CHAPTER 147 — WHEN FATIGUE TURNS SHARP
The fourth day of full transparency did not begin with noise.
It began with silence.
Not the calm kind.
The restrained kind.
The city's dashboards still refreshed on schedule. Constraint maps still updated. Audit cycles still rotated. But something subtle had shifted beneath the visible mechanics.
Attention had narrowed.
The broad wave of public participation that once flooded every data release had condensed into smaller clusters—specialists, analysts, committed volunteers who had survived the first surge.
Marcus saw it immediately.
"Engagement depth is increasing," he said, studying the metrics. "Breadth is decreasing."
Adrian leaned over his shoulder. "Translation?"
"Fewer voices. Sharper questions."
Elena stood near the window, watching morning light climb the buildings.
Broad participation creates legitimacy.
Narrow participation creates precision.
Precision cuts deeper.
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At 9:12 a.m., the first example surfaced.
