Crescent Wellness's headquarters had been almost completely destroyed by the "Gray Kiss," and now the staff was mostly made up of transfers from other regions. This situation made it easier for Zhou Shirong to consolidate power. If it were the old employees at the headquarters, they might have formed alliances, making it difficult for Zhou Shirong to control.

With so much personnel reshuffling, the former head of the investment department was gone, replaced by an unexpected vice president. No one was particularly surprised, but Zhou Shirong never mentioned this new investment head’s resume, which was highly unusual. Everyone had assumed that this person would be some kind of investment expert, but it turned out that there was no record of any significant achievements.

Even more impressive, Ethan Shaw, in front of the chairman, began telling the legend of Modu, the Xiongnu chieftain. Modu created a special arrow, trained his subordinates in horseback archery, and ordered, "Whoever fails to shoot at the target of my signal arrow with full force will be executed." He started by shooting game, and anyone who failed to shoot at the target was killed. Later, Modu shot his own beloved horse and wife with the arrow, and those who failed to shoot were killed as well. Modu eventually killed the Headman Chanyu, his stepmother, and his brother, as well as ministers who disobeyed him.

Ethan Shaw told his department that everyone must be like Modu's subordinates—completely obeying his commands. If it was a command, not a request for opinions, it must be followed; otherwise, they might be fired immediately.

Was this exaggerated leadership? Everyone was shocked and turned to Zhou Shirong, who pretended not to hear anything, remaining expressionless, essentially tacitly allowing Ethan Shaw’s "recklessness."

After a brief meeting, everyone in the investment department now knew who their new boss was. Ethan Shaw had just secured the highest level of authority, and for now, they would treat it like he hadn't done anything at all. At 11 AM, the most beautiful female staff member in the department eagerly bought him a cup of trendy coffee, practically glowing with enthusiasm. Ethan Shaw couldn't help but reflect on how this lavish office, his elevated status, and the flattering attention from beautiful women were the dream life of many people. He had once fantasized about it too, but now, he couldn’t even call himself human anymore.

Halfway through his coffee, Ethan Shaw went outside and invited Lily Ju, who had bought him the coffee, into his office for a private chat.

After offering Lily Ju a seat opposite him, Ethan Shaw fixed his gaze on her beautiful face from his boss's chair. His eyes carried a certain meaning, but it wasn’t lecherous.

Lily Ju smiled at first, but as time passed, her face started to tense up. Since Ethan Shaw hadn’t spoken, she finally gave in and asked, "Boss, do you need anything?"

Ethan Shaw responded, "Thank you for the coffee. It’s very good."

Lily Ju sweetly smiled. "You're welcome, you probably don’t know my name, right? I’m—"

Ethan Shaw interrupted, "Lily Ju."

Lily Ju was surprised, "Huh? You know?"

Ethan Shaw replied, "I have my ways. I know everything I’m supposed to know, and even things I’m not supposed to know. For example, I know you broke up with your boyfriend a month ago. The hotel you used to like booking rooms in was ‘Angel’s Nest,’ right? The reason for the breakup was that you couldn’t stand his unemployment, and you cut ties with him decisively. You blocked all his contact information and never contacted him again."

Lily Ju's face turned bright red, her delicate features flushed like a dragon fruit. "This..." She didn't know how to explain.

Ethan Shaw smiled slightly. "Don’t be embarrassed. I idolize Modu Chanyu. Your personality suits my taste. You’re decisive in your actions."

Lily Ju mumbled to herself, "It wasn’t that I couldn’t stand his unemployment, but that after he lost his job, he lost his will to fight. I gave him a chance, but he was like mud that couldn’t stick to the wall. I had no choice but to... cry as I cut him off."

Ethan Shaw, who had been serious just a moment ago, couldn't help but smile. Clearly, he enjoyed the "crying as I cut him off" line—a dark joke.

