Chapter Three: What Thirty Million Cannot Buy

The thirty million did not appear in Jiming's bank account. The system produced twelve pages of fund terms. Far Lantern I was controlled by an offshore trust established five years ago. Its capital could support only technologies with public-infrastructure value. Every expense required independent audit. Cash extraction, bribery, or repayment of personal debt would terminate Jiming's claim. The final clause was more striking: throughout the fund's life, Liang Sen would receive every project summary but possess no veto. This was not free money. It was a knife designed to hang in Liang's sight. “Sign,” Cheng Ye said, voice trembling. “I'd take three million in handcuffs, never mind thirty.”