Thunder rolled quietly above the city, as if the heavens themselves held their breath.
Lin Chen stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of the Salvator Tower's executive suite. Below him stretched the veins of the capital — endless traffic, glowing skyscrapers, faceless crowds. But today, it wasn't the city that was watching him.
It was the world.
A single line of text blinked across his system dashboard:
[Main Mission: SSS-Rank "Titan's Gambit" – Activated]Opponent: Theron Financial Group (International Capital Conglomerate)Wager: Exclusive Mining Rights to Argentinian Tracium ReserveCurrent Stake: $1.2 Billion USD EquivalentVictory Reward: 500,000 Coins + "Legendary Reputation Title" + Global Market AccessRisk of Failure: System Downgrade, Economic Sanctions, Loss of Assets
This wasn't just another business deal.
It was a declaration of war.
08:00 AM — Zurich Stock Exchange, Private Trading Arena
Theron Financial Group was a monolith in the investment world. Their board had toppled governments, crushed unicorn startups, and engineered entire economic collapses. Their influence spanned continents. Their tools? Legal loopholes, predictive AI models, weaponized algorithms, and insider blackmail.
And now, they sat across from a 23-year-old "nobody" from the East.
Except Lin Chen wasn't a nobody anymore.
He was the Black Knight of the East, and every capital predator in the room had heard of how he devoured Wanshi International like a starving beast.
The Theron Group's envoy was a silver-haired European named Mathias von Reike, known in underground financial circles as "The Oracle." Backed by a team of analysts and elite traders, he approached Lin Chen with the smile of a butcher eyeing his next pig.
"Mr. Lin," Mathias said, "Are you sure you want to proceed? One misstep and you'll lose not just your bid — but your name, your company, and quite possibly… your life."
Lin Chen smiled.
"I don't play games I haven't already won in my head."
The arena's lights dimmed. The digital board lit up.
STARTING COUNTDOWN: 00:10… 00:09…
System UI – Combat Mode Engaged
[Activating Temporary Buff: Market Intuition Surge (12H)][Additional Skill Deployed: Strategic Overlay v2.0][Probability Forecast Module Activated][Mental Focus Amplifier: 90% Efficiency Achieved]
Inside Lin Chen's mind, dozens of floating data layers converged. Commodity prices, shipping delays, supply chain movements, diplomatic chatter from South America — all rendered in a three-dimensional chessboard.
On the other side, Mathias' team began unleashing high-frequency trading waves, using misinformation to flood global news APIs — leaking fake reports of political unrest in Argentina, projected oil surpluses, and falsified miner strikes.
Market chaos surged.
Investors worldwide began pulling out of the Tracium sector.
10:00 AM – Tracium Value Crashes 12%
A normal investor would have panicked.
Lin Chen?
He leaned back and purchased double.
[Ding! Hidden Action Detected: "Reverse Counter-Liquidity Purchase"]Effect: Market influence +25%Opponent Forecast Model Distortion: +43%
Theron's team froze as their algorithm began reporting errors.
"How did he…? He's manipulating liquidity velocity!"
"Sir, our bots are getting countered by invisible dampeners. This isn't natural!"
Mathias narrowed his eyes. "He's not just trading. He's rewriting the market tempo."
12:45 PM — Global Oil Index Begins Reacting
Behind the scenes, Lin Chen's secret weapon activated — a shell company in Indonesia released real-time proof of Tracium-linked energy breakthroughs, tied to renewable batteries.
The world snapped back.
News outlets flipped from panic to optimism in under 3 minutes.
Theron's bots scrambled.
Too late.
02:00 PM – The Reversal
Theron Group had dumped $300 million shorting Tracium.
And now?
Tracium surged 37% in under an hour.
Lin Chen's buys were now sitting at an obscene unrealized profit margin.
He pulled the trigger.
SELL ALL POSITIONS — EXECUTE.
[Ding! Profits Realized: $4.68 Billion USD Equivalent][Ding! Mission Success — Titan's Gambit COMPLETE]
Reward: +500,000 System CoinsTitle Unlocked: "Market Deity"New Ability: "Trade Immunity (Cooldown: 7 Days)"
Influence Score: 6,500 / 10,000 — Global Tier
02:15 PM – Zurich Arena, Aftermath
Dead silence.
Theron's delegates stared at their collapsed dashboards.
Mathias von Reike slowly removed his glasses, folding them with rigid fingers.
"You… you anticipated every single play," he said, voice barely audible.
"No," Lin Chen replied, standing, "I created a market they couldn't play in."
He turned away, leaving only the echo of his boots and one final message:
"Tell Erebus I'm done waiting in the shadows."
Later That Night – International News Erupts
"Eastern Prodigy Destroys Theron Financial in Historic Upset!""Young CEO Turns $1.2B Bet Into Multi-Billion Empire Shift""Who is the Mysterious 'Market Deity' Behind the Trade War Victory?"
#LinChen #TraciumWar #TheronCollapse were trending worldwide.
Financial forums exploded.
"He's not just a trader," one post read. "He's a god in disguise."
System Notification — Core Update Triggered
You have unlocked a new storyline: "The Global Stage."
Next Objective: Consolidate Global Asset Network | Prevent Erebus Asset Interference | Prepare for Conflict Escalation Phase
WARNING: Multiple high-value enemies have marked you. Threat Level: S-CLASS.