The Mirror of Multiplicities

Prologue

I received an email from a publisher while waiting for the rain to stop in a Beijing café. The message was cryptically brief: "We've received a peculiar manuscript, reportedly left by your friend Yang Mingyuan. His will specifically requested that you write its preface. The manuscript has been sent to you via an encrypted link."

I remembered Yang Mingyuan, a writer who had wandered abroad for years. We had met briefly at a literary festival. News of his death had caused a momentary ripple...