Chapter One: Thirty Years on a Shoebox

He said only that he had noticed the wrong label. Su did not press him. Under ultraviolet light, she examined the internal tag, then ran a spectrum test on a crumb of old adhesive. At one in the morning, the result matched a 2016 Obsidian experimental compound never used in retail production. “With proof Zhou wore it, this starts at a hundred thousand,” she said. “Handwriting isn't enough. Go public and people will call it forged.” Lin pressed the box again. Beside the price curve, overlooked gray words sharpened into focus. [Evidence Anchor: May 3, 2016. Hailin Experimental Center, Court B. At 17:42 in the test recording, the right shoe's top eyelet broke and Zhou changed into a spare pair. Recording survives on equipment manager Luo Yi's DV tape.