Ye Xia's flight back from Singapore was a time for consolidation. The adrenaline of facing down the Yun family had faded, leaving a cold, steady certainty. She had declared her independence. The consequences would come, but she was ready.
As the plane cruised at 30,000 feet, the system's voice echoed in her mind, louder and more complex than ever before.
[Ding! Host has successfully asserted independence against a major world power structure. Resolve recognized. System Level 6 unlocked.]
A shimmering blue screen expanded in her vision.
System: Money Wasting System (Level 6)
Host: Ye Xia
Todays Wasting Quota: 5,000,000 RMB
Conversion Rate: 15%
New Function Unlocked: Capital Infusion (Cooldown: 6 months).
Her heart skipped a beat. Five million RMB to waste daily? A 15% conversion meant 750,000 RMB for her personal wealth every single day. The numbers were becoming astronomical. But the new function was what truly captivated her.
[Capital Infusion: Once every six months, the Host may designate a single stock or bond purchase using System Funds to be transferred permanently to the Host's personal portfolio. The purchase must be made at market price, and the total value cannot exceed the daily wasting quota at the time of infusion. This is a one-time transfer, not a conversion.]
Ye Xia's mind raced. This was a game-changer. It was no longer just about getting a percentage cut. She could directly acquire a substantial asset for free every six months. She could use the system's billions to buy a blue-chip stock worth millions and have it transferred to her, tax-free.
This was the key to building a legitimate, unassailable fortune, separate from the constant churn of the wasting cycle. She could anchor her wealth with rock-solid assets.
The first person she contacted was Silas, via the plane's encrypted satellite phone.
"I'm safe," she reported. "The meeting was… clarifying. They offered me a cage. I refused."
"I expected nothing less," Silas replied, his voice tight with relief. "There are already ripples. Yun Zhong has contacted several private security firms, inquiring about your routines. He's making moves."
"Let him," Ye Xia said. "I have a new tool. I need you to identify the most stable, long-growth potential stock on the US market. Something foundational. I'm going to make a significant acquisition."
"Understood. I'll have a dossier for you when you land."
Next, she checked her messages. There was one from Mo. Simple and direct.
[Well played.]
She didn't reply. The relationship with Mo was a delicate dance. He was an ally of convenience, perhaps a potential partner, but ultimately an unknown quantity. His own source of power was a mystery she had yet to solve.
She landed not as a fugitive, but as a queen returning to her domain. The first thing she did was use the new, massive quota. She "wasted" five million RMB by making a series of deliberately terrible, high-volume trades on the Chinese commodities market, single-handedly causing a minor panic before the market corrected itself. The conversion added another 750,000 RMB to her personal wealth.
Then, she turned her attention to Silas's dossier. He had identified three candidates: Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon, and Visa. All were pillars of the modern economy with proven long-term growth.
She decided on Visa. It was a bet on the permanent digitization of global finance. Using the [Capital Infusion] function, she directed the system to purchase $700,000 USD worth of Visa stock—the equivalent of that day's five million RMB quota. The trade executed instantly.
[Capital Infusion complete. 4,876 shares of Visa Inc. (V) have been transferred to your personal brokerage account. Cooldown initiated: 179 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes.]
She now owned a substantial stake in a financial giant. It was her anchor. The first brick in a fortress that would be impervious to any attack from the Yun family or anyone else.
She felt a sense of solidity she hadn't felt since her rebirth. She was no longer just playing a game with funny money. She was building a dynasty.