The video had gone viral overnight.
Clips from Tianlin's press conference were plastered across every major platform, trending under tags like #BloodStainedReputation and #CapitalExposé. The damning evidence against Shenghai Capital flooded forums and news outlets, leaving even the most skeptical commentators speechless.
For the first time, the tide had shifted. Tianlin was no longer the villain of the story. He was the man who stood against giants, the one bold enough to drag corruption into the light.
But if victory had a taste, it was metallic, bitter, laced with the sharp edge of danger.
Du Huai'an's Wrath
Inside the glass tower of Shenghai Capital, silence reigned for only a moment before it shattered under Du Huai'an's roar.
He slammed a crystal glass against the wall, shards scattering across the marble floor. His chest heaved as he stared at the frozen frame of his own face on the projector screen—his name, his company, exposed for the world to see.
"That bastard!" His voice was hoarse, raw with fury. "He dared… he fucking dared to put my name in the dirt!"
His assistants stood frozen, heads bowed low, none daring to breathe.
One finally whispered, "Chairman Du, the market's reacting. We've lost nearly eight percent in two hours. If this continues—"
"Shut up!" Du Huai'an's glare could have burned through steel. He turned to his most trusted aide, a man with a scar running down his cheek. "Call them. I don't care what it costs. I want Tianlin erased. If he wants war, then I'll drown him in his own blood."
The scarred man nodded once. "Understood."
The order was clear. This was no longer about business. It was about survival.
The Capital Circle Wavers
While Shenghai Capital bled, the rest of the financial world watched in silence.
In private lounges and gilded offices, men and women of power whispered Tianlin's name.
"He exposed Du Huai'an in public? Bold. Too bold.""He may have survived this round, but Du's reach is deep. Tianlin has made himself a target.""Still… imagine if he wins. A new king will rise."
Some chose to wait, to see who would bleed out first. Others sharpened their knives, hoping to feast on the carcass once the dust settled.
For the first time, Tianlin wasn't just a rising star. He was the storm no one could ignore.
Behind Closed Doors
Zhao Xueqing laid the latest reports across Tianlin's desk. Her face was pale, the weight of the numbers pressing down on her like stones.
"Your subsidiaries rallied slightly after the press conference," she said. "Investors believe you have the evidence to defend yourself. But…" She hesitated, her voice tightening. "We've detected unusual transactions. Someone's moving capital offshore, fast. And… there are whispers about contracts on your life."
Tianlin leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin. He looked calm, almost too calm, like a man reading the weather before a storm.
"They're desperate. That means they'll make mistakes," he said. His eyes narrowed. "But mistakes cut both ways. One wrong move from me, and I'll be the one buried."
Zhao Xueqing clenched her fists. "Then let me stand in front. At least—"
"No." Tianlin's voice cut like ice. "This isn't just business anymore. It's war. And wars aren't won by hiding behind others. If they come for me, I'll face them head-on."
His words weren't bravado. They were a vow.
The First Strike
It came faster than expected.
Two nights later, as Tianlin left a private dinner with an ally, the attack unfolded.
The streets were quiet, slick with rain. His car rolled down a dim avenue, headlights slicing through the fog. Then—bang. The sound of a gunshot shattered the silence, the windshield spider-webbing into shards.
"Down!" the driver shouted, swerving hard. Bullets rained, sparks flying as metal screamed against asphalt.
Tianlin dropped low, his mind razor-sharp despite the chaos. Through the shattered glass, he caught a glimpse of masked men perched on a rooftop, rifles glinting under the streetlights.
A trap. Calculated, precise, meant to end him in seconds.
But Tianlin was no ordinary prey.
"Drive into the alley!" he barked.
The car lurched violently, tires screeching as it dove into a narrow passage. Bullets followed, chewing through brick and metal, but the angle saved them. The driver fought the wheel, sweat pouring down his temples, until at last the gunfire faded into the distance.
When the car finally screeched to a halt, Zhao Xueqing's voice crackled through Tianlin's phone."Are you alive?"
Tianlin exhaled slowly, his lips curling into a grim smile."Alive. Which means it's my turn."
Reputation Redefined
The assassination attempt was no secret. By dawn, the news was everywhere.
"Attempt on Tianlin's Life Amid Capital War!""Blood on the Streets: Business Feud Turns Deadly."
Where once the public had mocked him, now their eyes were wide with something else—fear, awe, and a morbid fascination. He wasn't just a businessman anymore. He was a man marked for death, walking in open defiance of those who wanted him gone.
On social media, a new moniker began to spread.
The Blood-Stained Hunter.
It was meant as an insult at first, coined by his enemies to paint him as ruthless, dangerous, tainted. But the internet twisted it, reshaped it, turned it into a banner.
Fans, thrill-seekers, even ordinary workers began repeating it with reverence."The Blood-Stained Hunter doesn't back down.""The Hunter walks through bullets."
Tianlin's reputation, once a weapon against him, had become his armor.
But armor only worked if the man inside could survive the next strike.
The Hunter Becomes the Hunted
In the depths of Shenghai Capital, Du Huai'an sat in darkness, his fury cooled into something colder, deadlier.
"He survived," he murmured, lips curling into a predator's smile. "Good. Let him. The higher he climbs, the harder he'll fall when I tear the ground from under him."
He leaned forward, whispering to the scarred man at his side."Tell the others. It's time we stop treating him as a nuisance. From this moment on, Tianlin is prey. And I… I am the only hunter."
But far away, Tianlin stood at his office window, gazing at the city lights that shimmered like a sea of fireflies. His reflection stared back—cold, resolute, unyielding.
"They think I'm prey," he said softly, almost to himself. "But the mistake every hunter makes… is underestimating the beast they corner."
His phone buzzed with a new message. A single line:
"They're moving tonight. Are you ready?"
Tianlin's eyes narrowed. His answer was a whisper lost to the night."I've been ready since the first drop of blood."
The hunter had become the hunted.
But only one side would leave the forest alive.