The protagonist, Xu Che, is an “information broker” with no official backing and no allegiance to any faction. His golden finger is a special ability to sense information: he has a magnetic nose for “what people want from a deal.” By observing people and drawing them out, he can accurately work out the deal a person or organization most wants to make right now, and fears failing at most.
He doesn't carry out assassinations or turn people against their allies. Instead, he operates in the darkest corners of wartime: black-market deals, military supply scams, intelligence sales, and identity swaps. He serves as a middleman. Every faction knows he exists and hates him to the core, yet none can do without him. Like an information broker walking along a razor's edge, he exploits the conflicts between the various sides, seizing power in the cracks and using it to tip the balance of the entire war.
