The bodyguards who had been following Mr. Lance immediately became anxious when they realized he was nowhere to be found. The executives also spread out across the banquet hall, searching every corner of the building. Minutes passed, but none of them could find even a trace of him."Mr. Lance!""Chairman!"The calls echoed throughout the hall as panic slowly began spreading among the guests. Everyone started looking around, wondering how someone as important as Mr. Lance could suddenly disappear without anyone noticing.Just then..."Yaaaaaaah!"A terrified scream suddenly echoed through the building.Everyone froze. The scream had come from the direction of the men's restroom.Without hesitation, the bodyguards, executives, and guests all rushed toward the source of the scream. Standing at the restroom entrance was a waiter, trembling violently as he pointed inside with a pale face, unable to utter a complete sentence."T-There..."Everyone immediately looked inside. The moment their

The next day, inside the sleek glass-walled boardroom of the Newop building, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The board leaders were already firmly under Raphael's thumb, bought out and manipulated. All that remained was for them to sign the final papers, officially crowning him as the new Chief Executive Officer.Raphael sat at the head of the polished mahogany table, a smug, triumphant smile plastered across his face as he watched the executives review the paperwork.Standing up at the front of the room, the senior elder of the board cleared his throat and raised a ceremonial stamp. "With this final stamp," the elder announced grandly, "we officially installed Raphael as our new CEO."Just as the elder brought the stamp down toward the document, the heavy double doors of the boardroom suddenly swung wide open.All heads snapped toward the entrance. Striding into the room with absolute calm and authority was Gerald, flanked closely by Janet, whose expression was sharp and reso

Marcus smiled smoothly, nodding in mock politeness. "Right this way," he said, gesturing down the dim, concrete corridor. He maneuvered Gerald toward a heavy metal door at the end of the hall, pushing it open to reveal a dimly lit room where Erena was tied tightly to a chair.As soon as Erena caught sight of him through her tear-stained eyes, she gasped, her voice desperate and choked. "Mr... Mr. Gerald!"Gerald instinctively took a sharp step forward, desperate to rush to her side, but Marcus swiftly moved to block his path, a cruel grin spreading across his face."Hold on, hold on," Marcus chuckled, raising a hand. "Your little girlfriend—sorry, what was it? Should I call her your stepdaughter instead? Anyway, you're not getting her back until you give me what you owe."Marcus leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing greedily. "I want fifty percent of the total amount you borrowed. That means one hundred and fifty million dollars, right here, right now. Otherwise..." He gestured casual

Gerald’s frown deepened as he studied the two dusty men outside his window. “How do you know about the apocalypse?” he asked flatly.The heavier one smirked, a greasy curl of the lip that immediately set Gerald’s teeth on edge. “You don’t remember us? You used to be good with us.”The thinner man leaned closer, voice low and familiar in the worst way. “I’m Ferran. He’s Jude.”The names hit like a slap. Gerald’s pupils tightened. During the apocalypse, these two had been part of his early scavenging group. When food grew scarce they had gone out together. Gerald had done the hard work—climbing wrecked shelves, hauling crates while the other two lagged behind. He had still offered to share everything equally. That night they waited until he slept, then beat him nearly to death with iron pipes and left him bleeding in an alley. The pain, the betrayal, the cold concrete against his broken ribs—none of it had faded.He stared at them now, blinking once. “You also returned here.”Fer

Meanwhile, Raphael returned to the NewTop headquarters.Actually, his determination to acquire the company had never been about ordinary business expansion.He had an insider.For months, one of NewTop's senior researchers had secretly fed him confidential information in exchange for money. The latest report had caught Raphael's complete attention.According to the insider, NewTop's laboratories were on the verge of completing an experimental serum capable of dramatically increasing the human body's resistance to extreme cold.Early tests suggested a person injected with the serum could survive freezing temperatures that would normally prove fatal for as long as three weeks.To Raphael, it sounded like a gold mine.Mountain expeditions. Arctic research teams. Military operations. Emergency rescue organizations. Even wealthy adventurers climbing the world's highest peaks. Countless people die every year from hypothermia.If NewTop truly possessed such a serum, every government and priv