Chapter Forty-Eight: The Source of Ashen Fire, Seizing the Misstep
Section One: TRACE Strikes, Hitting the Wrong Target
Iron Valley, east side of Gray Crossing District, before the Yellow Wall checkpoint.
Midday, the streets sparse with foot traffic. A few old transport vehicles were parked outside the Gray Crossing Gang's management station, where young workers in overalls unloaded equipment. The air carried a mix of coal ash and electrolyte, like the hush before a storm.
Inside the checkpoint, a surveillance camera silently shifted its angle.
On the ARGUS system's node map, the Yellow Wall checkpoint flared red—
[TRACE Unit: T-4 Team · Mobile Identification Queue · Entering Peripheral Scan Mode]
—
At the outpost, Zhao Mingxuan leaned toward the holographic table. "They're moving. TRACE Team 4, covert strike unit."
Maria stared at the glowing ring. "Targeting Gray Crossing?"
"But Gray Crossing shows no significant meme anomalies," Zhao Mingxuan said rapidly. "ARGUS's crowd collaboration index just hit 0.51—too low to be a target."
"They're not after anomalies," Jason said gravely. "They're after—'non-explainers.'"
—
Inside the TRACE surveillance vehicle.
The commander issued a low order: "Lock onto three young crew members at Gray Crossing's perimeter. Execute low-intervention detention, secondary response profile."
"Why them?" a subordinate asked, puzzled. "Their behavioral records are clean. TRACE's main system flags them as ambiguous."
"Exactly," the commander gritted his teeth. "They're the perfect template for 'silent Fire'—no statements, no declarations, no cooperation."
"But if the crowd asks why?"
"Say—'system-detected anomaly.' No specifics."
—
On the street, the detention began.
The three workers barely registered what was happening before they were subdued, black energy-binding cords pinning them to the ground.
The onlookers stood stunned, then erupted in a murmur of confusion.
"What did they do?"
"Who knows? TRACE says anomaly, so it's an anomaly?"
"I saw them fixing power lines this morning—they're our community!"
Nearby, an old woman whispered, "I heard—'those who don't say if they're Fire' are the most dangerous."
Her words spread like a plague.
—
The ARGUS node map surged:
[Gray Crossing Crowd Keywords Active: "No explanation" · "They're Fire" · "They're scared"]
Zhao Mingxuan stared at the map. "They've detonated."
Jason remained calm. "No, we haven't acted—TRACE raised the flag for us."
Maria murmured, "They thought they were striking faith's head, but they hit its heart."
—
Gray Crossing Gang, inside the meeting room.
The young leader, Arthur, shot to his feet, kicking over an iron chair.
"Those three were my crew, assigned to clear transit nodes! We just finalized a maintenance deal—now you're telling me they're 'anomalous personnel'?"
The old gang chief blocked him. "Don't act rashly. We can file a report, appeal to TRACE."
"Appeal? How do we write it—'We're not Fire'?"
"Yes."
"Then you're cutting yourself off from all of Gray Crossing," Arthur sneered. "Say that in front of the crowd, see if they still follow you."
"Then… we declare we are?"
"Are you insane? That's a death sentence."
"So what do we do?"
Arthur fell silent, staring at the comms terminal. The ARGUS meme channel flashed keywords: "Gray Crossing is Fire" · "They're protecting us" · "They did nothing wrong."
The crowd had written them.
It was a definition—unasked, unconsented.
—
At the outpost.
Maria said softly, "Their only move now is to 'say nothing' and 'do everything.'"
Jason nodded. "The crowd gave them a role—now we see if they can bear it."
—
[Fuxi Prompt]
Sunzi's Art of War, Chapter on Military Contention:
"First make yourself invincible, then await the enemy's vulnerability."
→ The deadliest move in war is not attack, but letting the enemy choose the wrong target.
Section Two: Gray Crossing's Turmoil, Who Holds Sway
Gray Crossing Gang, mid-level meeting building, underground "Old Archive Hall."
Once the gang's earliest command center, now a refuge for core council debates and emergencies. Dim yellow light spilled across the room, the air thick with the scent of ink and aging plastic. Arthur and four key members sat around a reinforced table, its surface projecting ARGUS's real-time meme feedback map.
"They're forcing us to take a stand," Arthur growled, pointing at the pulsing hotspots. "The crowd's consensus has locked us into the 'Fire guardian' identity."
"But if we don't speak, we're admitting we're Fire," one said gravely. "How do we negotiate with TRACE then?"
"Speaking won't work either," another countered. "Say we're not Fire, we betray the crowd; say we are, we're signing our own death warrant."
"Then say nothing?" an older member paced anxiously. "Say nothing, and the crowd assumes we're 'silent Fire'—the faith escalates."
The room hit a deadlock.
