The room Ji Xiao had given him was small. More like a converted workspace than a guest bedroom.
The walls were bare except for a single schematic projected faintly across the far surface, flickering with half-written code.
Fu Ling stood silently for a while, letting the door close behind him. The hum of machinery from downstairs was steady. He inhaled, then exhaled slowly.
He turned to the desk. A sleek console sat there, the sort used by engineers to interface with system networks. Thin as paper, matte black, and cold to the touch.
He brushed his fingers across it and murmured, "Power on."
The device responded instantly, the interface blooming in the air like light through water. Pale blue glyphs floating mid-air.
Fu Ling touched it a few times before turning it back offf.
[System.]
The system replied in a curious tone.
[Yes, host?]
[Pull up the link to my old research server.]
There was a short pause before the system answered.
