Chapter Four: Ten Million in Counterfeit Applause

Lin Jin recognized the footwork—not Han Xiao's, but White Falcon's, a Korean assassin who had retired with total memory loss five years earlier. The Crown burned. [ARCHIVED TALENT DETECTED. RECLAIM?] Lin Jin understood Zero's warning. If he defeated Han Xiao, inheritance would harvest both Han Xiao and every stolen fragment implanted inside him. Han Xiao's sword pierced his character. [ROUND TWO: XIAO RULES ALL.] One to one. As the final map loaded, Zero's broken voice reached Lin Jin. “Do not complete the kill. Break the fairness judgment.” The Champion's Circle had no obstacles and nowhere to hide. Han Xiao shifted among the habits of dead careers: White Falcon's rush, Laurent's reverse parry, Old Stone's damage prediction.