The stall occupies the northeast corner of Sector 4's undercity market — a location wedged between a defunct moisture reclamation unit and what three separate groups of residents, when asked independently, all describe as "a wall that hums." The stall has been there for eleven years. The wall has been there longer. Nobody has successfully confirmed which came first, or whether the relationship between them is coincidental.
Mad Yuen — no other name is on record anywhere in city administration — arrived in the Chrome District during the post-Omnisynthetic period when the undercity absorbed an influx of vendors, mechanics, and individuals whose classification the Authority's filing system declined to complete. Yuen's filing is, according to the database maintained by the Oversight Council's Commerce Division, technically open. The Commerce Division describes the file as "pending review since Cycle 7.431.44." The Commerce Division's undercity review team was disbanded in 7.434. Nobody has told the database.
"Everything I sell is real. Whether it is real in this particular dimension is a question I encourage customers to explore on their own time."— MAD YUEN // CHROME DISTRICT VENDOR // CYCLE 7.440.89
This correspondent visited the stall on three separate occasions over the reporting cycle. The following is a partial inventory, documented with Yuen's permission — which he granted only after this correspondent purchased the ordinary sandwich (twelve credits; "worth it for the story," he said; it was, factually, worth it).
Bottled Regret: Four credits per unit. Available in three intensities Yuen describes as "mild," "significant," and "the large one, for special occasions." When this correspondent asked what one does with bottled regret, Yuen said one could hold onto it, give it away, or return it to the appropriate party. "Most people just hold onto it," he noted. "That part doesn't really require my product."
Pre-Owned Time: Two kilograms in stock, priced per gram. Yuen declines to specify whose time it was originally. "Previous owner had no further use for it," he says. "Very gently used. A few lunch hours. One afternoon that went badly. One afternoon that didn't." The time is stored in what appears to be a standard vacuum-seal container. The container is warm to the touch. This is described as "normal."
The Portable Black Hole: Eight hundred credits. Stored in a velvet pouch. Yuen produced it but declined to open it. "For storage purposes," he confirmed. "Eleven years of receipts in there. Also my previous business partner." He paused. "He was very compact." He returned the pouch to the shelf. "Not for sale this cycle. Sentimental." This correspondent did not press further.
Three acoustic engineers have attempted to identify the frequency produced by the wall behind Yuen's stall. The first published a partial paper before withdrawing it from submission, citing "findings I am not prepared to defend publicly at this time." The second published nothing. The third handed this correspondent a sealed envelope and said the contents should be opened "when you feel you're ready for what's in it." This correspondent has not yet opened the envelope. It is warm to the touch.
Yuen, when asked about the wall, smiled. He said he doesn't find it unusual. "Everything," he said, "hums at the right frequency if you know how to listen." This correspondent noted that the wall appears to be humming whether or not anyone is listening. Yuen considered this. "Yes," he said. "That's the better kind."
The stall will be open next cycle. It is open most cycles. The sign reads OPEN WHEN RELEVANT. In eleven years, residents of Sector 4 report it has been closed twice — once during the Omnisynthetic disruption period, and once for approximately six hours on a date no one present can agree on. Yuen says it was a Tuesday. Three witnesses say it was a Thursday. One says it was a month that hasn't happened yet. The cycle record shows nothing unusual for that period.
"He once told me he was from somewhere that no longer exists in that exact form. I found that comforting. Most of us are."— UNDERCITY RESIDENT, SECTOR 4 // CYCLE 7.440.88
// TRANSMISSION ID: SIG-NB-0401 // REPORTER: MIRO LANG // CYCLE: 7.440.89 //
// THE SIGNAL UNVERIFIED OCCA PROTOCOL: IN ALL THINGS, REPORT. VERIFY WHEN ABLE. //
// ENVELOPE STATUS: STILL SEALED. STILL WARM. //