Chapter Two: Before the Trap Closes

“The cold wallet does. Helix once used it to move experimental funds. My first memory coordinate is embedded in an old transaction.” Onstage, Zhou demonstrated a live trade. The index fell, but Lucent appeared to short it three seconds beforehand. Applause shook the room. Lin watched twice, then walked toward the press section. When security stopped him, he displayed a temporary press credential sent by Su Lan ten minutes earlier. “You owe me an explanation,” she said from behind a camera. They had not met in three years. Her hair was shorter, but her eyes still seemed designed to strip lies down to the frame. That morning, Lin had sent her only one message: Hundred-billion fraud. Are you brave enough? “After the conference.”