The next day
Eli stirred awake and dragged himself through his usual morning routine quick shower, brushing, same old instant coffee. Once dressed, he sat on the edge of the couch, let out a breath, and signed into the system.
Eli became curious and decided to check the amount of money in his account ,Eli realized he had 39,000 yuan
"holy shit, I cannot believe I have this amount of money in my bank account" Eli exclaimed
Eli knew that while the system's task rewards were helpful, they wouldn't be enough. Not when he was now responsible for another life. Bills, food, school, therapy it all added up fast. So he did what anyone desperate might do he reached for the impossible.
Pulling out his phone, he searched
'Most valuable publicly traded companies in Dragon City for shareholders.'
One of the top search results was a sleek, data-heavy site called MarketEdge Dragon. He tapped it, and a clean interface loaded with live market tickers, economic news, and a ranked list of the city's top five corporate giants.
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#1 — Aurora Dynamics
Valuation: 2.98 Trillion Yuan
Price for 1% Ownership: 29.8 Billion Yuan, Eli's eyes widened. Aurora Dynamics specialized in defense tech, AI-powered surveillance drones, and high-end robotics. Rumored to have deep military contracts and government influence.
Major Shareholders:
Liu Han Family (42%)
Lialang Conglomerate (26%)
Minor Shareholders:
Three independent investors (combined 32%)
"Even 1% is... insane," Eli muttered, scrolling down.
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#2 — Zenith BiocoreValuation: 1.72 Trillion Yuan
Sector: Pharmaceutical & Bioengineering
Known For: Revolutionary cancer treatments, gene therapy, and controversial neural implants.
Price for 1% Ownership: 17.2 Billion Yuan
Fun Fact: Rumored ties to underground clinical trials and development of new "memory augmentation" tech.
CEO: Dr. Min Yara, a Nobel nominee and media recluse.
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#3 — Helix Cloud Systems
Valuation: 1.4 Trillion Yuan
Sector: Data Infrastructure & Quantum Computing
Services: Runs 60% of Dragon City's public and private cloud storage. Also rumored to lease server space to criminal syndicates and vigilante hacker groups alike.
1% Ownership: 14 Billion Yuan
Public Controversy: Accused of selling anonymized user data... but nothing ever sticks.
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#4 — Sable Energy
Valuation: 1.09 Trillion Yuan
Sector: Energy & Environmental Control
Owns: Over half of Dragon City's power grid and smart climate towers.
Known For: Using biofuel innovations and carbon-capture tech but also rolling blackouts in poor districts.
1% Ownership: 10.9 Billion Yuan
Investor Notes: Considered stable but ruthless. Most of the board are former politicians.
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#5 — Silkway Virtual
Valuation: 860 Billion Yuan
Sector: VR, entertainment, and synthetic lifestyle tech
Flagship Product:SilkSpire—a fully immersive vr life simulator used by over 100 million residents
.1% Ownership: 8.6 Billion Yuan
Fanbase: Obsessed. Cult-like.
Criticism: Addictive design, data mining, and rumors of "deep layer" programs that are only accessible to elite players or high-level insiders.
Eli leaned back on the couch, stunned. The numbers were staggering.
Even with the system, there's no way I'll ever afford this.
But something else bothered him not the money, but the structure. Five powerful empires, most hiding something, all shaping Dragon City in their image
Still reeling from the staggering numbers at the top of the corporate food chain, Eli tapped the sorting menu at the top of the site.
Sort by: [▲ Descending Market Value] - [▼ Ascending Market Value]
The list flipped instantly. The trillion-yuan giants vanished, replaced with small-time businesses, local shops, and small companies barely holding on.
Total Listings: 3,807
At the very bottom was a company valued at just 56,000 yuan. Eli blinked.
He scrolled through the bottom ranks, curiosity growing. Each name had a small info tab and a "Request Shareholder Info" button.
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#3,807 – BeeGood Delivery Co.
Sector: Local courier service
Market Value: 56,000 yuan
1% Ownership: 560 yuan
Status: In debt, barely running
Notes: Three employees. One moped stolen. One stuck in repairs. Same-day delivery in three districts. Yelp rating: 2.1 stars.
Comment: "Fast... when they show up."
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#3,806 – Luna Stitch Tailoring
Sector: Boutique clothing & alterations
Market Value: 72,000 yuan
1% Ownership: 720 yuan
Status: Sole owner aging, wants to retire.
