[POV: Alex]
The Lamborghini Veneno Roadster was never meant for the streets of Queens. As I veered off the highway, the $9.5 million beast growled through narrow, pothole-filled alleys that smelled of rotting garbage and desperation. This was the part of New York the postcards ignored—the graveyard of dreams where I had spent the last three years of my life.
I pulled up in front of a crumbling brownstone building. The engine's predatory roar was so violent it set off the alarms of two nearby rusted sedans. Within seconds, heads popped out of windows. People in stained tank tops stared at the carbon-fiber spacecraft parked at their curb as if a god had descended into a dumpster.
I stepped out of the scissor doors, my boots hitting the cracked pavement. I didn't care about the rain anymore. I looked at the digital timer flickering in my vision: [28:12 remaining].
I still had over $900 million to burn before the hour was up.
But first, I had to settle a debt. On the sidewalk, right in front of the building entrance, sat a pathetic pile of cardboard boxes, tattered clothes, and a cracked plastic bin. My life, reduced to trash.
Standing over the pile was a woman with a cigarette dangling from her mouth and enough cheap perfume to trigger a migraine. Mrs. Gable, my landlord—a woman who defined the word "parasite."
"Oh, look who decided to show up!" Mrs. Gable barked, her eyes fixed on her phone, not even looking at the car yet. "I told you, Alex! You're three weeks late. I don't care if your mother is sick or if you lost your job. No pay, no stay. I've already rented your room to a guy who actually has a pulse and a paycheck."
I walked up to her, stepping over my ruined textbooks. "You threw my things into the rain, Mrs. Gable. My mother's only photos are in that bin."
"Cry me a river," she sneered, finally looking up. As she did, her gaze drifted past my shoulder and landed on the Veneno. The cigarette fell out of her mouth, hitting her shoe. "Wh... whose car is that? Is there a movie filming here? Tell them to move it before I call the city!"
"It's mine," I said, my voice as cold as the rain.
"Yours? Don't make me laugh! You can't even afford a bus pass!"
I didn't argue. I pulled out my phone and looked at the 'Skyline Towers' contact Elena had given me. But then, my eyes caught something else. Right next to this dump of a building sat a massive, 50-story luxury high-rise that had just finished construction. The Zenith. It was a tower of glass and steel overlooking the East River, meant for the 1%.
I called the number on the giant 'For Sale' banner hanging from The Zenith.
"This is the sales office for The Zenith," a professional, polished voice answered. "How can I—"
"I want to buy the entire building," I said, loud enough for Mrs. Gable to hear. "Every penthouse, every studio, the commercial space, and the deed to the land. Cash. Right now."
There was a dead silence on the other end. "Sir, the total valuation for the entire project is $850 million. Are you... are you joking?"
"Check your email. I just sent a verified proof of funds through the System-Bank portal."
Ten seconds later, the voice came back, but it wasn't professional anymore. It was trembling with a mix of terror and religious worship. "M-Mr. Alex! My apologies! We will have the legal team and the contracts ready in ten minutes! Where should we meet?"
"Stay there. I'm coming," I said and hung up.
I turned back to Mrs. Gable. Her face had turned a sickly shade of grey. She had heard the numbers. Her brain was struggling to process that the boy she just evicted was talking about nearly a billion dollars.
"You... you're buying The Zenith?" she stammered, her voice suddenly high-pitched and sugary. "Alex... honey... I was just joking about the rent! You know I've always liked you! You're like a son to me! Come back inside, I'll give you the big room on the second floor—"
"Mrs. Gable," I interrupted, looking at the dirty pile of my belongings. "How much is this dump worth? This whole building?"
"This? Oh, it's old... maybe $2.5 million in this market?"
"I'll give you $5 million. On one condition."
Her eyes lit up with pure, unadulterated greed. "Anything! I'll do anything!"
"Sign the deed over to me right now," I said, pulling out the black card. "And then, I want you to pick up every single piece of my clothing. You will wash it by hand. You will dry it. And you will deliver it to The Zenith penthouse. If I find a single speck of dirt or a single wrinkle... I'll spend another $5 million just on the best lawyers in New York to ensure you spend the rest of your life in a cell."
Mrs. Gable didn't hesitate. She scrambled to her knees in the mud, grabbing my wet socks as if they were made of silk. "I'll do it! I'll do it right now, Mr. Alex! I'll use the best detergent! I'll iron them twice!"
[Ding!] [Property Acquired: 'The Slum Block'. Current Balance: $1,250,000,000.00] (Note: The system had deducted the $5 million and $850 million, but the per-second income was already filling the void.)
[Mission Accomplished: $1 Billion Spent within the hour!] [Reward: System Level 3 Unlocked!] [New Extraction Rate: $500,000,000 per second.] [New Skill Gained: 'The Eye of Discernment'.]
As the rewards flashed in my mind, a strange sensation washed over my eyes. Suddenly, the world looked different. I looked at the crowd gathered around the car. Glowing numbers appeared above their heads.
Random Neighbor: [Net Worth: $1,200] [Loyalty Potential: 10%] Thug on the corner: [Net Worth: -$500] [Loyalty Potential: 5%]
They were all trash. But then, I saw a girl standing at the very back of the crowd. She was wearing a simple, faded waitress uniform, clutching a bag of groceries. She looked exhausted, but her eyes were sharp, intelligent, and filled with a quiet fire.
I focused on her. Above her head, a golden light exploded.
[Target: Lily Chen] [Hidden Potential: SSS-Rank Financial Genius / Strategist.] [Loyalty Potential: 98% (She is desperate for a chance to prove herself).] [Current Status: About to be fired from a diner for refusing a manager's advances.]
I smiled. A tycoon couldn't rule alone. I needed an inner circle. A king needs a Chancellor.
I walked through the crowd, which parted like the Red Sea. I stopped in front of her. "You. What's your name?"
The girl blinked, startled, clutching her groceries tighter. "Me? I'm... I'm Lily."
"Lily," I said, leaning against the Lamborghini. "How would you like to quit that diner and manage a billion-dollar portfolio starting today? I'll pay you a starting salary of $1 million a month."
The grocery bag slipped from her hands, an orange rolling into the gutter. The crowd gasped so loud it drowned out the rain.
"Why me?" she whispered, her voice trembling but her gaze steady.
"Because I see something in you that no one else does," I replied, opening the passenger door. "Get in. We have a city to buy, and I need someone to keep track of the change."
As Lily stepped into the leather-scented luxury of the Veneno, I checked my phone one last time.
[Current Balance: $4,500,000,000.00]
"Next stop," I muttered, the engine roaring to life. "Wall Street."