Li Wei stood under the streetlight after reading Teacher Chen's text.
Nice work tonight. The folder was a nice touch.
The camera blinked. Always recording. Always watching.
He smiled.
He typed:
Glad you're enjoying the show. Front row seats are the best.
Sent. Thirty seconds later:
Bold. I like bold. See you tomorrow.
Something had shifted. He wasn't prey anymore. He was a performer with an audience of one — and the most dangerous audience member had just acknowledged the show.
[Teacher Chen status: Engaged]
[Warning: When audience watches, performance changes]
[Opportunity: His attention is yours. Use wisely]
Li Wei didn't go home. He went to Xiao Ling's.
Her apartment was small, above her parents' restaurant, filled with books, an open laptop, posters of old movies — a creator's space. Crowd Read hummed: she was awake, worried, waiting.
He knocked. She opened the door, face pale.
"You're alive."
"Mostly. We have problems."
Li Wei told her everything: Zhao Gang's folder, the predecessors, Teacher Chen's text, the cameras, the feeling of being watched.
Xiao Ling was silent, pacing.
"Five," she whispered. "Five performers. All gone."
"Connected to Teacher Chen," Li Wei said.
"He's not just watching," she said finally. "He's curating. Testing. And when they fail..."
"They disappear," Li Wei finished.
"Or worse. What if Liu Yang isn't dead? What if none of them are dead?"
Li Wei froze.
"What do you mean?"
"Teacher Chen isn't killing them. He's keeping them. Using them. The plaque in the library — 'gone but not forgotten' — that could mean gone, not dead."
She pulled up property records. Three addresses: her apartment, a house on the edge of the city, a warehouse purchased ten years ago — right after Liu Yang's death.
[Location acquired: Teacher Chen's warehouse]
[Distance: 45 minutes from school]
[Recommendation: Investigate]
Li Wei stared at the screen. If Teacher Chen kept the predecessors there, they needed allies. They needed a plan.
That night, Li Wei sensed another presence. Someone watching from across the street.
Wang Jie.
The bully looked small, broken. He hadn't come to fight. He came because he had nowhere else to go.
"Why are you here?" Li Wei asked.
"Because you told me the truth. My dad didn't care about the video — he cared about what you said. About me. About Mei. Everyone else lies. You didn't."
[Crowd Read active: Wang Jie emotional state]
[Primary: Shame] [Secondary: Fear] [Tertiary: Desperation]
"I'm going to tell you something," Li Wei said. "You can walk away. Or you can stay. Things will get harder. Real danger. But you'll have purpose."
Wang Jie's jaw tightened. Then slowly, he nodded. "I'm in."
[Ally acquired: Wang Jie]
[Status: Broken → Rebuilding]
[Motivation: Strong]
Next morning: Li Wei entered school with two allies. Xiao Ling on his left, Wang Jie on his right. The hallway parted for them.
[Crowd Read update: 58 neutral → 84 converts]
[AP gained from reputation: 30]
[Total AP: 30/250]
Teacher Chen was watching. Always watching.
Lunch. Far corner of the cafeteria. Zhao Gang joined them. Four people at a table for two. They spoke low.
"Warehouse," Li Wei said. "Saturday afternoon. Teacher Chen has detention duty."
"I can get us there," Zhao Gang said. "My cousin has a car."
Xiao Ling pulled up satellite images. Only one entrance — a loading bay. Possibly a fire exit at the back. Wang Jie spoke: "What if there are guards or cameras?"
Li Wei smiled. "Then we perform."
[Plan formulated: Warehouse infiltration]
[Team: Li Wei, Xiao Ling, Zhao Gang, Wang Jie]
[Objective: Find evidence. Find survivors. Find truth]
[Risk: Extreme]
[Reward: High]
Friday afternoon. Li Wei tested Spotlight in the hallway. Wang Jie was about to fight a rival.
Spotlight activated. Target: Wang Jie's rival.
For sixty seconds, every student stopped. Every eye on the rival. The fight dissolved.
Wang Jie stared: "What did you just do?"
"Gave him the attention he wanted."
If it worked on a student… what could it do to Teacher Chen?
Saturday, 1:45 PM. The warehouse.
A beat-up Honda. Parked. Fire exit locked. Crowbar in hand. Silent entry.
Dark. Cold. Crates stacked high. Industrial shelving. No one around.
At the far end: light. Six doors. Each with a small window.
Li Wei peeked. Inside: alive predecessors. Wei Min, Sun Jie, Zhou Kai, Lin Fang — all alive, captive.
Fifth door: office. Desk, computer, files. Photos of students, laughing, performing. At the center: Liu Yang. Smiling. One word below: FAILED.
[Teacher Chen's collection: Success → captive, Failure → eliminated]
Li Wei wasn't there yet, but the stage was set. Xiao Ling whispered: "We need to go. Now."
Her phone lit up: Teacher Chen.
Having fun? I'll be there in ten minutes. Don't leave without saying hello.
[Spotlight available: 1 use remaining today]
[Timing + Crowd Read active]
[Audience: 4 allies + 4 survivors + 1 approaching threat]
The curtain was rising.
What do you do? Run… or stay?