Chapter One: The Ninety-Nine-Yuan Case

Brakes sounded below. Three black cars stopped outside the studio. Six suited men sealed both exits. Their leader entered and placed a check for eight million yuan on the table. “Chairman Xie offers one hundred times market value for that old case.” Zhiwei studied his cuff link, the obsidian emblem of corporate security. Fresh red paint edged it, matching a scrape on the bottom of the case. They had not just heard about it. They had always been hunting it. “The case cost ninety-nine. Your chairman offers eight million.” She placed blotting paper over the certificate. “So the valuable part isn't the case. It's someone's fear of it being seen.” His smile thinned. “Some old things kill their new owners.”