Morning came like a hangover the city couldn't shake.
News broke before dawn—
"Chen Group Tied to Offshore Laundering Network!"
"Anonymous Hacker Exposes Billion-Dollar Corruption Scandal!"
"Top Officials Under Investigation!"
By sunrise, every screen in Qinghe City flashed Lu Cheng's digital storm.
Stock markets trembled. Reporters camped outside Chen Group headquarters.
And on the 58th floor of that same tower, chaos reigned.
Chen Shaohui slammed a laptop shut so hard the screen cracked.
"Find him! FIND HIM!" he roared, his voice echoing off the glass walls.
The executives stood frozen—nobody dared to breathe.
One of his aides stammered, "Sir, the Cyber Bureau traced the breach to twelve mirrored nodes. All wiped within minutes. Whoever did this knew the system better than we did."
Chen's eyes were bloodshot. "Lu Cheng…" he hissed.
The name tasted like acid.
"He wants to play ghost? Then I'll drag him into the light."
He turned toward his head of security. "Contact the Wang family. Tell them I'll double the bounty. Alive, if possible. Dead, if not."
The man hesitated. "Sir, that might attract federal—"
"Do it!" Chen barked. "And shut your mouth."
The aide fled the room.
Chen stood before the window, watching the rain blur the skyline.
For years, he'd ruled Qinghe's business circle through fear and favors. But now—one man's shadow was tearing his empire apart.
And somewhere in that same city, the ghost he feared was already moving.
The next scene unfolded in a dim café near the harbor.
Lu Cheng sat in the corner booth, laptop open, cup of black coffee untouched.
Fang Jie slid into the seat opposite, throwing a newspaper onto the table.
"You're everywhere, boss," he said. "Every channel, every site. You've officially become the city's boogeyman."
Lu Cheng's eyes didn't leave the screen. "Good. Let them talk. The louder they shout, the more attention moves away from us."
Fang grinned. "You sound like you planned this years ago."
Lu Cheng finally looked up. "I did."
Fang blinked. "You mean—"
"The Chen Group wasn't the only one keeping secrets," Lu Cheng said. He turned the laptop around, showing a list of names and files.
"Every major player in this city has a hand in the rot. Chen was just the first domino."
"Dominoes?" Fang murmured. "So… who's next?"
Lu Cheng's mouth curved into a half-smile. "The man who signed the Horizon permits—Director Zhao. He thought I wouldn't find the offshore signatures."
Fang leaned forward. "You want me to dig in?"
Lu Cheng nodded. "Quietly. This time, we won't use exposure—we'll use leverage."
Fang's grin widened. "Blackmail?"
"Negotiation," Lu Cheng corrected. "The kind done in shadows."
Across town, at the provincial bureau, Director Zhao Mingwei watched the same morning news replay.
His hand trembled slightly as he adjusted his tie.
Beside him, an assistant whispered, "Sir, the governor wants a full report by noon. They're asking if you knew about Chen's accounts."
Zhao's expression didn't change, but his pulse quickened.
"I'll prepare it," he said curtly. "And cancel all my public appearances this week."
When the assistant left, Zhao locked the door, then opened his private safe.
Inside lay a stack of old documents—agreements, account numbers, property deeds.
All tied to one name.
Lu Cheng.
He exhaled slowly. "So you're still alive," he muttered. "Then we'll finish what we started."
He picked up the phone. "Call Shanghai. Tell Mr. Shen I need that team—today."
That night, Lu Cheng stood alone at the docks.
The harbor lights shimmered on the dark water. Cargo cranes groaned in the distance.
He opened a small silver case beside him—inside lay a series of encrypted drives.
One was labeled "Five Years Ago."
His hand hovered above it, his reflection wavering on the metal.
Then, softly, he said, "It's not about revenge anymore… it's about balance."
He closed the case, the lock clicking like punctuation.
Behind him, a black car approached—headlights cutting through the fog.
The driver's window rolled down.
A woman's voice called out, smooth and familiar.
"Still chasing ghosts, Lu Cheng?"
He turned. His expression softened for the first time.
"Su Muxue," he said quietly. "I was wondering when you'd find me."