Chapter One: Seven Viewers at Midnight

A year ago, Coach Blaze had a million followers. Then a sponsor asked him to call a tainted fat burner “all natural.” He refused and published the lab report. The company survived. His channel did not. Penalties and throttled traffic crushed him, and now his last savings had bought his old mentor’s dying gym—along with every yuan it owed. At midnight, he went live. “Welcome to Iron Dome’s first night back. Current viewers: seven.” Comments drifted by. THREE OF THOSE ARE MY ALT ACCOUNTS. THIS BACKGROUND LOOKS LIKE A CRIME SCENE. AREN’T THEY REPOSSESSING THE PLACE TOMORROW? Before Lin Ran could answer, something hammered the rolling shutter. “Open up! If you can’t pay tonight, we take the machines tonight!”