DOOMSDAY MERCHANT

Chapter 3: The First Face-Slap

Chapter 3: The First Face-Slap

​Han didn’t flinch as the bright floodlights washed over him. He stood calmly amidst the silent, towering steel warehouses, his hands casually tucked into his suit pockets.

​The head of security, a broad-shouldered man named Captain Vance, stepped forward with a heavy metallic clack of his boots against the asphalt. Behind him, six perimeter guards fanned out, forming a tight arc to block every exit.

​"Young Master Long was generous enough to send us before you ruined yourself entirely, Mr. Han," Vance said, his voice dripping with condescension. He held up a smartphone displaying a live video call.

​On the screen sat Long Wei, lounging in a leather high-back chair in his penthouse suite, a glass of crystal champagne in hand.

​"Han Qing," Long Wei’s voice broadcasted smoothly through the phone’s speaker, full of smug amusement. "Did you really think I wouldn't track your vehicle? Buying dead mines, sneaking around wholesale yards in the middle of the night... you’ve completely lost your mind. Or are you trying to play some pathetic game to get my attention?"

​Han looked at the screen, his expression as still as deep water. "You sent seven men just to talk, Long Wei?"

​"I sent them to bring you back to reality," Long Wei scoffed, taking a slow sip of his drink. "You liquidated over a hundred million dollars out of our joint venture. That money belongs in the Long Conglomerate's expansion fund, not wasted on dirt and grain. Sign the reassignment papers Vance has with him, hand over your remaining capital, and I’ll oversee your mental care personally. Refuse... and you’ll spend tonight in a private detention facility until you see reason."

​Vance pulled a thick legal document from his jacket and stepped into Han's personal space, thrusting a pen toward his chest. "Sign, Mr. Han. Don't make this difficult."

​A slow, cold smile spread across Han's face.

​"You always were short-sighted, Long Wei," Han said quietly, addressing the phone. "You think money and corporate pressure make you invincible. But in six months, your contracts will be useless trash, and this phone in your hand won't even buy you a swallow of clean water."

​Long Wei’s smile vanished, replaced by an icy scowl. "Vance. Restrain him and take his phone. Let him think about his arrogance in a dark room."

​"Understood, Young Master," Vance grunted. He reached out a heavy, calloused hand to grab Han by the collar.

​System: Spatial Domain Activate.

​[Subspace Domain Initiated (50-Meter Radius)]

[Target Identified: Security Personnel Equipment & Vehicles]

[Executing Instant Transfer...]

​Before Vance’s fingers could touch Han’s lapel, a silent ripple distorted the air.

​SWOOSH!

​In less than a fraction of a millisecond, every piece of equipment carried by the seven guards—their tactical vests, communication headsets, body cameras, heavy security batons, and even Vance’s phone vanished into thin air.

​Not stopping there, the three heavy black SUVs idling behind them instantly disappeared, leaving behind only small clouds of exhaust where the vehicles had been idling a moment before.

​Vance’s hand froze mid-air. He blinked, staring blankly at his empty palm, then looked down at his chest. His tactical vest was gone. He spun around rapidly and the three multi-ton SUVs were completely gone, leaving three empty parking spots on the bare concrete.

​"W-What... where are the trucks?!" one of the guards shrieked, stumbling backward in sheer terror. "My gear! My phone! It just disappeared!"

​Panic erupted instantly among the seven men. They scrambled around, looking at the empty ground, their faces draining of all color.

​On the phone screen which now lay flat on the ground where Vance had dropped it before it too vanished, Long Wei’s frantic, tinny voice could be heard cutting off mid-sentence as the connection severed.

​Han took a slow step forward. The remaining confidence Vance possessed shattered into a thousand pieces. He fell back on his rear, staring up at Han as if looking at an ancient monster disguised in a tailored suit.

​"How... What kind of trick is this?!" Vance stammered, scrambling backward on his hands and knees.

​Han stopped right in front of him, looking down with absolute indifference.

​"Go back and tell Long Wei that his influence stops where I stand," Han said softly, his voice carrying an authority that made the grown men shiver in the cool night air. "And tell him to enjoy his penthouse. Because when the sky turns dark, he will be begging on his knees at my door for a single bowl of rice."

​Without waiting for a response, Han turned his back on the paralyzed security team and walked casually toward the main gates.

​With a simple flick of his wrist, the massive iron locks securing the distribution hub vanished directly into his subspace, allowing the heavy gates to swing open smoothly.

​He stepped out into the street, pulling a sleek black satellite phone from his pocket, one he had purchased independently hours earlier.

​He dialed a private number.

​"Mr. Han?" answered a crisp, professional female voice on the first ring. It was Su Lin, a former brilliant financial analyst and logistical coordinator whom Han knew from his past life. She had recently been ousted from a rival firm due to corporate sabotage and was currently unemployed.

​"Su Lin," Han said, his tone decisive. "I just transferred $50 million into an escrow account under your name. I need you to hire every top-tier subterranean engineering crew in the province and buy out three major agricultural supply chains by tomorrow afternoon."

​There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, followed by the sharp sound of Su Lin sitting up straight. "Fifty million? Mr. Han... What exactly are we building?"

​"We are building the safest place on Earth," Han replied, looking up at the clear, starry night sky. "And we have 179 days left to hoard everything humanity needs to survive."

​As he flagged down a passing luxury taxi, a golden system notification flared brightly across his vision:

​[First Confrontation Complete: Antagonist Forces Humiliated!]

[System Reward: 5,000 Trade Points Granted!]

[Subspace Purchasing Engine Upgraded to Level 2: Unlocking Direct Material Duplication!]

​[Global Cataclysm Countdown: 179 Days, 21 Hours, 12 Minutes.]