Location: Damien Zheng's Private Compound, Westshore Heights
Damien sat alone in the war room a steel-and-glass chamber beneath his mansion equipped with encrypted lines, satellite feeds, and three private AI systems running predictive market models. All of them now flashed one name at the center of every disruption:
KAI ZHENG
Damien's jaw tightened as he watched news anchors praise "an anonymous investor" who had exposed Vireon's corruption and steered it into new, ethical hands. Public confidence surged. Investors flocked.
"He's building something," Damien murmured. "And he's using the past against us."
From the shadows, a voice replied, "Then perhaps it's time we change the past too."
A woman stepped into the light sharp heels, sharper eyes, and a voice like velvet over steel.
Li Na.
"You look disappointed to see me, cousin," she said, folding her arms. "I warned you underestimating Kai would cost us."
Damien snorted. "You were sleeping with him."
Li Na's smile didn't reach her eyes. "And you were stealing from him. Yet here we are. Both watching him win."
She dropped a dossier on the glass table. Kai's recent activities. Connections. Systemic patterns even Damien hadn't seen.
"He's not just investing. He's recruiting. Building his own infrastructure. If we don't crush him now, he'll become untouchable."
Damien's fingers tapped against the desk. "Suggestions?"
Li Na sat down across from him. "The Lin Group's IPO is in three weeks. Kai's going to backdoor his way into it and take controlling shares. It's our last window before he gains traction in the energy sector."
"We stop that IPO," Damien said coldly. "We sever his access to their board and bury him in bureaucracy."
Li Na shook her head. "No. We don't stop it. We control it."
She slid him a USB.
"Inside is a synthetic shell corporation. We use it to bait him into a hostile joint venture. Then, when he's exposed mid-negotiation for partnering with a noncompliant entity…"
Damien grinned.
"We burn him. In public. And this time, he won't crawl back from the ashes."
Two Days Later – Ironspike Tower, Kai's Command Center
The lights dimmed as Kai reviewed reports from his growing empire. Passive income streams flowed in from biotech, smart logistics, and crypto-backed infrastructure.
But then, a red alert flashed on the system.
[WARNING: Shadow Entity Detected – Proxy Corp: Valorion Holdings]
Linked to: Damien Zheng & Li Na]
Projected Goal: IPO Sabotage & Reputation Ruin]
Kai leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing.
"So… they're finally playing smart."
He activated the System's new module.
[Persona Control Suite Activated – Influence Network Online]
Deploying media assets… Redirecting market analysts… Issuing anonymous counter-leak.]
Then he sent two messages:
One to Asha: "Trace Valorion. I want full transparency by midnight."
And one to Toby Ren: "Ready the prototype for demo. We're moving the Lin Group IPO up by five days. Surprise attack."
He closed the system with a smile.
"You buried me once," he whispered. "But this time, I'm digging your grave."
The IPO War
Three Days Later – Lin Group Headquarters, East Lin City
A glass skyscraper pulsed with tension. Inside, the grand conference room buzzed with executives, media crews, and financial analysts, all here for the most anticipated IPO of the year. At the head of the table sat Lin Xu Chairman of Lin Group, flanked by senior board members and external investors.
Kai Zheng arrived with quiet gravity. Tailored black suit. Calm eyes. A presence that made men second-guess themselves.
Across the room, Damien and Li Na sat like smiling sharks, radiating confidence. They had come to win. What they didn't realize was that the boardroom was already a battlefield and Kai had mined it.
[System Alert: Public Sentiment Favorable – 78%]
[Stock Manipulation Defense Active – AI Countertrade Engaged]
[Incoming Leak Suppression: 92% Contained]
Kai's fingers brushed his watch. One tap. The system whispered updates in his ear.
Lin Xu rose. "Ladies and gentlemen, today marks a new chapter in Lin Group's future. Two proposals stand before us. Mr. Damien Zheng and Mr. Kai Zheng both wish to enter strategic partnerships prior to the public offering."
Polite nods. Tension rose.
Damien stood first.
"Valorion Holdings offers Lin Group $50 million in liquidity, strategic government contracts, and integration with our overseas green tech patents."
Murmurs of approval.
Li Na followed, presenting sleek charts and forged projections. They were polished. Professional. Deadly.
Then Kai rose. No slides. No numbers.
Just presence.
"You've seen their promises," he said. "Now let me show you reality."
He placed a device on the table. A sleek, glowing module the GenIQ Core, prototype 2.0. Next to it, a tablet.
"Live integration. GenIQ's energy analytics module predicts urban power demand with 99.7% accuracy. And it auto-optimizes grid flow."
He handed it to Lin Xu. "Tap anywhere in East Lin."