Notes: Loyal clientele, but weak online presence.
Comment: "Best suit I ever wore. Hope she finds a buyer."
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#3,805 – SkyMart Express (Mini Branch)
Sector: Mini-grocery / Local mart
Market Value: 85,000 yuan
1% Ownership: 850 yuan
Status: Rent overdue. Stock low.
Notes: Family-owned. Competes with mega-chains.
Comment: "Still sells snacks my grandma loved. shame that they may be out of business"
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#3,804 – Tonky's Buns & Tea
Sector: Street food stall
Market Value: 91,500 yuan
1% Ownership: 915 yuan
Status: Temporarily closed due to permit issues
Notes: Cult following for its taro buns
Comment: "Best steamed buns in the city—if they're open."
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#3,803 – IronCat Gaming Café
Sector: Internet café / esports
Market Value: 105,000 yuan
1% Ownership: 1,050 yuan
Status: Suffering due to home VR trend
Notes: PCs outdated but space has loyal teens
Comment: "Come for the lag, stay for the broken chair."
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#3,802 – MoMo Cleaners
Sector: Dry cleaning & laundry
Market Value: 128,000 yuan1%
Ownership: 1,280 yuan
Status: Family-run. Machines outdated.
Notes: Excellent reviews for stain removal.
Comment: "My shirt was possessed by hotpot oil. They saved it."
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#3,801 – "The Corner Pocket" (Multipurpose Shop)Sector: Mixed retail – snacks, hardware, mail service, odd goods
Market Value: 150,000 yuan
1% Ownership: 1,500 yuan
Status: Needs urgent cash injection
Notes: Located on a high foot-traffic corner in Lunaris square Run by a single overworked owner. Popular with students and night workers.
Revenue Potential:High if restocked and modernized.
Comment: "This place has everything—batteries, ramen, glue, sketchy USB fans. Hope it doesn't close."
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Eli scrolled through the seven listings, stopping on The Corner Pocket.
It stood out.
Seemed like nothing special at first glance. But its numbers hinted at something else. Declining revenue, yes, but steady foot traffic, decent customer reviews, and, most tellingly, the potential for turnaround with a bit of cash.
He clicked the 'Contact Owner' button on the listing. A phone number popped up. He hesitated for a second, then tapped the call icon.
The phone rang three times before a gruff, tired voice picked up.
"Yeah? Who's this?"
"Hi, sorry to bother you," Eli said, standing up instinctively. "My name's Eli. I saw your store listed online The Corner Pocket. I'm considering investing, and I wanted to know more about what the business really needs."
There was a pause on the line. Then the man chuckled, dry and humorless.
"You're the first person who's called about that in six months," he said. "You serious?"
"I wouldn't be calling if I wasn't," Eli replied. "I've got a little capital. Not much. But I'm looking for something real. Something that just needs a chance."
The owner exhaled long and weary. "Well, kid, this store's real alright. Too real. Leaky ceiling, outdated wiring, half the fridges don't work. The bakery counter's been empty since the pandemic. I've been running it alone since my wife passed last year. Couldn't keep up."
Eli sat down again, listening quietly.
"But here's the thing," the owner continued. "It's still got regulars. Old Miss Han comes in for her ginger candies every Sunday. Students from the tech college stop by for late-night ramen. Delivery guys come in here during rainstorms. It's not just a store—it's part of the neighborhood. People in the community want it to survive."
"What would it take to turn things around?" Eli asked.
"Cash flow first," the man replied. "A real inventory restock. Maybe fix the fridges so I can sell cold drinks again,. Get the card reader working. And workers. "
Eli looked across his small apartment Jin still asleep on the couch, curled under a blanket. The soft morning sunshine slipping through the curtains.
"I might be that someone," Eli said, almost to himself. Then louder: "Would you be willing to meet in person?"
The man didn't respond immediately. But when he did, his tone had shifted—still tired, but curious.
"Yeah. I'll be at the store tomorrow morning at nine. Come by. Just don't expect miracles, alright?"
Eli smiled. "I'll bring coffee."
After hanging up the phone Eli decided to own 30 percent of the shares of the business for a month and if the business shows promise within that month he will buy 19 percent more.
30 percent of the business was about 45,000 yuan and by tomorrow he will have that amount of money.
Eli then glanced ate Jin who was still sleeping soundly "He needs to get to his therapist today"