Chapter One: Zero in Ten Minutes

The pattern was devastating: the fund destroyed, the groom enriched, the bride missing. It looked less like an attack than a planned escape. In the bridal room, there was no sign of struggle. Wanxing's phone lay before the mirror. Beneath it was a slip of archival paper bearing four characters in her handwriting: DO NOT TRUST ME. As Shen touched it, the ring burned his finger. A blue line inside the band pulsed seven times, and faint figures appeared: 12:17, -4.6. “Give me what you're holding,” Chen said from the doorway. The clock showed 12:16:40. Twenty seconds later an explosion rolled above them. Chandeliers swung. Guests screamed. News displays flashed: the Langang Energy Index had fallen 4.