Chapter Five: The Original

Spreadsheets, models, and office routes rushed back. He remembered a hidden field in Luo's assessment: Original Disposition. Through the video feed, he saw Ji fail repeatedly to move a report field. Han's face cooled. Cheng had regained an ability by making a newly employed man incompetent. “I'm sorry.” “Don't make an apology sound like a successful refund.” Before disconnecting, Ji sent him a temporary administrative token signed by Han, valid for eight minutes. Xu released emergency vapor from a pod, hiding them from security. At the delivery console, Cheng discovered that every Exchange transaction was only a mirror. The true master ledger lived in the company's risk center.