The Cashback God: Spending My Way to World Domination

Chapter 6: The Ghost Army

The aftermath of the Crystal Palace bombing was a chaotic symphony of sirens and screaming reporters. But for Arlo Thorne, the world had gone quiet. He sat in the back of his Rolls-Royce, Elena’s head resting on his shoulder. Her breathing had finally stabilized, but her hand still gripped his tuxedo jacket as if he might vanish into the smoke.

"Mr. Thorne," the driver whispered, looking through the rearview mirror with trembling eyes. "The city council and the police chief are calling. They want to know what happened."

"Block them," Arlo said, his eyes fixed on the holographic interface only he could see. "Tell them I’ll buy the police department tomorrow if they don’t stop vibrating my phone."

Arlo was staring at a map of the world. Thousands of tiny dots were glowing—military contractors, retired special forces, and elite hackers.

[Ding! System Level 3 Feature: 'Loyalty Binding' Active.] [Mission: 'The Sovereign’s Guard'.] [Objective: Recruit a personal security force to counter the Blackwood Syndicate. Requirement: Spend $100 Billion on 'Human Capital'.]

"System," Arlo thought, "Filter for the best. I don't want mercenaries who fight for gold. I want warriors who want to change the world."

[Filtering... 12 Targets Found. Location: The 'Red Zone' - An underground fight club in the city’s industrial slums.]

"Turn the car around," Arlo commanded. "We’re going to the docks."

---

The 'Red Zone' was a place where the law didn't exist. It was a massive, rusted warehouse where former soldiers and disgraced athletes fought for scraps. As Arlo stepped out of his car, his polished shoes crunching on broken glass, a dozen thugs surrounded him.

"You’re in the wrong neighborhood, Pretty Boy," a man with a scarred face sneered, brandishing a lead pipe. "Give us the watch and the girl, and maybe we’ll let you walk back to the hotel."

Arlo didn't even look at them. He was focused on a man in the center ring—a giant with a calm expression, effortlessly taking down three opponents at once.

[Target Identified: Marcus 'The Mountain' Vance. Former Commander of the Elite Ghost Unit. Framed by the Blackwood Syndicate and left for dead.]

"Hey! Are you deaf?!" The thug with the pipe swung at Arlo’s head.

Arlo didn't move until the pipe was inches from his face. Thanks to the 'God-Level Physical Enhancement', the pipe moved like it was underwater. Arlo caught it with two fingers.

The thug’s eyes widened. "What the—"

With a flick of his wrist, Arlo snapped the lead pipe like a dry twig. He then delivered a palm strike to the man’s chest, sending him flying twenty feet back into a stack of steel barrels. The loud CLANG echoed through the warehouse, stopping every fight in the room.

Arlo walked toward the center ring. He pulled out a thick stack of cards—not business cards, but black-gold credit cards, each pre-loaded with $10 million.

"Marcus Vance," Arlo’s voice projected through the warehouse, cold and clear.

The giant in the ring stopped. He looked at Arlo, his eyes narrowing. "Who’s asking?"

"The man who is going to give you the resources to hunt down the people who framed you," Arlo said, tossing a card onto the canvas. "And the man who is going to pay every person in this room a million dollars just to listen to me for five minutes."

The warehouse went dead silent. A million dollars? Just to listen?

"You’re crazy," Marcus said, stepping out of the ring. "You’re just another rich kid playing at being a hero."

"I'm not a hero, Marcus," Arlo said, walking closer until he was face-to-face with the giant. "I'm the owner of the world you live in. I just bought the 'Red Zone' five minutes ago for fifty million dollars. Everyone here now works for me. If you want revenge, I have the names. If you want power, I have the money. If you want a purpose... I have a war."

[Ding! Host has spent $50 Million on 'Property Acquisition'. Rebate: $500 Billion.]

Arlo looked at the crowd of fighters—the broken, the discarded, and the elite. "I am building an army. It’s called 'The Aegis'. Your starting salary is ten million dollars a year. Your first mission: Find every Blackwood agent in this city and bring them to me. Dead or alive, I don't care."

Marcus looked at the black-gold card, then at Arlo’s eyes. He saw a depth of coldness that matched his own. He knelt on one knee, followed by every fighter in the warehouse.

"Commander Vance, reporting for duty," the giant growled.

[Ding! Recruitment Successful!] [Total Spend on 'Aegis Initiative': $100 Billion (Equipment, Base, and Salaries).] [10,000x Rebate Triggered! $1 Quadrillion credited to Host's account!]

---

Back at the Grand Imperial, Elena was waiting in the lounge, her face pale as she watched the news. She saw Arlo enter, followed by twelve of the most terrifying-looking men she had ever seen. Marcus Vance walked behind Arlo like a shadow.

"Arlo... who are these people?" she whispered.

"My shadow," Arlo replied. He turned to Marcus. "Scan the city. I want the Blackwood Syndicate’s financial heart stopped by dawn."

"Sir," Marcus replied, his voice a low rumble. "We've already located their main vault. It's hidden beneath the River City Central Bank."

Arlo’s eyes flashed with a predatory light. The Central Bank—the very place mentioned in the 'Project Genesis' leak.

"Elena," Arlo said, turning to her. "Tomorrow, we’re going to the bank. I need to make a... withdrawal."

"A withdrawal? How much?"

Arlo looked at his phone, where the balance was now a number so large it was displayed in scientific notation.

"Everything," Arlo said. "I’m going to withdraw every cent from the Central Bank until they have nothing left but the dust on the floor. I want to see what they’re hiding in the basement."

[Ding! Mission Unlocked: 'Bankrupting the System'.] [Objective: Cause a total financial collapse of the Blackwood-owned Central Bank by withdrawing a trillion dollars in physical assets.]

Arlo sat on the velvet sofa, pouring himself a drink. He was no longer just a delivery boy. He was no longer just a billionaire. He was a Sovereign. And the city was his chessboard.

"Jackson said money is god," Arlo whispered, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "He was wrong. Money is just the fuel. I am the God."

Outside, the first light of dawn began to touch the skyscrapers. The war had officially moved from the streets to the very foundations of the world’s economy. And Arlo Thorne was holding all the cards.