Chapter 21: The Fall

The hall was entirely silent.

Then everyone began to look at everyone else.

"A glitch," said Zhou.

His voice was a little too high, and the clip microphone carried it to the back wall.

"A test fixture. Someone has tampered with the demonstration system."

"It says eighty thousand," said the investor with the silver hair. "Of a hundred and twenty."

"Seed accounts. Standard practice. Every launch..."

"Your deck says one hundred and twenty thousand real users." She held up the folder on her knee. "Page four. In bold."

"The word real is a marketing term."

"It is on page four, Mr. Zhou."

Zhou turned to the control desk.

"Cut that screen. Now. Security."

Two guards started down the aisle.

Tang Yu stood up in the dark corner with the laptop open in her hands.

"They're coming for the tester," she said, in a voice she was surprised to hear so steady.

"I'm Tang Yu."

"I tested your numbers, and I'm the reason that red line is on the screen."

"She was a contractor," said Zhou. "Her contract ended on Thursday."

"I wrote it a week ago," Tang Yu said. "It's in the report."

"The report is false."

"The report is attached to your server logs."

The guards stopped halfway down the aisle, looking at each other.

"Mr. Zhou," said Lin Jie.

The whole room turned to the control desk at the back.

Lin Jie stood up behind it, clutching his laptop.

He was shaking so hard the lanyard rattled.

"I copied the logs before they cut my access," he said.

"I can show you whose login runs it."

"Lin Jie, sit down," said Zhou.

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