Chapter One: The Man Who Erased His Debt

At midnight, the screen went black. Something outside sounded like a giant pane of glass cracking. Every light in the alley died, then returned at once. At 8:40 the next morning, a phone call woke him. “Mr. Lin, this is the risk manager at Wanrong Credit.” The man sounded almost apologetic. “Our system shows your account was settled in full yesterday. We regret the conduct of our collection staff. Your settlement certificate has been sent.” Lin sat on his bed and forgot to breathe. His banking app showed a balance of zero. The seal, date, and reference number on the emailed certificate were identical to those he had created. There was even a transaction that had never happened, labeled PROCEEDS FROM ASSET DISPOSAL.