“What’s the benefit of surveillance cameras multiplying across our cities like digital kudzu?” I ask, pen poised, voice neutral. The question is simple. The implications are not.

  Across the polished conference table sits Yanzhong Hu, CEO of HiVision, the Republic's dominant surveillance technology manufacturer. His company's name bears an unfortunate similarity to HiTV, causing their stock to plummet after my exposé went viral. He requested this interview as damage control. After all, what could be more validating than having the journalist who toppled HiTV bestow praise upon his surveillance empire?

  HiVision's financial performance is undeniably robust. Revenue soaring to 25.7 billion, with 5.6 billion in profits—representing 47% and 26% growth respectively. They're riding a tsunami of government contracts as the Republic installs watching eyes on every corner, every alley, every breath of public space.

  "Enhanced security, naturally," Hu replies, voice polished to a corporate sheen. "Citizens feel safer. Women walking alone at night no longer fear assault. Take Shanghai for example—" he abruptly halts, remembering my partner's recent abduction from Shanghai's heavily surveilled Dream Center. The irony hangs between us like a guillotine blade.

  "Curious then," I counter, maintaining my professional smile while sharpening my verbal blade, "that parents still fear letting their children walk to school alone. You mentioned educational institutions are your fastest-growing sector. Yet bullying and abuse on campus have spiked over the past two years."

  "We're addressing those challenges," Hu shifts uncomfortably in his chair. "Our newest generation incorporates advanced AI—facial recognition, thermal imaging, automated alert systems." He leans forward earnestly. "Tools are only as effective as those who wield them. Training is paramount."

  And there it is—the truth he carefully disguised. Surveillance technology excels at precisely what its masters design it for. It’s remarkably efficient at identifying protest organizers, tracking dissidents, flagging ‘unharmonious behavior.’ But when a child disappears, when a girl is assaulted, when a student is beaten—somehow the footage is missing. The cameras don't fail. They just weren’t watching for that.

  “And what of privacy?” I press. “The average citizen is recorded hundreds of times a day. We live in a digital fishbowl, constantly on display.”

  “Data security is integral to our mission,” Hu says, voice thinning. “We emphasize discretion in our customer training programs.”

  Discretion. Not built-in features—encryptions, procedures and intrusion detection.

  The atmosphere has grown suffocatingly tense. I pivot to safer ground—product design and technological innovation. HiVision is developing smaller, less obtrusive cameras while heavily investing in image processing capabilities. Artificial intelligence, that convenient catchall for algorithmic control, features prominently in their roadmap.

  I nod. I take notes. I smile.

  By the end, Hu looks relieved. He’ll be thrilled when he reads my piece—balanced, professional, surgically restrained.

  There's speaking truth to power, and then there's professional suicide. I've learned to navigate that line.

  But I know what I saw in his eyes when Shanghai was mentioned. I know what the cameras are really for.

  They don’t blink.

  They don’t forget.

  They just wait for the right command.

  … …

  My next interview is with Evangeline Hightower, who arrives cloaked in charisma and ambition, here to promote the impending launch of Hightower Coin.

  I’ve kept my distance from the cryptocurrency circus, despite its siren call of clicks and commissions. The landscape is a minefield—legitimate outlets serving traders alongside a plague of glossy scams masquerading as innovation. It’s not a market. It’s a con game.

  These crypto charlatans spend lavishly—not on technology, not on infrastructure, but on illusion. Their only real investment is credibility, manufactured through paid media blitzes and influencer endorsements. The complicit outlets abandon every shred of journalistic integrity, publishing fiction scaled to the size of the bribe. One token claims its founder descends from Saudi royalty. Another boasts of revolutionizing quantum communication, with global powers allegedly fighting for access—available only through their coin. These absurdities circulate unchallenged, amplified by the very channels meant to scrutinize them.

  I’ve long considered this ecosystem beneath the dignity of real journalism. So when Lyra suggested leveraging TechSpeed and Business Edge’s reputation in the crypto space, I recoiled. But then again—wasn’t the Republic’s stock market just as rotten?

  HiTV exemplifies this perfectly – didn't they similarly purchase favorable coverage to mislead investors?

  The aftermath of my HiTV exposè continues unfolding dramatically. The stock's collapse stretches from Wednesday through Friday, triggering circuit breakers for three consecutive sessions. My articles have amassed over one million reads – excluding syndications. In the Republic’s tightly controlled media landscape, that’s not just reach. That’s rupture.

  TechSpeed and Business Edge now stand as rare beacons of investigative integrity. HiTV’s counteroffensive—an avalanche of paid rebuttals—crumbled Thursday morning when the Financial Regulatory Commission announced its probe into the company’s financial misconduct. Within hours, media outlets purged every sponsored word. When the Party speaks, the press obeys.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  This morning, the market trembles again. Antz has announced its IPO for June 8th. Investors are liquidating positions en masse, scrambling to free capital for what they believe will be the next rocket.

  But the A-share market is no place for the uninitiated. It operates under a labyrinth of rules designed to punish retail investors while giving Party-controlled institutions the upper hand. To participate in an IPO, individuals must apply for a quota and preload their securities account with cash—two days before the listing. Before they know the price. Before they know if they'll even get a share.

  There’s no room for market correction. The purchase price is fixed, dictated solely by the issuer, the underwriter and the FRC. Retail investors must accept it blindly, a system designed less for fairness and more to funnel liquidity into the market while guaranteeing issuers their asking price.

  And even then, most walk away empty-handed. If the deal is hot, institutional investors get first pick. The rest? A lottery. A shrug. A silent rejection.

