Ethan turned and walked out without looking back. As he stepped into the humid Florida night, he pulled out his phone. Using his Master Hacking skills, he had quietly planted a virus in the hotel's Wi-Fi while sitting at the table.
He was already downloading Ken's private emails, bank statements, and the location of this "secret vault."
The Council thought they were using him, but they didn't realize that Ethan Benjamin never played by anyone else's rules. He was building his own world, and the Council was just the next obstacle in his way.
Ethan pulled his car into the executive parking spot. The humid morning was quiet, except for the sound of his engine.
[Side Task Initiated: Use Eye of Discernment to Expose a Corrupt Executive]
[Reward: +2.5 Attribute Points]
Ethan smirked coldly and walked toward the glass headquarters of Apex Realty Group. The building stood tall over the Miami skyline, a symbol of old money and power.
He adjusted his expensive watch. He used the two points from his previous mission to increase his Intelligence to 9.0. The change happened instantly. His mind began to work like a fast computer, spotting every risk and weakness in the building before he even walked inside.
The air felt cold as he entered the boardroom. Six men and two women were waiting at a large wooden table. The CEO, Marcus Thorne, looked like a normal man, but Ethan's Eye showed the truth: his "Greed" level was dangerously high.
"You're the one who bought the 20% share from the offshore sale," Thorne said, without standing up. "Mr. Benjamin, right? You're pretty young to be a corporate vulture."
Ethan sat at the other end of the table. He didn't smile. His cold energy made everyone in the room feel nervous.
[Eye of Discernment Active]
[Target: Marcus Thorne]
[Secret: Stealing $4.2M from the 'Sun-Coast' Project]
[Weakness: Getting a divorce; his money is not protected]
"I'm not a vulture, Marcus," Ethan said, his voice calm and cold. "I'm the new boss. And I know you've been stealing money from the Sun-Coast Project for eighteen months—$4.2 million in total. If I know about it, the police will know soon, too."
Thorne turned white with fear. The other board members shifted in their seats, looking at each other. Ethan didn't stop.
"I'm not firing you yet," Ethan said steadily. "But things are changing at Apex. We are buying the property in the Blitzing area. We're going to clear the slums and build a luxury shopping mall."
Ethan thought to himself: My 'Eye' shows that the land's value will explode in three months when the new metro station and park are announced.
This project would bring him a huge profit to grow his empire. By the end of the meeting, Ethan hadn't just secured his spot; he had taken all the power from the board. They weren't directors anymore; they were just his employees.
[Side Task: Completed]
[Rewards: +2.5 Attribute Points]
[Current Strength: 7.5 -> 8.5]
[Current Stamina: 6.5 -> 8.0]
The meeting should have made him tired, but as he drove back to his villa, he felt a strange heat in his body.
When he got home, the house was quiet. He could smell the healthy food the chef was cooking for Elena. He didn't go to her room. Instead, he went to his private gym.
He took off his shirt and looked in the mirror. His muscles weren't huge, but they were hard as metal. He picked up a 45kg dumbbell and started lifting. He didn't even feel tired until he hit fifty reps.
I need to be stronger, he thought, looking at his reflection. More kids mean more wealth, but money without the power to protect it just makes you a target.
He thought of the twins Elena was carrying. They were his blood. They were the start of something that would eventually control the world. He kept lifting, his breathing steady and his heart rate low.
He wasn't that poor boy anymore. He was the man in charge.
As the sun went down, Ethan stood on his balcony, looking at the ocean. He felt a cold hunger for more. The $30 million was just a start. To unlock the next level of the System, he needed a legacy.