Chapter One: Seven Viewers at Midnight

Thirty-six thousand watched online, but the doorway stayed empty. The countdown reached fifty-nine seconds. Zhou Lan stepped from behind the desk, removed her staff badge, and scanned the one-yuan trial code. “Can an employee count?” Lin Ran asked. [Identity verified: no employment contract. Genuine intent to train confirmed.] [Tenth member confirmed. Mission complete.] [Business skill acquired: Pain-Point Pricing—Beginner.] [Potential core member detected: Zhou Lan. Risk assessment: unknown.] Morning light slipped through the blinds. Zhou Lan rolled up her sleeves, exposing a silver balance tattoo on her wrist. Lin Ran had seen that symbol before—on the Tianheng Group authorization attached to the collection notice.