Chapter One: Free Mint

The first time Lin Yan heard about the Genesis Relics, he was lying eleven meters below East Pier Seven, using electrical tape to rescue a flow meter worth more than his monthly pay. Old Zhou shoved a phone in front of him. A silver coin rotated on a black screen while the claim counter raced past 7.92 million. “Free mint. Ten thousand physical relics worldwide, one per wallet. Once you claim, it gives you real coordinates. Some guy dug up a self-heating knife in Iceland. The latest offer is three million dollars.” “Free usually means the expensive part comes later.” Lin bit through the tape. His own phone vibrated. The debt collector reminded him that he still owed 1.87 million yuan on the engineering guarantee left by his dead father.