It Takes Willing Fishes to Be Caught

On the night the banquet concluded, Lu Chenyuan issued the next phase of attack orders.

The targets were several media outlets and online troll farms under Li Xiujian's control in North America.

These were the mouthpieces Li Xiujian had cultivated for years, the very tools he used to manipulate public opinion and incite financial panic.

The intelligence division of Yuanlong Technologies, armed with the financial flow charts provided by Mo Qingli, executed the operation with surgical precision.

…………

North American time, early morning.

A targeted cyberattack unfolded silently.

The core servers of several media companies were infected with an irremovable data virus.

All historical articles, user data, and internal communication records were encrypted and locked in an instant.

Shortly after, detailed investigative reports were anonymously sent to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Tax Bureau.

The reports directly accused these companies of stock price manipulation, financial fraud, and large-scale money laundering.

The evidence was airtight, leaving no room for rebuttal.

By dawn, the stock prices of these companies had collapsed in pre-market trading.

Regulatory investigation notices were delivered to their doorsteps.

Overnight, Li Xiujian's overseas propaganda machine was silenced.

He didn’t even have time to react.

……

Li Xiujian stared at the encrypted report in his inbox, his face ashen.

Severed.

His meticulously nurtured overseas media arsenal—built over a decade—had been cleanly dismantled.

He hadn’t even glimpsed his opponent’s shadow.

But he knew who was behind it.

Lu Chenyuan.

No one else had both the capability and the motive.

He had lost the battle of public opinion. The financial war, too.

His chess pieces were being plucked off the board, one by one.

His cash flow, strained by relentless assaults and desperate rescues, was tightening further.

For the first time, he felt suffocated.

A slow, inescapable tightening—like a net closing around him.

“Lu Chenyuan…”

The name hissed through Li Xiujian’s clenched teeth.

The cold calculation in his eyes twisted into something darker, more desperate.

He wasn’t finished yet.

……

Yuanlong Technologies, top-floor office.

Zhang Qi placed a fresh analysis report in front of Lu Chenyuan.

“Boss Lu, our team and Mo Qingli’s group have reviewed all of Li Xiujian’s counterattacks.”

Zhang Qi’s expression was grave.

“We’ve identified a pattern.”

“Every time his cash flow hits a critical gap, or a key asset faces regulatory scrutiny, a mysterious force intervenes.”

“This force can suddenly expedite bank approvals or suppress high-level investigations without explanation.”

Lu Chenyuan’s gaze settled on the report’s key nodes.

All of them pointed to the same place: the Xia National Financial Regulatory Bureau.

A name appeared at the document’s end: Wang Chen.

Former head of the Market Supervision Office, now deputy director.

Li Xiujian’s invisible protector had finally surfaced.

Lu Chenyuan tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

“Wang Chen is a seasoned player in the financial system. Attacking him directly with old cases would backfire—insufficient evidence would only alert him.”

“And it would force him and Li Xiujian into an unbreakable alliance.”

To catch a hidden predator, one didn’t cast a line.

One wove a net so vast, the prey had no choice but to blunder into it.

……

Three days later.

Yuanlong Technologies held another press conference.

This one dwarfed all previous events.

Not only were tech and financial media present, but key leaders of Jingzhou’s municipal government also attended.

On stage, Lu Chenyuan unveiled a plan that stunned the audience.

“Yuanlong Technologies, in partnership with the Mo Group, will launch the ‘Jingzhou·Future City’ initiative.”

Behind him, the screen displayed breathtaking CGI animations of the envisioned city.

Autonomous shuttle buses glided through a multi-layered transportation network.

Smart robots handled logistics and urban maintenance.

Every household’s energy, health, and security would be managed by a unified “City Brain.”

“We will invest 100 billion into the smart infrastructure of this pilot zone.”

“Covering intelligent transit, energy grids, data centers, security systems, and more.”

“This is an open platform. We welcome all qualified enterprises to participate in the bidding process.”

Lu Chenyuan’s voice, broadcast live, echoed across Xia.

A 100-billion-yuan smart-city project.

This wasn’t just a commercial venture—it was a government-backed urban development flagship.

Capital surged at the news. Everyone recognized the monumental opportunity.

……

Li Xiujian watched the broadcast, his eyes dark with fury.

That young man on screen, radiating confidence—how had Lu Chenyuan amassed such power?

100 billion.

His CFO paled beside him.

“Boss, once this project begins, Yuanlong and the Mo Group will be inseparable from the Jingzhou government. Their dominance here will be unshakable for a decade.”

Li Xiujian remained silent.

His gaze locked onto the project’s fine print, his mind racing.

He needed a crack—a vulnerability to exploit.

Then his pupils constricted.

There. A tiny, almost invisible clause. But lethal.

At the heart of the “Future City” plan was the “City Brain” data center.

And buried in the bidding requirements:

“Qualified enterprises must possess the ‘highest security clearance’ for cross-border data safety, as certified by financial regulators.”

An exceptionally high bar.

Fewer than five companies in Xia held this certification—all with ties to Lu Chenyuan or the Mo family.

It effectively barred all competitors.

But Li Xiujian knew who held the final authority over this certification.

Wang Chen.

His pulse quickened.

Lu Chenyuan’s arrogance had exposed a flaw.

He assumed this clause would reserve the juiciest contract for his allies.

But it was a trapdoor.

If Li Xiujian could secure the same clearance for one of his shell companies…

He could bid for the data center.

Winning it wouldn’t just salvage his finances—it would put him in control of the entire project’s lifeline.

Lu Chenyuan had handed him the knife.

Now he could plunge it back into Lu Chenyuan’s heart.

A tantalizing bait.

A deadly gamble.

Li Xiujian understood.

Playing Wang Chen now meant staking his last card.

Win, and he’d reverse his fortunes in one move.

Lose, and it was over.

The office echoed with his ragged breathing.

Finally, he reached for a long-dormant encrypted phone.

He dialed the number he had saved twenty years ago and never used since.

The phone rang three times before it was answered.

"It's me." Li Xiujian's voice was hoarse.

On the other end of the line, Wang Chen's tone remained as steady as ever. "I thought you'd never make this call."

"I need clearance." Li Xiujian cut straight to the point.

Wang Chen fell silent.

He knew exactly what Li Xiujian was referring to.

"This project runs deep," Wang Chen said slowly. "Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli aren’t like the opponents from twenty years ago."

"I know," Li Xiujian replied. "But this is my only chance."

"And my chance to fall into the abyss," Wang Chen's voice turned cold.

"You don’t have a choice." Li Xiujian’s tone grew icy. "The documents you signed twenty years ago are enough to keep you behind bars for life. Did you really think I didn’t keep copies?"

Another long silence stretched between them.

It was a battle of wills, fought in stillness.

Finally, Wang Chen let out a sigh.

"Send me the company files."

"Pleasure doing business," Li Xiujian said.