"And now, New Hefei's celebrated performer — Huazai, Liu Dahua!"

The crowd erupted.

"Huazai!"

"Dahua, give us Forget-Me Water!"

"Thank you all — tonight is such a happy night, the only way I can express my gratitude to our soldiers is through song." Liu Dahua stepped onto the improvised stage wearing dark glasses, microphone in hand. "I'll sing You Are My Eyes — dedicated to everyone who fought today. You are my eyes. You lead me through this new world."

If I could see, I could easily tell day from night, I could find you in the crowd and take your hand...

The song drifted up from the new city below.

Shen Cong, sitting on Great Vajra's roof, found it genuinely pleasant.

Then he saw two figures approaching the elevated platform — Wang Yingying, whom he recognized, and someone he didn't, a jin person with prominent mutated canine teeth.

He stayed in his chair and watched them come. Both were very weak by his current standards. Nothing required particular caution.

Wang Yingying signaled the jin person to wait outside the platform, then climbed up and called: "Hu Colonel."

"What is it," Shen Cong said flatly.

"Can I talk with you for a minute?"

He stood, stepped off the roof in one motion, and landed in front of her twenty meters away.

"Talk."

Wang Yingying was accustomed to his manner by now. She didn't build up to it. She gestured toward the jin person standing at a distance, and a small, private warmth crossed her face. "I'm getting married. I don't know many people here to tell, so — I wanted to let you know. And I'm hoping for... a word of blessing from the Vanguard of Evolution."

Shen Cong glanced at the jin person, then back at her. "I wish you both well."

"Thank you."

"Anything else?"

"Liu Dahua up on that stage — he's blind. A stone struck his eyes and took his sight." She said this unprompted, as though it were relevant. "He got married last week. He was very low for a while after losing his vision.…