The next day... Frans stood in the middle of Max Corp's underground facility, his eyes scanning the area with a look of amazement. The place was no joke — it was nearly the size of a football field. The ceiling stretched high above, the walls were reinforced with layers of black steel, and the lighting came from neatly embedded LED spotlights in the metal ceiling. In front of him, Zoza and twenty of his men stood tall in formation. They were dressed in lightweight black combat uniforms, each with a small silver skull emblem on the left side of their chest. Their faces were serious. They were waiting for someone. “Damn... I'm starting to wonder just how much Max has been hiding from me,” Frans muttered, looking around. He let out a low whistle. “I'm the director of Max Corp, you know. And I only found out today there's a place like this under our office.” Zoza smirked beside him. “Yeah, maybe you're the director,” he said with a half teasing tone, “but Boss Max owns the place

Three days had passed since the first training session. And for Zoza and his men, those three days felt like three months of silent hell. Frans didn’t let a single one of them touch a weapon. No sparring, no fights. Just basic stances, breathing techniques, and body correction drills repeated over and over again with military-level discipline. Sweat poured like rain. Neck veins popped. A few of them even threw up during the internal energy breathing exercises, which demanded complete control over both body and emotions. Zoza nearly snapped on the second day. “What’s the point of all this?!” he yelled at Frans, panting hard, hands trembling from two hours straight of isometric tension drills. Frans stared back at him. "You wanna learn how to fight, or just feed your ego?” His voice hit like a whip, slicing straight through pride. Zoza said nothing. But he went right back into his stance without another word. *** Frans Arturo’s footsteps echoed steadily against the marb

Lysa. The new CEO of Ladder Corp. A dark-haired woman with sharp eyes and a strong yet striking face, dressed in a clean, perfectly tailored dark gray suit. In her left hand, she carried the latest-gen iPad with a reflective carbon screen. Frans froze in the doorway. Then, forgetting he had planned to leave, he turned around and sat right back down in the chair across from Max’s desk. Max said nothing. He just glanced up for a second, as if he could already predict Frans’ flirty behavior just by hearing his breathing. Lysa stood gracefully and said in a flat tone, “I need to speak with you, Mr. Max. It’s confidential.” She looked briefly at Frans, hoping he would take the hint and leave the room. Frans raised his hand immediately. “If it’s a secret, that means I definitely need to hear it. I’m great at keeping secrets. I even forgot my own birthday once, that’s how secretive I am.” Max didn’t react. But Lysa just looked at Frans with cool professionalism. “Sorry, Director Frans

Vesula City, Morow State – Ordic Corp Headquarters The Ordic Corp building towered like a black obsidian monolith in the heart of Vesula’s eastern business district. Its glossy black walls were lined with faint glowing blue veins, like the pulse of a giant machine. On the 77th floor, the CEO’s office was dimly lit, filled with the faint metallic scent of unreleased experimental technology. A young man in formal attire rushed into the room. He was the personal assistant of Zakaria Thorne, the CEO of Ordic Corp. “Mr. Zakaria,” he said urgently. “News just came in. Max Corp has officially been approved to enter Vesula. They purchased a building right in the center of our influence zone.” Silence. Zakaria Thorne, dressed in a sleek metallic gray suit with silver hair slicked back, slowly stood from his chair. His fists clenched at his sides. His eyes radiated a dangerous tension. “I warned them,” he muttered, voice rumbling. “Five years of Max dominating Lanua City... wasn't that e

Max didn’t say a word. He simply stared at the cold bodies on the floor, as if trying to read a hidden message behind their deaths. Frans stood by the window, scanning the perimeter through the reflection on the glass. “There were no signs of struggle, no sound. Not even enough time to scream.” He turned. “They were killed psionically.” Frans rubbed his jaw. "It’s not just a killing. It’s a message telling us to stop this expansion.” Max slowly walked to the center of the room and knelt beside one of the bodies. He touched the victim’s crown with his index finger, then closed his eyes. Silence filled the room. Zoza gave a signal to the Vanta guards. “Secure the building. Set up a patrol perimeter within a two-kilometer radius. Full lockdown. No one gets in or out without clearance.” The Vanta moved without a word. Max walked to the large window on the side of the room. Outside, the city of Vesula was still alive. Cars passed by. Ad drones flew across the skyline. The world