The requests did not arrive one by one.
They stacked.
[System Log: Concurrent Authority Requests — Increasing.]
Lin Chen had not slept.
Not because of urgency—
but because stopping meant falling behind.
---
No Space Between Decisions
Three regions.
Different time zones.
Different failure patterns.
The system processed faster than ever.
But Lin Chen felt slower.
Not mentally—
physically.
---
A Small Delay
He paused for half a second longer than usual.
The system noticed.
[System Log: Operator Response Time — +0.47s.]
Dr. Hart looked up.
"You hesitated."
Lin Chen nodded.
"I evaluated."
That was true.
But evaluation now cost something.
---
Pressure Without Drama
No collapse.
No mistakes.
Just accumulation.
Each correct decision layered weight onto the next.
The system no longer flagged danger loudly.
It simply adjusted its tolerance.
Downward.
---
The Fourth Request
A borderline case.
Low fatality risk.
High political sensitivity.
Normally, the system would have deferred.
Now, it asked.
[System Prompt: Operator Judgment Required.]
Lin Chen closed his eyes briefly.
Three breaths.
He answered.
---
Outcome
The intervention worked.
Minimal loss.
Contained fallout.
On paper, it was a success.
But the system logged something else.
[System Log: Cognitive Load — Sustained Elevated State.]
---
Dr. Hart's Observation
"This pace isn't sustainable," Dr. Hart said.
"They're treating you like infrastructure."
Lin Chen replied evenly,
"Infrastructure doesn't get tired."
A pause.
"But people do," Dr. Hart said.
Lin Chen didn't respond.
---
A New Pattern
That night, Lin Chen reviewed the logs.
Not outcomes.
Not numbers.
Intervals.
The gaps between decisions were shrinking.
Authority was no longer episodic.
It was continuous.
---
The Realization
He leaned back slowly.
The danger was no longer failure.
It was success without limits.
The system flashed once more.
[System Log: Continuous Authority State — Detected.]
Lin Chen exhaled.
If this continued, something would break.
Not the system.
Him.
---
End of Chapter