From the start, my sister gave me a lead-gray metal box as a birthday present.
Only later did I learn the thing was called Shattered City. The entire underground underworld of Qingcheng was killing each other over it, and the bounty had soared to three hundred times its original value.
The Iron Scale Society mobilized all its forces. The Sinbreakers' Office was wiped out in a bloodbath. Twelve Bone Warriors cornered me at a scrap yard in the western suburbs
Then I entered the Gray Realm Theater.
A spotlight shone down. Hundreds of crimson-eyed spectators stared at me, and a line of bloody text appeared on the stage's electronic screen:
[Audience anticipation: 41%]
[Begin your performance of death.]
Before I could make a move, my sister stepped out from the wing, barefoot and dressed in a hospital gown, holding the box. She said:
“Brother, don't fall for its tricks.”
The Shattered City in her palm began to beat like a heart.
