Inside the chairman's office, silence filled the air.
Steeven stood calmly near the giant glass window while observing the massive crowd gathered outside Johnson Corporation. Hundreds of applicants continued entering the building one after another. Some looked nervous, some looked excited, and some carried confident smiles on their faces.
Beside him, Bill crossed his arms while staring below.
"Looks like the whole city wants to work for us now," Bill said proudly.
Steeven's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes… but fame attracts both talent and trouble."
Bill looked confused.
"You really think rival companies sent spies here?"
Steeven turned around slowly and walked toward the sofa before sitting down calmly.
"Not think," he corrected.
"I'm sure of it."
Bill immediately became serious.
"So what do we do now?"
Steeven picked up one of the applicant files lying on the table and smiled faintly.
"We let them enter."
Bill blinked.
"…What?"
Steeven leaned back comfortably.
"Right now, every rival company is scared of us. They know Johnson Corporation is recovering faster than expected. That means they'll desperately try gathering information."
"And spies are the easiest method."
Bill scratched his head.
"But if we already know that, shouldn't we stop them?"
Steeven chuckled lightly.
"No, Bill. Sometimes it's easier to control enemies when they're standing right in front of you."
Before Bill could ask another question, David suddenly entered the office.
"Sir," he spoke respectfully, "the recruitment hall is fully prepared."
Steeven nodded.
"Good. Let's begin."
—
Meanwhile, downstairs inside the massive recruitment hall, hundreds of applicants sat in long rows while employees distributed forms.
The atmosphere was noisy and tense.
Among the crowd sat several suspicious individuals quietly observing everything around them.
One man wearing glasses adjusted his tie slightly while whispering into a hidden earpiece.
"The internal security appears tighter than expected."
Another applicant nearby casually replied while pretending to read documents.
"Stay calm. Our mission is only to gather information."
Not far away, a woman with red hair secretly glanced toward the elevators.
"So that's the famous Steeven Walker…"
Her lips curved into a faint smile.
"He's younger than I expected."
At that moment, the hall suddenly became silent.
The elevator doors opened.
Steeven, Bill, and David slowly walked out together.
The pressure in the room instantly changed.
Many applicants became nervous after seeing Steeven in person. After all, his live broadcast from earlier had already spread across the entire city.
Some people admired him.
Some feared him.
And some hated him.
Steeven calmly walked onto the stage before speaking into the microphone.
"Welcome to Johnson Corporation."
His voice remained calm yet carried natural authority.
"As all of you know, this company recently went through internal corruption and sabotage."
The applicants quietly listened.
"But Johnson Corporation will not fall because of traitors."
His sharp eyes swept across the crowd.
"We are rebuilding this company from the ground up."
"And for that…"
"…I need capable people."
Many applicants immediately straightened their posture proudly.
Steeven continued.
"I don't care about your background."
"I don't care about your connections."
"And I don't care how rich or powerful your family is."
The entire hall became completely silent.
"The only thing I care about…"
"…is ability."
Bill looked at Steeven with admiration again.
Even simple words sounded incredibly intimidating when Steeven spoke.
Suddenly, Steeven smiled faintly.
"However…"
"…before recruitment begins, there's one small test."
The crowd became confused instantly.
"A test?"
"What kind of test?"
David himself looked surprised because even he didn't know about this.
Steeven snapped his fingers lightly.
Immediately, several employees brought large black boxes into the hall.
Everyone stared curiously.
Steeven spoke calmly.
"Inside these boxes are company documents."
"Some are real."
"Some are fake."
"Some contain confidential information."
"And some contain traps."
The crowd became even more confused.
Bill leaned closer and whispered.
"What exactly are you planning?"
Steeven only smiled mysteriously.
Then he looked toward the applicants again.
"You all have thirty minutes."
"Your task is simple."
"Find the documents you believe are important for this company's future."
The applicants exchanged confused looks.
"That's it?"
Steeven nodded calmly.
"Yes."
"But remember…"
"…your choices will determine whether you leave this building as employees…"
"…or criminals."
