Five centuries in the Marvel universe had taught Ethan one important lesson: if he wanted to eliminate a threat, he couldn’t afford to leave any loose ends.
He knew Marcus Vale’s personality all too well.
After suffering such a humiliating defeat, Marcus would never simply accept it and move on.
Although he was nothing more than a minor nuisance to Ethan, the man was the sort who would keep coming back to cause trouble.
Ethan had no intention of allowing that to happen.
He preferred to eliminate potential threats before they had the chance to become real problems.
And so, he had dealt with Marcus once and for all.
The entire operation had been carried out through JARVIS, leaving no obvious traces behind.
With the AI’s extraordinary capabilities, even the most thorough investigation would struggle to uncover the truth.
The following day, several major incidents rocked Grayhaven.
First, the Bennett family and the Whitmore family publicly severed their business relationship.
All ongoing collaborations were suspended, and their once-friendly partnership collapsed almost overnight.
Former allies became bitter rivals, setting the stage for a fierce battle between the two powerful families.
Next, the Cross Group was hit by a major scandal after serious irregularities were uncovered in its crucial Azure Bay development project.
The problems threatened to damage the family’s reputation and cast a shadow over Adrian Cross’s future.
But the most shocking news came from a stretch of highway outside the city.
Three vans had suddenly exploded.
More than a dozen people inside were killed, leaving no survivors.
During the subsequent investigation, the police identified one of the deceased as a middle-aged man named Marcus Vale.
He was suspected of being the mastermind behind one of the largest illegal online gambling platforms operating in the United States.
The revelation sent shockwaves through Grayhaven.
As the details emerged, countless people condemned the dead man’s criminal activities.
At the same time, many regretted that they had never even heard of the illegal gambling platform until the news broke.
Its influence had apparently spread much further than anyone had imagined.
Meanwhile, the person responsible for the entire chain of events was enjoying a leisurely life.
Ethan spent his days eating well, having fun, and spending money without the slightest hesitation.
Prices had become little more than numbers to him.
Whenever he felt like going somewhere, he simply went.
Whenever he saw something he liked, he bought it.
He even started inviting Chloe Bennett, his former classmate, to accompany him on shopping trips and outings.
Ethan’s casual spending left Chloe bewildered.
She had never imagined that someone she knew from college could suddenly become so wealthy.
Of course, Ethan wasn’t merely wasting his money on entertainment.
He was also investing in real estate and acquiring properties of his own.
However, he had no intention of giving up his old rented apartment.
That little place had been where everything began for him.
Even though he could now afford properties worth millions, he preferred to keep the apartment as a reminder of how far he had come.
What he found considerably more puzzling was the behavior of his landlady, Nina Vale, and her younger sister, Wendy Vale.
For some reason, the two women had started visiting his apartment with remarkable frequency.
One day, something would mysteriously break.
The next day, something else would suddenly stop working.
And when there was nothing left that needed fixing, they would simply claim they had come to visit JARVIS.
Ethan couldn’t quite understand what the sisters were thinking, but he didn’t bother chasing them away.
As time passed, their relationship gradually became friendlier, and the two women began to realize that Ethan was far more extraordinary than he appeared.
At the same time, Ethan’s extravagant spending was creating an entirely different problem elsewhere.
He wasn’t the only person whose accounts had been targeted.
Aside from Marcus Vale, whose fate had already been sealed, numerous other individuals and organizations had discovered that substantial sums had mysteriously vanished from their accounts.
And the people responsible weren’t taking the situation lightly.
In Grayhaven, the city’s most powerful underground organization, the Azure Dragon Society, had summoned all its core executives for an emergency meeting.
At the head of the conference table sat Raymond Shaw, the society’s leader.
His expression was grim, and his sharp gaze swept across the assembled executives.
“Give me a reasonable explanation.”
He tapped one finger against the table.
“How did more than ten million dollars disappear from our accounts without anyone noticing?”
The executives exchanged uneasy glances.
“Boss Shaw, we honestly don’t know what happened,” one of them replied.
“And we’re not the only ones experiencing this problem.
Other underground organizations have suffered similar losses.
