The air inside the VIP Trading Hall on the tenth floor of the Tianhai Stock Exchange smelled of rich Cuban cigars, burnt coffee, and cold nervous sweat.
A massive curved electronic display covered the north wall, flashing with thousands of green and red stock tickers.
Patriarch Murong sat at the center of the thirty-foot polished mahogany conference table, his fingers tapping an impatient rhythm on a gold lighter. Beside him, Patriarch Song wiped his sweating bald forehead with a silk handkerchief. Third Master Ouyang leaned forward, staring intently at the digital clock on the wall.
[Target: Patriarch Murong. Goodness Score: 5/100. Criminal conspiracy, attempted murder.]
[Target: Patriarch Song. Goodness Score: 6/100. Market manipulation, illegal loan sharking.]
[Target: Third Master Ouyang. Goodness Score: 5/100. Embezzlement, corporate fraud.]
The time was nine-twenty-five in the morning.
“Why haven’t they called?” Patriarch Song whispered, his voice shaking with anxiety. “The power blackout at Taichu Tower was reported at midnight. Ghost-Crow promised to send Lin Mo’s head to my car before dawn!”
