"Success," He reported to Xie Ruolan with his catching in his dry throat. "1.83 Credits."
Xie Ruolan handed him water.
Li Fang saw her expression visibly relax as she let out a tiny sigh before her professional mask solidified again.
"Excellent. The first cut is always the deepest, the most uncertain. Proof of concept established. Now, analyze the resonance variance. Can the QFS mask our transaction signature better next time? Can we optimize the injection or withdrawal timing by another microsecond for a slightly higher yield without significantly increasing the risk profile?"
They spent the next five minutes, the duration of the cooldown, huddled together at her makeshift worktable.
Li Fang described the sensations, the data flows he'd perceived, while Xie Ruolan cross-referenced it with her knowledge of Bank architecture.
The QFS, meanwhile, ran simulations, suggesting a minor algorithmic tweak. It adjusted the energy signature of the injected Credits to more closely mimic background karmic noise, refining the predictive model for the ledger synchronization.
The 'Frozen Time' module was also enhanced slightly from v.1.0 to v.1.1, allowing his subconscious to become like an anchor for semi-automation. That way, the mental toll on him would be significantly reduced.
Soon, the cooldown timer ticked down to zero. "Ready for another attempt?" Xie Ruolan asked, a fascination subtly hinted at her eyes.
To her, this was also a new world, a new experience. Her life as a fugitive had improved with Li Fang's appearance.
Li Fang nodded as he took a deep breath, trying to settle his racing pulse. The pressure was still immense, a physical weight on his chest, but the successful first run provided a thin, fragile layer of confidence.
"System, initiate sequence two. Implement signature masking adjustments and refined timing prediction."
[Acknowledged. Adjusting transaction signature profile to 'Ambient Karmic Drift Mimicry Protocol v2.1'.]
[Standby for optimal window... T-minus 3.00... 2.00... 1.00... INJECT! ... WITHDRAW!]
Another jolt, another brief, terrifying dip into the river of karma. Li Fang closed his eyes and let the 'Frozen Time' module take over.
[Transaction Complete.]
[Net Profit: 2.02 Qi-Credits.]
[Host Qi-Credit Balance: 322.58 Qi-Credits.]
Slightly better profit. Repeatable. Sustainable, for now, it seemed.
With that, they continued running the sequence.
2.01… 2.15… 2.22.
The numbers ticked upward slowly, agonizingly, but with a maddening steadiness.
Despite the 'Frozen Time' module, Li Fang thought it was the most stressful, mentally taxing, and fundamentally abstract way to earn Qi-Credits imaginable.
Each five-minute cycle demanded absolute trust in the QFS's calculations and Xie Ruolan's interpretations of the Bank's ancient, labyrinthine, and utterly alien machinery.
While Li Fang became a cog in this high-frequency, low-yield karmic arbitrage machine, Xie Ruolan was not idle.
Her gaze shifted constantly between her own comm unit, monitoring Lilypad-01's security logs, and Li Fang's focused expression. A soft chime drew her attention.
"Problem," She tersely said as her voice cut through Li Fang's concentration just as he was preparing for another cycle. "Lilypad detected a low-level, persistent network probe attempting to bypass all of our outer firewalls. Signature is consistent with known Crimson Abacus Syndicate intrusion protocols. Crude, brute-force attempts. However, they're definitely sniffing around our general network vicinity."
Li Fang forced himself to remain calm. He couldn't afford to be distracted now, but he also couldn't ignore a direct threat. "Can our defenses handle it?"
"The repurposed RH-7 algorithms are deflecting it easily for now, logging it as background noise," Xie Ruolan confirmed, her fingers already typing commands to reinforce their digital perimeter. "However, this confirms they're actively searching, likely using broad-spectrum network scanners. They know something unusual is operating in this vicinity, even if they can't pinpoint us yet."
The QFS then added its own assessment.
[ALERT: External Network Intrusion Attempt Detected!]
[Lilypad-01 Security Protocols Engaged!]
