Chapter Five: The Missing Four Minutes

At 3:40 a.m., the first insulin reached a hospital refrigerator. Farland's trust deficit stopped widening for the first time, improving from negative 8.9 to negative 8.2 percent. The cost arrived immediately. Three banks issued inquiries. Farland shares plunged in overseas premarket trading. An edited recording appeared online claiming Lin Yan was acting for the Su family to empty customer accounts. Ye Heng listened, then passed him an earbud. “Those are your words, but rearranged. You only said them in this office.” Everyone looked toward the smoke detector. Luo Jing removed its casing and found a miniature transmitter. A faint code was etched on the back: H-09.