CHAPTER 197 — WHEN THE SILENCE BECAME MORE DANGEROUS THAN CHAOS
The hesitation lasted twelve minutes.
Twelve silent, unbearable minutes where the system did nothing while thousands of people gathered openly across the northern sectors of the city.
For Elena, those twelve minutes changed everything.
She stood motionless near the massive glass windows of the control room, staring down at the endless skyline while rain continued sliding across the city like silver veins beneath the storm clouds above. The gathering below was not violent. There were no fires, no destruction, no screaming crowds tearing through the streets.
That was exactly what made it terrifying.
The people gathering were calm.
Organized.
Deliberate.
And the system did not know how to fight calm resistance anymore.
