Chapter One: Tomorrow for One Dollar

An impossible market. A failed patent. A cup of coffee rolling toward a stranger. Lu could close the laptop and land safely eleven hours later, sign away his company, and begin a long bankruptcy that was miserable but at least predictable. Predictable. That word had kept him from calling the police when Pei took the company seals. It had made him believe promises of restructuring while suppliers withdrew their credit. It was how Prism had reached a final value of one dollar. Lu pressed Buy. 【Transaction complete.】 【You have assumed the cause of failure: NX017-C7.】 【Complete settlement before this vehicle lands.】 The shape of a silver coin flared on his left wrist, burning like a brand before disappearing.