Imitation is not respect.
It is acceleration without understanding.
The message arrived before dawn.
Not from the Court.Not from Zone Seventeen.
From somewhere farther away.
Yan Ming read it once.
Then again.
His expression darkened.
"…There's been an incident."
Su Qingyue sat up instantly.
"Where?"
"A peripheral zone," Yan Ming said."Unstable, but not critical."
Zhou Shan rubbed his eyes.
"WHAT KIND OF INCIDENT—?"
Yan Ming didn't soften it.
"An independent group attempted stabilization."
Silence followed.
Lian Hong closed his eyes briefly.
"…Using the frame."
"Yes," Yan Ming said."Or what they think it is."
Details followed quickly.
No coordination.No observers.No exit strategy.
They arrived with confidence.
They forced alignment.
The fracture resisted.
Then snapped back.
A localized collapse.
Not catastrophic.
But visible.
Su Qingyue clenched her jaw.
"They copied the outcome, not the restraint."
Zhou Shan whispered:
"THIS IS WHY INSTRUCTIONS HAVE WARNINGS—"
Lian Hong opened his eyes.
"…Were there casualties?"
Yan Ming shook his head.
"No deaths."
"But injuries."
"And fear."
That was worse.
Word spread faster than facts.
"Stabilization failed."
"The method is dangerous."
"He inspired reckless imitators."
Within hours,the Court issued a statement.
Carefully worded.
Unauthorized applications of unverified frameworkshave resulted in instability.
Yan Ming exhaled.
"They're positioning this as consequence."
Su Qingyue frowned.
"Of imitation."
"Of influence," Yan Ming corrected.
Lian Hong stood.
"This is on me."
Yan Ming looked up sharply.
"No."
"You didn't authorize it."
"You explicitly warned against replication."
"But they acted because I exist,"Lian Hong replied.
Silence.
That was the weight of precedent.
A Watcher paused.
"…Secondary instability linked to carrier influence."
Another replied:
"Causation indirect."
"But correlation increasing."
A mark edged closer to red.
"…We note escalation potential."
The counter-message arrived quickly.
Not hostile.
Concerned.
This incident underscores the needfor centralized oversightto prevent misuse.
Yan Ming closed his eyes.
"There it is."
Su Qingyue's voice was cold.
"They're using the failureto reopen the offer."
Zhou Shan panicked.
"THEY'RE GOING TO SAY 'WE TOLD YOU SO'—"
Lian Hong didn't argue.
He listened.
Lian Hong spoke quietly.
"This is what overreach looks like."
"Not mine."
"Theirs."
Yan Ming nodded slowly.
"They rushed to be first."
"They skipped the cost."
Su Qingyue added:
"They wanted credit without patience."
Lian Hong turned back to the map.
"…Then the frame needs another rule."
He wrote it himself.
Rule Three:No integration without apprenticeship.
Yan Ming's eyes sharpened.
"That limits spread."
"And filters intent," Lian Hong said.
Zhou Shan blinked.
"SO NOW PEOPLE HAVE TO LEARN—?"
"Yes," Lian Hong replied."Slowly."
They issued a clarification.
Public.
Not defensive.
Recent failures resulted from incomplete application.The framework requires training, observation,and acceptance of limits.Unauthorized use is strongly discouraged.
Yan Ming winced.
"They'll say that's too late."
"Maybe," Lian Hong said."But it's honest."
Far away,the masked figure laughed softly.
"…There it is."
"The cost of influence."
He stepped closer.
"Now let's seeif he tries to control what cannot be controlled."
That evening,Lian Hong walked alone.
The fracture pulsed faintly.
Not accusing.
But aware.
Su Qingyue found him.
"You couldn't have stopped this."
"I know," he said.
"But I can respond."
She studied him.
"And if it happens again?"
He looked toward the dark horizon.
"Then the response will matter morethan the mistake."
The world had seen success.
Now it had seen failure.
Not his.
But connected to him.
The space they left himwas no longer empty.
It was watching.
And the next sixty dayswould decide whether influencebecame structure—
or chaos.