[POV: Alex]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was surrounded by a sea of blue and red flashing lights, but they weren't for an emergency. They were the security detail for the Elysium Gala—the single most exclusive gathering of the Western elite. Outside the cordoned-off entrance, hundreds of reporters and paparazzi were held back by titanium barricades, their cameras flashing like a continuous storm of lightning.
I felt the raw power of the V12 engine beneath me as I brought the Lamborghini Veneno to a controlled stop right at the beginning of the red carpet. The roar of the car was so loud it drowned out the classical music playing from the speakers.
Beside me, Lily adjusted her diamond choker, her emerald dress shimmering like liquid fire. "Are you ready to blow their minds, Alex?"
"I'm ready to delete their sense of reality," I replied, killing the engine.
The silence that followed was heavy. As the scissor doors rose, I stepped out, my midnight-blue Vicuña suit catching the light. I didn't look like a delivery boy anymore. I looked like a deity who had come to collect a debt.
"Is that him?" "The Mystery Billionaire from The Zenith!" "Look at that car... there are only nine in the world!"
The whispers from the press were a dull roar. I offered my hand to Lily, and as she stepped out, the flashes became blinding. We walked up the stairs with a rhythmic, predatory grace.
At the top of the stairs, standing by the gilded arched entrance, were Sarah and Mr. Wang. They were dressed in expensive clothes—Sarah in a silver gown that looked cheap compared to Lily's, and Mr. Wang in a tuxedo that was straining against his stomach.
When Sarah saw me, her champagne glass nearly slipped from her hand. Her face went through a kaleidoscope of emotions: shock, denial, and then a twisted kind of smugness.
"Alex?" she stepped forward, blocking the path, her voice loud enough for the nearby socialites to hear. "How did you... did you steal that suit? And that car? My god, Alex, have you lost your mind? This isn't your local diner. This is the Elysium Gala. Security!"
Mr. Wang sneered, stepping beside her. "I told you this brat was a lunatic. Hey! Security! This man is a trespasser. He's a delivery boy who's probably part of some elaborate prank."
Two massive security guards in black suits stepped forward, their hands hovering near their earpieces.
I didn't stop. I didn't even slow down. I just kept walking until I was inches away from Sarah. The Eye of Discernment flashed over her head: [Status: Delusional. Value: Zero. Regret: 5% (Increasing).]
"Sarah," I said, my voice echoing in the grand hall. "You're standing in my way."
"Your way?" she laughed shrilly. "You don't even have an invitation! Mr. Wang is a strategic partner of the Blackwood Group. We belong here. You belong in a jail cell for whatever fraud you're committing."
"Manager!" Mr. Wang shouted. "Get this trash out of here!"
A man in a white tuxedo—the Gala's director—came running over, looking panicked. He looked at Mr. Wang, then at me.
"Is there a problem?" the director asked.
"Yes!" Sarah pointed at me. "This man is a fake. He's a poor student from Queens. He's using a stolen card to buy things. Expel him immediately!"
The director looked at me. He looked at the Graff Diamonds watch on my wrist, which was worth more than the entire museum's catering budget for a year. Then he looked at the tablet in his hand.
"Name?" the director whispered.
"Alex," Lily answered for me, her voice cold and aristocratic. "Owner of The Zenith, Chairman of Sterling Real Estate, and... the new owner of the Metropolitan Museum's East Wing."
The director's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He looked at his screen, then dropped into a bow so deep it looked painful.
"M-Mr. Alex! My deepest, most sincere apologies! We were told you might arrive late. Your table is at the center of the First Tier. The Blackwood Family is already waiting for you."
Sarah's face went white. "What? No! You have the wrong person! He's a delivery boy!"
"Silence!" the director hissed at her, his face contorting in rage. "You are speaking to the man who donated $500 million to this museum ten minutes ago via an anonymous wire. Mr. Wang, if you or your companion utter another word of disrespect, I will have your entire company blacklisted from every event in New York."
I looked at Mr. Wang. I reached out and adjusted his bow tie, my movements slow and terrifying. "Mr. Wang, you said your watch cost $150,000?"
I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen once.
[Action: Market Manipulation.] [Task: Short-sell Zhang Corp (Mr. Wang's company) by $5 Billion.]
Buzz. [Current Balance: $75,000,000,000.00]
"Check your phone, Mr. Wang," I whispered. "I think your net worth just evaporated in the time it took me to fix your tie."
Mr. Wang's phone chimed. He pulled it out, and as he read the ticker, he let out a strangled cry. "My stock... it's crashing! 40% down in thirty seconds! Who... who is doing this?!"
