Five dollars.That was my entire liquid net worth. I was standing on a freezing, rain-slicked rooftop, completely boxed in by a swarm of forty-seven military-grade drones, a Rank #7 hunter standing three feet away, and a sudden audience of three apex players who could probably flatten this entire concrete building just to warm up.The translucent system panel hovered quietly in the dark space between me and Leon Kuroda, casting a weak, pathetic green glow against the wet fabric of my jacket.[Balance: $5]Leon leaned casually against the freezing iron railing, ignoring the biting wind, looking as relaxed as a man enjoying a quiet evening on his private terrace.Below us, down in the dark, shattered street, Marcus Hale stood like a brick wall. He had his massive, armor-plated arms crossed over his chest, his heavy boots planted in the cracked asphalt as he stared straight up at our balcony.Across the commercial district, balancing effortlessly on the rusted metal crossbeams of a radio

Leon Kuroda slowly looked up at the chaotic, jittering swarm.Then, he let out a long, heavy sigh.“…You really did it.”On the translucent system map floating inches from my chest, the glowing green relay network violently rerouted itself.Two critical, load-bearing nodes now burned a harsh, warning red in the dark interface.[Relay Node #3 — Offline][Relay Node #5 — Offline]Four fragile nodes remained.I watched the encrypted signal paths automatically reroute, glowing in entirely new, desperate directions across the city grid. But the command chain had stretched. The digital routes were significantly longer. The data had to travel further.It created delay.Marcus Hale’s booming, gravelly voice exploded from the cracked pavement below, bouncing loudly off the wet brick facades.“HA!”The sharp smack of his massive hand hitting his armored thigh echoed like a gunshot.“He did it again!”Across the dark rooftops, still balancing flawlessly on the rusted steel crossbeams of the radio

From the dark rooftop, Victor Kane’s hollow voice finally drifted across the gap, carrying the weight of a judge's gavel."Strategic dismantling."Marcus aggressively raised his heavy, glowing gauntlet in the air. "I still vote for explosions!"Lila smirked, her glowing blue eyes flashing. "He might get those too, Marcus. Just wait."I didn't waste another second. I swiped my freezing, stiff fingers through the empty air and ripped open the Pocket Change Market again.Leon watched the green text reflect on my wet face."You already know exactly which node you’re hitting," he said. It wasn't a question."Yep."The digital map hovering in front of my chest automatically highlighted the target.[Relay Node #2]It was buried right in the dead center of the commercial district. It was the hub. Destroying that specific digital anchor wouldn't just slow the network down—it would violently split the entire signal chain straight down the middle.Leon noticed the highlighted target instantly. Hi

Leon stood three feet away. The wind whipped his dark, soaked coat around his knees. He stared at the glowing number, and for the very first time since he landed on my balcony tonight, the absolute certainty in his posture fractured. There was genuine hesitation in his dark eyes.“You’ve done the impossible again,” Leon muttered. His voice was incredibly tight. Controlled. Holding back a dam of pure fury.I offered a slow, stiff shrug, my muscles screaming from the cold. “Impossible is just another word for patience.”Down in the cracked, rain-slicked avenue below us, Marcus Hale suddenly jumped. The heavy impact of his armored boots shook the asphalt.“Did he seriously split the swarm?!” Marcus’s booming voice carried across the concrete canyon like a blaring war horn.Across the district, crouched on the rusted steel crossbeams of the radio tower, Lila Voss tilted her head. Her piercing blue eyes tracked the erratic flight paths of the black machines.“Half of them aren’t listening,”

The city below was finally quiet. Entirely too quiet.The deafening, mechanical shriek of forty-five military drones had vanished, replaced only by the heavy, rhythmic drumming of freezing rain against the concrete. The sky above my balcony was jarringly empty. The chaotic swarm was dead. The last of the burning wreckage embedded in the adjacent skyscraper was slowly smoking out, the bright orange sparks fading into the pitch-black night like dying embers.I leaned my full weight against the freezing iron railing, my knees actually shaking as the massive adrenaline spike began to crash out of my bloodstream. My clothes were soaked through, sticking uncomfortably to my freezing skin.The translucent system panel hovered just above my wet wrist, casting a pale, sickly green light over my numb fingers.One single dollar left. Literal pocket change. Yet, it was the exact amount of leverage I had needed to completely topple a Rank #7 hunter’s multi-million-dollar army. That realization made