The First Report

The Gongdeng City Joint Road and Public Safety Service Station had no high walls.

It occupied a six-story building east of South Lantern Gate Station, sharing a forecourt with the community clinic, the market affairs counter, and the road appeals hall. Rows of gray-leaved plants tolerant of low light grew by the entrance, while the ground was laid with written lines, tactile lines, and temperature-guidance strips suited to the travel habits of different forms of life. Most people coming and going looked perfectly ordinary. Some were replacing gateflow records, some complaining about freight delays, while others waited at the service counter with damaged household devices in their arms for a determination of liability.

When Xu Linchuan arrived, the synchronization clock in the forecourt had just passed half past eight.