The penalty from the System was a cold, necessary shock to Leo's logic. He had treated his team as an extension of his own hardware, and in doing so, had become the bottleneck. The realization that he had been fundamentally wrong was... inefficient. And Leo hated inefficiency more than anything.
The next morning, he rebooted his entire managerial strategy. He scrapped his algorithm of perfect, centralized control. Armed with Business Instinct, he now saw his team as a portfolio of assets to be developed.
He called Anna into his office first. "Your competitive analysis on Project Chimera was adequate," he began, "but it lacked aggression. You identified threats; you didn't neutralize them." He pushed a new file across his desk. "This is Project Vulture. I want you to develop a strategy to proactively destabilize our top competitor's market share in the European sector. Be creative. Be ruthless. This is your project now."
Anna stared at the file, then at him, her resentment warring with a new, dawning intrigue. He had just handed her a sword.
Next was Ben. "Ben, your historical data work is flawless, but it's reactive. Your true value isn't in finding past data, it's in recognizing future patterns." He assigned Ben a new, permanent role: "Systemic Risk Auditor." His only job was to analyze all departmental projects and find the single point where they were most likely to fail. He was being paid to be a professional cynic, a role he was born for.
For the first time in weeks, Ben looked at Leo with something other than weary resignation. He looked interested.
This new system, one based on potential rather than micromanagement, was just beginning to find its rhythm when the attack came.
It came in the form of a man named Julian Vance. Julian was the Manager of the Product Development department, a man known for his ambition, political savvy, and a smile that never quite reached his eyes. He appeared at Leo's office door, leaning against the frame with a casual, predatory grace.
"Zhang. Heard you're the new miracle worker on this floor," Julian said, his voice smooth as silk. "Got a minute?"
Leo's Business Instinct skill flared, an immediate, intuitive warning. He wasn't just looking at a manager; he was looking at a shark who smelled blood in the water.
[Rival Manager Detected: Julian Vance] [Primary Skills: Political Manipulation (A+), Resource Acquisition (A), Corporate Weaving (S)] [Current Intent: Asset Appropriation]
"I can spare sixty seconds," Leo replied, his tone neutral.
Julian's smile widened. "Straight to the point. I like it. Look, my team is in the final push for the new 'Odyssey' product launch. We're understaffed and facing a killer deadline. I need a top-tier analyst to run competitive teardowns, and HR tells me your department's efficiency scores have gone off the charts. I'm putting in a formal request for a two-week temporary transfer of your best analyst."
He paused for effect. "I need Anna Chen."
It was a perfect corporate attack. It was framed as a collaborative necessity, making it difficult to refuse without seeming uncooperative. It targeted his most aggressive and innovative asset, the one he had just set on a critical new path. Accepting would cripple his own department's momentum. Refusing would make him an enemy.
"Anna is integral to my department's current strategic initiatives," Leo stated calmly, testing the waters.
"And the Odyssey launch is integral to this entire company's Q4 profits," Julian countered smoothly. "We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, right?"
He was using the corporate playbook against him. Leo knew a direct refusal was a losing move. He needed more data.
"I will review the official request when it comes through," Leo said, ending the conversation.
Julian gave him a confident nod. "Good man. I knew you'd be a team player." He walked away, leaving a trail of expensive cologne and simmering threats.
The moment he was gone, Leo's fingers flew across his keyboard. He activated his Corporate Espionage (Lv. 1) skill and aimed it directly at Project Odyssey. The system's view of the corporate server lit up, showing him the hidden architecture of Julian's project. He saw budgets, timelines, and personnel files.
And then he saw it. The weak point Ben would have been proud to find. Tucked deep in the project's resource allocation files was a critical dependency: a third-party software license for their primary design suite was set to expire in three days. A renewal was pending but was currently held up in the finance department over a minor budget dispute.
Without that software, Julian's entire project would grind to a halt.
Julian wasn't just asking for Anna because he needed an analyst. He was asking for her because his own house was on fire, and he needed someone to help him steal his neighbor's water. He was over-leveraged, and he was trying to use Leo's resources to patch the hole.
A slow, cold smile spread across Leo's face. Julian thought he was playing chess. He had no idea Leo could see the entire board, right down to the termites eating the legs of the table.
This wasn't a problem anymore. It was an opportunity.