With the global mining and raw resource distribution networks of the World Resource Syndicate officially crushed and absorbed, the Sovereign Group’s financial valuation surged past the one-billion-dollar mark. Leon had successfully climbed to the very top of the global commerce ladder. He was no longer just an aggressive investor; he was an economic emperor whose single decision could cause a stock market crash in any capital city across the ocean.Leon stood at the massive glass window of his top-floor executive suite in the Obsidian Tower, looking down at the city lights. He wore a sharp, custom-tailored dark navy three-piece suit with polished diamond cufflinks—a gift from the Murong family. His hands were loosely tucked into his trousers pockets, his face showing a calm, freezing composure that completely ignored the international media frenzy surrounding his name.Buzz.A sharp, high-priority notification tone rang out from his secure smartphone on the walnut desk.[Sovereign Group Net Value: $1.2 Billion][Current Operational Emergency: The Sovereign Council of Global Banks has officially frozen the firm’s main offshore transaction clearance codes, demanding an immediate financial audit in an attempt to halt Leon’s global monopoly.]A low, chilling laugh broke through Leon’s lips, his sharp eyes narrowing into a dangerous line as he stared at the red alert flashing on the digital screen. "They think a pieces of paper and corporate regulations can lock a tiger? Arrogant old fools."The heavy boardroom doors slid open with a smooth, silent sweep. Cynthia Murong walked inside, looking exceptionally sharp in a tailored dark grey business dress and silk heels. Her face carried an intense look of absolute concentration as she set a locked, encrypted digital ledger on his desk."The ultimate move has been played, Leon," Cynthia said, her voice smooth but laced with deep anticipation as she stood right next to him. "The supreme head of the Global Banking Council, Lord Vance-Windsor—the absolute patriarch who controls the international currency print lines—has officially arrived in the city. He has locked down the private vaults of the Imperial Reserve and stated that if the Sovereign Group does not surrender sixty-five percent of its international resource channels to his banking pool, he will permanently wipe our clearance codes by midnight, effectively turning our billions into frozen, useless numbers."Leon didn’t hesitate for a single fraction of a second. He turned around, his presence instantly radiating a heavy, suffocating pressure that made the spacious office feel incredibly restricted. "Sixty-five percent? Vance-Windsor has sat on his paper throne for too long if he thinks my gold is soft. Call the private security convoy cars. Let’s go show the absolute ruler of banking who truly owns the currency."At 9:30 PM, the cool autumn rain washed the stone courtyard of the Imperial Reserve Bank. A fleet of three armored black luxury SUVs pulled up to the heavily guarded front gates. The entire block was locked down by elite private mercenary teams holding automatic rifles.Leon stepped out of the lead vehicle, his long designer trench coat catching the rainy wind, his posture perfectly straight. Cynthia walked gracefully right beside him. They passed through three layers of biometric security checkpoints, heading deep into the reinforced vault room located four floors beneath the earth.Sitting at a massive glass desk surrounded by walls of solid gold bullion bars was Lord Vance-Windsor. He was an old, white-haired man with cold, aristocratic features and an intensely arrogant posture. He was casually checking a private transaction log, completely ignoring Leon’s arrival as his massive private security detail stood behind him like a wall of solid iron."Sit down, young man," Vance-Windsor said, his voice smooth and dripping with artificial superiority. "I’ve watched your quick takeovers of the local shipping houses. Amusing, but entirely irrelevant to the true lords of the world. In front of the Global Council, your one-billion-dollar empire is just a temporary line of credit. Sign the asset transfer sheets on the table right now, or I will push a single key and permanently destroy the Sovereign Group’s banking license across the globe before midnight."A thick, silver-plated contract folder was pushed across the table by a bodyguard, stopping right in front of Leon.Leon didn’t even look down at the screen. He casually walked over to a stack of solid gold bars, running his fingers across the cold metal before turning his piercing, icy gaze directly onto the supreme banker."Vance-Windsor," Leon said, his voice low, steady, and terrifyingly calm. "You spent forty years building a fortress out of other people’s debts, believing your banking license makes