The Paralyzed Man's Revenge

Building a Foundation

"System, show me the location right now," Arthur commanded through gritted teeth.

The transparent screen flickered rapidly, projecting a detailed digital map of Glasgow. A blue dot blinked in the city center, right at the Sterling Investigation Group's luxury office building.

[Location detected. Distance: 3.2 kilometers. Main server is located on the 12th floor.]

"They want to ruin Mom's reputation? After everything they did to her?" Arthur muttered, his hands gripping the hospital sheets until his knuckles turned white. "I won't let them."

[Suggestion: Host does not need to be physically present. Use 'Digital Intrusion' via the system interface. Cost: 50 Vengeance Points.]

"Do it," Arthur replied without hesitation. "Enter their server. Destroy anything that could tarnish my mother's reputation."

Instantly, Arthur's vision split. His left eye still saw the dim hospital room, but his right eye was now filled with rows of rapidly flowing green code. He felt as if his consciousness was being pulled out of his paralyzed body, hurtling through the city's fiber optic cables and wireless signals.

"What is this?" Arthur asked as he saw thousands of digital folders before him.

[This is the Sterling archive. Searching for keyword: Eleanor McAlister.]

It only took a few seconds before a document appeared. The contents were disgusting. Edited photos, fake financial reports accusing Eleanor of embezzling foundation funds, and fabricated testimonies about affairs that never happened. Alistair truly wanted to erase every trace of dignity Mom had left.

"Delete everything. Don't leave a single byte," Arthur hissed.

[Deletion process initiated. Warning: Firewall detected. Sterling's IT team is attempting to trace the connection.]

"Block them, System! Don't let them get close!" he shouted inwardly.

[Establishing triple-layer encryption. Deletion 100% complete. Backup data on physical servers has also been destroyed via a short-circuit surge.]

Arthur took a long breath as his vision returned to normal. A massive headache hit him, but his heart felt a little lighter. The emergency mission was accomplished.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Now, show me what Mom hid in her bank account."

[Opening Eleanor McAlister's Secret Account. Password required.]

Arthur fell silent for a moment. He tried to recall every moment with his mother. What did she always say to him? A number? A date? Then Arthur remembered the locket he always wore, a small locket engraved with a Scottish thistle. On the back was a date: 04-09. The day she first held Arthur.

"Try 040918," Arthur said.

[Access Granted. Available Balance: 250,000 GBP.]

"Two hundred and fifty thousand..." Arthur gasped. "Mom... you prepared this for us?"

[Host, this balance is sufficient to start your financial foundation. However, you require advanced intelligence to manage it without being detected by Alistair's banking network.]

"I know," Arthur replied, staring at the Shop menu still floating there. "How much is that Intelligence Booster?"

[Intelligence Booster Level 1: 200 Vengeance Points. Effect: Increases logic processing, multitasking abilities, and global financial market understanding by up to 500%.]

"Buy it now. I can't keep relying on shadow muscles if I want to destroy Dad's business empire," Arthur said firmly.

[Purchase successful. Initiating cognitive synchronization...]

Unlike the pain when his spinal nerves were repaired, this time it felt like Arthur's head was being doused with crystal-clear ice water. Suddenly, the world felt much slower. Arthur could see patterns he hadn't understood before. As he looked at the television screen in the corner of the room broadcasting economic news, the moving numbers at the bottom of the screen suddenly had meaning for him. He knew where capital was flowing, he knew which companies were on the brink of bankruptcy, and he knew where their security loopholes were.

"Incredible," he muttered. "I can see everything now."

A week passed. Arthur was still at Glasgow General, but his routine had completely changed. Publicly, he was a paralyzed patient who diligently underwent light physiotherapy and rarely spoke. But behind the darkness of night, he was a ghost in the digital world.

"How are you feeling today, Arthur?" Dr. Graham entered the room with his clipboard.

"The same, Doc," he replied with a weak smile, a perfect act. "My legs still feel like stones."

"Be patient. Nerve progress is indeed slow," he patted Arthur's shoulder before turning to Lily. "And you, little Lily? Ready to eat your soup?"

Lily just stared at him with her large, clear eyes, then nodded slowly. She hadn't made a sound since that night, but she was starting to show reactions. That was enough for Arthur for now.

After Dr. Graham left, Arthur immediately returned to the cheap laptop he had requested from the hospital under the pretext of studying. On his screen, it wasn't a textbook that was open, but a high-frequency stock trading interface modified by the system.

"What's the total now, System?" he asked.

[The initial capital of 250,000 GBP has grown to 820,000 GBP through margin trading in the Asian markets overnight.]

"Almost a million," Arthur smirked. "Now, let's find a backdoor into McAlister Enterprises."

[Scanning McAlister Enterprises' internal network. Military-grade encryption detected.]

"Nothing is impossible for us, right?" Arthur typed several lines of code he had just learned from the 'database' provided by the Intelligence Booster. "Use the 'Ghost-In-The-Shell' protocol. Enter through the ventilation servers of their central building in Edinburgh."

[Access successful. You are now inside Alistair McAlister's secret accounting system.]

Arthur's eyes gleamed as he saw the incredibly large numbers there. Hundreds of millions of pounds laundered through various shell companies. Alistair wasn't just a CEO; he was a very meticulous white-collar criminal.

"Look at this... a tactical fund account for 'Evelyn's Charity'," Arthur laughed cynically. "A charity fund that exists only to buy jewelry and bribe the police."

[What action does the Host wish to take?]

"Take one million pounds from that account," Arthur ordered. "Move it through ten banks in different countries, then deposit it into our anonymous account in the Caymans. Make sure the trail leads to the law firm Julian usually uses to cover up his accident cases."

[Command received. Executing illegal transfer...]

Arthur leaned back in his wheelchair, watching the progress bar on the laptop screen. Every percentage point gained was another slap in Alistair's face.

"If he wants to play with power, let's see how he reacts when the source of his power starts leaking," Arthur whispered.

Suddenly, a red alarm sounded from his system interface. Not because Arthur had been caught, but because of something else.

[Warning! Strange activity detected in Lily McAlister's personal account. Someone is attempting to cash out a life insurance policy in her name.]

Arthur's blood boiled instantly. Lily was still alive, and they were already trying to cash in on her death?

"Who?" Arthur asked in a voice so low it sounded like an animal's growl.

[Authority granted by: Julian Vance.]

Arthur slammed his laptop shut. The satisfaction from winning a million pounds earlier vanished, replaced by a burning rage. Julian was truly impatient to die.

"System, give me Julian's current location," Arthur commanded, reaching for the water bottle beside his bed.

[Julian Vance detected at 'The Highland's Peak' nightclub, Edinburgh. He is celebrating his new business 'success'.]

Arthur stared at his legs, which he could now move fully if he wanted to. However, he had to restrain himself. It wasn't time yet for the world to know that Arthur McAlister had risen.

"Tonight, Julian will learn that celebrating the death of someone who is still alive is a fatal mistake," he hissed. "System, prepare Shadow Walk. We're going to Edinburgh."

Suddenly, Arthur's room door opened slightly. Nurse Sarah entered, her face pale.

"Arthur... there's someone who wants to see you. He says he's a new lawyer sent by your father to discuss... Lily's custody."

Arthur turned toward the door, and there stood a man with a black briefcase, smiling in a way that made him want to rip the man's heart out.