Chapter Four: The Lightweight Servers

Security records showed it reaching nine tons at 3:17. After Hengyuan’s market opened and its new financing offer appeared, the pressure fell steadily to three. “Did you reveal what was stored inside?” Xu asked. “Of course not,” Qin said. Her badge cord cut into her neck. Beyond the glass, employees watched Hengyuan’s rising shares on their phones. A guard set his phone on a desk, and it dented the wood. “The secret didn’t disappear,” Lin said. “Other people began carrying it.” He placed his left palm on Server Three. A burning factory swallowed him. Blue-white flame erupted from battery racks. Workers beat on a safety door chained shut from outside.