Amid the flashing neon lights, a black Bentley slowly drove into the Cloud View Manor. This was the most mysterious and expensive private club in Dongzhou, open only to a select few.
The guest list tonight was filled with the most influential figures from the financial, real estate, and military-industrial sectors. And among them, the "youngest" one was none other than Lin Chen.
"This is a hunter's game."That was all Lei Chu had said to him before he left, her gaze filled with complexity.
The system sent a warning:
[High-Difficulty Event Triggered]Quest Name: The Game Within the Game · The Hunter's FeastObjective: Obtain the "Core Trading Resource" from the banquetAdditional Conditions: Cannot be expelled or give up halfwayCrisis Level: ★★★☆☆Suggested State: Calm + System-Assisted Detection Active
Lin Chen got out of the car, dressed in a custom-made dark gray suit, his demeanor calm and composed, his steps powerful.
He knew this was not an ordinary party.
It was, in fact, a capital hunting ground.
Cloud View Manor: The Secret Arena of Capital
As soon as he entered the banquet hall, Lin Chen was immediately noticed by countless pairs of eyes.
Some were admiring, some were probing, and others were openly disdainful.
"Is that him? The one who forced Liang Jinhai to retreat, the 'Black Knight'?""Just lucky once.""He's young, he'll learn his lesson."
Lin Chen smiled without saying a word. The system interface had already quietly opened:
[Environmental Detection in Progress…]Total Number of People: 41Potential Hostile Targets: 17High-Risk Conversational Traps: 8Calculating "Resource Node Map"… Completed.
Primary Resource Target Locked:→ Project Code: Blue Light Deep Sea Core Equity Certificate→ Host: Qi Mengchuan (President of Nanyu Capital)→ Resource Current Value: Market Valuation 4 Billion Gold Coins→ Opportunity Window: 1 Hour, Failure Results in Permanent Locking of Resource
The system continued to prompt:
[Suggested Ability Activation]:Emotion Reading + Market Trend Prediction[Gold Coin Consumption]:5000/Hour + Prediction Power Boost Activation[Required Gold Coins]:5000 (One-Time Use)
Lin Chen didn't hesitate and confirmed:
"Activate."
Everything around him began to shift subtly.
The expressions, emotional tension, and hidden intentions of the people around him were all visualized on the system interface as soft blue lines.
Fifteen minutes later, he stopped.
"I'll place my bet." Lin Chen spoke calmly. "Two billion gold coins."
The room fell silent.
First Round of Confrontation: Verbal Probing
"Mr. Lin, long time no see."Qi Mengchuan walked over, flanked by a few other financial veterans.
"I hear you've been making waves in the market lately. Let us old guys open our eyes tonight."
Lin Chen smiled slightly: "The younger generation is here to learn from the best."
The system popped up:
[Hostility Level: Medium][Real Intentions]:To provoke you and test your limits, see if you lose control of your emotions.[System Advice]:Maintain a smile, shift the topic to take control.
"Speaking of learning, how about we start with the Blue Light Deep Sea project?" Lin Chen directly threw out the key topic. "I've heard the project is undergoing a capital handover. Is that true?"
Everyone froze for a moment, not expecting him to dive straight into the core issue.
Qi Mengchuan narrowed his eyes: "How did you know?"
"The winds of the capital world never escape my ears." Lin Chen smiled faintly. "And I've always been interested in marine data collection technology."
System prompt:
[Verbal Dominance Achieved][Opponent's Wariness Increased][Speech Dominance +20%]
Qi Mengchuan's smile faded slightly.
He suddenly clapped his hands.
The lights in the hall dimmed.
A projection screen in the center rose, and a new presentation of Blue Light Deep Sea began to play.
"Since Mr. Lin is interested, let's make this into a game."
Second Round: Capital Gamble, Players Enter
"We'll set up a 'blind betting game'." Qi Mengchuan said lightly. "You'll have thirty minutes to look at all the current data of Blue Light Deep Sea, but you're not allowed to bring a team, communicate with anyone outside, and can only rely on yourself—then decide whether to place a bet."
"Minimum bet?" Lin Chen asked.
"Start at one billion gold coins."
The room fell silent, and everyone looked at Lin Chen with playful expressions.
This wasn't a project presentation. This was a public execution.
The system immediately popped up:
[Special Sub-Quest Triggered: Single Player Blind Bet Challenge][Recommended Item]:Calculation Power Boost (Lv.2) + Market Trend Prediction[Gold Coins Needed]:8000 Gold Coins (One-Time Use)
Lin Chen confirmed the exchange without hesitation.
In an instant, his brain felt as if it had been equipped with an external processing engine, and his computational speed skyrocketed.
Every page of data transformed into structured graphs, timelines, risk points, and core profit blocks before his eyes.
Twelve hours later—he stopped.
"I'll place my bet." Lin Chen spoke calmly. "Two billion gold coins."
Everyone gasped.
Twist: The Backstage Plot
Qi Mengchuan smiled lightly: "Mr. Lin is truly bold. However… you've seen the 'wrong data'."
With a wave of his hand, an assistant in the back opened another set of hidden files.
"This is the real Blue Light Deep Sea." Qi Mengchuan's eyes gleamed with mockery. "What you just saw was the obsolete version of the project from last year."
The crowd gasped.
This was a hunter's game. Bet that you will believe the data you see, and then use deception to ruin your credibility.
But Lin Chen just smiled.
"Unfortunately," he slowly took out a data USB drive from his pocket, "I didn't just look at your files. I also accessed the backup data packages transmitted through your internal network interfaces."
Qi Mengchuan's expression changed: "You hacked our system?"
Lin Chen shrugged: "Legal paths, only used system vulnerability detection. You can call the police, but the Blue Light Deep Sea project rights have now been bought by me using my system wallet."
The system popped up:
[Core Resource Acquisition Successful][Project "Blue Light Deep Sea" Initial Shareholding: 62%][Gold Coin Consumption: 2.4 Billion][Reward Gold Coin Rebate: +3 Billion (Because the real value is higher)][Reputation +500][New Identity Module Unlocked: Ocean Tech Collaborator][System Evaluation: Perfect Counterattack]
The Finale: The True Capital Player
The entire banquet hall fell into silence.
Lin Chen, with just his own strength, had turned the tables on a group of capital giants and become the most dangerous player at this elite table.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Lin Chen stood up calmly, "I'm not one for games, but I don't like being played with either."
He scanned the room, his gaze cold.
"Tonight, I am the hunter. Next time, we'll see if you have the qualifications to sit at this table."
[Chapter End]
After the banquet, Lei Chu quietly watched Lin Chen's figure leave from the system observation module.
She whispered softly, "Are you… still the person I used to know?"
The system quietly popped up a new task:
[Sub-Quest Updated]: Lei Chu's Trust Value Cumulative +10[Progress]: 45%→55%[Unlock Hidden Storyline: Lei Chu's Past Events - Pre-Chapter]?(Optional Unlock)