you a god. But you forgot that a vault of paper is completely worthless if your own foundation is already drowning in absolute fraud."Vance-Windsor’s hand froze mid-air, his pen hovering inches above his desk. His smug expression cracked into a dark glare. "Watch your tongue, you lucky orphan. What could a provincial cleaner possibly know about our central reserves?"Leon quietly activated the Eye of Truth, his gaze locking onto the old patriarch’s figure and the secure digital server terminal flashing behind the glass wall. Instantly, the dark translucent screens of the system flashed rapidly, exposing the deepest financial crimes, hidden black-market operations, and absolute ruin of the Global Banking Council:[Person: Lord Vance-Windsor][Identity: Supreme Head of the Global Banking Council][Current Crisis: The Federation’s main international gold vault is secretly hollow. Vance-Windsor and his inner council illegally sold off 80% of the physical gold reserves over the past five years to cover a $3 Billion hidden deficit caused by failed investments in shadow cartels. They are desperately trying to hijack Leon’s gold vein tonight to physically fill the vault before the global supreme audit team arrives tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.][Hidden Objective: The digital logs on Vance-Windsor’s desk are completely forged to hide the missing gold bars.]A brilliant, supreme wave of confidence rushed through Leon’s veins. The unstoppable rulers of global banking weren’t a mountain of iron; they were a hollow house of cards running out of time, completely unaware that Leon could see straight through their lies.Leon walked back to the table, leaning forward until his shadow completely enveloped Vance-Windsor’s terminal."The central physical vault in your primary European branch... should we talk about the eighty percent of physical gold bars that are missing from the shelves, Vance-Windsor?" Leon whispered, his voice cutting through the silent vault room like a razor blade.Vance-Windsor choked on his breath, his face instantly turning a ghostly, deathly pale as he staggered back against his luxury chair. The silver pen slipped from his fingers, clattering onto the glass table. "You... how could you... that data is encrypted on an offline, military-grade server!"The private security detail immediately reached inside their coats for their weapons, but Cynthia Murong stepped forward with absolute composure, raised her arm, and snapped her fingers.BANG!The heavy vault doors were thrown open as fifteen elite operators from Sovereign’s private tactical forces poured inside, their automatic weapons instantly locking their red laser sights onto the heads of Vance-Windsor’s guards.Leon stood tall, adjusting his silver buttons with a terrifying, supreme aura of absolute authority."Your servers mean nothing to my eyes, Vance-Windsor," Leon stated flatly, his voice echoing with undeniable power. "I have already uploaded the live physical density scans of your hollow vault directly to the International Monetary Court ten minutes ago. By the time the markets open tomorrow morning, your central banking license will be permanently revoked."Vance-Windsor fell out of his chair onto his knees, his hands trembling violently on the marble floor as all his aristocratic pride dissolved into pure, pathetic terror. If the court order hit, his family’s multi-billion dollar banking dynasty would turn into absolute dust before noon. "No... please, Chairman Leon! Stop the court transmission! I will grant you absolute, permanent control over all central networks! I will give you a seat on the Supreme Council! Just pull back the data!"Leon looked down at the kneeling banker with a freezing, profound indifference."I don’t need a seat at your table, Vance-Windsor," Leon said smoothly, turning his back on him as he walked toward the exit gates. "Sign over absolute control of the Global Banking Council’s entire clearing house network to the Sovereign Group within three minutes. Do it, or spend the rest of your days watching your family name rot inside a federal prison cell."Without wasting a single second, Vance-Windsor frantically grabbed the pen, signing his name with shaking fingers and stamping the document with his official corporate seal, handing over a multi-billion dollar global banking network just to buy his survival.Leon stepped into the elevator alongside Cynthia, the doors closing on the image of the ruined supreme banker weeping on the vault floor. With the global banking and clearing house networks now firmly under his heel, Leon’s apex crown was complete. The financial world was no longer just watching his empire—they were completely trapped beneath his shadow.
Chapter 16: The Apex Crown
The God-Level Appraiser: I Can See The Price of Everything!