Chapter Two: A Name Worth Fifty Thousand

She handed him headphones. A recording revealed SeaGravel's plan: announce restructuring failure at 9:50, force creditors to sell, then let a Gu affiliate seize the nickel and port berths through a hidden guarantee. Shen overlaid insurance records with ship tracks. The cargo insurer, White Reef Mutual, had an unusual clause: upon formal default, ownership passed to all bondholders. If any holder sought a preservation order before ten, the Gu family could not take it. That was what they feared—the clause being seen. “I need a lawyer and thirty minutes,” Shen said. Su dialed. “I need the exclusive.” At 9:47, SeaGravel announced failure. The bond collapsed to six. Shen spent his remaining three thousand.