Minister Han left the conference room to contact the national executive office.
Qian Wei remained seated while Shen Luo began issuing orders. For a moment, she tried to convince herself that she had become an observer now that Project Dawn knew the truth.
The country possessed leaders, scientists and military officers who were far more qualified to prepare for a global disaster. She could answer their questions, complete system missions and allow people with experience to carry the greater burden.
Unfortunately, she knew it would never be that simple.
Her name appeared in the Temporal Transfer Protocol, the system existed inside her consciousness and an unknown mutation continued changing her body.
Whether she liked it or not, she stood at the center of the crisis.
Shen Luo turned toward Professor Song. "Prepare Containment Laboratory Seven for Officer Qian’s medical assessment. Every procedure must remain non-invasive unless she gives informed consent after receiving a complete explanation."
Professor Song’s eyes brightened. "Will I have authorization to examine the system’s effect on her mutation?"
"You may record her biological responses and compare them with the system information she voluntarily provides. You may not deliberately trigger the hunger or expose her to the Black Box."
The professor’s excitement faded slightly. "I understand the restrictions, although they will limit how quickly we can obtain useful results."
"They will also prevent you from frightening our only willing source of future information."
Qian Wei raised a hand. "I would also appreciate it if everyone used my name during the examination. I understand that Project Dawn classified me as Variable One, but I am still Qian Wei."
Professor Song adjusted her glasses. "That is reasonable. I would not enjoy being addressed as Biological Research Director throughout every conversation."
"You are already improving."
Shen Luo hid a trace of amusement before looking toward General Cao. "We planned to reach full military readiness within twenty days, but the timeline is no longer stable. Reduce that period to ten."
General Cao frowned. "Mobilizing that quickly will attract public attention. Soldiers have families, and unusual movements across every region will create rumors even if the media remains silent."
"Then use explanations that encourage readiness without causing panic. Joint emergency exercises, anti-terrorism drills and disaster-response training will all give regional commands legitimate reasons to mobilize."
"How quickly do you expect each command center to respond?"
"Within six hours of receiving an emergency order. I also want every regional hospital to test mass-casualty procedures without being told the real reason."
General Cao considered the scale of the order. "We can present it as a national resilience exercise, but maintaining secrecy will become harder with every department we involve."
"I know. We only need secrecy long enough to secure essential systems and prevent uncontrolled panic."
General Cao nodded. "I will begin coordinating with the regional commanders today."
The other officials received their assignments.
Food production would increase under the explanation of stabilizing strategic reserves. Medical manufacturers would expand output while Project Dawn reviewed essential drugs. Independent energy systems, transportation routes and emergency communication networks would all undergo testing.
The preparations involved thousands of facilities and billions of lives.
Qian Wei thought of her warehouse.
A few days earlier, she had worried about storing ready-made meals and dividing a building into supply sections. Project Dawn was planning how to keep an entire civilization alive.
For the first time since awakening, the weight on her shoulders felt slightly lighter.
There were taller people helping to hold up the falling sky.
She still had an important role, but she no longer had to carry everything alone.
Ding!
The system panel appeared.
[Host has initiated large-scale timeline interference.]
[Timeline deviation: 0.0041 percent.]
The number looked insignificant, yet the orders issued in this room would alter military deployments, food production and medical preparation across the country.
Small changes could spread.
Qian Wei looked at the panel. "Does increasing timeline deviation create any danger by itself?"
The system remained silent.
She waited before asking again, "I need you to explain what the percentage measures and whether a higher number is good or bad."
[Timeline deviation measures the difference between archived future history and the developing present timeline.]
Qian Wei repeated the explanation for everyone.
Professor Song leaned forward. "Could the system determine whether the changes are improving humanity’s chance of survival?"
Qian Wei relayed the question.
[The current future has not yet occurred and cannot be classified as favorable or unfavorable.]
"That means the system is not predicting what will happen," Qian Wei explained. "It is comparing our actions with a future that already exists in its records."
