"Welcome to the Mid-Levels, Glitch," Rell said coldly. "In the slums, time is breath. If you do not have it, you suffocate. But up here? Time is money. The Board of Directors gives these merchants just enough time to feel rich. The Board lets them play with centuries so they stay happy. The Board keeps the Mid-Levels comfortable, so the Mid-Levels never rebel."Evan clenched his fists. The cut on his right hand throbbed painfully. "Where do they get the time?" Evan asked, though he already knew the terrible answer. "From you," Marco said quietly. "From your father. From the slums. The Bank squeezes the South District until the people hit zero. The Bank takes all those stolen years, packs them into digital tokens, and sends them up here for the merchants to spend on shiny toys."Evan closed his eyes. The core struggle inside his heart felt clearer than ever. He was not just fighting for his own life anymore. He was not just fighting to survive a bounty hunter. He was fighting against

The dark alley was perfectly quiet. The only sound was the cold, dirty rain dripping from the rusty metal pipes above them. Evan Kennedy stood frozen in the shadows. He looked at his left wrist. The heavy black spoofer bracelet, the one the forger Jax had locked onto his arm, felt incredibly tight. Beneath the black metal, a thick silver needle was buried deep inside his vein. "Liquid explosives," Marco whispered. The wounded grifter leaned heavily against the wet brick wall. His face was gray with pain, but his eyes were wide with pure terror. "You put bombs inside our blood."Standing fifteen feet away, the figure known as Vex did not move. The smooth, faceless mirror mask reflected the dim neon lights from the market street behind them. Vex held the small black remote control up in the air. A single thumb rested gently on the glowing red button. "I am a careful person, Marco," Vex’s robotic, distorted voice echoed in the alley. "I am fighting a war against the Board of Directors

Evan felt a strange, tingling sensation wash over his skin. It felt like tiny, invisible spiders crawling over his face. The scanner was reading his eyes. It was reading his blood. It was digging into the spoofer bracelet on his wrist. For one terrible, long second, the light stayed blue. A heavy, armored Neon Guard stepped forward, raising his plasma rifle slightly. The guard looked at Evan’s white hair. Evan held his breath. He did not blink. He acted perfectly calm. “I am Silas,” Evan told himself. ‘I am just a boring cargo hauler. I am invisible.” Suddenly, the blue light flashed a bright, happy green. "Welcome, Junior Associates," the automated robotic voice chimed politely. "Balances verified."The heavy guard lowered his rifle. He nodded respectfully to Evan and Rell. "Have a profitable day, sir," the guard said. Evan let out a tiny, shaking breath. He nodded back to the guard. They walked through the massive glass doors. Marco and Glitch walked through right behind them

"Plug the drive in, Evan," Vex’s voice ordered in the earpiece. The voice sounded angry now. "Do not hesitate. I have my finger on the button. I can see you on the cameras. Do it now."Evan looked at the glowing silver ports on the golden pillar. He thought about his friends. He thought about the liquid explosives in their veins. If he disobeyed, Vex would kill Marco. Vex would kill Glitch. Vex would kill Rell. He had to do it. He had to push the drive in to save them. Evan slowly raised his hand. He held the silver drive near a glowing port. "Good boy," Vex purred in the earpiece. Evan’s hand trembled. He looked back at the screaming traders. He heard the woman in the yellow suit cheer because an old person in a hospital just lost their life support. If he plugged this drive in, he was helping the system. He was feeding a new monster. Evan Kennedy closed his eyes. He made his choice. Evan pulled his hand back. He dropped the small silver drive onto the hard marble floor. Eva

Evan watched them. He felt no pity for them. Ten minutes ago, these people were cheering because poor families in the slums lost their clean water. Now, they were crying because they lost their numbers on a screen. They did not care about human life. They only cared about the game. Suddenly, the red lights in the room began to change. A loud, deep hum echoed through the building. The massive floor vibrated. "What is that noise?" Marco asked, grabbing his heavy metal pipe and looking around. "The Bank is fighting back," Rell said. Her green eyes narrowed. She pointed up at the giant screens hanging from the ceiling. The red error messages disappeared. The screens turned black for a second. Then, a bright blue logo appeared. It was the golden scale of the Board of Directors. A calm, robotic voice spoke from the speakers. "System reboot initiated," the voice said. "Activating backup ledgers. Restoring all market values to previous state. Please stand by."The rich traders stopped