Dark Eclipse Apocalypse: Reborn As The God Of Light

4

Gideon paused at the door and glanced back over his shoulder with a cold, golden glint in his eyes.

"Don't worry," Gideon muttered softly. "You won't be around to collect it."

Gideon drove his black SUV back toward the center of Metro City.

He didn't head back to his architectural firm. 

Instead, he pulled into the basement parking garage of Metro Commercial Center and took the express elevator straight up to Floor 40—the corporate headquarters of Metro Tower Management Group.

The elevator doors opened into a glass lobby.

A young female receptionist in a black blazer looked up from her computer screen, smiling politely.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome to Metro Management. How can I help you today?"

"I need to speak with your chief commercial leasing director," Gideon said, walking up to her desk without stopping. "Right now."

The receptionist blinked, caught off guard by his sharp, commanding tone. "Do you have an appointment, sir? Mr. Henderson is usually fully booked on Monday mornings—"

"Tell him Gideon Vance is here to sign a full upfront cash lease for Floors 48, 49 and 50," Gideon interrupted, leaning against her desk. "Tell him I have five million dollars ready to transfer today."

The receptionist's eyes widened. 

She grabbed her desk phone immediately and dial an internal extension with trembling fingers.

Two minutes later, a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a high-end suit hurried out of a corner office, extending his hand with a broad, greedy smile.

"Mr. Vance! What a pleasant surprise!" Mr. Henderson exclaimed. "I heard you were looking into expanding your architecture firm's office space, but three whole top floors?"

Gideon ignored the offered handshake and walked straight past him into his private office. "Let's skip the small talk, Henderson. I know the corporate firm holding the lease for Floors 49 and 50 went bankrupt last week. Those floors are currently empty."

Henderson closed the office door and sat behind his desk, clearing his throat. "Well... yes, that is true. But three entire floors at the top of the central tower? That's over sixty thousand square feet of prime real estate. The monthly commercial rent alone is—"

"I am paying three years of rent upfront," Gideon said flatly, pulling out his laptop and placing it on the desk. "In cash. Direct bank wire transfer within ten minutes."

Henderson froze. 

His jaw dropped slightly. "Three years? Upfront? Mr. Vance... that... that would come out to roughly two point eight million dollars!"

"Three million," Gideon corrected him, staring straight into his eyes. "I will pay three million dollars cash right now. But I have three non-negotiable conditions."

Henderson swallowed hard, his eyes shining with greed. "Name them, Mr. Vance. Anything reasonable can be arranged for a client paying three years in advance."

"First, I want complete, exclusive structural control over Floors 48, 49 and 50," Gideon said, pointing at the laptop screen. "Including full override access to the primary stairwell access points, structural support beams and ventilation shafts."

"Done," Henderson said without hesitation. "You're an architect anyway. You know the building's code better than our maintenance team."

"Second, I am bringing in my own private industrial construction crew starting today," Gideon continued, his voice sharp. "They will be working twenty-four hours a day, non-stop, until the modifications are complete. No security checks from your building staff, no interference and no questions asked."

Henderson hesitated for a brief second, rubbing his chin. "Twenty-four-hour industrial construction? What about the tenants on Floor 47? They might complain about the noise during the night—"

"Add fifty thousand dollars to your personal commission check," Gideon said coldly. "Tell Floor 47 it's emergency structural reinforcement for the tower's upper roof array."

Henderson's hesitation vanished instantly and a wide, slimey grin spread across his face. "Consider it done, Mr. Vance! And your third condition?"

"I want the master key cards and digital access codes for the main elevator hoist motors on Floor 48," Gideon said. "I am installing private secondary power lines from the roof generators directly to my floors."

"No problem at all," Henderson said, pulling out a thick drawer and bringing out a stack of legal commercial lease documents. "We can sign the agreement right now."

Gideon pulled the contract toward himself, scanning every clause with his eyes.

He verified the structural override clauses, confirmed the lease dates and signed his name at the bottom of every page.

He opened his mobile banking app, typed in the corporate escrow account details and executed a three-million-dollar wire transfer.

[PING!]

A quiet notification chimed in his mind.

[System Alert: High-Altitude Base Territory Acquired!]

[Territory Defined: Metro Commercial Center (Floors 48, 49 & 50)]

[Territory Level: Level 1 Unfortified Outpost]

[God of Light Domain Effect Unlocked: All construction speed, structural durability and energy conduction within the territory increased by 200%!]

Gideon closed his laptop, feeling a surge of satisfaction in his chest.

He now officially held total control over the top three floors of the tallest skyscraper in the commercial district.

"The master key cards will be activated in one hour, Mr. Vance," Henderson said, shaking the signed contract in his hand like a prized trophy. "It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

Gideon stood up, buttoning his jacket. "Keep the elevator shafts clear for my supply trucks starting at noon, Henderson. If a single delivery is delayed, I take back my commission."

"Of course! I'll personally inform the basement loading bay staff!" Henderson promised, bowing slightly as Gideon walked out.

Gideon stepped back into the elevator... press the button for the underground parking garage.

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number he hadn't called in years.

The phone rang three times before a rough, deep voice answered over the sound of metal grinding and electric sparks.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Gideon listened to the familiar voice of his younger brother, Mark Vance.

In his past life, Mark had been a brilliant mechanical welder who was cheated out of his workshop by corrupt business partners.

Gideon had been too wrapped up in Jessica's demands to help his brother back then, leaving Mark to struggle alone in the industrial district while the world ended.

"Mark," Gideon said, his voice softening slightly for the first time all day. "It's Gideon."

"Gideon?" Mark sounded surprised, the sound of grinding metal stopped in the background. "Hey, man. It's been a while. Is everything okay? You sound... different."