The room was quiet again.
Zephyr leaned back in the chair, watching the fan spin slowly on the ceiling. It didn't help. The air was still heavy.
Then the system returned.
> [ FIRST CONTRACT AVAILABLE. ]
[ TARGET: EVAN SHI – COO (FUTURE). BETRAYAL INDEX: 92%. ]
[ CONTRACT: EARLY ELIMINATION – "THE BETRAYER'S DISCOUNT" ]
[ OBJECTIVE: DESTROY CAREER TRAJECTORY BEFORE FORMAL RISE. ]
[ REWARD: +100 VILLAIN POINTS | UNLOCK: NETWORK SUPPRESSION NODE LV.1 ]
Zephyr stared at the glowing text hovering silently in the corner of his vision.
Evan Shi.
He remembered the man too well. Back then, Evan was a nobody, a clean-cut finance guy with no spine and a loud laugh. Zephyr had promoted him during the second year of expansion. Evan had smiled, bowed, and promised loyalty.
Three years later, he leaked internal audits to a rival firm, helped stage Zephyr's ousting, and cashed out his shares overnight.
Zephyr had been too late to stop him.
Now?
He will make him understand the consequences for betraying him.
> [ ACCEPT CONTRACT? ]
[ YES ] [ NO ]
He didn't blink.
> [ YES ]
The interface pulsed.
> [ CONTRACT ACCEPTED.
SUB-MISSION CHAIN UNLOCKED. INITIATING STRATEGIC THREAD: "ECHO RUIN" ]
A second prompt appeared.
> [ NOTE: SYSTEM ACTIONS MUST REMAIN UNEXPLAINED. HOST WILL MAINTAIN FULL COVER. TRUST IS OPTIONAL. DISCOVERY IS DEATH. ]
Zephyr smiled.
"Understood," he muttered.
He stood up, slow and steady, walked over to the window.
Outside, the city looked the same. It was gray and damp. A few cars rolled by on the wet street below. But everything had changed.
One person. One ruined future. A hundred points.
This was just the beginning.
Zephyr turned away from the window.
The office was still dim, the air stale. Same chipped paint, same loose wall socket near the door. But now everything felt different.
He picked up the flip phone again. Rook's number was still saved.
He dialed it.
It rang twice.
A groggy voice answered, "Hello…?"
"Rook," Zephyr said.
A pause
"Who is this?"
"It's Zephyr."
Another pause. Longer this time.
"I thought you fired me last week."
"You're rehired," Zephyr said. "Effective immediately."
"You serious?"
"I'm always serious."
"You don't even have money to pay me."
Zephyr smiled.
"Then let's fix that."
He hung up.
There was no need to say more.
The screen flickered once in the corner of his vision.
> [ SUB-MISSION CHAIN: "ECHO RUIN" – STAGE 1 UNLOCKED. ]
[ TARGET: EVAN SHI'S EMPLOYMENT TRAJECTORY – INTERCEPTION WINDOW: 14 DAYS ]
[ OBJECTIVE: PREVENT OFFER FROM GOLDEN RIDGE CAPITAL. BONUS: DISGRACE HIM PUBLICLY. ]
Zephyr moved to the whiteboard, wiped it clean.
Grabbed a marker.
And started writing.
It didn't matter how small the office was.
Didn't matter that he had no money, no reputation and a team that was already halfway out the door.
But.
He has time.
He has information.
And he has the system.
And for the first time in twenty years, Zephyr Jin smiled. It was not out of amusement or hope or even satisfaction.
It was the smile of someone who knew exactly what he was about to become.