Lin returned to his apartment before midnight.
The city outside looked unchanged—neon lights reflected on wet streets, traffic flowed steadily, and distant sirens blended into the night like background noise. If not for the numbers, nothing suggested the world was on the verge of collapse.
Lin locked the door.
He stood still and waited.
Probability of sudden building fire within the next hour: 3%
He turned his head toward the window.
Probability of falling debris from nearby buildings: 11%
The numbers responded instantly, without emotion.
Lin sat down slowly.
This wasn't a random warning system. It reacted to his focus, adjusted to his surroundings, and recalculated outcomes in real time. Whatever this was, it followed rules—cold, mathematical rules.
He tested it again.
Probability of injury if leaving the apartment within ten minutes: 41%
Too high.
Lin opened his laptop instead.
News feeds refreshed endlessly.
Convenience Store Shooting Avoided by Customer Leaving Seconds Before Incident.Multiple Witnesses Claim "Premonition" or "Warnings" Before Urban Accidents.Authorities Investigating a Surge in Predictive Anomaly Reports.
Lin's fingers hovered above the keyboard.
He wasn't the only one noticing strange things—but the numbers he saw were far too precise to be coincidence.
Another line appeared.
Probability of system-related information becoming public within 72 hours: 89%
Lin leaned back.
If these probabilities spread, society wouldn't collapse overnight. It would fracture slowly—through panic, misinformation, and people acting on incomplete data.
Those who reacted blindly would die first.
Those who learned to interpret the numbers correctly would survive.
Lin closed the laptop.
Probability of long-term survival if remaining passive: 17%
Probability of survival if preparing in advance: 78%
The choice was obvious.
Lin stood up.
The world no longer followed familiar rules.
So he would adapt faster than everyone else.