Heavy rain pounded the roof of the old mansion on the outskirts of the Western Sector, masking the sound of a car engine that was hastily switched off in the parking courtyard. Two figures stepped out of the vehicle in a hurry, pulling their thick coats over their faces to shield themselves from the glow of the cyber streetlights. Julian Vance and Chloe Miller. The two heirs of business dynasties who had dominated the city's stock market only yesterday now stumbled through the dark corridor toward Thomas Sterling's secret study. The atmosphere inside the room was suffocating, heavy with the scent of expensive cigars and the stifling tension of political intrigue. Thomas Sterling sat behind his massive mahogany desk, narrowing his eyes as he watched the arrival of the two cornered rats. There was no warmth, no formal greeting—only the chilling aura of a seasoned politician watching his investment crumble before his eyes. "Two brilliant heirs to their respective thrones," Thomas Ster

Inside the main command center of the Northern Sector military headquarters, the atmosphere stood in stark contrast to the seedy bar and the conspiracy-filled office of the Western faction. Soundproof steel walls reinforced with polymer panels enclosed dozens of massive monitors displaying the city's cyber data streams in real time. At the center of the room, General Yudha Negara stood with impeccable posture. His three-star military uniform was perfectly pressed, radiating the absolute authority feared by every elite faction in the city.Yet before a young man sitting leisurely in a single leather chair, the General lowered his head in profound respect.Raymond. The man who spent his days wearing a worn cloth apron and wiping café tables while enduring Julian Vance's insults now sat with remarkable composure. He wore nothing more than a plain black shirt, yet his pair of pitch-black eyes exuded a chilling aura capable of freezing the courage of anyone daring enough to meet his gaze.

The sound of the luxurious wall clock ticking in the master bedroom of the Sterling residence seemed to race against the increasingly pounding heartbeat. The long-awaited night had finally arrived. Under the city sky that was beginning to grow dim with the sway of cyber neon lights, the atmosphere inside the minimalist house felt so starkly in contrast with the hustle and bustle of the banquet preparations outside.Natalie Sterling stood in front of a large floor-to-ceiling mirror. A modern-style evening gown with a distinct Korean cut in deep maroon hugged her slender body perfectly. The bold maroon color contrasted sharply with her porcelain skin, giving off the impression of the elegance of a dominant yet captivating upper-faction CEO. Her black hair was tied in a modern bun, leaving a few strands framing her beautiful face."Miss Natalie, the pickup car from the Sterling Group protocol team has arrived in front of the gate," Alena reported via a cyber call hanging in the room's ai

The shrill ringtone of an encrypted cyber phone echoed inside a cheap rental car parked two blocks away from the five-star hotel hosting Sterling Group's banquet. Julian Vance gripped the phone with fingers slick with cold sweat. His face was rigid as his eyes remained fixed on the screen displaying layered cyber scan data from the outside faction's network.Beside him, Chloe Miller bit her fingernail in pure anxiety that steadily eroded the last remnants of her psychological composure. The reality that they now had to hide inside a low-class vehicle struck their upper-class pride to its very core.Click.The call connected. A three-dimensional holographic projection appeared in the darkness of the car's cabin, revealing a middle-aged man dressed in a dark silk formal suit typical of the outside faction. The man was Mr. Zhang, an international speculative investor infamous for his ruthlessness in the underground stock market, a financial predator who always fed on dying companies."Mr