The fallout from the Veridian Dossier was faster and more spectacular than Leo could have hoped. Julian Vance, believing he held a corporate atom bomb, bypassed all standard protocols. He immediately drafted a proposal for a new, hyper-aggressive initiative: "Project Nightshade," a corporate raiding strategy designed to acquire Veridian Dynamics' key assets at a massive discount the moment their stock collapsed. It was a bold, high-risk, high-reward move, and he leveraged all his political capital to get it in front of the executive board in an emergency session.
The meeting was held in the main executive boardroom on the 45th floor. Marcus Graves was there, along with two VPs and the CFO. Leo was also invited, a standard formality as his department's data would be crucial to any such initiative. Anna was also present, standing behind Julian as a newly poached member of his team, her expression a mask of triumphant ambition. She thought she was attending her coronation.
Julian's presentation was masterful. He painted a vivid picture of a once-mighty rival on the brink of collapse and a once-in-a-generation opportunity for TitanCorp to seize market dominance. He was charismatic, confident, and utterly convincing.
"...and the lynchpin of this entire strategy," Julian concluded, his voice ringing with conviction, "is the source of our intelligence. We have acquired a highly sensitive, verified dossier that proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Veridian is a house of cards."
Marcus Graves leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. "This is an audacious plan, Julian. The capital required is significant. The source of this 'dossier'—how reliable is it?"
This was the moment. Julian smiled, a predator's flash of teeth. "It is 100% reliable. It comes from a source with deep access to our competitor's internal R&D." He glanced almost imperceptibly at Anna, who preened slightly.
Before Graves could respond, Leo spoke, his voice perfectly calm and measured, cutting through the room's charged atmosphere. "Excuse me, Mr. Graves. If I may clarify a point of data?"
All eyes turned to him. Julian's confident expression faltered, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "Now is not the time, Zhang. This is a strategic overview."
"I understand," Leo said, standing up. "But the 'Veridian Dossier' Julian is referencing is actually a component of an internal project from my own department. I believe I can provide the necessary context."
He connected his laptop to the main screen. A single, sterile slide appeared, titled: Project Vulture: Internal Security Audit & Threat Simulation.
"Project Vulture is an initiative to test my department's data security and loyalty protocols," Leo explained, his voice devoid of emotion. "The 'Veridian Dossier' was a 'Red File'—a piece of fabricated, high-value bait designed to simulate a targeted intelligence leak. I authored it myself three days ago."
He clicked, and the dossier's metadata appeared on screen: Author: L. Zhang. Created: October 22. Last Modified: October 22.
"Its purpose," Leo continued, his gaze sweeping coolly over the stunned faces in the room, "was to see how a trusted analyst would handle information that could either greatly benefit the company if used wisely, or cause immense damage if mishandled or leaked."
The room was utterly, deathly silent.
Julian Vance's face had drained of all color. He was staring at the screen, his mind struggling to process the sheer, elegant lethality of the trap he had just walked into. He had not just acted on unverified intel; he had stolen a live security test and tried to pass it off as his own brilliant discovery.
Then, Leo delivered the final, killing blow. He looked directly at Anna, whose face had crumpled into a mask of pure, unadulterated horror.
"I am, however, disappointed to report that the simulation was a success," Leo said, his voice dropping a fraction of a degree colder. "The Red File was leaked from my department in under an hour."
It was over. He didn't need to say her name. Every single person in that room understood. Anna had betrayed her department. Julian had been foolish enough to trust the traitor. In one move, Leo had exposed them both in front of the most powerful people in the company.
Marcus Graves stared at Leo, his expression a mixture of shock and a terrifying, newfound respect. He had seen political maneuvers before, but this was different. This was an execution.
Leo sat down, his work done. He had won.
That evening, as security quietly escorted a sobbing Anna Chen and a stone-faced Julian Vance from the building for their "breach of corporate ethics," Leo's phone lit up.
[Quest Complete: Petty Justice] [Your rival and the traitor who enabled him have been publicly and professionally neutralized. Your strategic patience has yielded a decisive victory.] [Skill Upgrade: Strategic Patience (Lv. 1) → Strategic Patience (Lv. MAX)] [New Effect: When executing a long-term plan, your composure and focus are absolute, rendering you immune to doubt and external pressure.]
The path ahead was now clear of obstacles. It was time for the next boss.