Horizon Group did not panic.
That was its strength—and its cruelty.
By morning, the trending discussions had cooled. Posts were archived. Threads locked. Legal warnings quietly delivered. On the surface, the company looked untouched.
Inside?
The knives were already out.
Xu Kai was called in at 9:06 AM.
No explanation.
No subject line.
Just a message from HR marked Mandatory.
He stood in the elevator, watching the numbers descend, heart pounding harder with every floor.
This is still manageable, he told himself.
They haven't named me.
The doors opened.
The room waiting for him was smaller than the others.
No long table.
No views.
Just four people.
HR. Legal. Compliance.
And Vice President Zhao.
Xu Kai's throat went dry.
"Sit," Zhao said.
Xu Kai obeyed.
Zhao folded his hands calmly. "We've concluded the preliminary review."
Xu Kai leaned forward slightly. "And?"
Zhao met his eyes.
"We need to demonstrate control," Zhao said. "Externally and internally."
Xu Kai nodded quickly. "Of course. I'm ready to cooperate fully."
Zhao studied him for a long moment.
Then he spoke.
"The Northshore acquisition involved irregular data handling," Zhao said. "Someone must take responsibility."
Xu Kai's pulse spiked.
"I didn't approve that data," Xu Kai said immediately. "Director Chen did. Everyone knows that."
Zhao nodded. "Chen Yiming is already gone."
Xu Kai exhaled in relief.
"However," Zhao continued, "the issue isn't approval. It's benefit."
Xu Kai froze.
"You were positioned to rise because of that data," Zhao said calmly. "That makes you… exposed."
The word crushed the air from Xu Kai's lungs.
"You can't be serious," Xu Kai said. "I followed every procedure."
Legal cleared his throat.
"This isn't a criminal matter," he said. "It's a containment measure."
Containment.
Xu Kai looked around the room.
Slowly, understanding set in.
"You're sacrificing me," he whispered.
No one corrected him.
Zhao's voice remained even. "Your resignation will be framed as voluntary. Career redirection. No black marks—if you cooperate."
Xu Kai's hands trembled.
"And if I don't?"
Zhao's eyes hardened slightly.
"Then the narrative will find you instead."
Silence swallowed the room.
Xu Kai looked down.
This was it.
Not a fall.
An erasure.
"…I want assurances," Xu Kai said hoarsely.
Zhao nodded once. "Provided you sign today."
A folder slid across the table.
Xu Kai stared at it.
Then—slowly—he pushed it back.
"No," he said.
The room stiffened.
Xu Kai looked up, eyes burning.
"You think this ends quietly?" he snapped. "You think I won't talk?"
Zhao leaned back.
"You already did," he said.
Xu Kai's blood ran cold.
Zhao tapped his tablet.
A transcript appeared.
Not leaked.
Not public.
Internal.
Xu Kai's voice—his own voice—filled the room, distorted but unmistakable.
"I don't care how. Just make it happen."
Xu Kai's world tilted.
"Where—" his voice cracked. "Where did you get that?"
Zhao's gaze sharpened.
"That's not important," he said. "What's important is that this conversation never leaves this room."
Xu Kai slumped back in his chair.
He had been trapped from the moment he picked up that phone.
Zhao slid the folder forward again.
"Sign."
Xu Kai's hand shook as he reached for the pen.
Leon received the notification at 9:19 AM.
The system interface shimmered.
[Containment Phase: 95% Complete]
[Target Outcome: Forced Exit]
[Authority Points +12]
Leon closed his eyes briefly.
Not satisfaction.
Confirmation.
His phone buzzed.
Chen Yiming:
It's done.
He's out by end of day.
Leon replied:
Leon:
Good.
Stay invisible.
He slipped his phone away.
The next move wasn't about Xu Kai anymore.
It was about the vacuum.
Xu Kai left the building carrying a thin black box.
No escort.
No announcement.
Just a quiet exit through a side door.
The city didn't notice.
That hurt the most.
His phone vibrated.
One message.
Leon:
This is where it ends for you.
Xu Kai stopped walking.
Hands shaking, he typed.
Xu Kai:
You think you've won?
The reply came almost instantly.
Leon:
No.
I think you taught me how.
Xu Kai stared at the screen until the words blurred.
Then he laughed.
Low. Broken.
He had climbed using others.
And now he had been used the same way.
The system chimed one last time that morning.
[Major Objective Complete.]
[Dominion Path Stabilized.]
[New Phase Unlocked:]
Expansion.
Leon stood across the street from Horizon Group, watching people flow in and out.
New faces.
New ambitions.
Open doors.
He turned away.
Because now that one obstacle was removed—
Leon Zhao wasn't done breaking systems.
He was ready to enter them.