Chapter One: Hat Gone, Man Nearly Gone

Gu Zhaoye first realized he was disappearing when the office security gate said, “Large potted plants are not permitted inside.” He looked left, then right. At two in the morning, the corridor contained only him and a money tree. “I’m not a plant.” The gate considered this for two seconds. Its screen displayed the money tree’s ID photo. Zhaoye removed his holographic glasses and wiped the camera with his sleeve. As the number-one player in the global beta of *Kaleido Party*, the professional scene’s acknowledged “human strategy guide,” he could choose the optimal item from seventeen party props in three-tenths of a second. It took him ten minutes to convince the gate that a money tree would not wear limited-edition sneakers.