By late afternoon, the camp pretended the morning had not happened.
The damaged mechanism had been removed. The injured participant was stable. Officials circulated statements about "mechanical irregularities" and "routine maintenance oversight." The phrase unfortunate coincidence traveled quickly from mouth to mouth.
Jin Yue did not repeat it.
He returned to the stream.
The air was warmer now, sun slanting low enough to turn the water amber. He sat in his usual place, book open, fishing line cast in lazy patience. To anyone looking, nothing had changed.
Only his pulse was wound tighter than before.
He reread a passage on pulse harmonics and found himself thinking instead of weighted beams, mistimed arcs, and the way the third arm had dropped too early.
Not random.
Calculated.
The water shifted again...not sharply this time, but with presence.
Ba Ryou approached without hiding it.
