Chapter Four: The Eighth Item in the Warehouse

[STRONGEST DESIRE: Get his daughter into South City Experimental School.] [EXCHANGE PRICE: One chance to escape a criminal record.] She did not bribe him with admission. She faced the camera. “The record of you disabling dehumidification has already synchronized to the police. You have ninety seconds to restore it and prove Cheng issued the order. You keep your innocence. I keep the evidence.” Eight seconds later, the fans restarted. She had not purchased a violation of his principles, and no price-difference debt appeared. For the first time, she had deliberately separated a person's price from their choice. By the time the shutter rose, Cheng was gone. Police arrived soon after and sealed the seven crates and hidden ledger.