Pressure arrived before dawn.
Not as soldiers.
Not as threats.
But as numbers.
Markets opened red.
Not crashing—
correcting.
Energy stocks dipped.
Chemical conglomerates stalled.
Supply chains hesitated like prey sensing a shadow.
In glass towers far from the river Li Chen stood beside, crisis rooms filled.
Executives stared at projections that refused to stabilize.
"This isn't sabotage," one whispered.
"It's exposure."
Legal teams mobilized.
Non-disclosure agreements were invoked.
Lobbyists dialed numbers that usually answered immediately.
Today, many rang longer than they should have.
The System tracked secondary effects.
[SYSTEM PHASE II — COLLATERAL MONITORING]
[Economic disruption widening]
[Ethical debt decreasing at accelerated rate]
[New liability vectors detected]
Li Chen listened.
He did not intervene.
By mid-morning, statements were released.
Unverified individual actions.
Misinterpreted footage.
Ongoing internal reviews.
Language sharpened itself into shields.
Grant read them all.
He recognized the pattern.
"They're trying to make you a variable," he said over the line.
Li Chen watched workers dismantle machinery under supervision.
"Variables can be isolated," Li Chen replied.
A delegation arrived.
Not government.
Corporate.
Private airstrip.
Polite suits.
Measured smiles.
They did not threaten him.
They offered partnership.
Oversight boards.
Foundations.
A seat at a table newly imagined.
The System flagged the proposal.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]
[Offer would reduce economic disruption]
[Risk: accountability dilution]
Li Chen declined without raising his voice.
"Fix it," he said.
"Or stop it."
The smiles tightened.
One man spoke carefully.
"You don't understand scale."
Li Chen met his eyes.
"I see it," he said.
"That's why this matters."
That afternoon, sanctions were proposed.
Not official.
Financial.
Insurance coverage quietly withdrawn.
Shipping delayed.
Costs increased by fractions that multiplied brutally.
The System recalculated again.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
[Sustained action may trigger global recession risk]
[Recommend moderation]
Li Chen remained still.
"People lived with this risk already," he said.
"Just not the ones calculating it."
Across the ocean, a decision was made.
Observation would no longer suffice.
A unit was authorized.
Not to attack.
To assess.
Night fell.
Li Chen sat near the river, now quieter.
Grant's voice returned.
"They're going to test you," he warned.
Li Chen nodded.
"I know."
The System spoke more carefully than ever before.
[SYSTEM PHASE II — LIMIT ANALYSIS]
[User actions exert pressure beyond combat domains]
[Prediction: confrontation inevitable]
Li Chen looked at the water.
Pressure shaped everything eventually.
Stone.
Steel.
Systems.
He had made his choice.
Now the world was making theirs