Chapter 13: The Puppet Master's Debut
The Alabaster Club felt less like a neutral sanctuary and more like a lion's den where I was the only one without a cage. The four elders at the table stared at me with a mixture of repressed fury and calculated interest. To them, I was an anomaly—a glitch in their centuries-old hierarchy.
[System Notification: Authority Presence Active]
[Scanning Targets: The Council of Four]
[1. Silas Vane (The Patriarch): Willpower 88/100]
[2. Madam Gao (The Banker): Willpower 72/100]
[3. Victor Sterling (The Distant Cousin): Willpower 65/100]
[4. General Drax (The Arms Dealer): Willpower 92/100]
"You talk of a 'new system', Fang Li," Silas Vane said, his voice raspy like sandpaper on wood. He was Isabella's uncle, but there was no warmth in his eyes. "But Oakhaven has survived on blood and tradition. You have blood on your hands, yes, but where is your tradition? Where is your leverage?"
I didn't answer immediately. I leaned forward, letting the blue glow in my eyes intensify until it reflected off the polished mahogany table. I activated the [Mental Network], linking my consciousness to the hidden desires the system was highlighting above their heads.
"Tradition is just a fancy word for 'the way we've always been controlled'," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous frequency. "Leverage? I don't need blackmail when I can see your souls."
I turned my gaze to Madam Gao. Above her head, a pulsing red icon appeared: [Greed: The Hidden Deficit].
"Madam Gao," I started, her eyes widening as I addressed her directly. "You've been moving funds from the Sterling accounts to cover your losses in the Macau markets. Three hundred million dollars, gone. If the other families found out, you wouldn't just lose your seat; you'd lose your head."
The elderly woman's hand spasmed, her silk fan dropping to the floor. The room went cold.
"And General Drax," I turned to the man in the military suit. [Obsession: The Ghost of the Past]. "You're looking for the man who betrayed your unit in the desert ten years ago. You've spent millions on private investigators, but you're looking in the wrong country. I have the coordinates of his hideout in my pocket."
The General's stoic expression cracked. He leaned in, his breath hitching. "If you're lying, boy..."
"I don't lie. I analyze," I countered. I stood up, my shadow looming over the council. "I am the Absolute Desire System. I am the one who can give you what you want most, or the one who can turn your greatest fears into reality. The Triad is a hammer; they only know how to break things. I am the architect. I build."
[Ding! Connection established with General Drax: 15% (Interest)]
[Connection established with Madam Gao: 40% (Fear/Debt)]
Suddenly, a chime echoed through the hall—not from the club, but directly into my brain.
[Emergency Quest: The Serpent's Kiss]
[Objective: One of the elders has a hidden assassin in the room. Identify and neutralize the threat before Elena is harmed.]
[Reward: High-Level Skill: 'Aura Perception']
My heart rate didn't even skip a beat. I used the [Mental Network] to scan the servants moving through the shadows. There—a waiter with a silver tray, moving slightly faster than the others, his eyes fixed not on me, but on the back of Elena's neck.
I didn't reach for a weapon. I didn't even move from my seat.
"Stop."
I unleashed a [Mental Flare] localized specifically on the waiter. To everyone else, it was just a blink of the lights. To the assassin, it was a psychic sledgehammer. He collapsed instantly, the silver tray clattering to the floor, revealing a poisoned needle hidden in a napkin.
Elena stood up, her hand instinctively going to my shoulder. The room erupted in hushed whispers. Silas Vane narrowed his eyes, looking at the fallen waiter.
"It seems," Silas said, standing up and smoothing his tuxedo, "that you are more than just a man with a system. You are a predator we cannot ignore."
He looked at the other elders, a silent communication passing between them. "The Triad has requested a formal 'Purge' against the Sterling family. Usually, we would stay neutral. But... for a price, we might consider the 'New Order' you're proposing."
"The price is simple," I said, looking at each of them. "Total transparency. Your data, your desires, and your loyalty. In exchange, I will make Oakhaven the capital of a new world empire. And Silas... tell Isabella to stop hiding behind the curtains. I can feel her heart beating from here."
Isabella stepped out from behind a heavy velvet drape, a look of pure delight on her face. "I told you, Uncle. He's much more fun than a board of directors."
[Quest Complete: The Serpent's Kiss]
[Reward Claimed: Skill 'Aura Perception' Unlocked!]
[System Update: You can now see the 'Threat Level' of any person within 50 meters.]
As Elena and I walked out of the club, the fog was finally lifting, revealing a blood-red sunrise.
"You just threatened the rulers of the city," Elena whispered as we reached the car. She looked at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of terror and absolute devotion. "What have you turned into, Fang Li?"
I looked at the city skyline, where my name would soon be written in neon and blood. "I'm the one who's going to make sure you never have to be afraid again, Elena. No matter what I have to become."
[Ding!]
[New Arc Triggered: The War of the Five Families]
[Current Power Level: 15% of City Control]