Chapter Three: The Release-Night Crash

He was half right. Some viewers cursed Lin for destroying their payday. Others showed loan approvals and boasted they would spend a hundred thousand at the West City warehouse. One familiar avatar appeared: Tang Xiaoman. “My classmate says the warehouse has pairs at retail. I'm almost there. I want one for Dad to wear.” The gray die beside her avatar spun darker. At 11:36, Lin and Su reached West City. Nearly a thousand people pressed outside an abandoned logistics park. Temporary Hive workers shouted through the gates, “Final five hundred pairs! Cash buyers first!” Each shout drove the crowd forward. Lin pushed his phone through a broken side window. The camera showed a rainbow film of fuel gathering beneath an old generator.