Professor Song nodded slowly. "Every decision that moves us away from human extinction will increase the deviation, but harmful choices could increase it as well."
"In other words, changing the future does not guarantee that we create a better one."
Shen Luo looked at the ruined-city images. "The original history remains our only guide, even if its accuracy decreases as we alter events. We will use it carefully until the timeline changes too much for comparison."
Qian Wei thought of the failed recalculation. "The system already declared the original trajectory invalid after detecting the unknown variable. We may have less reliable information than we assumed."
"Then identifying that variable becomes a priority," Shen Luo said. "Could it be Project Dawn?"
Qian Wei asked.
[Project Dawn is not the unknown variable.]
"The system says Project Dawn is not responsible."
"What about my decision to activate Phase Zero?"
[Negative.]
Qian Wei translated the answer. "The government’s preparations have changed the timeline, but they are not what the system detected."
Professor Song joined the questioning. "Could the unknown variable be the zombie sample recovered from Apartment 3-17?"
The system paused briefly.
[The preserved biological sample is not the unknown variable.]
"The sample is not responsible either."
Shen Luo looked toward the Black Box display. "What about the unauthorized fragment?"
[External fragment classification remains separate from Unknown Variable.]
Qian Wei relayed the response. "The system treats the Black Box fragment and the unknown variable as two separate threats."
That made the situation worse.
Project Dawn already had to manage the apocalypse, Qian Wei’s mutation and a future fragment attempting to reconnect with her system. Now something else had begun interfering with the timeline.
Qian Wei addressed the system. "You detected a temporal signal before the countdown failed. Can you locate where that signal entered the present timeline?"
[Attempting temporal trace.]
Lines of unfamiliar symbols moved across the panel.
Qian Wei became aware of everyone watching her.
"It is searching," she explained. "I cannot interpret the symbols, so we will have to wait."
The panel flickered.
[System Energy insufficient for complete temporal trace.]
Qian Wei’s expression tightened. "How much more energy do you need?"
[Two additional units required.]
Only four remained. Completing the search would reduce the system to two units, but finding the unknown variable before it caused greater damage might be worth the cost.
"Will using that energy disable Basic Control?"
[Basic Control is a permanent biological improvement and does not consume System Energy.]
"What functions would become unavailable?"
[Analysis Module and advanced scanning may become temporarily inaccessible.]
Qian Wei made her decision. "Use the energy and complete the trace."
[Command confirmed.]
The symbols accelerated.
A map appeared in front of her, visible only through the system interface. It showed the outline of the country, including territorial divisions that had changed since her original era.
A red signal flashed near the eastern coast.
Qian Wei leaned forward.
[Anomalous temporal signal detected.]
The map narrowed to a coastal region filled with ports, laboratories, industrial zones and densely populated cities.
A location appeared beside the red signal.
[Donghai Special Economic Region.]
"The system found the anomaly near Donghai," Qian Wei told the room. "It appears to be somewhere inside the Special Economic Region."
General Cao immediately opened a regional map. "Donghai has more than thirty million residents and some of the country’s largest technology and biological-research centers. We cannot search the entire region without knowing what we are looking for."
Professor Song’s expression became grave. "It also contains Helix Biotech."
Shen Luo looked toward her. "Why is that significant?"
"Helix has spent decades researching artificial cellular adaptation. Project Dawn investigated the company nine years ago after it attempted to acquire restricted necrotic-tissue data."
Qian Wei felt the hunger inside her stir at the word cellular.
"Did Helix obtain the data?"
"We believed the attempt failed," Professor Song replied. "If a temporal signal has appeared near one of its facilities, we may have been wrong."
Shen Luo turned toward Lin Mei. "Contact the Donghai observation unit and have them verify every Helix facility without alerting the company. General Cao, prepare a secure transport team."
Qian Wei looked at the fading red signal.
The unknown variable had not been trying to enter Project Dawn.
The system had mistaken its direction because someone in Donghai was attempting to reach the Black Box.
And whatever they were doing had already changed the future.