Xu tapped a district. The module blinked—and in seconds, predicted peak usage, black-out risk, and efficiency tweaks.
Gasps filled the room.
"No theories. No fake contracts," Kai said. "Just the tech that's going to run this city's grid in six months. And exclusive rights if Lin Group partners with me today."
Li Na's eyes flared. "Staged demo," she snapped. "That device isn't certified."
Kai smiled. "That's what patents are for."
He pressed a button on his watch. The tablet updated.
[Exclusive Patent Filed: 10 minutes ago]
[USPTO Confirmation Received – GenIQ Grid Optimization Tech: Patent Pending]
Silence.
Then Lin Xu stood slowly.
"I don't care about politics. I care about results."
He turned to his board.
"We move forward with Kai Zheng. The IPO launches under his advisory banner."
Applause erupted. Damien's smile froze. Li Na's nails dug into her palm.
[System Update: IPO Secured – Passive Income Surge + Market Reputation Boost]
[Reward Unlocked: Strategic Sabotage Immunity – Lv.1]
Kai turned to leave. But just before exiting, he looked back at Damien.
"Nice move, cousin," he said softly. "Next time, bring a real weapon."
Meanwhile – A Hidden Office, Deep Web Network
A figure watched the events through an encrypted feed. Cloaked in darkness. Their monitor blinked with Kai Zheng's profile.
TARGET IDENTIFIED: SYSTEM HOST CONFIRMED.
Initiating Observation Protocol: "Specter Class – System Hunter #001"
They whispered into a mic.
"Prepare the reset trigger. This game just got interesting."
Ghost in the Code
Location: Kai Zheng's Temporary Office – East Lin City
The city glowed beneath him, a lattice of neon ambition and steel betrayal. Kai sat before a wall of monitors, each flashing with real-time stock feeds, startup analytics, and system overlays.
His empire was no longer a dream it was data, coded, compiled, and alive.
But something felt…off.
[System Alert: Background Scan Interrupted]
[Warning: External Trace Detected – Unknown Protocol Accessing System Threads]
Kai's eyes narrowed.
"Show me the breach," he whispered.
The holographic interface responded instantly. A string of black code ran across the screen, dripping like digital blood unlabeled, untraceable.
No origin. No signature.
[New Alert: SYSTEM HUNTER SIGNAL TRACE DETECTED]
[Warning: You are being observed.]
Kai stood slowly. "So," he muttered, "they're not just watching. They're probing."
He tapped into the hidden layer the Overlord Protocol, a system feature only triggered by existential threats.
[Protocol Engaged: Phantom Firewall – Counter-Detection Active]
[Skill Unlocked: Cyber Fortress Lv.1 – Immunity to 1 tracking attempt per day]
A second notification followed:
[New Quest: Unmask the Hunter]
Objective: Trace the incoming surveillance to its source. Discover the identity of the hostile system user.
Reward: Custom Subsystem – "Black Market Access Terminal"
Kai grinned. "Looks like I'm not the only player with a system."
Meanwhile – Subterranean Data Node, West Eurasian GhostNet
The masked figure, known only as Specter, sat in a bunker surrounded by quantum rigs. Their real name erased from every network. Even their breath was firewalled.
But one thing remained: hatred.
"He adapted to the trace," Specter muttered. "Faster than expected."
Another masked voice joined in through a secure channel. "He's accelerating. That system of his it's evolving beyond parameters."
Specter stared at the screen.
"Then we'll test him harder. Send in an operator."
Next Day – Lin City Tech Expo, Downtown Convention Center
The tech expo buzzed with energy. Booths glimmered with innovation, but all eyes were on one name: Kai Zheng.
GenIQ's new GridCore v2.0 was getting its public debut. Kai was poised to unveil a city-wide pilot partnership with Lin Energy Corp. It was to be his first open conquest.
But in the crowd, a woman watched him closely.
Silver hair, eyes like glass. Dressed in sharp white with a glowing bracelet pulsing faintly on her wrist.
She walked up as the crowd parted for Kai.
"You're a hard man to trace," she said smoothly.
Kai paused, scanning her. No known facial ID. No name in his memory banks.
"Depends who's asking."
"I'm a recruiter," she said, smiling. "From the future."
She slipped a card into his hand. Blank. Until he blinked and code appeared:
[System Code: Ω-9001]
Request: Duel Protocol – Information for Information]
Accept to Learn the Nature of the System War]
She walked away before he could respond.
Kai clenched the card. For the first time since his reboot…he felt the unknown breathing down his neck.
[System Notice: New Threat Classification – Interdimensional System Combatant Tier 2 Detected]
"Bring it," Kai whispered.