They did not call it panic.
They called it reassessment.
Alarms never sounded.
Instead, doors that had never opened before did.
Analysts rotated out.
Supervisors stepped in.
The room behind the walls filled with people who spoke less and watched more.
"Reduce stimuli by thirty percent," a voice ordered.
"Environmental modulation disengaged."
"Keep him comfortable."
Comfort.
The word landed badly.
Li Chen felt the change immediately.
Pressure eased.
The air settled.
Gravity normalized.
Not relief.
Containment loosening its grip.
[SYSTEM PHASE II]
[External stressor reduction confirmed]
[Host-environment feedback loop stabilizing]
The System sounded… relieved.
Behind the glass, an analyst replayed the footage of the cracked floor.
"He didn't apply force," she said.
"He applied balance," another replied.
"That makes it worse."
A new protocol appeared on the shared screen.
EP-01: PASSIVE ENTITY MANAGEMENT
Several people stared at the wording.
"Entity?" someone muttered.
No one corrected it.
Grant felt it before he saw it.
A ripple through command channels.
Requests denied without explanation.
Names removed from rosters.
Facilities that officially didn't exist suddenly mattered.
He started digging.
Li Chen was offered a choice.
Not freedom.
Structure.
A voice spoke gently.
"We'd like to adjust your daily routine. More interaction. Less isolation."
Li Chen considered.
"You're afraid of silence," he said.
A pause.
"Yes," the voice admitted.
"Then proceed," Li Chen replied.
The System updated again.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[User influence radius recalculated]
[Result: Non-local effects detected]
Li Chen frowned slightly.
That was new.
Elsewhere, far above ground, a secure line lit up.
"Containment is degrading," a director said.
"It isn't," another replied. "Our assumptions are."
Silence followed.
Then a question no one liked.
"What happens if he decides to leave?"
No answer came.
That night, Li Chen stood at the edge of the room and placed his palm against the wall.
Not pushing.
Not testing.
Listening.
The concrete hummed faintly.
Systems responding.
Adapting.
[SYSTEM PHASE II — OBSERVATION]
[User restraint remains primary stabilizing factor]
Li Chen withdrew his hand.
They were finally learning the truth.
The danger was never what he could do.
It was what happened when everyone else reacted to the idea of it.