Mo Chen's first act as the new, undisputed ruler of her shadow empire was to establish a base worthy of the title. She chose the acquired shipyard in Greece. It was isolated, defensible, and had deep-water access.
She renamed it "The Forge."
Here, the burning took on a new, industrial scale. Obsolete ships were towed in and systematically dismantled, their metal melted down in massive arc furnaces she had installed. The system registered the destruction of the ships as a continuous, massive burn, funneling wealth into her personal account.
This wealth was then used to buy advanced manufacturing equipment, which was used to build her own designs: faster boats, stealthier drones, custom weapons. She was creating a self-sustaining cycle of consumption and creation.
The first product of The Forge was a vessel. Not a warship, but a super-yacht unlike any other. Its hull was layered with the heat-resistant ceramics from her materials lab. Its engines were modified for silence and speed. And its communication systems were isolated and encrypted beyond any known technology.
She named it The Unburnt.
It was her mobile command center, her sanctuary, and a statement of intent.
Silas, now the de facto commander of her growing security force, stood with her on the deck as it was launched. "What's the first rule of this new empire?" he asked.
Mo Chen watched the sun glint off the ceramic hull. "No more alliances," she said, her voice quiet but absolute. "No more deals. We trust no one outside this hull. We rely on no one. If they want something from us, they pay. If they threaten us, we burn them. That is the only law."
It was a lonely path. But it was the only one that guaranteed survival.