Singapore — 07:06 a.m.
Marcus didn't knock.
"They coordinated."
Adrian looked up once.
"How synchronized?"
"EU draft leaked. U.S. Treasury echoing language. Digital asset containment review."
Silence.
On screen:
Emergency Liquidity Oversight Proposal
Temporary Exchange Compliance Suspension
Stablecoin Reserve Transparency Mandate
Marcus exhaled slowly.
"They're not banning."
"No."
Adrian stood.
"They're freezing velocity."
Zurich — 13:18 CET
Elena read the draft twice.
Not public yet.
But circulating internally.
If enacted:
• Exchanges restricted
• Stablecoin redemptions delayed
• Cross-border wallet reporting mandatory
She whispered:
"He's sealing exits."
Her encrypted phone vibrated.
Adrian.
Do nothing.
They're watching.
I know.
Pause.
Trust the compression.
Her jaw tightened.
"This will trigger panic."
Yes.
Singapore — 07:24 a.m.
Crypto markets reacted before headlines.
Stablecoin spreads widened.
Two exchanges halted large withdrawals.
Perpetual funding rates flipped negative.
Marcus stared at cascading red.
"This accelerates."
Adrian didn't blink.
"Good."
Marcus turned sharply.
"You wanted this?"
"I expected it."
On a separate terminal—
Shadow wallets activated.
Not buying aggressively.
Absorbing liquidations.
Providing depth where order books thinned.
Invisible.
Distributed.
Marcus watched the cascade slow.
"You're stabilizing the fall."
"No."
Adrian's tone was exact.
"I'm controlling the fracture."
New York — 08:02 a.m.
Energy equities opened weak.
Bond spreads widened three basis points.
Crypto volatility spiked 14%.
Volkov observed quietly.
"Digital exits compressing," his aide reported.
"And Vale?"
"Deploying liquidity."
A thin silence.
Volkov nodded once.
"He anticipated."
Singapore — 07:46 a.m.
Marcus frowned at the correlation screen.
"Energy equities aren't stabilizing."
"No."
"They're drifting."
"Yes."
Marcus finally understood.
"When crypto compresses and equities drift…"
Adrian finished it calmly.
"Institutional alignment weakens."
Pause.
"Confidence splinters."
Zurich — 13:52 CET
Elena's secure analytics feed lit up.
Something subtle.
Energy-linked sovereign swaps were being hedged externally.
Not through traditional banks.
Through synthetic exposure platforms.
Her breath slowed.
"You rerouted institutional hedges."
Message arrived.
Liquidity must have somewhere to go.
This is insane.
No.
Pause.
It's math.
Moscow — 16:33 MSK
Volkov stood still.
Crypto contained but unstable.
Energy equities pressured.
Bond markets nervous but not collapsing.
"He's not defending crypto," the aide said.
"No."
Volkov's eyes narrowed slightly.
"He's using it."
Singapore — 08:03 a.m.
Marcus felt it shift.
"Institutions are hedging outside traditional clearing."
"Yes."
"That weakens sovereign leverage."
Temporarily.
Marcus swallowed.
"If regulators tighten further—"
"They expose intent."
"And if they expose intent?"
Adrian's voice was calm.
"Phase four."
Marcus hesitated.
"Public?"
"Yes."
New York — 08:21 a.m.
Breaking headlines hit mainstream terminals:
Regulators Review Emergency Digital Asset Controls
Cross-Border Crypto Monitoring Intensifies
Markets reacted.
Crypto dipped again.
Energy equities slipped further.
Bond volatility ticked higher.
But something unexpected happened.
Stablecoin redemptions stabilized.
Liquidity didn't disappear.
It redistributed.
Volkov saw it immediately.
"He built redundancy."
"Yes, sir."
Silence.
For the first time—
Volkov leaned closer to the screen.
"He's testing political tolerance."
Singapore — 08:40 a.m.
Marcus turned slowly.
"This isn't about profit anymore."
"No."
"It's about forcing transparency."
Adrian's gaze was steady.
"They built muscle in darkness."
Pause.
"We bring light."
Another alert flashed.
Confidential document leak.
Internal memo questioning timing of coordinated regulatory draft.
Anonymous source.
Credible.
Strategically released.
Marcus stared.
"You're escalating."
Adrian's expression didn't change.
"They pulled the kill switch."
Pause.
"So we expose the hand."
Moscow — 17:02 MSK
Volkov read the leak.
No accusation.
Just implication.
Timing.
Coordination.
Intent.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"Find the source."
"Yes, sir."
He looked back at the screen.
Crypto volatile but alive.
Energy pressured.
Institutions uncertain.
For the first time—
The system wasn't aligned.
It was thinking.
Volkov spoke quietly.
"Prepare phase escalation."
The aide hesitated.
"To what level?"
A long silence.
Then—
"Personal."
Singapore — 09:02 a.m.
Marcus felt the shift before the alert arrived.
Elena's secure channel attempted breach.
Unauthorized trace.
Marcus looked up.
"He moved."
Adrian's eyes hardened.
"Yes."
Silence filled the room.
This was no longer structural pressure.
This was leverage.
Marcus asked quietly:
"Do we escalate further?"
Adrian answered without hesitation.
"Yes."