Unlimited Transaction System

After the Storm of Destruction

"Mr. Arkan, watch out!"

Elena's scream was swallowed by the deafening crash of the VVIP elevator door being smashed apart. In the total darkness, flashes of sparking electricity briefly illuminated the silhouettes of several heavily built men armed with tactical weapons as they moved with terrifying speed. My heart pounded, yet the System's icy presence refused to let panic take hold. Before the intruders could even raise their weapons, Elena exploded into motion through the darkness. Bones shifted with sickening cracks, followed by muffled groans of pain.

Only three brutal minutes later, silence returned.

When the emergency lights flickered on with a dim crimson glow, smoke already filled the room. Three unidentified attackers lay unconscious across the marble floor, while Elena stood in front of the desk, breathing slightly harder than usual as she wiped a streak of blood from the corner of her mouth.

"They're professionals, sir," Elena whispered, her eyes blazing with vigilance. "But they weren't here to kill you... they were downloading something."

I stared at the blood-red holographic System display blinking across my vision.

[External Intervention Blocked. Rival System User Has Severed the Tracking Link.]

Damn it.

Whoever possessed that other System had just declared open war.

The next morning, the headquarters of PT Arkadia Logistics still carried the lingering tension from the previous night. Morning sunlight streamed through the building's stained glass windows, illuminating countless drifting dust particles as though trying to chase away the lingering chill.

"The total value of assets liquidated during last night's transition period is eight hundred fifty million dollars."

Elena's voice remained calm, almost emotionless, as if such an astronomical figure were nothing more than a handful of board game coins.

I leaned back into the luxurious genuine leather chair that now belonged entirely to me. Taking a sip of black coffee without sugar, I tried to steady myself after a night filled with brutal combat and ruthless stock market sabotage.

"What's left of the real estate sector after last night's sabotage?" I asked, suppressing the anger slowly rising inside my chest.

Elena tapped the small holographic screen hovering above her desk. Red lines, symbols of heavy losses, still stretched across several critical points.

"Construction on the Green Oasis project on the outskirts of the city has been forcibly suspended. The main contractor terminated the contract after coming under pressure from one of the major families. They're using environmental regulations as an excuse to seal off the site."

"So it isn't really about environmental issues, is it?"

"Exactly," Elena replied. "Their goal isn't to destroy the building itself, Arkan. They want to freeze your liquid assets. If this property remains stalled, your System will fall into a negative balance next quarter."

I rose from my chair and walked toward the massive window overlooking Arkadia's Financial District. The towering skyscrapers resembled gravestones for those who lost.

"Who benefits the most from shutting down the project?"

"Hendra from the Three Pillars construction group. His family is well known for controlling property bureaucracy through bribery."

Just as I clenched my fist, the phone on my desk erupted with a series of vibrations.

A System Dashboard notification appeared.

[WARNING: Property Sector Liquidity Crisis Detected.]

[Main Mission Unlocked: "Operation Construction Rescue."]

Reward: Additional liquidity injection of 500 million dollars & System Protection Phase II.

Warning: Failure = Forced seizure of all property assets by the bank.

"How underhanded," I muttered.

A harsh knock suddenly echoed from the door.

Without waiting for my response, it swung wide open.

A sharply dressed man in a custom Italian suit worth thousands of dollars walked inside wearing an insultingly smug smile. He was Hendra's personal assistant.

"Mr. Arkan, I hope last night's unfortunate news hasn't ruined your appetite for lunch," he greeted smoothly, his voice carrying a subtle edge of intimidation.

I looked at him expressionlessly from my chair.

Elena instinctively shifted to my side, her hands settling into an almost imperceptible defensive stance.

"Unfortunate news?" I repeated, casually spinning a pen between my fingers. "I think you've come to the wrong office. I don't recall losing anything. In fact, I was just about to celebrate a new beginning."

The man chuckled before placing a thick envelope on my oak desk.

"Mr. Hendra asked me to remind you that the construction business is a harsh world for newcomers. Don't force yourself to become a major player when your financial foundation is barely as thick as a postcard. Withdraw from Green Oasis before this matter drags you into court."

My jaw tightened.

Memories of being humiliated as a poor courier resurfaced, igniting the fury burning inside my chest.

I slowly stood and leaned across the desk until only inches separated us.

"Tell your boss this," I said quietly, my voice trembling with restrained menace as my eyes locked onto his. "I've survived on streets far harsher than anything your family has ever known. Cheap threats from people like you are nothing more than passing wind. I accept this warning as an official challenge. And remember this well. Never test my patience unless you're prepared to watch the entire Three Pillars dynasty be reduced to rubble."

The man flinched.

His arrogant smile vanished for a brief moment under the weight of my fury before he forced another smile onto his face, turned around, and left without another word.

The moment he disappeared, I looked at Elena.

"How much money is left in our operating account?"

"Approximately two hundred million dollars after last night's server cleanup expenses."

"Use half of it to purchase ten percent of Three Pillars' subsidiary on the open market today. Use anonymous accounts."

Elena's eyes widened slightly.

"Arkan, that'll make them realize we're launching a counterattack."

"Good," I snapped, my emotions still boiling over. "If they want to cripple my property business, I'll cut off their capital from the inside."

My phone suddenly chimed again.

This time, the System displayed a brand-new feature glowing in brilliant gold.

[Insider Trading System: Market Simulation Mode (Preview) Activated.]

My vision blurred for a split second.

When it cleared, a transparent interface floated before me, displaying the fluctuations of Three Pillars' stock over the next ten minutes with impossibly precise, constantly shifting numbers.

This was cheating.

And it was my absolute advantage.

"Elena, cancel the Three Pillars stock purchase."

"Canceled. What's your next order?"

"Redirect every liquid dollar into a massive short-selling position exactly two minutes before the market closes this afternoon. We aren't buying them. We're going to make sure they go bankrupt on the very same day their own greed turns against them."

"It'll destroy your reputation in the regional market, Arkan. Investors will become afraid," Elena warned logically.

"Then let them be afraid."

I stood tall, straightened my tie, and wore a cold, crooked smile.

"In a world this unfair, nobody climbs to the throne by being kind. If they want to call me a monster for taking away their future, so be it. From this day forward, every drop of their sweat will become the capital that builds my empire."

I strode out of the office with unwavering determination.

In the hallway, staff members who had been whispering moments earlier immediately fell silent. They lowered their heads respectfully, their bodies trembling as I passed.

They could feel the change in my presence.

Once, I had been a courier they could trample underfoot.

Today, I was the storm prepared to destroy anyone who stood in my way.

At the building's main entrance, I paused for a moment and looked toward the overcast skies above Arkadia.

Siska.

Brandon.

The entire extended family.

They were nothing more than pebbles waiting to be crushed beneath my feet.

I pulled out my phone, intending to check the short-selling positions that had just been executed.

Suddenly, the screen went black.

Not because the battery had died, but because it had been forcibly shut down by an outside intervention.

The dark screen illuminated with a single line of blood-red text from a fully encrypted number.

A short message that instantly sent icy chills through my veins.

"That one hundred million dollar cash injection was delightful, Arkan. Thanks for driving up the value of my short position. See you at Green Oasis tonight... from one System user to another."

My heart thundered.

I slowly raised my head toward Arkadia's increasingly dark sky as a horrifying realization settled over me.

Tonight, my enemy would no longer be an ordinary human armed with money and bureaucracy.

It would be someone carrying the very same System inside their head.