The next move would not be a test. It would be a response. Ethan Vance kept those words in his mind as he and Victoria left Le Petit Landmark. The three Murphy practitioners had already disappeared into the night, carrying the broken remains of their weapons back to their clan. That was exactly what Ethan wanted. He wanted the Murphy Clan to see the evidence with their own eyes. The broken baton. The shattered blades. The pieces of the wooden staff. He wanted them to understand that the man they had attacked before no longer had the same limits. But Ethan knew the Murphy Clan had more weapons than Qi practitioners. Money was one of them. And money was the weapon he intended to take away. The elevator doors closed behind them. Victoria stood beside Ethan, watching the floor numbers descend. “You’ve been quiet since we left.” Ethan kept his eyes on the display. “I’m thinking.” “About them?” “About what comes next.” Victoria studied his expression. “You’re not plannin

The financial war had begun with billions of dollars.The next move came through a different door.By eight the following morning, Vanguard-Vance Capital was facing an investigation that had not existed when Ethan Vance went to bed.Sarah Lin discovered it first.She had been awake most of the night, monitoring the continuing pressure on the Murphy and Lincoln financial networks, when a government notice appeared across one of her secondary screens.Sarah read it once.Then again.Her fingers stopped above the keyboard.“Ethan,” Sarah said.Ethan was standing near the glass wall of the Horizon Tower command center, watching the city below.He turned.“What happened?”Sarah rotated her monitor toward him.“We have a federal tax investigation.”Ethan walked over.The notice carried official seals, reference numbers, statutory citations, and a list of alleged violations involving Vanguard-Vance Capital.Suspicious capital movements.Undeclared foreign holdings.Potential tax evasion.Pos

The Murphy estate had never felt this quiet.Beyond the reinforced gates, private security patrols moved through the grounds with the same discipline they had maintained for decades. Inside the eastern wing, however, the atmosphere was different.No one spoke casually anymore.The financial screens covering the walls told the story.Murphy-controlled real estate companies were still losing value. Credit lines were tightening. Lenders were demanding additional collateral. Several investment vehicles had begun liquidating assets simply to remain liquid.The federal raid had failed as well.The court had frozen the search before the agents could reach Vanguard-Vance Capital’s private servers, and the investigation was now under judicial scrutiny.At the center of the private sanctuary, the Murphy patriarch stared at the latest figures.“We are losing money every hour.”Across the table, the Lincoln representative studied the same reports.“The market pressure has not stopped,” the Lincol

The convention center had become a controlled emergency zone.Within minutes of the attack, security barriers surrounded the building. Police vehicles filled the surrounding streets while emergency personnel moved through the entrances, clearing the remaining civilians from the premises.Inside, the main auditorium looked like the aftermath of an explosion.A section of the acoustic wall above the stage had been torn apart. Reinforced glass was cracked and scattered across the presentation platform. Equipment had been knocked from its stands, and several cameras had been pushed sideways by the force of the impact.But some of them were still recording.That was what concerned Marcus Holt most.The attack had not happened in a hidden corridor.Hundreds of people had witnessed it.Several cameras had captured it.And Ethan had been standing directly beside Victoria when the projectile struck.Marcus approached Ethan near the rear of the auditorium.“Sir, the main floor is secure.”Ethan

The auditorium had gone completely silent.For several seconds, nobody moved.Nobody spoke.The flattened projectile lay on the stage floor near Ethan’s shoes, reflecting the white stage lights like a piece of twisted metal.Victoria stood behind him, staring at the back of Ethan’s neck.She had watched the projectile strike him.She had heard the impact.She had felt the shockwave.And yet Ethan was still standing.The first scream came from somewhere near the center of the auditorium.Then everything erupted.People pushed away from the stage. Security personnel rushed into the aisles. Several guests ducked beneath their seats while others scrambled toward the exits. Phones were raised instinctively, cameras still recording despite the chaos.The live broadcast had not stopped.Millions of people were watching.The camera mounted above the main stage continued transmitting the scene exactly as it had happened.Ethan standing between Victoria and the direction of fire.The impact.Th