Chapter Three: A Billionaire Who Could Not Buy Water

The crowd stirred at the enormous number. Lin Mo opened a bottle. “Buy this water first. Prove you have one hundred million.” Zhao’s smile stiffened. “You know who I am.” “I do. But this costs two yuan, and you can’t afford it.” With the cameras running, an assistant brought a case of gold. Origin scanned it and rejected the trade: the bars belonged to clients under Horizon’s custody, not Zhao. The crowd erupted. A man who once certified other people’s wealth could no longer prove he owned anything. Zhao leaned close. “You cannot fight Horizon. We control the northern grain depot, two fuel reserves, and the city’s largest communications hub. Give up the phone before midnight, or your fair-price alliance will not receive a grain of rice.”