Free Web NovelChapter 108: [108] Cease and Desist, The Hostile Takeover
The absolute silence in the vault was heavy enough to crush a man.
The holographic projection of Silas Vance stared at Arthur. The CEO of the Iron Consortium did not immediately react. He just studied the man in the ruined dark coat. He looked at the blood on Arthur’s collar, the dust on his shoulders, and the absolutely fearless, dead-eyed stare looking right back at him.
Silas let out a low, smooth chuckle.
"Omniversal Holdings?" Silas repeated, his tone laced with heavy mockery. "Never heard of it. Sounds like a shell company. Sounds like a pathetic little startup trying to play in the big leagues."
"We are expanding rapidly," Arthur replied without missing a beat.
"You are stealing from my till, Mr. Sterling," Silas said. The smile vanished from his face. His voice dropped into a lethal, icy register. "That is not expansion. That is suicide. I control Sector 5. I control the trade routes, the gambling rings, and the local Enforcers. I do not tolerate competition. And I certainly do not tolerate petty thieves."
"I am not a thief," Arthur sneered. He took a slow step closer to the hologram. "I am an auditor. And your books are a mess, Silas. You’ve been hoarding capital while the Margin starves. Your management is inefficient. Your guards are weak. You are a terrible investment."
"Arthur," Vane warned softly from behind him. "Don’t poke him. Grab the money and let’s go."
Arthur ignored the frontiersman. He kept his eyes locked perfectly on Silas.
Silas Vance’s face twitched. A flash of genuine anger broke through his pristine, corporate facade. He leaned back in his gold chair, his fingers tapping an irritated rhythm on his desk.
"You think you are clever, Sterling?" Silas asked coldly. "You think breaking a few cyber-trolls and opening a door makes you a player? You are trapped in a box. I am sitting in my penthouse, three hundred floors above you. I have an army of five thousand augmented mercenaries currently surrounding the building."
Silas raised a hand, his fingers hovering over a glowing red terminal on his desk.
"Put the silver down," Silas ordered. "Drop your weapons. Get on your knees and beg for a quick death. If you don’t, I press this button. I will send my private military to the Margin. I won’t just kill you. I will glass the entire slum. I will burn your little territory to ash just to make a point."
Vane gritted his teeth. Cassia’s finger tightened on the trigger of her rifle. The threat was real. Silas had the firepower to wipe their city off the map.
Arthur did not look scared. He did not look intimidated.
Arthur threw his head back and laughed.
It was a dark, gritty sound that echoed loudly in the massive vault. It was the laugh of a shark that had just cornered its prey.
"You think I care about this casino?" Arthur mocked, wiping a speck of dried blood off his cheek. "You think I came here just to steal a few bags of silver and run away?"
Silas frowned, his hand freezing over the red button. "What are you talking about?"
"This was just an audit," Arthur said smoothly. His voice was pure, unadulterated corporate dominance. "I just needed to see if the assets were actually in the building. And they are. Which means I don’t need to negotiate with you anymore."
Arthur turned his back on the hologram. He walked directly toward the glowing obsidian communication terminal that was projecting Silas’s image.
"What are you doing?" Silas demanded, his voice rising slightly in panic. "Get away from that terminal! Guards!"
Arthur ignored him. He placed his bare hand flat against the glowing runes of the console.
"System," Arthur commanded in his mind.
[Ding!]
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"I have physical access to the central terminal of Sector 5. The previous owner is incompetent and hostile. Initiate the hostile takeover protocol. Register this entire facility, and all contents within it, under Omniversal Holdings."
[Processing request...]
[Validating physical access. Bypassing local security firewalls.]
The terminal violently hummed. The blue runes on the obsidian pillar instantly shifted, turning into a brilliant, blinding gold.
Up on the hologram, Silas Vance jumped out of his chair. His pristine white suit ruffled as he frantically slammed his hands across his own desk terminal.
"No! NO!" Silas shrieked. His smooth, aristocratic voice completely broke. "System lockout! Initiate hard reboot! He is hacking the deed! Stop him!"
It was too late.
[Ding!]
[Transaction Complete.]
[Asset Acquired: The Neon Exchange.]
[Asset Acquired: Sector 5 Central Vault.]
[Notice: Host is now the legally registered owner of this facility. All previous security protocols have been overwritten to obey Host commands.]
Arthur pulled his hand away from the terminal. He turned back to look at the hologram of Silas Vance.
The CEO of the Iron Consortium looked like he was going to be sick. He was staring at his own desk monitor in absolute, mind-breaking horror. The deed to his crown jewel had just vanished from his accounts.
"You..." Silas choked out, pointing a shaking finger at Arthur. "You stole my building. You stole my entire operation!"
"I acquired it," Arthur corrected coldly. He adjusted his ruined tie. "You have been formally evicted, Silas. You are trespassing on my property."
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Silas roared, his face turning a violent shade of purple. "I will send every man I have! I will tear that building down around your ears! You are a dead man, Sterling! A dead man!"
Arthur just smiled. It was a cold, dead smile.
"System," Arthur commanded aloud. "Revoke guest access. Cut the feed."
[Acknowledged.]
The holographic projection of Silas Vance violently flickered.
"I’ll kill you! I’ll—"
"BZZZT."
The blue light vanished entirely. The vault was plunged back into the soft, glowing light of the silver mist. The terminal powered down.
Arthur stood in the quiet vault. He took a slow, deep breath. He had just stolen a multi-billion dollar casino right out from under the biggest cartel boss in the sector.
Vane slowly lowered his broadsword. He stared at Arthur with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"You didn’t just rob the bank," Vane muttered. "You stole the bank."
"I told you," Arthur said, turning to face his two employees. "We are expanding the franchise."
Cassia let out a sharp, breathless laugh. She holstered her sniper rifle and shook her head. "You are completely insane, Boss. You know he is going to send his whole army now, right? He is going to drop the entire Consortium on our heads."
Arthur walked over to the largest pile of silver ingots. He picked one up, tossing the heavy, glowing capital in his hand. His pitch-black eyes gleamed with absolute, unyielding ambition.
He wasn’t running anymore. He had his foundation. He had his capital.
"Let him send his army," Arthur said, his voice dropping into a lethal, rumbling growl. "I need the target practice. And I want the rest of his assets."
He looked at Cassia and Vane.
"Alright," Arthur declared. "We are at war. Let’s go set up some corporate defenses."
