Chapter Five: I Wasn't Buying Time

The city ran backward at impossible speed. Elevator doors opened; delayed emergency numbers advanced. Premium clients froze on jet bridges, in conference rooms, and in luxury cars. One minute in Obsidian's boardroom stretched into 436 hours. Clients offered any price to escape. Time Coin passed three billion each, but Lin refused to sell. Under his public terms, every coerced wait returned to its source. The final quote was 4.1 billion. After service fees, breach damages, and collateral liquidation, Lin controlled 47.2 billion yuan. He immediately acquired thirty-four percent of the delivery platform, deleted the transfer clause, and created the world's first Waiting Compensation Fund.