The cold morning air held a strange kind of electricity, humming with unspoken anticipation. Lin Chen sat in the backseat of a bulletproof Rolls-Royce Phantom, his eyes fixed on the holographic screen floating before him. His fingers danced silently over the system interface, flipping through layers of confidential reports, market simulations, and legal documents.
Today wasn't just another financial move.
It was the strike—a move calculated, sharpened, and forged over weeks, aimed directly at the heart of the company that once destroyed everything he loved.
Wanshi International Holdings.
A legacy firm, old money wrapped in a shell of modern tech. The same company that led the charge in sabotaging Lin Zhentian's empire, using insider networks, market manipulation, and political leverage to break his will and his business.
Now, the tables had turned.
[Ding—Mission Activated: "Strategic Predation"]Target: Wanshi International HoldingsObjective: Execute hostile acquisition via blind trust entities.Bonus: Complete before board meeting ends. Reward: +100,000 system coins, reputation upgrade, rare asset card.
Lin Chen's lips curved into a calm, dangerous smile.
"Time to feed the wolves," he whispered.
09:30 AM – Financial District, Blueleaf Tower
Wanshi's skyscraper rose like a pillar of arrogance, shimmering steel and glass cutting through the sky. In the 62nd-floor boardroom, tension crackled like a live wire. Dozens of executives and shareholders murmured anxiously around the long table.
Chairman Luo Wenhao, now graying and thinner than years past, stood at the head of the room, unaware of the storm about to descend.
"We'll now begin voting on the quarterly expansion strategy—"
A sudden knock echoed.
The doors opened, and an assistant rushed in, pale-faced.
"Chairman Luo! There's been an emergency—our controlling shares are… are being bought out—quietly. Through offshore funds and blind investment channels!"
The room erupted.
"What?!"
"Impossible—we have protections—!"
Luo Wenhao's voice boomed: "Get me the list of entities! Who's making the play?"
The assistant hesitated. Then handed over the report.
Luo's eyes scanned the names.
Nothing familiar.
Just shell firms. Anonymous holdings. A storm of carefully crafted ghosts.
Then a chill climbed his spine.
At the very bottom of the report was a single line, stamped by an encrypted terminal:
Submitted on behalf of Salvator Holdings.
He froze.
The name was like a whisper from the underworld. Salvator wasn't just unknown—it was untraceable. Only those who understood the deepest layers of the capital web even heard of it.
"Call the legal team. Immediately!"
Too late.
10:15 AM – Lin Chen's War Room
Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling interactive monitors, Lin Chen watched as green percentage bars filled rapidly on the system display.
[Acquisition Progress: 82% → 87% → 94%...]
[Negotiation with European bondholders successful.]
[Triggering Clause 37B: Emergency Proxy Vote Override.]
Every move had been months in the making. Lin Chen had manipulated minor investors, predicted debt cycles, and used the system to simulate entire stock behaviors. At the heart of it all was a ruthless strategy:
Divide the board. Bleed their stock. Then swallow them whole.
His AI assistant blinked into view.
"CEO Lin, final purchase of remaining controlling shares executed. You are now the majority shareholder of Wanshi International Holdings."
A simple line of code flashed in red:
YOU. OWN. THEM.
11:00 AM – Wanshi Boardroom
The chaos had turned to stunned silence.
Lawyers burst in with papers. Shareholders watched in horror as the big screen displayed the updated registry.
Majority Shareholder: Lin Chen (via Salvator Holdings).
Then the boardroom doors opened again.
And this time, he walked in.
Black suit, calm expression, a ghost reborn from fire.
Luo Wenhao's jaw dropped. "Y-You?! You were—"
"Supposed to disappear?" Lin Chen said with a faint smirk. "Sorry to disappoint."
"You've… bought us?" one executive whispered.
"No." Lin Chen walked to the head of the table, where Luo still stood. "I've taken back what should've never been stolen."
Then he turned toward the others. "Let me make this simple: I'm your new CEO. Anyone who has a problem with that—there's the door."
Silence.
No one moved.
[Ding—Mission Complete: "Strategic Predation"]
Reward Issued: +100,000 coins, "Corporate Overlord" Reputation Badge, Rare Card – "Market Lockdown."
Later That Night – System Core Interface
Lin Chen sat alone in the quiet of his war room. The city below glittered, unaware that one of its biggest players had just changed hands.
The system chimed softly.
[You have gained new privileges as Corporate CEO:]
Access to insider industry intel networks
System Store: "Enterprise Tier" unlocked
Monthly passive income stream initiated
New Hidden Stat: "Influence" unlocked
Current Influence: 2,300/10,000 – Tier: Influencer
He leaned back, fingers steepled under his chin.
Wanshi was only the beginning. His father's enemies were scattered across industries—media, pharma, energy, AI defense. Each one would fall.
One empire at a time.
Then the system spoke again, its tone different—low and serious.
[Warning: System Alert — Surveillance Detected.]
A classified Erebus communication intercepted nearby. Codename "Vicar" is aware of Wanshi incident. Reaction Probability: High.]
Lin Chen's jaw tensed.
So he had made enough noise to wake the dead.
"Good," he muttered. "Let them come."
Meanwhile — Unknown Location
Inside a sleek underground chamber lit by cyber-blue light, a familiar silhouette stood watching multiple feeds of Lin Chen's press conference.
It was Vicar.
He stared at the screen with an eerie calm, fingers clasped behind his back.
"So... the cub finally bares fangs," he said softly.
Beside him, another Erebus executive leaned forward.
"Should we initiate extraction protocol?"
"No." Vicar smiled faintly. "Let the boy grow teeth. The more he rises, the more satisfying his fall will be."
He turned to the shadows behind him. "But… do increase our surveillance. And activate the new project. The one marked 'Phoenix.'"
"Yes, sir."