[The Pantheon (Formerly Apex Tower) - 108th Floor]
Alex sat in his new office. It was the size of a basketball court, with walls made of smart-glass that could turn opaque with a voice command.
"Dawn," Alex spun in his chair. "The building is empty. It feels like a graveyard."
"Affirmative, Administrator," Dawn's voice floated from the walls. "We currently have 0 employees, excluding Miss Luna and the cleaning staff. To operate a conglomerate of this size, we require 5,000 staff members minimum."
"5,000 is too many," Alex waved his hand. "I don't need sheep. I need wolves."
Alex pulled up the holographic interface.
"Post a job listing. Global distribution. Target the top 1% of talent in Finance, Law, and Engineering."
"Drafting listing... Salary range?"
Alex thought for a second. Standard CEO pay was maybe $20 million.
"Base salary: $100 Million a year," Alex said casually. "Plus a signing bonus of a Ferrari."
"Sir," Dawn paused, calculating. "That is 500% above market rate. It will cause economic disruption."
"Do it."
[Job Posting Uploaded.] [Platform: LinkedIn, Global News, Dark Web.] [Title: Executive Assistant to the King.] [Salary: $100,000,000 / Year.]
[The Reaction Shot - Wall Street, New York]
In the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, chaos erupted.
"Did you see it?!" A trader screamed, dropping his phone. "Look at the screen!"
The news ticker wasn't showing stock prices. It was showing Alex's job offer.
"One hundred million?!" A senior banker at Goldman Sachs loosened his tie, sweating. "I've worked here for 30 years and I make five million. This... this is insanity."
Suddenly, the trading floor emptied. Phones were dropped. Laptops were left open.
"Where are you going?!" The manager yelled.
"I'm quitting!" The banker shouted, running for the door. "I'm going to the Pantheon!"
[The Reaction Shot - Silicon Valley]
In the headquarters of a major Tech Giant, the CEO was giving a keynote speech.
"We are a family..."
BEEP.
Every engineer's phone buzzed at once. They looked at the notification.
They looked at the CEO.
"Sorry, boss," the Lead Engineer stood up. "My family doesn't pay me $100 Million."
In ten minutes, the entire engineering department walked out.
[The Pantheon - Lobby]
"Sir," Luna spoke into her earpiece, looking at the security monitors. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Alex asked, sipping his espresso.
"A stampede."
Outside the Pantheon, the streets were gridlocked. Ferraris, taxis, and news vans were jamming every lane. A crowd of ten thousand people—lawyers in Armani suits, hackers in hoodies, and CEOs of smaller companies—were pushing against the glass doors.
They weren't looking for a job. They were looking for a lottery ticket.
Alex looked down from the 108th floor.
"Dawn," Alex smiled. "Filter them."
"Initiating Protocol: The Gauntlet," Dawn replied.
Suddenly, the massive screens in the lobby turned on. A QR code appeared.
"ATTENTION APPLICANTS," Dawn's voice boomed over the city blocks. "SCAN THE CODE. SOLVE THE ALGORITHM. YOU HAVE 60 SECONDS. FAIL, AND YOU ARE BANNED FOR LIFE."
The crowd frantically pulled out their phones.
"This is impossible!" a Harvard Law graduate screamed, staring at the screen. "This isn't a math problem! It's a Quantum Encryption key!"
"Time is money," Alex whispered from his tower. "And most of you are broke."