Chapter One: Midnight, and Tomorrow Opens

At midnight, his old trading application lit by itself. Silver letters appeared at the center of the screen. [LONG NIGHT LIQUIDITY PROTOCOL CONNECTED.] [NEGATIVE-ASSET ACCOUNT DETECTED. ENABLE SURVIVAL MODE?] He assumed it was a tasteless promotion and closed the window. Then he noticed a new column on the quote page. TOMORROW'S SETTLEMENT PRICE. Timestamp: twenty-four hours ahead. Haiyue Pharma traded at 18.40, but tomorrow's settlement showed 12.06. Tianheng Technology, Obsidian Capital's largest position, showed a rise from 41 to 48.70. A software error? He took a screenshot. In the saved image, the strange column became YESTERDAY'S CLOSE. He filmed the monitor with his phone. On the phone's display, the column did not exist.