  It’s a game rigged from the start—where the powerful write the rules, and power itself is for rent. The small players are welcome only as donors to the spectacle, watching their hopes dissolve like smoke in someone else’s victory.

  … …

  When Evangeline Hightower enters, I feel a flicker of inadequacy—brief, involuntary, and undeniable. For the first time, I understand the ancient phrase: 沉鱼落雁, 闭月羞花—beauty so transcendent it causes fish to sink, geese to fall, the moon to hide, and flowers to blush.

  Lyra is beautiful like dynamite—commanding, explosive, impossible to ignore. Evangeline’s beauty is quieter, but no less arresting. It’s the kind that draws attention without demanding it. Neither woman chases beauty. They simply inhabit it.

  The white tiger cub accompanying her amplifies her innate elegance. She is their own most compelling advertisement. I'm certain that during their planned auction, her poised presence with this magnificent creature would command billions from the Republic's ultra-wealthy.

  The wine she offers tastes exceptional even to my untrained palate. Her greenhouse Bordeaux concept represents strategic brilliance – an instantly scalable business innovation poised for explosive growth.

  When asked about CRISPR ethics, she responds with disarming directness. “I am not religious. So I won’t debate what should be left to God. That's why I love the Republic. And why I believe it will surpass the States in this biotech revolution.”

  “My concern isn’t theological,” I reply, holding her gaze. “It’s practical. What about unintended consequences—deformed animals, compromised food safety?”

  "Regarding safety," she acknowledges with calculated vulnerability, "the pharmaceutical industry has relied on animal testing for decades – we're not pioneering that practice. However, our designs respect natural integrity rather than catering to humanity's distorted aesthetic preferences. Food security remains paramount; rigorous testing underpins every aspect of our research."

  "Let's discuss Hightower Coin and its strategic importance," I redirect, addressing her primary agenda.

  "We developed this solution with client confidentiality as our cornerstone," she smiles—camera-ready, but not performative. "The purchasers of such exceptional specimens," she indicates the tiger cub with elegant restraint, "are typically privacy-conscious individuals who prefer discretion."

  "Wouldn't conventional private auctions suffice?" I probe.

  "Insufficient for our scale," she counters confidently. "As demonstrated by high-end art markets, information frequently leaks, and they're limited by space, geography and access. We conduct global internet auctions with instant settlement. Cryptocurrency is the only infrastructure that meets our needs."

  I nod. In the Republic, the wealthiest families are political. A billion-yuan auction would be scandalous—exposing the hollowness of their ‘serve the people’ slogans. Her system is built for them. It protects their secrets while extracting their wealth.

  Her tone shifts—cooler, more enigmatic. "Our auction platform requires exceptional privacy protocols when you consider clients seeking gene therapy and regenerative stem cell treatments."

  “You’re saying Hightower Coin will be used not just for exotic animals, but for advanced medical procedures?” I ask.

  “Exactly,” she confirms. “This is an exclusive announcement—for Business Edge and TechSpeed.”

  "Appreciated," I acknowledge, recognizing the traffic and revenue potential of such breaking news.

  “Unnecessary,” she replies, gracious but firm. “Your platforms are the right channels.”

  "Returning to your question," she continues, voice precise and deliberate. "financial innovation accelerates technological advancement. Biotechnology research demands patience exceeding the tolerance of traditional capital sources. Banks and venture investors operate with rigid timelines. Cryptocurrency investors demonstrate unparalleled forbearance."

  “Or appetite for risk,” I counter. “They prioritize speculation over technological substance–valuing hype over reality.”

  "That's the consequence of predominantly fraudulent projects securing crypto funding," she acknowledges without defensiveness. "Let's not blame victims for falling prey to frauds. The market desperately needs a legitimate anchor–a project that delivers rather than disappears. By consistently producing measurable results, we'll establish ourselves as crypto's foundational asset, rivaling Bitcoin itself. The industry will naturally reorganize around this stability." Her gaze reflects unwavering conviction, her voice carries authoritative certainty.

  I contemplate her proposition.

  Cryptocurrency runs on trust. And trust is what the industry lacks most.

  Too many scammers get in to make a quick profit. Perhaps she genuinely represents the ethical counterbalance needed – establishing trustworthy conduct that inspire confidence.

  I transition to less contentious territory. "Why name the company Sanguine Institute? Sounds a little... bloody, isn't it?"

  She laughs, warm and calculated. "You're the first journalist to ask. Others are too polite. I mean that as praise."

  She pauses, then continues. “My grandfather named it while researching treatments for my grandmother’s leukemia. His work in hematology laid our foundation.”

  “His early investments in overlooked tech helped us master CRISPR before the world caught on.”

  “Now we’ve moved beyond CRISPR. We edit DNA, RNA, and epigenetic markers simultaneously. Quantum-guided targeting. Zero off-target effects. Real-time self-correction.”

  "That’s Nobel-caliber innovation," I observe.

  "Recognition was never our objective," she responds with practiced humility. "While our researchers certainly merit acknowledgment, our collective mission transcends accolades. We pursue a better life for humanity."

  Her words don’t feel rehearsed. They feel lived.

  I inadvertently glance toward the camera capturing her presence – unprofessional perhaps, but unavoidable. Her impact will be seismic. This brilliant, captivating visionary at biotechnology's vanguard will command public attention beyond the Republic's established tech titans – beyond Yuan Ma, beyond Jun Lai – beyond any male counterpart.

  In this pivotal moment, my decision crystallizes.

  I will launch Chain Reaction—a cryptocurrency publication built on integrity, designed to challenge the industry’s compromised standards.

  Media creates news. News creates media.

  And Evangeline Hightower will be its cornerstone.