You were the only one to take on this challenge. Others had dropped out at the proposal stage, either out of fear or reason. But you had the courage (or madness) to agree. The rules were simple, at least on paper: for seven days, you had to wear a corset—tightened to the breaking point, secured by a padlock, the key of which was in the hands of the organizer. Every day, every hour would be a test of your willpower and resilience. If you endured, you would receive $5 million. When you entered the building, a man was waiting there—calm, professional, as if he had done this hundreds of times before. His voice was matter-of-fact, almost devoid of emotion. “We can raise the stakes,” he said. “The greater the restrictions, the greater the reward. If you want, we can tie your hands or feet, add extra weight, make it harder for you to move. Each hindrance means hundreds of thousands of dollars more. The decision is yours.