The Golden Crown Society, the Overlord Gang, the Wolfpack Alliance, and even the Rainbow Circle have all reported mysterious transfers from their accounts.”
Another executive leaned forward.
“We’ve already dispatched people to investigate and questioned everyone with access to the affected systems.
So far, we’ve only confirmed that someone infiltrated our financial accounts through the internet.
Both our domestic and overseas accounts have been compromised.”
His expression grew increasingly troubled.
“Whoever is responsible knows exactly what they’re doing.
They transfer tens or hundreds of thousands at a time, then move the money through multiple accounts.
Eventually, it ends up at Ronnie Bank before being transferred again.
By the time we discover a transaction, the money has already disappeared into the system.
We can’t establish a reliable trail.”
The conference room fell silent.
The entire situation was bizarre.
Someone had repeatedly infiltrated their accounts, transferred enormous sums of money, and left almost no trace.
If the cumulative losses hadn’t grown so large, they might not even have realized anything was wrong.
At that moment, the executive in charge of the society’s finances received a phone call.
He answered, listened for a few seconds, and gradually turned pale.
When he finally lowered the phone, his throat bobbed as he swallowed nervously.
“Boss Shaw…”
His voice was strained.
“Another million dollars has just been transferred out of our overseas account.”
The entire room went dead silent.
As soon as they had discovered the initial losses, they had changed passwords, moved funds into new accounts, and tightened their security procedures.
Yet none of those measures had stopped the mysterious intrusions.
It was as though an invisible hand could reach into their accounts whenever it pleased.
“Investigate!” Raymond roared, slamming his palm onto the table.
“Keep investigating until you find the bastard responsible!
I don’t care what methods you have to use.
Find that person!”
The Azure Dragon Society wasn’t the only organization facing this nightmare.
Underground groups across the country were experiencing the same terrifying problem.
They had changed passwords, transferred their money, and deployed every protective measure available to them, including sophisticated authentication systems and security devices.
Nothing worked.
No matter how thoroughly they secured their accounts, money continued to disappear without warning.
Fear and fury spread throughout the underground world.
Powerful organizations that had once considered themselves untouchable began a frantic search for the mysterious hacker who had dared to steal from them.
But the person they were looking for was enjoying himself in Grayhaven.
Ethan was stretched out beside the private swimming pool of his newly purchased villa, sipping a refreshing iced drink.
Chloe Bennett, wearing a bikini, sat beside him and gently massaged his shoulders.
The villa had cost him nearly a hundred million dollars.
Although it wasn’t the most luxurious property in the city, it offered a peaceful environment and plenty of privacy.
More importantly, it had a fully equipped basement.
That was the main reason Ethan had chosen it.
He had plans for that basement, and those plans required a substantial amount of money and some very specialized equipment.
“Sir, I’ve established contact with the black-market supplier,” JARVIS reported through Ethan’s wireless earpiece.
Ethan took another sip of his drink.
“Did you give them the list?”
“Yes, Sir.
They’ve quoted one hundred million dollars for the complete order.
They also require a thirty percent deposit before beginning procurement.”
“One hundred million?”
Ethan considered the figure briefly before nodding.
“That’s a reasonable price.”
He set his glass aside and continued, his tone becoming more serious.
“But make one thing absolutely clear.
I’m not short on money, so I want the highest-quality equipment available.
The materials must be top-notch, too.
I won’t accept inferior substitutes just because they’re cheaper or easier to obtain.”
“Understood, Sir.”
“And tell them something else.
If they think they can deceive me, cut corners, or take my money without delivering what I ordered, they’ll regret it.
Make sure they understand the consequences.”
“Yes, Sir.
I’ll relay your instructions.”
Ethan leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
“Finally, I’ll have everything I need to put my abilities to proper use!”
He rose from the chair and stretched, letting out a long yawn.
Chloe looked at him curiously.
“Ethan, what exactly are you developing?
You’ve been buying a lot of strange equipment lately.”
“Technology,” Ethan replied with a grin.
“What kind of technology?”
He turned toward her, his eyes gleaming with confidence.
“Technology that could change the entire world.”
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