“One million.” James Carter said lazily while sipping on yogurt.

“What? What one million?”

“These are just a few pictures. I still have the full video in my hands, and it’s quite spectacular. To get such an exciting video for only one million, I think Brother Edward is getting a pretty good deal.”

“Fuck you, you’re asking me for a million? Kid, who the hell are you? Make yourself clear to me… Hello? Hello?”

While Edward King was still raging and cursing loudly on the other end of the phone, James Carter hung up again.

This time, he didn’t have to wait long. Not even ten seconds after hanging up, the phone rang again.

Before Edward King could speak, James Carter said lazily, “Brother Edward, I think you should first learn how to speak properly, then come talk to me.”

“Fuck…” The curse had just left his mouth before he swallowed it back. “Kid, what’s the deal with this video?”

“Brother Edward should know very well.”

“What do you want?”

“I already said, one million, not a cent less.”

“You dare threaten me for a million with just a few pictures? Are you fucking crazy?”

“Haha.” James Carter laughed, shrugged, and said, “I know Brother Edward has people backing him. Just this video alone can’t do anything to you.”

“As long as you know…”

“But what if I upload it online?”

James Carter finished his yogurt, put down the empty cup, picked up a second one, and said with a grin, “Brother Edward should also know how powerful the internet is these days, and how terrifying public opinion can be. If this video spreads online, do you think the people behind you can still protect you? If you’re hunted by enemies, you can just hide out until things blow over, but if the police are after you, Brother Edward, where do you think you can hide?”

“Fuck! Fuck! Kid, you fucking dare?”

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t dare, Brother Edward. Don’t bet your life on my guts.”

“…” Silence fell on the other end. After a long while, heavy breathing came through the receiver, and Edward King gritted his teeth and said, “Kid, what do you really want?”

“Same as before. One million, not a cent less.”

“Where am I supposed to get a million right now?”

“Brother Edward, that’s your problem, not mine.” James Carter said with a smile, “Tomorrow night at midnight, on the rooftop in the video, bring one million. I’ll be waiting for you there. Once I get the money, I guarantee this video will disappear from the world forever. If I don’t see the money, well, the news the day after tomorrow will be lively. There are lots of videos online, but murder videos are rare. That’s big news. Who knows, maybe it’ll even make it onto TV or the newspapers.”

“Fine, kid, you’ve got guts. I’ll give you a million. If I give you the money, that video…”

“Don’t worry, Brother Edward, I’m just after the money. I don’t want to risk my life with you. We’ll exchange money for the goods, and after that, we’ll have nothing to do with each other.”

“Good. Remember what you just said! Midnight tomorrow, we’ll both be there.”

“I’ll be there. Oh, right, I forgot to mention, Brother Edward, you have to come alone. Remember, alone. I’m very timid—if there are too many people, I won’t dare show up.”

“Hmph.”

After hanging up, James Carter let out a long sigh. He finished the last bite of bread and the last sip of yogurt, cleaned up the trash, jumped down from the table, and walked out slowly.

Don’t be fooled by his calm and confident appearance—inside, he was already nervous to the extreme. Even after leaving the art room, his fingers were still trembling.

He had no idea who the mysterious person who gave him the video was, or what their purpose was, but he was glad he hadn’t handed the video over to the police back then. Because of that, it was now coming in handy.

Long story short, the next day after school, James Carter called his brother, saying a classmate was having a birthday and he’d be home late, so they didn’t need to wait for him for dinner.

After that, he found an internet café that didn’t require an ID and stayed there until eleven at night. When it was almost time, he left the café and headed to the place he and Edward King had agreed on.

It was an unfinished building that had been abandoned for years, more than ten stories high. The structure was complete, but for some reason, it had been left deserted.

As midnight approached, a white van pulled up in front of the building. The door slid open, and four or five people got out. The bald man in front was Edward King.

He was carrying a travel bag, and after getting out, he looked around. The place was secluded, especially at night. There weren’t even streetlights on either side of the road, making it pitch black and eerily quiet.

They all looked around for a while and, seeing nothing unusual, one of the big guys said to Edward King, “Second Brother, are you really going to trade a million for that damn video?”