Chapter One: Tomorrow for One Dollar

A baby cried somewhere ahead. Across the aisle, an elderly white-haired man in dark glasses tapped the floor with a blind man’s cane. Two rows back, a young woman held a sketchbook and drew the view outside, although the window showed nothing but her own reflection. Lu studied them out of old professional habit, then looked away. No one was worth analyzing anymore. He had already sold his own tomorrow. The aircraft reached cruising altitude, and the satellite network came online. Lu bought the cheapest one-hour package and tried to download the final contract. The instant the connection completed, his inbox vanished. The screen went black.