THE ABSOLUTE APPRAISER SYSTEM

Chapter 7: The Midnight Horizon.

The boardroom remained completely silent as Arthur Vance grabbed the edge of the marble table, his chest heaving. The definitive proof Ryan had displayed using a simple laser pointer had left the entire board of directors completely stunned. Victoria stood up, her cold, sharp gaze locking directly onto her uncle.

"Security, lock the doors," Victoria ordered, her voice cutting through the heavy silence like ice. "No one leaves this floor until we find out where the real Imperial Seal is."

"Victoria, you can't do this!" Arthur stammered, pulling out a silk handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat pouring down his forehead. "I am a major shareholder! You have absolutely no proof that I had anything to do with this counterfeit!"

Ryan chuckled softly, stepping forward until he was standing right across from Arthur. With his Tier 2 Aura Reading fully active, he could see the dark crimson aura surrounding Arthur pulsing violently with panic. The holographic interface in his vision provided an exact, real-time update on the older man's thoughts.

[Target: Arthur Vance.]

[Current Thoughts: The kid couldn't possibly know. The real seal is locked in the biometric safe at the Horizon Logistics Warehouse, Room 402 near the harbor. The exchange with the Genesis Group is scheduled for exactly 1:00 AM tonight.]

"You want proof, Mr. Vance?" Ryan said smoothly, his eyes narrowing with dangerous confidence. "Then let's talk about the Horizon Logistics Warehouse down by the northern harbor. Specifically, Room 402. I wonder what your contacts from the Genesis Group will do when they show up at one in the morning tonight, only to find the police waiting for them alongside the real Jade Seal?"

Arthur’s eyes went completely wide. He staggered backward, knocking his leather executive chair over with a loud crash. He looked at Ryan as if the young man were a demon masquerading in a tailored suit. "How... how could you possibly know about the harbor?"

His involuntary reaction told the entire room everything they needed to know. The remaining board members gasped, completely turning away from Arthur in disgust.

Victoria didn't waste a single second. She turned to her chief of security. "Arrest Master Thomas and hold Arthur in the private security office. Block all outgoing calls from their personal devices immediately." She then turned her sharp, intense gaze to Ryan, her eyes shining with absolute admiration. "Ryan, we need to move. If the exchange is at one in the morning, we have less than two hours to secure the harbor warehouse before the Genesis Group realizes something is wrong."

"I'll lead the way," Ryan nodded calmly.

Within fifteen minutes, a convoy of three black, armored SUVs tore out of the Vance corporate garage, speeding through the neon-lit city streets toward the industrial shipping docks. Ryan sat in the plush leather back seat of the lead vehicle next to Victoria. The heavy silence inside the car was charged with adrenaline.

Victoria looked over at him, her fingers lightly tapping against her knee. "Ryan, tonight decides the absolute survival of the Vance Group. If we recover the real seal, we ruin our rivals and cement our position. If we fail, the gala is ruined. I am placing everything on your word."

"Relax, Ms. Vance," Ryan replied, looking out the tinted window as the city lights blurred past. "My eyes never lie."

Within fifteen minutes, a convoy of three black, armored SUVs tore out of the Vance corporate garage, speeding through the neon-lit city streets toward the industrial shipping docks. Ryan sat in the plush leather back seat of the lead vehicle next to Victoria. The heavy silence inside the car was charged with adrenaline.

Victoria looked over at him, her fingers lightly tapping against her knee. "Ryan, tonight decides the absolute survival of the Vance Group. If we recover the real seal, we ruin our rivals and cement our position. If we fail, the gala is ruined. I am placing everything on your word."

"Relax, Ms. Vance," Ryan replied, looking out the tinted window as the city lights blurred past. "My eyes never lie."

[System Notification: Host has actively protected the Vance Group’s primary asset. Karma points accumulating... Tier 2 system stability optimized.]

[New System Prompt: Hidden danger detected within the perimeter of Horizon Logistics Warehouse. Multiple armed guards detected.]

Ryan’s eyes shifted as the warning popped up. The stakes were escalating rapidly. This wasn't just a simple appraisal job anymore; it was a head-on collision with the criminal underworld that backed the city's wealthiest elites.

The convoy killed its headlights as it neared the dark, rusted gates of the Horizon Logistics compound. The northern harbor was completely deserted, save for the distant, rhythmic crashing of the dark ocean waves against the concrete docks. Fog rolled thick across the gravel yard, shrouding the massive corrugated iron warehouses in shadow.

The bodyguards stepped out of the vehicles silently, drawing their tactical equipment. Ryan and Victoria followed closely, moving through a side security door that had been forced open by their vanguard team.

The interior of Warehouse 4 was dimly lit, smelling heavily of sea salt, industrial oil, and wooden crates. Ryan led the team up a flight of rusted iron stairs toward the upper office units. When they reached the door marked 402, Ryan signaled for the guards to halt.

He triggered his system scan through the heavy steel door.

[Target: Warehouse Room 402 Interior.]

[Threat Assessment: Four elite mercenaries hired by the Genesis Group hidden behind the crates. Two are armed with tactical batons, two are holding suppressed firearms.]

[Asset Location: A titanium biometric safe placed under the desk. Password hint: Arthur’s wedding anniversary (0814).]

Ryan leaned closer to the lead Vance bodyguard, whispering in a low tone. "There are four men inside. Two on the left behind the iron racks, two on the right behind the wooden pallets. The two on the right are armed with firearms. Take them out first."

The lead bodyguard looked at Ryan in absolute shock, but a firm nod from Victoria forced him to comply. The guards lined up, counted down to three with their fingers, and violently kicked the steel door off its hinges.

BANG!

The room erupted into sudden, chaotic violence. Because of Ryan’s precise intel, the Vance bodyguards bypassed the blind spots entirely, firing non-lethal tactical rounds immediately to the right and left. The hidden mercenaries didn't even have a chance to raise their weapons before they were slammed into the concrete floor and pinned down securely.

Within thirty seconds, the entire room was completely neutralized.

Victoria stepped over the groaning thugs, her heart pounding as she looked toward the heavy desk in the center of the office. Ryan walked past her, kneeling directly in front of the titanium safe hidden underneath. Without asking for a key, his fingers danced across the digital biometric keypad, entering the secret four-digit code the system had provided: 0-8-1-4.

CLICK.

The heavy titanium door swung open smoothly. Inside, nestled within an elegant velvet case, sat the true Imperial Jade Dragon Seal. Under the faint office light, the translucent jade radiated a deep, mystical green glow, completely unblemished and absolutely flawless.

Victoria let out a long breath she didn't realize she had been holding, a brilliant, breathtaking smile breaking across her face. She looked down at the young man kneeling by the safe as if he were a miracle incarnate.

"We actually did it," she whispered.

Ryan picked up the genuine case, standing up to hand it to her. As he did, the system interface flared to life with a triumphant golden banner right across his vision.

[Ding! Strategic Asset Successfully Recovered!]

Total Net Worth Update: $40,500 cash + $120,000 asset + $7,000,000 corporate backing value = $7,160,500.]

[System Notice: Host has unlocked the first tier of the 'Capital Overlord' status. Tier 3 upgrade path initialized!]