—
ARGUS · Meme Flow Update:
[Keyword Surge: "Those who speak for us are the true Fire"]
[Gray Crossing Zone · Crowd Expectation Projection: Gray Crossing Gang]
Zhao Mingxuan frowned at the outpost. "The meme recognition mechanism is taking over."
Maria replied softly, "They've been chosen by faith but lack the strength to respond."
"It'll go wrong," Jason said flatly. "They'll crack internally first."
—
Gray Crossing, meeting hall.
Arthur raised a hand abruptly. "We hold a street assembly now, no explanation of whether we're Fire."
"What do we say then?"
"That we'll keep ensuring safety, distributing supplies, keeping checkpoints open."
"That makes us sound even more like Fire!" someone gasped.
"Exactly," Arthur's voice dropped, almost touching the table. "We can't back down, can't reject the fact that faith has landed on us."
"And TRACE?"
"They hit us once, the crowd trusts us more; hit us again, the Fireseed becomes Bright Fire."
—
By dusk, Gray Crossing Gang set up a makeshift assembly platform on the street. Speakers, banners, unmanned microphones—all arranged by the crowd. ARGUS detected a soaring signal intensity.
Arthur wove through the throng and stepped onto the platform. He spoke no grand words, only stated calmly:
"We are Gray Crossing."
"Gray Crossing folk guard this street."
"We don't light Fire, nor douse it. We stand between Fire and people, keeping this place from burning."
His words silenced the crowd.
Then, someone clapped. More joined, more voices rose, turning this "non-Fire speech" into a meme climax in the quiet.
—
TRACE Monitoring Station.
"Gray Crossing held a crowd assembly," an analyst reported. "No explicit Fire identity, but the crowd assumes they're representatives."
"They admitted it?" the commander frowned.
"No. But crowd meme consensus hit 0.93—unaddressed, it's tantamount to local autonomy."
"Deploy?" an aide ventured.
The commander paused. "No. Keep observing. Deploying legitimizes them."
—
At the outpost.
Zhao Mingxuan magnified the projection. "This is your 'win without fighting'?"
Jason smiled. "No, it's 'the crowd's will prevailing.'"
Maria murmured, "Or perhaps, 'the crowd's will forcing.'"
Jason gazed at the glowing street halo in the distance, a fireline rising from ash.
"The Fireseed has taken root, and Gray Crossing has chosen a side."
"But this is just the beginning."
—
[Fuxi Prompt]
Daodejing:
"The highest virtue is like water, benefiting all without contention."
→ The uncontested contest is the hardest to resist. Not because it's strong, but because it seems harmless, yet becomes an unstoppable tide.
Section Three: Fire's Intent Spreads, Internal Fracture
Gray Crossing Gang, East District checkpoint inner hall.
Outside, night rain fell; inside, the air was thick with stifled breaths. Three mid-level operatives sat around a comms table, staring at the ARGUS real-time map's "crowd meme density" curve, now steadily reddening, their brows furrowed.
"This is the second surge," one said quietly. "We didn't light the Fire… but the crowd's already crowned us as Fire."
"You scared?" another shot him a glance.
"No, you don't get it—we're not ready to be 'Fire,'" he pointed at the icons. "See these markers? Spontaneous node clusters—we have no control."
"I've said, we're not Fire," the third spoke, Helio, one of Gray Crossing's oldest members. "But we look more like Fire than any Fire does."
"So what's your plan?"
Helio paused. "Dismantle the West District assembly platform."
"You're mad?"
"Not mad—cutting the faith projection," he said coldly. "If we keep being seen as Fire, we'll be TRACE's prime target next."
"But the crowd will push back!"
"Let them."
—
At the outpost.
Zhao Mingxuan received an ARGUS signal relay: "Gray Crossing checkpoint, three operatives privately discussing 'severing faith ties.'"
Jason's brow twitched. "Someone's getting scared."
Maria added calmly, "Fear is the first crack."
—
At ten that night, masked figures appeared at the West District's spontaneous gathering site, tearing down platform signs, smashing amplifiers, and scrawling "Fire is a lie" on walls.
Chaos erupted—some called for help, some recorded, most stood around the small plaza, silent.
"Who are they?"
"Gray Crossing's people?"
"So is Gray Crossing Fire or anti-Fire?"
—
The next day, TRACE's monitoring station received intel:
[Gray Crossing Zone · Faith Meme Fluctuation Index Plummets]
[West District Crowd Trust Down 20%, Internal Division Indicators Rising]
The analyst scanned the report. "They did it themselves."
The commander: "Too hasty."
"How do we handle it?"
"Don't touch them. Let them burn out."
—
At the outpost.
Jason reviewed the ARGUS sync data, saying softly, "Helio panicked."
Maria: "He saw the Fire, and the risk."
"So he tried to extinguish it," Jason said. "Too bad he doesn't know—faith doesn't die unless its believers do."
