Four point five million yuan," Agent Zhou said, lowering his thick wire-rimmed glasses onto his nose. He tapped his index finger against the deed sitting on his polished oak desk. "Mr. Lin, your unit in the Grand Horizon complex is worth at least six point two million on a bad day. If you list it at four point five million, you are essentially throwing away a brand-new custom kitchen and two sunrooms.""I need the entire payment deposited into my account by tomorrow afternoon," Lin Feng replied. He sat straight in the leather chair, his hands resting flat on his knees. "I am not looking for the highest bidder, Agent Zhou. I am looking for the fastest liquid cash."Zhou leaned back, his chair creaking under his weight. He rubbed his chin, staring at Lin Feng with a mixture of pity and curiosity. "Is this a gambling debt? An emergency medical procedure? Because if you give me just two weeks, I can easily get you five point eight million in a clean transaction.""Tomorrow afternoon," Lin

"Eight hundred millimeters of solid reinforced concrete," Director Zhang said, tapping his heavy knuckle against the bare grey wall of the penthouse. He pulled a yellow tape measure from his leather belt and let it snap shut with a loud clatter. "Mr. Lin, I have retrofitted bank vaults and government server rooms for twenty years, but I have never seen a private residential buyer demand four-inch steel casing on every interior wall.""Can your crew do it or not?" Lin Feng asked, standing by the bare concrete pillars of the empty living room."We can do it," Zhang said, rubbing the back of his neck, leaving a smudge of dark grease across his skin. "But it is going to weigh down the floor structure. We will need to weld structural steel support beams directly into the load-bearing pillars first. And those triple-pane thermal vacuum windows you requested? They have to be imported from a specialized cold-storage manufacturer in the north. It is not cheap.""I am not interested in cheap, D

"My toes are white, Yan," Su Ming whimpered, rubbing his bare ankles beneath a thin pile of cotton quilts. "Look at them. I cannot feel my big toe at all.""Stop complaining and keep the blanket pulled up," Su Yan said. Her lips were blue, her chin trembling so hard her teeth made a wet, rhythmic clicking sound. "Mother, is there any hot water left in the thermos?"Mother Su sat huddled in the corner of the sofa, wrapped in three old winter coats, her hands stuffed deep into her armpits. "The pipes froze two hours ago. I tried to turn on the tap, and a chunk of yellow ice popped out and broke my mug."A sharp, rifle-like crack echoed through the living room.Su Yan jumped, letting out a short scream. On the far wall, a wide diagonal fracture split the double-pane balcony window. A razor-thin hiss of freezing air whistled through the gap, turning the indoor humidity into a tiny, floating dust cloud of ice crystals."The window is giving out!" Su Ming yelled, scrambling backward on his

"Get the drills working on the left hinge!" Director Zhao barked, his face wet with sweat despite the freezing air. He shoved a heavy guard toward the door frame. "If we do not breach this frame in three minutes, the charges will not seat properly! Hurry up!""Director, the drill bit is glowing red!" the lead guard yelled back, leaning his entire body weight against the heavy power tool. Sparks showered across his dirty coat. "This frame is not standard iron! It is reinforced high-density alloy! It is chewing through our bits!""Then use the secondary charges!" Zhao screamed, pointing a fat, gloved finger at the yellow plastic crate sitting on the floor. "Tape the primer cords directly to the mechanical deadbolt casing! Do not stand there like an idiot!"Outside, in the dark corridor, Su Yan pulled her brother further back into the shadows of the stairwell landing. "Mother, we need to leave. They are going to blow up the entire landing.""Shut up and watch, Yan!" Mother Su rasped, her

Inside the warm living room, the low screech of static filled the quiet air. Lin Feng sat at his wooden desk, slowly turning the brass dial of an emergency shortwave receiver. The signal flickered, drowning in heavy electromagnetic interference before a harsh, breathless voice broke through the speaker."This is Central Command Sector Four to all active units," a radio operator stammered over the static. "The subterranean geothermal grid at Base Alpha has suffered a total structural breach. Secondary heating lines are frozen solid. I repeat, Base Alpha is compromised. All surviving personnel are instructed to initiate scattered retreat protocol. God help us all."A high-pitched tone squealed across the frequency, followed by absolute silence.Lin Feng adjusted his headset, his thumb tracing the smooth plastic edge of the radio. "Sector Four lasted six days longer than in my past life," he whispered to himself.He stood up, carrying a pair of high-resolution thermal binoculars over to