Su Ning had logged out of Startok, completely unaware of the chaos still raging online.
The night around her felt calm again, wrapped in quiet luxury and soft lighting. She leaned back into the swinging lounge chair, the gentle motion rocking her slightly, steady and soothing, like a slow heartbeat after excitement.
She lifted her glass, took a small sip of the red wine, and let the warmth slide down her throat. The taste was rich and smooth, grounding her. She picked up a few snacks from the plate beside her, eating leisurely, her mind drifting as the cool night air brushed against her skin. For a moment, she allowed herself to simply exist without reacting to the world.
Then her eyes narrowed slightly, a thoughtful look settling in.
She had just gained god-tier hacking skills, it would be really pitiful if she didn't try it out.
She straightened a little, resting the wine glass on the table, her fingers lightly tapping against the surface as she thought. What should she hack first? Random systems felt pointless. Corporations were boring. Government firewalls were too obvious. She wanted something… personal. Something fun.
Then, like a spark catching dry grass, an idea surfaced in her mind.
Su Ning smiled slowly.
Her fingers returned to the keyboard. At first, her movements were unhurried, almost casual, as if she were simply checking emails or browsing. But as her focus sharpened, her pace changed. Her posture leaned forward, eyes locked onto the screen, her expression calm yet intent.
The moment she truly engaged, everything else faded away.
Her fingers began to fly across the keys, no hesitation, no pauses. Lines of code appeared rapidly, flowing across the screen in seamless succession.
The laptop's glow reflected in her eyes as her hands moved faster and faster, her movements precise, almost elegant. There was no strain on her face, no sign of difficulty. It felt natural, as though this knowledge had always belonged to her.
Within moments, data began surfacing on her screen. Layers peeled back one after another, doors opening silently where none should exist.
Then, suddenly, a video window popped up beside the data stream.
Su Ning leaned back slightly, the chair swinging gently beneath her weight. She let out a soft laugh, low and amused, her eyes glinting as she watched the screen.
"Well… this is better than I expected," she murmured quietly.
She had only intended to poke around, hoping to find something mildly interesting about Gu Hongmin. She hadn't even targeted anything specific. Yet somehow, almost effortlessly, she had slipped straight through his personal device.
And what she found made her laugh again.
Displayed clearly before her was evidence of a massive slush fund of twenty billion yuan aside the 200 billion yuan the Tiger Gang had earlier discovered, it was hidden away in an international cyber account, layered beneath multiple protections and false trails. Su Ning stared at the number for a moment, her brows lifting slightly.
"Twenty billion," she muttered. "He really is cautious."
She had to admit it. Gu Hongmin wasn't stupid. Even if everything collapsed, even if his empire burned to the ground, this fund alone would let him live comfortably for several lifetimes. It was a clean escape route, carefully prepared for disaster.
But that wasn't all.
Her gaze shifted to the video recording playing on the screen. She watched calmly as Gu Hongmin, alongside the parents of the ROYAL 6, their expressions sharp and calculating. Their voices were tense, their words filled with malice and certainty as they discussed how to deal with her.
Their plans to buy out board members, manipulate Fuyuan Academy, to crush her quietly and reclaim control now laid unraveled before her.
Su Ning watched the entire thing without blinking. When the recording ended, she scoffed softly, her lips curling in faint disdain.
"So you all really didn't learn anything," she said to the empty air.
She wasn't surprised. People like them never accepted defeat gracefully. They believed money could solve anything, that power could always be taken if they pushed hard enough.
Her smile remained but not reaching her eyes.
"If you're so eager to seek death," she murmured, lifting her wine glass again, "then I won't be polite and offer it to you on a silver platter."
But she wasn't in a hurry. Crushing them outright would be too easy, too dull. No, she wanted to toy with them first. She wanted them to run, to struggle, to believe they had the upper hand, only to realize at the end that every path led to a wall.
She took another sip of wine, then set the glass down and returned her attention to the laptop.
This time, there was no hesitation at all.