The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
Some applicants swallowed nervously.
Others looked excited.
And hidden among them, the spies became alert instantly.
One man secretly frowned.
"What kind of weird test is this?"
Another whispered quietly.
"Be careful. This guy isn't normal."
Soon, the test began.
Applicants walked toward the black boxes and started checking files carefully.
Some focused on financial reports.
Some picked project documents.
Some searched for business contracts.
Meanwhile, Steeven quietly observed everyone from above like a hunter watching prey.
His eyes calmly moved from one person to another.
Every nervous movement.
Every suspicious glance.
Every hidden signal.
Nothing escaped his attention.
Suddenly, one applicant secretly slipped a confidential-looking file into his bag while pretending nobody noticed.
At the exact same moment, Steeven smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
Bill looked toward him.
"You already found one?"
Steeven nodded slightly.
"Three, actually."
Bill's eyes widened.
"THREE?!"
Steeven calmly pointed toward different corners of the hall.
"That man with glasses."
"The woman near the second row."
"And the tall guy beside the exit."
Bill carefully observed them.
At first glance, they looked completely normal.
"How can you tell?" he whispered.
Steeven smirked slightly.
"Because real applicants look at opportunities."
"…while spies look at information."
Bill stared at him speechlessly.
Sometimes he genuinely wondered if Steeven could read minds.
Thirty minutes later, the test ended.
Employees collected all documents while applicants returned to their seats nervously.
Steeven slowly stood up again.
"Now…"
"…let's see the results."
The giant screen behind him suddenly turned on.
Names immediately started appearing one after another.
Some applicants looked excited seeing their names selected.
Others looked disappointed.
But suddenly—
Three names appeared in bright red letters.
The atmosphere became tense instantly.
The man with glasses suddenly looked pale.
The red-haired woman's expression froze.
And the tall applicant near the exit slowly clenched his fists.
Steeven's cold voice echoed through the hall.
"These three individuals attempted to steal confidential company information during the test."
The entire crowd exploded in shock.
"What?!"
"Spies?!"
Security guards instantly surrounded the three suspects.
The man with glasses immediately shouted angrily.
"You have no proof!"
Steeven calmly picked up a tablet.
"Actually…"
"…I do."
The screen suddenly displayed hidden camera footage showing all three secretly attempting to steal files.
The applicants gasped loudly.
The spies' faces turned ugly instantly.
Bill crossed his arms proudly.
"You idiots really thought Steeven wouldn't notice?"
The red-haired woman suddenly smirked coldly.
"Even if you caught us, others will still come."
Steeven looked directly into her eyes.
"I know."
His calm answer made her expression stiffen slightly.
Then Steeven continued coldly.
"But the next ones won't leave this easily."
A dangerous silence filled the hall.
Even the remaining applicants felt chills.
The police soon arrived and dragged the three spies away.
But strangely…
Steeven didn't look satisfied.
Instead, his expression became even more serious.
David noticed this immediately.
"Sir… is something wrong?"
Steeven slowly looked toward the city outside the window.
"Yes."
Bill frowned.
"What now?"
Steeven narrowed his eyes slightly.
"These spies…"
"…were only distractions."
Bill's expression instantly changed.
"What do you mean?"
Before Steeven could answer—
RING!
His phone suddenly vibrated.
The moment he looked at the caller ID, his expression became colder.
Bill noticed immediately.
"Who is it?"
Steeven slowly answered the call.
A deep old voice echoed from the other side.
"Well done, Steeven Walker."
Steeven's eyes darkened slightly.
"…Thomas Anderson."
Thomas chuckled coldly.
"You're smarter than I expected."
Steeven remained silent.
Then Thomas spoke again.
"But let's see if you can stay calm afterchecking tomorrow morning's stock market news."
The call disconnected immediately.
Bill looked worried.
"What happened?"
Steeven slowly lowered the phone.
For the first time in a while…
…his expression became serious.
"Looks like…"
"…the real attack is finally starting."