2026-05-21 23:31:25[Beep-Beep! Transaction Approved.]
The terminal flashed a bright green light and a mile-long receipt began to print.
Mr. Sterling's smug smile completely froze.
His eyes widened in absolute horror as he stared at the glowing green screen like he had just seen a ghost. His legs began to shake.
"A-Approved?" Mr. Sterling stuttered... the blood draining completely from his face. "Fifty... fifty million... paid in full?!"
The wealthy patrons in the lobby gasped loudly.
Caleb stepped forward, pulled the card from the machine and slid it back into his pocket.
"Call the owner. Tell him to bring the contract," Caleb ordered.
Ten minutes later, the terrified owner rushed down in his pajamas, signed the transfer papers with trembling hands and ran out with his money.
Caleb stood at the center of the lobby as the sole owner of The Crown Diner.
Mr. Sterling swallowed hard. He forced a sickeningly sweet, trembling smile onto his face and bowed deeply.
"B-Boss!" Mr. Sterling stammered, sweating bullets. "I... I am so sorry for my earlier disrespect. I was blind! Please, let me show you to our finest suite..."
"Save it," Caleb cut him off. "You are fired."
Mr. Sterling's face turned completely white. "What? No! You can't! I have worked here for ten years..."
"Security," Caleb looked at the two guards. "throw this trash out into the alley. If he fights back, break his legs."
The guards did not hesitate. They grabbed their former boss by the collar and dragged him screaming and kicking out the front doors, throwing him into the freezing mud.
[PING!]
[Target experienced severe humiliation and despair. Spending validated by System.]
Caleb felt a rush of dark satisfaction.
But before he could even enjoy the moment, a familiar, arrogant voice drifted down from the sweeping grand staircase.
"Sterling! What is all this noise down here? You are ruining my graduation dinner!"
Caleb slowly looked up.
There, standing on the edge of the VIP balcony, was Julian Vance.
He had a glass of expensive champagne in one hand while his other arm was wrapped tightly around Chloe's waist.
They looked down, expecting to see the manager, but instead, their eyes locked onto Caleb.
Chloe gasped, covering her mouth. "Caleb?! How did you get in here? Are you stalking me?!"
Julian sneered, his face twisting in annoyance. "Didn't I teach you a lesson already, peasant? Guards! Why is this bleeding rat inside this restaurant?!"
The remaining staff members looked at Julian, then looked at Caleb... terrified.
"Sir..." the head waiter whispered to Julian. "He... he isn't a rat. He is the new owner."
Julian froze. "What?!"
Chloe blinked, looking at the waiter like he was crazy. "Owner?! He is a factory worker! He doesn't have a penny to his name!"
Caleb slowly walked to the base of the stairs... looked up at the couple. His broken nose and bloody face made his cold smile look completely terrifying.
"Clear the VIP floor," Caleb commanded loudly, his voice echoing through the entire building.
"Excuse me?!" Julian yelled, his face turning red with rage. "Do you know who I am? I am Julian Vance! I booked the entire second floor!"
"I don't care if you are the President," Caleb said coldly. "I own this building. And I am refusing you service. Staff, take their food and dump it in the trash. Kick them out!"
The staff immediately rushed up the stairs.
Chloe's face drained of all color.
The sheer humiliation of being kicked out of a high-end restaurant on her graduation night—by the very man she had dumped just hours ago—made her legs weak.
"You can't do this!" Chloe screamed, her perfect image shattering as a waiter grabbed her coat.
"Get your hands off me!" Julian roared as the security guards grabbed his expensive suit and forced him down the stairs. "I will ruin you! I will buy this whole block and crush you!"
"Try it," Caleb whispered as Julian was dragged past him.
The guards shoved the billionaire heir and his gold-digging ex out the front doors. They stumbled into the freezing rain, landing right next to the crying manager in the mud.
The wealthy patrons inside whispered in absolute shock. "The arrogant Julian Vance had just been publicly thrown out like a stray dog."
Caleb watched them shiver in the rain through the glass doors. His heart felt lighter than it had in four years.
[PING!]
[Targets experienced massive public humiliation, envy and shock.]
[Mission 1 Complete.]
[Mission 2 Complete.]
[Calculating Rewards...]
Suddenly, a surge of warm, electric energy rushed through Caleb's veins, instantly healing his broken nose and bruised ribs. His muscles tightened with newfound power.
[Reward Granted: Beginner Combat Mastery.]
[Reward Granted: 500 Spite Points.]
Caleb sat on the plush leather sofa in the master office of The Crown Diner.
He looked at his hands. The bruises were completely gone and his broken nose was perfectly straight.
[System Alert: Host is currently too weak to survive high-society warfare.]
[Evaluating Host's current physical state... Result: Absolute Trash. You possess the muscle mass of a sick pigeon and the stamina of a dying rat. A strong breeze could knock you over.]
Caleb frowned. "Did you really have to add that last part? I just bought a fifty-million-dollar restaurant."
[The System only speaks facts. Your newly acquired wealth is not just for buying shiny toys to stroke your fragile ego. The Spite Points you earn from generating negative emotions can unlock superhuman power abilities.]
[Formula: The stronger the envy, rage and shock you cause in others, the more overpowered your rewards become. Right now, you are a rich rat. You need to become a dragon.]
Caleb's eyes locked onto the glowing blue screen. "So, I just need to make people incredibly jealous and angry?"
[Correct. And the fastest way to reach millions of peasants is the internet. Go make them weep.]
Caleb smirked.
He pulled out his cracked smartphone and downloaded 'Global Live', the biggest streaming platform in the world... then created a brand new account.
Username: Anony C.
He did not just join random streams, he launched his own livestream.
He titled it: "Spending $50,000,000 in ten minutes. Cry about it."