Zhao Mingxuan opened a new map: "The faith meme is seeking a new vessel. Gray Crossing shows crowd discussions of 'shifting allegiance.'"
Jason pointed lightly: "Pin the marker on 'South Alley Pharmacy.' Their 'new option' has emerged."
—
[Fuxi Prompt]
I Ching, Kun Hexagram:
"With great virtue, one bears all things; the noble uphold the masses with virtue."
→ Those who bear faith must have sufficient weight. Otherwise, after the Fire's glow, only self-immolation remains.
Section Four: Faith Overflows, An Unexpected Bearer
Gray Plateau, South Alley Pharmacy, back room facing the street.
Wooden racks brimmed with herbs, first-aid kits, and makeshift compounds, the air sharp with the crisp, bitter scent of roots. The temporary clinic hadn't opened, but a queue already formed outside.
A girl, Lin, carried a medical satchel, moving through the crowd, distributing supplies, her expression serene.
Once a pharmacy apprentice, nearly expelled for a misdiagnosis, she was now the "trust focal point" of the area.
"Lin, that guy just said 'you're the real Fire,' did you hear?" a child whispered.
Lin's face shifted. "Don't talk nonsense."
"But you helped them, so they believe you."
Lin didn't reply, only quickened her movements.
—
At the outpost.
Zhao Mingxuan monitored ARGUS's pulsing "spontaneous meme hotspot map," saying quietly, "South Alley's 'trust projection' is growing… the crowd's calling the pharmacy a 'Fire point.'"
Maria: "We didn't deploy 'ignition.'"
Jason said calmly, "True Fire needs no deployment. It finds its own vent."
He paused, asking softly, "Who's Lin?"
Zhao Mingxuan pulled up a file: "Ordinary pharmacy apprentice, once warned for 'refusing to hike prices per black market orders,' stayed quietly at the pharmacy, dubbed 'Miss' in South Alley the past two months."
"Does she know us?" Jason asked.
"No direct contact established."
"Don't contact her," his eyes flickered. "But ensure TRACE doesn't snuff her out early."
—
Refinery North District, TRACE temporary monitoring post.
A technician reported: "A faith overflow zone detected—South Alley Pharmacy."
"Any organizing entity?"
"No traces. Crowd-driven."
The overseer frowned. "Impossible. Spontaneous? Faith grows on its own?"
"We can only track meme nodes, no clear source."
"Observe," he said coldly. "Don't act. See what it's trying to do."
—
South Alley Pharmacy.
Lin finished bandaging a man's leg wound and stood, when a stranger burst in, holding a small sack of flour.
"Is this your Fire sticker?"
Lin froze. "We didn't distribute any."
"But I found hope here," he stared at her, setting the sack down. "You don't have to admit it. I know."
Lin looked at the sticker—a crowd-printed flame totem mimic—pasted on the sack's side, glaring red.
She stayed silent for a long time.
—
At the outpost.
Maria: "She's starting to waver."
Jason: "She's starting to bear it."
Zhao Mingxuan opened a new interface: "ARGUS detects South Alley's faith meme value nearing 0.88."
"Any higher, it hits the definition threshold," he said quietly. "Then—she's not just a crowd representative, but… a 'faith manifestor.'"
—
[Fuxi Prompt]
Huang Shigong's Three Strategies:
"Do not employ the unfit; do not act before the time."
→ Faith forced upon someone is no blessing, but calamity. Observe its form, await its intent, do not seize the lead.
Section Five: Misnamed Fire, Burning Unstopped
Gray Plateau, South Alley Pharmacy backyard, night not yet deep, the queue longer than by day.
Lin sat in a corner of the back room, mixing compounds, her expression heavier than ever.
A child, Ah Yu, sidled up. "Outside… more and more say you're Fire."
Lin paused, saying nothing, her eyes on a sticker—a "flame" mark somehow pasted on her cabinet corner.
"Should I tear it off?" Ah Yu asked.
"It's not mine, and I didn't tell them to put it there," she said quietly.
"But they believe," Ah Yu said earnestly. "They believe—you're protecting them."
—
At the outpost.
Zhao Mingxuan watched the ARGUS screen: "South Alley's heat broke 0.9. The crowd sees Lin as the actual node."
Maria: "This misnaming is too precise, like we planned it."
"Did we?" Jason countered.
Zhao Mingxuan shook his head. "No. All supply allocations went through peripheral branches, no contact with her."
Jason was silent a moment. "This is Fire's 'second-type diffusion'… not controlled, but 'mistaken for controlled.'"
—
Refinery Frontline, TRACE Outpost Command.
"Report: South Alley forms a meme concentration point. Crowd density abnormal."
The overseer skimmed the report. "Any organizational traces?"
"None. Main node absent, crowd behavior lacks synchronized triggers."
"Then it's Fire," he said flatly.
