Chapter Two: One Memory, Ten Million Bids

At eight the next morning, Lin Zhou's debt had fallen by fifty thousand yuan, and his bank balance had risen by one hundred thousand. Luo Cheng had honored the bargain because the sequence truly opened Safe No. 9 in Bluestone Alley. Inside was a cold wallet containing eight hundred bitcoin. Lin took none of it. He merely recited the first four digits to Luo's boss. The man paid on Luo's behalf, then assigned the hardware key to someone else. Luo won his freedom, but would never remember why five years of earned trust had vanished overnight. That was the sacrifice. At exactly nine, three black sedans stopped outside the alley. Zhou He, investment director of Obsidian Capital, entered the rented room. His white gloves touched none of the furniture.