The scent of aged mahogany leather and sharp imported perfume filled the main conference room of Lane Corp. Beyond the glass walls of the skyscraper, New York City looked small, as if bowing beneath the feet of the conglomerates seated around the massive oval table. But to Matthew Thomas, the room felt like a coffin slowly closing in.Matthew stood at the end of the table. In his hands, a projector displayed a three-dimensional holographic schematic, a bold, futuristic architectural structure that still preserved a classical aesthetic.“Project Monolith,” Matthew’s voice echoed as he tried to sound firm and commanding enough to reach the entire board of directors gathered that morning. “This project is not just a property expansion but the final legacy of Dominic Lane. My father-in-law designed this foundation five years ago. If we activate the dormant assets in the Northern sector and integrate them with the automated logistics system I designed, Lane Corp will monopolize the distrib

[I AM A COSMIC LEGACY EMBEDDED WITHIN YOUR GENETIC CODE AND ACTIVATED AT THE THRESHOLD OF DEATH. MY FUNCTION IS TO ENSURE YOU DOMINATE EVERY ASSET ON THIS PLANET.]“Mr. Thomas, I’m going to call the doctor right now,” the nurse said quickly before hurrying out of the room, leaving Matthew alone with his digital phantom.Matthew forced himself to sit upright, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs. He stared intensely at the panel.“One trillion dollars,” he hissed. “If I have that kind of money, why does my status still say ‘poor’ with two hundred dollars in the bank?”[THOSE FUNDS ARE FROZEN IN THE ARC GLOBAL VAULT. TO ACCESS THEM, YOU MUST COMPLETE MISSIONS AND INCREASE YOUR AUTHORITY. CURRENTLY, YOU POSSESS LEVEL 0 ACCESS.]“What kind of joke is this?” Matthew laughed bitterly as he grabbed his badly cracked phone from the bedside table. Miraculously, it was still on. “So you’re just a more advanced virtual assistant telling me how rich I am in some dream world, while in reality I jus

“This is going to be an entertaining show,” Carol sneered. “Too bad Viviane isn’t here to witness how pathetic her husband really is.”Matthew immediately pressed his phone against the payment terminal.[ALPHA TRANSACTION : ACTIVATED.][FEDERAL BANK AUTHORIZATION BYPASS : SUCCESS.][INSTANT FUND TRANSFER : $350,000.]The machine fell silent for two seconds that felt like an eternity. Then, with a soft mechanical sound, the receipt slid out. The word APPROVED was printed clearly across it.The smile on Carol’s face vanished instantly. Her eyes widened as she stared at the long strip of paper as if she had just seen a ghost.“I-it went through?” the store manager murmured, his face draining of color. His attitude shifted one hundred and eighty degrees in an instant. His French arrogance evaporated, replaced by the fear of losing a whale client.He immediately bowed deeply. “M-my sincerest apologies for our discourtesy, Mr. Thomas. The transaction was successful. Perfectly successful. Ch

Viviane sat still for a long time. She glanced at the wall clock, then opened the stock app on her tablet and searched for PetroX Energy. The chart was still calm and green. The news feed was clean. No sign of disaster.“You’re completely insane, Matt,” Viviane murmured into the silence of the night. Yet, deep down, for the first time in a very long while, Viviane Lane felt a sliver of terrifying hope. She set her alarm for 8:40 a.m. She had to see it with her own eyes.Meanwhile, in the dark guest room, Matthew stood before the mirror.[MISSION ACTIVATED : WIN THE MONOLITH LAND AUCTION.][CHALLENGE : INSUFFICIENT LIQUIDITY.][SOLUTION : SHORT-TERM SYSTEM LOAN OPTION OR POST-AUCTION ASSET LIQUIDATION?]“System ARC,” Matthew whispered. “Display Emergency Tactical Funding options.”[EMERGENCY TACTICAL FUNDING : AVAILABLE AS ANONYMOUS BOND INSTRUMENTS. REPAYMENT DEADLINE : 24 HOURS. INTEREST : 50 PERCENT EXPERIENCE POINT REDUCTION.]Matthew grinned at his own reflection. “XP interest? Ch

Several days later,The private trading room on the fifteenth floor of the Lane Corp Building reeked of cold sweat and electric tension. Mark Davies, the Junior Executive who had always looked down on Matthew, stood before a wall of giant monitors. His expensive Italian-cut shirt was already soaked at the armpits."Destroy him," Mark hissed, his eyes glued to the Aurora Mining stock chart. "Matthew thinks he's smart because of a little luck the other day beating Mr. Holt? Today I will teach him the difference between a lowly accountant and a true market player," he muttered in annoyance. His hands clenched tight with suppressed rage.Beside him, his execution broker, a young man named Hugo Carter, typed at high speed. "Mr. Davies, we have already spread rumors about an environmental scandal at Aurora's main mine. Market sentiment algorithms are turning negative. Price is down three percent.""That is not enough!" Mark snapped. "I want him to panic. I want him to sell at a loss and cra