Horizon Group's headquarters towered over the city like a steel god.
Glass. Steel. Money.
Leon stood across the street, hands in his pockets, head tilted slightly upward as he studied the building. In his past life, he had passed this place countless times—always as an outsider, always looking up.
Never stepping in.
Tonight, that changed.
The system interface shimmered faintly at the edge of his vision.
[Location Identified: Horizon Group – Central HQ]
[Influence Level: High]
[Warning:]
Direct confrontation not advised.
Leon smirked.
"I wasn't planning to knock on the front door."
He crossed the street and slipped into a quiet café on the corner, one of those places built specifically to serve corporate employees pretending not to be stressed.
The barista barely glanced at him.
Good.
Leon took a seat by the window, ordered black coffee, and pulled out his phone.
In his past life, the Horizon acquisition had gone smoothly—on the surface.
But underneath?
A mess.
Three days after Xu Kai officially joined the company, an internal audit leak surfaced online. Not enough to bring Horizon down—but enough to quietly erase a few inconvenient names.
One of those names belonged to a mid-level director.
A man who had panicked.
A man who had sold information.
Leon typed a name into his phone.
Chen Yiming.
The screen lit up with search results. Sparse. Carefully cleaned.
But Leon already knew where to look.
He opened an old forum app—one he had discovered years too late in his previous life. Buried threads. Anonymous posts. People whispering where they couldn't speak aloud.
It took less than ten minutes.
Leon's lips curved.
There it was.
A post from two hours ago.
"Looking to move sensitive material. Corporate. Serious buyers only."
Attached was a burner contact.
Leon didn't hesitate.
He sent a message.
Leon:
I'm listening.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Burner:
You don't look like you can afford this.
Leon took a sip of his coffee, unbothered.
Leon:
You don't look like you can afford to wait.
Silence.
Thirty seconds passed.
A minute.
Then—
Burner:
Location.
Leon sent the café's address.
The system pulsed.
[High-Risk Interaction Detected.]
[Outcome will significantly affect Authority growth.]
Leon leaned back, eyes calm.
Risk?
Good.
Ten minutes later, a man walked into the café.
Early forties. Cheap suit. Nervous eyes. He scanned the room twice before spotting Leon.
Chen Yiming.
Leon didn't wave.
He waited.
Chen approached hesitantly and sat down across from him.
"You're young," Chen said quietly.
"You're desperate," Leon replied.
Chen stiffened.
Leon leaned forward slightly, his Minor Dominance Aura spreading unconsciously. It wasn't aggressive—but it pressed, subtle and steady, like gravity increasing by a fraction.
Chen swallowed.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"The truth," Leon said. "About Horizon's acquisition."
Chen's eyes flicked to the window.
"That information is dangerous."
Leon nodded. "So is holding it alone."
Silence stretched.
The system chimed softly.
[Dominance Check: Ongoing]
[Target resistance weakening.]
Chen exhaled sharply.
"They hid losses," he muttered. "Overseas shell companies. Paper profits. Nothing illegal enough to explode—but enough to ruin reputations."
Leon's gaze sharpened.
"Names."
Chen hesitated.
Leon tapped the table once.
Just once.
"Tomorrow," Leon said calmly, "Horizon announces new blood. Promotions. Appointments."
Chen froze.
Leon continued, voice even.
"One of those appointments is based on fabricated performance data tied to those shell companies."
Chen stared at him.
"How do you know that?"
Leon smiled faintly.
"I know a lot of things you wish I didn't."
The man's hands trembled.
"…If this gets out," Chen whispered, "they'll destroy me."
Leon leaned back.
"No," he said. "If this gets out wrong, they will."
Chen looked up slowly.
Leon met his gaze.
"But if it gets out first—quietly, selectively—then you're not the problem."
Chen's breathing grew shallow.
"You're offering protection?"
Leon shook his head.
"I'm offering direction."
The system flashed.
[Negotiation Dominance Achieved.]
[Authority Points +5]
Leon's Authority Level ticked upward.
[Authority Level increased: 3 → 4]
Leon felt it immediately.
Not physical strength this time.
Clarity.
Connections forming faster. Thoughts aligning like chess pieces snapping into place.
Chen finally nodded.
"I have files," he said. "Emails. Internal reports. But I won't hand them over for nothing."
Leon stood.
"You won't hand them over at all," he said. "Not yet."
Chen blinked.
Leon slipped a piece of paper onto the table.
A phone number.
"Tomorrow morning," Leon said, "you'll receive a call. You'll follow instructions. You won't mention my name."
Chen frowned. "And if I refuse?"
Leon paused.
Then spoke softly.
"Then Xu Kai gets promoted."
Chen's face drained of color.
He knew the name.
Everyone inside Horizon knew the name.
Leon turned and walked toward the exit.
Behind him, Chen's voice cracked.
"…Who are you?"
Leon stopped at the door.
He didn't turn around.
"Someone who doesn't lose anymore."
Outside, the night air was cool.
Leon checked the time.
9:12 PM.
Plenty of time left.
Xu Kai was probably celebrating already—imagining the doors about to open, the life he thought he'd secured.
Leon's phone buzzed.
A system notification appeared.
[Chain Reaction Initiated.]
[Rival Ascension Path: Unstable]
[Next Trigger Window: 12 Hours]
Leon smiled.
Tomorrow, Horizon Group would make an announcement.
But not the one Xu Kai was expecting.
And when the first crack appeared—
Leon would be there to widen it.