Jiang spent twelve minutes preening instead of proving anything.
He stood on the dry medical strip and worked the disturbed oilcoat back into alignment with his beak. Aylin checked the compressed line at minutes four, eight, and twelve. She asked before each inspection and touched only the feather edges he accepted.
[OILCOAT ALIGNMENT]
[Elapsed12:00/12:00]
[Temporary disruption6%->0]
[Oilcoat continuity100%]
[Wound1.0cm | bleeding0]
[Diving prohibition ended]
[Treatment gain0 | healing0]
Food fell from1:57 to1:45 while they waited. The clock counted ordinary bodies even when the system did not.
The final anatomy chamber opened after the dry check.
Its floor was a copper disk three meters across. A low wall spiraled from the outside edge toward a center exit only thirty-six centimeters wide. The floor began rotating clockwise before Jiang entered.
Three black footholds moved with it.
