This chapter deepens the conspiracy, transforming Riri's individual acts of defiance into an organized, youth-led resistance movement. The story is driven by the narrator Ashake's discovery of her cousin's secret nightly activities.
Worried and suspicious, Ashake follows Riri one night as she sneaks out. The pursuit becomes a tense and thrilling journey across the rooftops of Lagos, a hidden world high above the sleeping city. Riri moves with practiced ease, jumping between buildings and balancing on narrow pipes, eventually leading Ashake to a secret meeting spot: the top of an old, rusted water tank on a warehouse roof.
Here, Ashake discovers a secret society of about ten other youths, all with brightly coloured hair, who have formed a resistance group. Their leader appears to be Taiwo, who has created a detailed chalk map of what he calls the "Rooftop Web"—a complex network of secret paths, routes, and safe houses that stretches across the city's rooftops, allowing them to move unseen by the government's "black-clad men."
Taiwo explains the true extent of the government's oppression. They are not just jamming signals; they are using advanced technology to control the very "vibrations" that can enter people's minds, suppressing any emotion that could lead to independent thought or unity. The group's mission is to reclaim their emotional freedom by using this Rooftop Web to play live "Sorrow Sound" in secret, coordinated sessions. Their music is their weapon, a way to process pain, heal, and connect with each other.
After taking an oath of secrecy, Ashake is accepted into the group. She learns of their plan to conduct a full-scale test of the Rooftop Web in three days, under the light of the full moon. The story ends with Ashake's perspective completely shifted; she now sees the city not as a collection of streets, but as a web of opportunities and a potential battlefield for their sonic rebellion. The "Rooftop Web" is complete, and the stage is set for their first major operation.
