At 10 p.m., the lights of Yun City were still bright.
Traffic moved steadily between high-rise buildings.
From the outside, nothing seemed different.
The city looked exactly the same as any other night.
But the real change had already begun.
It was happening in places no one could see.
Inside his office, Zhou Cheng stood in front of the window.
This time, he wasn't looking at the screen anymore.
The earlier platform reversal had already proven one thing.
Suppressing Ethan through traffic was no longer effective.
"That path is closed," he said calmly.
The assistant stood behind him, cautious.
"Then what do we do now?"
Zhou Cheng turned around slowly.
His expression had already returned to calm.
"Change the method."
The words were light.
But carried weight.
He picked up his phone and dialed immediately.
"Find someone for me. Ethan Cole."
"I want everything. Address, connections, financial sources."
The call ended quickly.
Then another one followed.
"Contact the dealership."
"The one that sold him the car today."
"Tell them to cooperate."
His tone was not heavy.
But there was no room for refusal.
A third call.
"Call the hospital."
"Delay his mother's treatment process."
Each call was short.
Direct.
Precise.
But every instruction hit exactly where it mattered.
The assistant stood there, his back turning cold.
This was no longer competition.
This was pressure on real life.
"If he wants to play," Zhou Cheng said quietly,
"then I'll show him what reality is."
At the same time, in Skyview Residence, Ethan's phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
He answered.
"Mr. Cole, this is the dealership."
The voice was polite.
But tense.
"There's a need to re-verify the source of funds for your vehicle purchase."
"If it cannot be confirmed, the car may be temporarily held."
Ethan didn't respond immediately.
He listened quietly.
Then asked one question.
"Who told you to call?"
There was a brief silence.
"Mr. Cole, this is standard procedure…"
Ethan smiled faintly.
"Call me again in ten minutes."
He hung up.
Less than three seconds later, another call came in.
This time, it was the hospital.
"Mr. Cole, we've received notice that your mother's follow-up treatment requires additional review."
The tone was colder.
More official.
Ethan stood still.
His eyes slowly darkened.
He understood immediately.
This had moved beyond traffic.
Beyond money.
They were touching his reality.
He sat down slowly.
Placed his phone on the table.
"So this is your next move."
The system responded.
"Real-world suppression detected."
"Influence level upgraded."
The interface expanded.
"Influence Level 3."
"Ability unlocked: Resource Counter-Control."
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.
The system continued.
"Target entities can be influenced through capital, partnerships, and public opinion."
Ethan read it once.
Then smiled.
This time, there was something colder in it.
"Good."
He picked up his phone again.
And started making calls.
The first one.
"Prepare a capital transfer."
"Ten million."
"Connect it to Yun City commercial channels."
There was a pause on the other side.
"Mr. Cole… confirm the amount?"
"Confirmed."
No hesitation.
No fluctuation in tone.
A few seconds later, the response changed.
"Understood. We'll process it immediately."
The second call.
"All major advertising spaces in the city center tonight."
"I want them."
The third call.
"Send me the dealership supply chain list."
The fourth.
"Find out who is applying pressure on the hospital."
One call after another.
No pause.
No doubt.
At that moment, Ethan was no longer reacting.
He was rebuilding the board.
Ten minutes later, the phone rang again.
The dealership.
But the tone had completely changed.
"Mr. Cole, we sincerely apologize."
"There was a misunderstanding earlier."
"Your vehicle has been fully cleared. There are no issues at all."
The panic in the voice was obvious.
Ethan didn't respond with emotion.
He only said one sentence.
"Too late."
The line went silent instantly.
At the same time, in Zhou Cheng's office, the assistant rushed in.
His face pale.
"Mr. Zhou, something's wrong."
"The dealership has withdrawn cooperation."
"Several partners are also cutting ties."
Zhou Cheng looked up sharply.
"Who did this?"
The assistant shook his head.
"We can't trace it."
The atmosphere dropped instantly.
Zhou Cheng stood there without speaking.
For the first time, something unfamiliar appeared.
The situation was slipping.
Control was no longer absolute.
Back at Skyview Residence, Ethan stood by the window again.
The city lights remained unchanged.
But his position had.
His perspective had shifted.
He looked into the distance and spoke quietly.
"You use connections."
He paused.
"Then I'll use bigger ones."
Under the night sky, the board had been fully set.
And the real game—
had only just begun.