Her fingers moved with terrifying speed, commands executed faster than most systems could even register. In less than half a minute, she slipped through layers of international security as though they were mist. No alarms rang. No defenses reacted.
In seconds, twenty billion yuan vanished.
The funds were redirected smoothly, seamlessly, siphoned into an untraceable account she created on the spot. The transfer completed so cleanly that even she paused for half a second, impressed.
"One minute," she whispered. "That's all it took."
She didn't stop there. With a few more precise keystrokes, she constructed a perfect illusion—data mirroring, balance reflections, false confirmations. To any observer, the money was still there, untouched, resting peacefully where Gu Hongmin believed it to be.
No alerts, no warnings, no traces.
Su Ning leaned back again, staring at the screen with quiet satisfaction.
"Even if the best hackers in the world had forty-eight hours," she said softly, "they still wouldn't catch this."
The realization made her chuckle. The system hadn't exaggerated. God-tier really meant god-tier.
She could already picture it, Gu Hongmin's smug confidence, the way he would rely on that hidden fund when things went wrong, only to discover that it was nothing but an empty shell. The thought alone made her eyes brighten with amusement.
She called out to the system calmly, asking it to transfer the money from the untraceable account directly into her premium black card. The response came instantly, and she felt a subtle confirmation settle in her mind.
"That'll be useful later," she said, satisfied.
Her mood relaxed again as she picked up her phone and dialed Di Fulin's number. The call connected almost immediately.
"Miss Su," Di Fulin greeted respectfully, his tone careful and composed.
Su Ning exchanged brief pleasantries with him before getting straight to the point. Her voice was calm, clear, and carried an authority that left no room for misunderstanding. She instructed him to hold a board meeting the following day and told him exactly what Gu Hongmin would attempt to do.
"Tomorrow, Gu Hongmin will approach the board members and try to buy them out," she said evenly. "Have them act along, let them pretend to agree. And when he offers them deals, have them set high prices in exchange, when it is done, let me know."
Di Fulin paused for a fraction of a second, then responded firmly, "Understood."
She didn't explain further, and he didn't dare to ask. That was enough.
After ending the call, Su Ning leaned back once more, her chair swaying gently. The night felt peaceful again, as if nothing dangerous had just happened beneath the surface.
Then she thought of something else as she placed another call.
The line connected quickly.
"Miss Su, it's an honour" Xia Lin's voice came through, filled with genuine respect and gratitude. He thanked her sincerely for believing in him and for investing in his future.
Su Ning smiled faintly. "Its fine. How are your preparations going?" she asked.
Xia Lin sounded more confident than before as he replied "I already booked an early flight to London, it's scheduled for 8 am tomorrow morning."
"Cancel it, you will be coming with me." Su Ning said without hesitation.
"I'll send you the location, meet me there by 10 am tomorrow, don't be late."
"I understand," Xia Lin answered quickly, even though he clearly had questions.
The call ended.
Su Ning immediately requested the system for the location of her private Airfield. The system responded, presenting her with the name and coordinates of a private airfield located on the outskirts of City F, secluded and heavily restricted.
She forwarded the location to Xia Lin without explanation.
She decided to bring along two of her puppets as her bodyguards with her to London. With a thought, she entered her space.
The moment she appeared, she saw the four puppets seated near the pond, quietly cultivating. The air around them rippled faintly with gathered Qi, subtle yet steady. Su Ning watched them for a while, her expression relaxed and satisfied.
They were progressing faster than she had expected.
But as she observed more closely, her brows drew together slightly. Something was missing. Cultivation alone could strengthen their bodies and senses, but it wouldn't give them true combat abilities. They lacked techniques, skills, cultivation manuals.
She sighed softly, rubbing her temple.
"How troublesome," she muttered.
Almost immediately, the system sounded.
'Reminding host. Host has an unused legendary grade lottery spin. Would host like to spin?"
Perhaps, there was a chance she could obtain cultivation manuals, she decided to try her luck.
"Yes," she replied without hesitation.
The sound of the lottery spinning filled her ears, echoing softly through her space as anticipation settled in her chest.