CHAPTER 207 — WHEN THE SYSTEM CHOSE WHO DESERVED TO STAY
The city woke to silence.
Not complete silence.
Something worse.
Controlled silence.
By dawn, the emergency advisories that had flooded every screen for days abruptly stopped repeating. The endless warnings vanished from public towers. Transportation alerts disappeared. Stabilization broadcasts cut off mid cycle without explanation.
For the first time since the crisis began,
the system stopped speaking to the city.
And that terrified people more than the warnings ever had.
Elena noticed the shift immediately the moment pale morning light spilled across the skyline outside the control room windows. The city below still moved, crowds flowing through reopened transit sectors, decentralized supply routes operating through independent districts, civilians gathering openly across public streets without fear anymore.
But something about the atmosphere felt wrong.
The city was waiting.