"Act?"
"Can't," his gaze was ice. "The crowd's unarmed, non-resistant, unproclaimed—just… convinced 'she's Fire.'"
His eye twitched. "If we act now, the Empire validates her as Fire."
—
South Alley Pharmacy entrance.
Lin finally stepped outside, facing the crowd.
"I'm not what you call… Fire," her voice was low, deliberate.
Someone shouted, "But you saved us!"
"You gave medicine, order, and took no money!"
"You took charge—if you're not Fire, who is?"
In the crowd, someone knelt. "Fire is life, our life to survive."
Lin's breath caught, and she slowly raised her head.
—
At the outpost.
Jason stood, hands behind his back. "She's realizing—she didn't choose faith; faith chose her."
Zhao Mingxuan: "Establish formal contact?"
"No," Jason shook his head. "Fire can't claim her, nor she Fire."
Maria: "Then what should she do?"
"The only thing she can do—keep doing what she was doing."
—
TRACE Oversight Hub.
"South Alley's heat nears the definition critical point."
"The crowd defaults the site as the faith source."
"What now?"
Herman's eyes were stern. "Wait for her to say 'I am Fire,' then we have grounds to act."
An analyst whispered, "What if she never says it?"
"Then we… watch her become Fire," Herman gritted his teeth.
—
[Fuxi Prompt]
I Ching, Qian Hexagram:
"The noble conceal their tools within, acting when the time is right."
→ The true firelighter speaks not of Fire but acts as Fire; claims no name, yet gathers names.
Section Six: Who Strikes First, Loses Control
Refinery Commune, South District street, old night market plaza.
Two TRACE informants, disguised as laborers, blended into the crowd, their micro-audiorecorders syncing ambient sound to the Empire's frontline listening post.
"Is she really Fire?"
"I don't know, but my daughter was burning last night, and her medicine saved her."
"My neighbors say she's ARGUS's shadow node… can call the fireline."
Meme currents surged like hidden flames, nearing the threshold's edge.
—
TRACE Listening Post.
"Report! Meme consensus index at 0.94! Crowd auto-cognition conversion rate enters 'forced definition' phase."
"Suggest immediate action—it'll spiral out of control!"
The group leader stood abruptly, silent for three seconds.
"Has she—said she's Fire?"
"No."
"Any organizing, rallying, commands?"
"None."
"Any crowd actions?"
"Besides gathering, no defiance."
The leader exhaled, suppressing a roar, saying only: "Prepare the 'pseudo-Fire response' contingency."
—
At the outpost.
ARGUS map update flashed:
[TRACE Initiating "Pseudo-Fire Strike Model" · Threshold: 0.96]
Maria glanced at Jason. "They're almost breaking."
"But not quite," Jason's gaze was deep.
"What are you waiting for?" Zhao Mingxuan asked quietly.
"For them—to actually move."
"But if they act, how will the crowd see it?"
One might think: "We don't recognize her as fire, but rather as a person. However, the people recognize her as fire - you TRACE is not trying to set fire - you are targeting the person we consider as one of us. This person has not harmed us, but has actually helped us - why are you attacking him?"
Jason's eyes were cold. "That moment, the battle for definition rights ends."
—
TRACE, Action Squad Underground Rally Point.
The squad leader received orders: "Operation codename 'Silent Flame.' Target: Lin. No arrest, only sever contact, control movements, suppress spread."
A member paused. "Execution level?"
"Non-lethal priority. But if crowd resistance gathers—treat as 'undefined Fire.'"
The member gave a low laugh. "What's 'undefined Fire'?"
No one answered.
—
Outside South Alley Pharmacy, the crowd swelled.
Lin was bandaging a boy's wound when she sensed—a light swept the far alley, a TRACE drone.
She turned, lowering the curtain.
Nearby, Starfire members, disguised as civilians, heard a whisper in their earpieces: "Prepare to respond."
At the outpost, Jason spoke: "Now—we need one move, not to block, but to make them act faster."
Zhao Mingxuan nodded, activating the ARGUS meme emitter:
[Simulated Keyword Injection: "Dark Fire Rhythm · Segment IV · Lateral Wave Guidance"]
A red line flashed:
[Injection Successful · TRACE Response Time Estimate: 21 Seconds]
—
TRACE, Outpost Surveillance Console.
"Meme curve anomaly! Lin's node signal spiking!"
The overseer ordered: "Launch 'Silent Flame'!"
—
At the outpost, Jason turned, looking out the window.
He said softly, "They've moved."
Zhao Mingxuan: "And us?"
"We don't move," Jason's voice was ice-calm. "Let the people see—who struck first."
—
[Fuxi Prompt]
Sunzi, Chapter on Strategic Assault:
"The highest war is to attack strategy, next alliances, then troops."
→ Whoever strikes first loses control. Whoever endures claims the right to define.