lan’s eye crystal suddenly glows red: tonight, every scavenger will become prey, and his simulated projections are the only way to survive.