At first, only a few dozen people clicked on the stream.
"What is this clickbait?" one user typed in the chat.
"Look at his cracked phone camera. He looks like a beggar," another mocked.
"Bro is streaming from the trash. Report him for scamming," another added.
Caleb did not say a single word. He just smiled coldly at them and mirrored his banking app to the stream screen.
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210
By nightfall, the city of Aetheria shone like a gem under the starry sky.The high-rise glass towers cast warm golden light across the green parks and clean avenues below. The magnetic sky-trains moved gracefully through the air, carrying families to evening concerts, rooftop dinners and celebrations.Caleb stood on the private terrace of his penthouse suite on the 150th floor of CAL Global Headquarters.He held a glass of dark sparkling mineral water, his charcoal jacket unbuttoned, looking out at the endless glowing city.Thomas walked out onto the terrace, holding two cigar boxes... with a deep, relaxed smile on his face."Boss," Thomas said softly, leaning against the railing beside Caleb. "Every news network on the continent is broadcasting the Charter signing. Regional governors from the western coast are already sending trade envoys to sign on."Caleb took a slow sip of his drink, looking out at the peaceful skyline."The world is changing. Thomas," Caleb said smoothly."Than
209
"Under the old Syndicate system," Valerie continued, her voice sharp and precise, "middlemen and corrupt inspectors skimmed up to forty percent of municipal funds through hidden tariffs and fake shipping documents. Under the CAL Data Network, every dollar spent on materials, wages and public works is tracked instantly. Bribes, embezzlement and shadow accounts are mathematically impossible."Caleb looked at the global data streams with a cold, sharp smile. "Total transparency. If an official attempts to steal from the public fund, what happens?""Their access key is automatically revoked by the system," Valerie answered smoothly. "Their account is frozen, and they are reassigned to basic community service. Corruption has been reduced to zero percent across all six sectors."By early afternoon, Caleb, Thomas, Valerie, Jurl and Nora arrived at the industrial district of Block Six to inspect the transformed workplace standards.The old Block Six Iron Sinks had once been a dark, soot-choke
208
"Let's see the facilities, Nora," Caleb said, stepping up the marble stairs alongside her.They walked through the grand double glass doors into the main atrium. The room was vast, filled with natural sunlight streaming through the high arched glass ceiling. Potted indoor trees, quiet water features, and comfortable leather seating areas gave the space the feeling of a peaceful sanctuary rather than a cold hospital.Nora led Caleb and Thomas down the main corridor toward the first diagnostic wing."We have completely eliminated the old paper check-in systems," Nora explained, gesturing toward a row of sleek, white metallic pods lining the wall. "These are our automated diagnostic pods, designed by Leo's team."A seventy-year-old former coal miner from Block Eight named Samuel was sitting inside one of the pods. A soft, non-invasive blue light scanned his body from head to toe in five seconds.[BEEP!]A clear holographic screen appeared above the pod, displaying a full 3D breakdown
207
He wore his tailored suit jacket over his arm, his white shirt collar open at the neck, holding a warm cup of barley tea in his hand.Standing beside him on the balcony were his trusted core team:Thomas (wearing a sharp wool suit, holding an executive portfolio)High Auditor Valerie (looking elegant in her midnight-blue silk suit)Leo (wearing his clean engineering tunic, holding his digital tablet)Jurl (resting his arms on the glass balcony railing)Nora (standing close to Caleb, her green dress rustling softly in the cool evening wind)Below them, the glittering modern metropolis of Aetheria stretched for miles in every direction—a soaring monument of self-healing glass towers, magnetic sky-lanes, clean energy, and thriving joy.Thomas took a slow sip of his own tea, looking out at the glowing skyline with a look of pure, satisfied wonder."Look at that Boss," Thomas said softly... a dry, proud smile on his face. "Three months ago, we were sleeping on wooden cots in a rotted shac
206
A young paper clerk from Sector Four—looked down at the black digital card placed into his hand by a Guild officer.He pressed the side button and a small, glowing blue LED screen on the card illuminated instantly:========================================= CAL SOVEREIGN DIGITAL ACCOUNT[HOLDER]: Ryan's Sector Four Department Division[CURRENT BALANCE]: $500.00 CAL Notes[STATUS]: GUARANTEED MONTHLY DIVIDEND (ACTIVE)[DEBT STATUS]: $0.00 (PERMANENTLY ZERO)=========================================The young clerk looked at the five hundred dollar balance on his card.Tears streamed down his dust-stained cheeks. He clutched the digital card against his chest, falling to his knees on the stone floor, weeping tears happiness."No more debt..." he sobbed, his voice trembling with emotion. "No more interest... no more starving in the dark..."Beside him, thousands of rescued clerks, mothers, sawyers and miners were crying, laughing and hugging each other as they received their new keycards
205
"CHAIRMAN CALEB IS HERE!""LONG LIVE THE CHAIRMAN!"The rear door of the lead SUV opened. Caleb stepped out onto the red carpet, his leather coat catching the light breeze, his charcoal three-piece suit looking impeccable under the midday sun.Thomas, Valerie, Jurl, and Nora joined him, walking up the steps to the main podium.Nora wore an elegant, tailored emerald-green silk dress with a dark coat, her hair pinned up gracefully. Little Lily stood beside her in a small navy dress, waving excitedly at the crowd. When Lily saw Caleb, her face lit up, and she gave him a bright, happy thumbs-up. Caleb offered her a warm, subtle nod before stepping up to the microphone stand.The fifty thousand citizens, workers, and rescued Citadel clerks went dead silent.Caleb placed his hands flat on the podium. He looked out over the vast crowd—at the faces of the miners from Block Eight, the sawyers from Block Seven, the foundry workers from Block Six, and the forty-two thousand freed clerks who
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