Li Tian sat alone in his car, the city lights blurring past as he stared through the windshield. His mind wasn't on the traffic. It was on the message the system had delivered earlier.
New mission detected: Track and neutralize hidden threat behind forged loan attack.Time limit: 48 hours Reward: Access to [Hunter Vision] and control over 1% of Southern Alliance underground assets.
Li Tian's jaw tightened.
Someone had forged that debt in Wu Yanyu's name, and it wasn't just petty family drama.
It was planned.
Targeted.
Strategic.
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Ghost," he said when the line connected.
"Commander?" The voice on the other end instantly turned respectful.
"I need a trace. Someone forged a one-million yuan debt using my wife's name. Track the origin. I want everything—bank accounts, devices, location."
"Understood. Give me two hours."
Li Tian ended the call and leaned back.
The game had begun.
Meanwhile, back at the Wu villa, Wu Gang sat in the study, nursing his wrist and fuming.
"Everything was perfect until that piece of trash started acting like a king," he muttered to himself.
He opened a folder on his desk—documents related to a pending business deal with a rival conglomerate called Jinlong Group. The deal had been arranged secretly by Wu Gang, undercutting his own family's firm for personal profit.
And it required Wu Yanyu's signature on a loan to mask some of the movement.
Too bad Li Tian had interfered.
Wu Gang was about to call his contact when his phone buzzed.
[Incoming Transfer Notification: ¥0.00 available.]
"What?" He refreshed the app.
[Account Frozen. Suspicious Activity Detected.]
His face turned pale.
"What the hell is going on?"
Then, another message popped up.
[This is your first punishment.]—L.T.
Wu Gang's hands trembled.
Ding! Host has neutralized minor threat. Side Mission Complete: Freeze Wu Gang's illegal assets.Reward: [Hunter Vision] unlocked – allows tracking of nearby hostility and deceit. Bonus Reward: Authority over 1% of Southern Alliance's local funds.*
Li Tian smirked as he drove back through the business district.
"System," he said. "Activate Hunter Vision."
A golden glow briefly flashed in his pupils.
Suddenly, every person around him pulsed with aura trails. Some green—harmless. Others red—threats. A few gray—neutral or unknown.
Li Tian's attention was pulled to a glowing red trail that led into a high-rise office building nearby.
He parked, stepped out, and entered the building calmly.
The elevator music was soft, but his heart was steady.
On the 22nd floor sat Zhao Heng, regional manager of Jinlong Group—and the man Wu Gang was secretly working with.
Li Tian didn't bother knocking.
He walked in.
Zhao looked up, startled. "Who the hell are you—?"
Before he could say another word, Li Tian tossed a folder on the table. "That's the shell contract you used to siphon funds from the Wu Group. And the fake loan you helped create using Wu Yanyu's name."
Zhao's face went blank. Then sneered. "You think you can scare me with half-baked threats? You're just a dog in that family."
Li Tian leaned forward, voice ice-cold.
"I'm the dog that bites."
He dialed a number on speaker.
"Hello?" a voice answered.
"This is Li Tian. Proceed."
Zhao's office phone rang immediately.
He picked it up and froze.
"What do you mean the account is frozen?!"
More shouting. More panic.
Li Tian stepped forward.
"One more step from you, Zhao, and I'll make sure your company's dirty laundry is aired on every news channel in China. I don't care how big you think Jinlong Group is—"
Zhao raised his hands. "Alright! Alright! I'll pull out of the deal. The loan… I'll wipe it from the records."
Ding! Mission Branch Cleared: Remove Jinlong Group's interference. Reward: Bank Control Token Fragment (1/5)
Li Tian turned to leave.
Zhao called out, "Who are you, really?"
Li Tian didn't answer.
He just smiled—and walked away.
Later that night, Li Tian returned home.
The villa was quiet. The moonlight filtered in through the large windows. As he walked into the living room, he found Wu Yanyu standing alone, looking at old family portraits on the wall.
She didn't look up as she spoke.
"My father told me what you did today."
He said nothing.
"He also told me you saved the family from a hostile takeover. That you confronted the Jinlong Group's regional head."
Still silence.
"I thought… I thought you were just a quiet man who got lucky marrying into our family."
Li Tian finally spoke. "And now?"
She turned to him, searching his eyes.
"I don't know who you are anymore."
"That's okay," he said. "You'll know soon enough."
She stepped closer. "I don't like being lied to, Li Tian."
"And I don't like being underestimated."
Their eyes met, tension crackling like static in the air.
"Why did you marry me?" she asked suddenly.
Li Tian blinked. "What?"
"You could've had anyone. But you married into a family that treated you like dirt."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he answered.
"I owed your father a debt. He saved someone I cared about, long ago. So I gave him my word—I'd protect you."
Wu Yanyu stared at him, speechless.
Then she said, "I don't know if I hate you or admire you."
"Both," he said with a small smile. "It keeps things interesting."
That night, in the shadows of an underground compound across the city, two masked figures spoke over encrypted radio.
"Commander Li Tian has resurfaced. All assets are being traced."
"The Southern Alliance won't let him rise again. We strike soon."
Ding! New Story Arc Unlocked: The War Beneath the SurfaceEnemies revealed: Hidden traitor within the Wu Family. Global threat: Southern Alliance internal betrayal. Next Mission: Prepare for assassination attempt within 72 hours. Reward: [Combat Reflex Boost], [Underground Network Map], and partial unlock of true identity.
Li Tian opened his eyes in bed and whispered:
"Let them come."