"Darling, what did you have for lunch?"
"Hello, this is the City Bureau. Your credit card is implicated in money laundering. Please cooperate with us."
"I made a million in the last three months. Master Li's information network is truly impressive!"
"I'm fine. It's just that I invested in too many projects recently, and my funds are a little tight."
Pig-butchering scams, intimidation fraud, industrialized divisions of labor where, after casting a wide net, each victim received a tailored approach.
Hundreds or thousands of people sat in cubicles, dozens of chat windows open on every computer screen, blinking nonstop as one sum after another flowed into the accounts they provided.
"Ace of Hearts, please place your bets!"
"Mr. Hu calls two thousand. Next player."
"Reveal the cards. Congratulations, Mr. Li—three fives and a pair of twos. You win!"
"The next round is about to begin. Please place your bets."
In professional livestream studios, beautiful female dealers smiled their sweetest, gentlest smiles at icy cameras, luring the online gamblers beyond the lens to wager their very last copper.
"Mmm... mmm..."
"Ah... ah..."
Against backgrounds that looked like warm, cozy homes, women held phones and engaged in explicit chats with the people on the other end.
Meanwhile, trojans planted inside their phones through the chat platform downloaded their entire contact lists.
"Is the new platform version finished today?"
"Have the bugs been fixed?"
"The program from the day before yesterday has already been shut down. Get the new one online fast!"
"Transfer the money in the accounts out online as quickly as possible!"
Inside the office cubicles, many programmers with thinning hair sat before computers, tapping away at their keyboards. Some looked numb, some had pain in their eyes, and some showed excitement.
Smack!
"Ah!"
Faint cries of pain came from a