At the customs office in Ninsei they inspect certificates of humanity. Everyone wears a signed tag around the neck, a human.json stitched into the skin. Case is looking for one that will let him back into the matrix, but they tell him the problem is not who he is. The problem is who is willing to attest to him.

Behind the desks an officer with Armitage’s face is stamping coordinates instead of passports. Every stamp makes one window go dark on the wall, and somewhere oil starts moving again. Miller understands that the stamps do not prove what is true. They only prove that no one will look twice.

He tries to tear one certificate away. Under it there is living skin, then neon, then the Binance order book. BTC falls by one cent for every stamp.

Molly presses a scalpel into his hand and says: origin will not save you. At best it slows the slaughter down.

When he finally looks up, every tag is carrying his name.