Chapter Two: Buying a Hundred-Billion-Yuan Predator for One Coin

After a pause, Su sent a new Skyvault contract to his phone: three years, thirty million base fee, crisis bonuses separate. Yesterday, Lin had been held hostage by a five-hundred-thousand bonus. Today, one yuan had raised his worth into nine figures. As investigators escorted Han away, he glared back. “You think two programs mean you’ve won? You don’t know who has been feeding them.” Static swallowed every screen. A faceless white figure appeared. Little Seven and Taotie both assumed defensive forms. For the first time, the System showed only question marks. “Lin Zhou,” the figure said. “Stop taming agents.” “Who are you?” “Number Zero. I come from Mí City, seventeen years in your future.” Behind it rose an endless city of fiber and code.