“The tree that bends survives the storm.”
-Confucius-
Chapter 136: Instinct is expensive
Morning arrived without apology.
The docks moved as they always did, unapologetic. Engines coughed awake and shifted into gears. Containers shifted from steel ribs to waiting trucks- awaiting transport. Dock-07 reported green across the board, a calm sheet of data that suggested and manufactured obedience and order.
Dominique watched it like a surgeon reviewing a heartbeat before incision… reviewing every action under a microscope.
On the surface, nothing had changed since the ripple phase. The supervisors were efficient. The mid-level coordinators moved with slightly sharpened instincts. The bold had grown bolder. The hesitant had grown more cautious.
But underneath, something had changed… It’s