[Rebuffing intrusion... Success.]
[Threat Level elevated to Moderate.]
[Localized surveillance by Crimson Abacus is probable.]
[Recommend reinforcing network encryption layer and deploying counter-surveillance data phantoms. Cost: 30 Qi-Credits.]
"Another expense?" Li Fang felt a sting in his pocket but what could he do? It was a necessary expense. And more would come going forward. "Authorize the upgrade."
He couldn't afford a network breach, especially not while his mind was metaphorically wrist-deep in the Bank of Reincarnation's ledgers.
His balance dipped again, cancelling the ten or so profits he acquired for the past half an hour.
The Crimson Abacus wasn't giving up.
The bounty notice had been just the first, public step. They were actively hunting now, using their own crude but effective methods. The slow, steady income from karmic arbitrage felt suddenly, terrifyingly inadequate again.
His timer wasn't slowing down.
After completing another successful Micro-Skim, his balance crept back to 300.
It felt like bailing out a sinking, interdimensional starship with a teaspoon, albeit a magically refilling, AI-assisted teaspoon. The mental strain was beginning to tell as a dull throbbing started behind his eyes.
"Miss Xie. This won't do. We need to increase the yield significantly," Li Fang stated, the fatigue making his voice rougher than usual. "Or find a different, more lucrative arbitrage opportunity. This… this isn't fast enough. We're treading water, and the tide is rising."
Xie Ruolan nodded grimly, her gaze fixed on a complex data projection showing potential stress points in other Bank sub-systems. "There are other potential discrepancies, as I mentioned. Higher risk, significantly higher potential reward. But it's more risky, or rather, it would undoubtedly be flagged. For instance, the interface between the 'Heroic Sacrifice Merit Ledger'. It quantifies acts of extreme altruism and the 'Collateral Karmic Damage Compensation Fund', which disburses merit to offset unintended negative consequences of such acts. The values involved in those transactions are orders of magnitude larger. The timing windows are tighter, measured in nanoseconds rather than microseconds. The potential for karmic backlash, if a trade is mistimed or improperly shielded, is exponentially greater."
The QFS, predictably, had already run the numbers.
[QFS Analysis: Accessing Heroic Sacrifice/Collateral Damage ledger interfaces requires Tier-3 Bank Access Clearance. Currently Unavailable due to the Host's karmic standing and lack of recognized credentials.]
[Alternative Method: Utilization of a high-risk 'Quantum Tunneling' financial exploit protocol. Quantum Tunneling involves creating a temporary, unstable wormhole through metaphysical security layers to directly access targeted data streams. Carries Extreme Risk (75% probability of triggering high-level Bank Sentinel alerts per attempt).]
[Potential Yield: 100x to 500x greater than the current Karmic Micro-Skim strategy.]
[Recommendation: Strongly advise against attempting Quantum Tunneling without further QFS core system upgrades, significantly larger Qi-Credit capital buffer, and dedicated metaphysical shielding protocols. Current risk of catastrophic failure and Host soul-signature flagging: >95%.]
After reading all that, Li Fang's shoulders drooped.
Back to square one. They had a powerful tool, but using its most potent features effectively and at scale required more investment, more risk than they could currently afford, or clearance levels that were laughably out of reach. The high-yield opportunities were tantalizingly close, yet barricaded behind layers of danger. The Karmic Arbitrage, while functional, was a beginner's game, good for practice and minor gains, but not a solution to their urgent, larger problems.
Li Fang looked at his dwindling Qi-Credit balance, then at the relentless crimson countdown of the foreclosure clock.
The path forward wasn't a steady, incremental climb; it was becoming clear it had to be a series of terrifying, calculated leaps across ever-widening chasms. And the Crimson Abacus Syndicate was actively shaking the ground beneath their feet, making each potential landing zone more precarious. He needed more leverage, more power, more capital. But more importantly, he needed more time.
He had to stop that countdown.