The bridges were never meant to be fair.
They hung over shallow ravines like deliberate temptations...thin planks bound by rope and iron rings, spaced just close enough to force waiting, just far enough to punish impatience. Each bridge swayed independently, reacting not only to weight but to timing. When too many feet touched the planks at once, the tension arrays embedded in the supports answered with a subtle, cruel adjustment.
They trembled.
The first screams came quickly.
A runner tried to sprint across, pulse flaring bright with confidence. The bridge pitched sideways. He overcorrected, slipped, and went over the edge, fingers scraping rope before guards hauled him back with practiced efficiency. His number tag was torn free before he finished cursing.
Jin Yue stood at the head of one line and did not move.