"I am," I said. I leaned in closer to Sarah, whose breath was hitching in her throat. "You wanted a man with a future, Sarah. You should have checked if he had a present first."
I turned away from them, leaving them frozen in the middle of the red carpet as a crowd of elites began to whisper and point. Sarah looked like she wanted to vomit. She looked at me—the man she had treated like trash—and realized I was now the sun around which her entire world revolved.
I led Lily into the Main Hall. It was a sea of tuxedos and gowns, but as we walked in, the room went silent. At the center of the hall was a massive circular table. Four people were seated there—the heads of the Great Families of New York.
There was a fifth chair. It was made of carved obsidian and gold.
As I approached, a man with white hair and eyes like flint stood up. Arthur Blackwood, the patriarch of the Blackwood empire.
"So," Arthur said, his voice echoing like a gavel. "The 'New Money' ghost finally shows his face. You've caused quite a lot of trouble today, Mr. Alex. Buying my building, firing my people, and now... destroying a partner's company at my doorstep."
I sat down in the fifth chair, crossing my legs. I didn't wait for an invitation. Lily stood behind me, her hand on my shoulder, looking down at the most powerful people in the country.
"Trouble?" I smiled. "I haven't even started yet, Arthur. I'm just getting warmed up."
"You have billions, we know this," said a woman to my left—Lady Vanderbilt, the queen of the banking world. "But New York isn't just about cash. It's about influence. It's about bloodlines. You're an outsider. You can't sit with us."
[Ding!] [New Mission: The Hostile Gala.] [Task: Outbid the Great Families for the 'Spear of Destiny' in the charity auction.] [Reward: 'Sovereign Bank' License (You can now issue your own currency).] [Bonus: If the bid exceeds $10 Billion, extraction rate triples to $3 Billion/second.]
"Influence?" I looked at Lady Vanderbilt. I pulled out my phone and set it on the table. The screen was facing up, showing the live balance of the System Account.
[Current Balance: $82,450,000,000.00]
The numbers were ticking upward so fast the last six digits were a blur.
"Arthur," I said, looking the old man in the eye. "I heard there's a charity auction tonight. For the Spear of Destiny. A historical artifact your family has been trying to buy back for fifty years."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "It belongs in the Blackwood vault. We have allocated $2 billion for the bid. No one in this room will oppose us. It's a matter of respect."
"I don't have much respect," I said, leaning back. "But I have a lot of numbers."
The auctioneer took the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we begin the bidding for the Spear of Destiny. Starting price: $100 Million."
"Five hundred million!" Arthur Blackwood shouted immediately, raising his paddle. He looked at me with a smirk. "Let's see your move, boy."
"One billion," I said calmly.
The room gasped.
"Two billion!" Arthur growled.
"Five billion," I replied.
Arthur stood up, his face purple. "You're bluffing! No one spends five billion on a piece of ancient iron!"
"Ten billion," I said, not even looking at him. I was looking at Sarah, who was standing at the edge of the room, watching the man she dumped throw away ten billion dollars like it was pocket change.
The auctioneer was frozen, his hammer trembling. "Ten... ten billion? Going once... going twice..."
"Wait!" Arthur yelled. "I'll match it! Ten billion and one dollar!"
I looked at the System timer. Buzz. [Current Balance: $95,000,000,000.00]
"Twenty billion," I said.
The hammer fell. The room didn't just go silent—it felt like the air had been sucked out of the building.
Arthur Blackwood fell back into his seat, his eyes glassy. He had just been outspent by a kid in one minute more than his family had earned in the last decade.
I stood up, adjusting my jacket. I looked at the four 'Kings' of New York.
"Arthur," I said, my voice echoing. "Keep your influence. Keep your bloodlines. I'll just keep the city."
I turned to Lily. "I'm bored. Let's go buy a private island. I want to see the stars."
As we walked out, the entire Gala bowed. Not because they liked me. But because in a world of predators, they had just met the apex.
Sarah ran after me, reaching out to grab my sleeve. "Alex! Please! I made a mistake! I was confused! I still love you!"
I stopped and looked at her hand on my expensive suit. Then I looked at her eyes.
"Sarah," I said, my voice devoid of any emotion. "Who are you again?"
I stepped into the Lamborghini and roared into the night, the balance on my phone hitting the $100 Billion mark.
[Current Balance: $100,200,500,000.00] [System Level 4 Unlocked! Extraction Rate: $3 Billion / Second.]