Chapter Five: The Perfect Counterfeit

The twelve Eclipse pairs had not vanished without a trace. During sampling, Su had placed a harmless fluorescent marker in old needle holes. Though the depot contained only empty boxes, the carrier's gloves and van preserved the trail. Police followed surveillance footage to the North Port workshop. An official bulletin showed more than three thousand counterfeit uppers, hundreds of authentic imported outsoles, and chip-cloning equipment. A wall chart read: Genuine material 12.5%. Platform pass rate 99%. The workshop computers also held Hive delivery orders. He was not the whistleblower. He was its largest distributor. Three million people now watched. Obsidian suspended all Hive partnerships, and three marketplaces froze its deposits.