After the brief laughter, Ethan Shaw grew serious again. "I’m giving you a chance to change your fate. To be honest, I came to the investment department to make a big move. I need an assistant with guts because my operations will be very daring. I’ve already discussed with the board of directors, and this year, I’m planning to make all investment portfolios earn 10%. Anything beyond that will be mine personally. This is like borrowing several decades' worth of savings from Crescent Wellness—around 40 billion. I’ll borrow it for a year, and there will be no restrictions on my investments. Isn't that crazy?"

Forty billion? A 1% gain would be 4 billion. Lily Ju thought about it and felt invigorated. She had bought a trendy coffee for 69 yuan today, and it seemed to be worth every penny.

Ethan Shaw noticed Lily Ju’s excitement and continued, "In order to maximize the use of this 40 billion, I’ve decided to short some stocks. Looking at the huge explosion on Yulong Road, this is a chaotic era, and no one is safe anymore. I need a list of people—the founders of companies who are crucial to their survival. If something happens to them, the company will be hit hard. Help me secretly gather this list. All the investment analysts in the company can assist you, but you need to hide my intentions. No one can know what I'm planning. This is very important—if the information leaks, you’re out."

Lily Ju patted her chest confidently. "I’ll keep it a secret, and I’ll quickly come up with a plan to gather the list. I’ll have the first draft ready within three days."

Ethan Shaw nodded. "Good. Three days for the first list, and then you can continue to follow up on this plan for the next month. Also, for this plan, I need you to take charge of turning all the company’s illiquid assets into near-cash, ready to short stocks at any time."

Lily Ju, beautiful and obedient, was a stark contrast to his ex, Nicole. Nicole had been obedient at first but later repeatedly went against Ethan Shaw’s will, mainly because her former best friend, Bai Ya, who had eaten the Red Umbrella Mushroom, was now in ICU and had spent $500,000. Ethan Shaw had already told her that he had done all he could, but Nicole didn't listen and continued to fund Bai Ya’s life support in ICU. According to Ethan Shaw’s medical knowledge, it was clear that it was pointless. Another $500,000 was spent, and today, another reminder for payment came, bringing the total to 1 million dollars. Ethan Shaw originally hoped to solve his financial problems with a big investment, but now he had to divert funds from the investment department to plug Nicole’s obsession.

This reckless woman, Ethan Shaw decided, would have to be cut off from his life. He arranged for Algernon to replace him in calling Nicole, mimicking his voice. He had some feelings for Nicole and didn’t want to be the one to say goodbye.

At home, Ethan Shaw listened to the recording of Algernon breaking up with Nicole, hearing her soft crying and her justifications. She explained that her strong intuition told her Bai Ya was still alive and that she could be saved. She pleaded for his help to renew the payment for her life support—just one last time. Algernon politely refused.

Despite the fact that an assassin sent by the Dark Forest System could strike at any moment, tonight, Ethan Shaw still got drunk and finished an entire bottle of whiskey.

For the next week, he was busy screening potential targets to short in the market. During this time, he had frequent interactions with Lily Ju, but it was entirely for work-related matters. However, to outsiders, it didn’t look that way, especially to her ex-boyfriend, Luo Yuxiang, who had been secretly tailing her. Seeing his ex-girlfriend dining with a man day after day, he began to suspect that this was his rival and decided to take action.

One evening, after Ethan Shaw and Lily Ju had dinner together, they parted ways. Luo Yuxiang quickly walked up to Ethan Shaw. Luo Yuxiang, a tall man standing at 180 cm, looked imposing next to Ethan Shaw, who was only 165 cm. He looked down with a cold smirk and sneered, "Heh, you’re chasing after Lily? Wake up, will you? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror, don’t you know what kind of person you are? I’m telling you, she’s mine. No matter who you are, stay away from her."

Ethan Shaw stared coldly at him. Algernon had already accessed the facial recognition system and fed the results directly into Ethan Shaw’s eyes, instantly identifying the man. Without showing any emotion, Ethan Shaw calmly said, "Luo Yuxiang."

Luo Yuxiang was taken aback. "You know me?"

Ethan Shaw replied, "I’m just Lily Ju’s boss, the president of the investment department at Crescent Wellness. I’m managing 40 billion in funds. Someone like you, who can’t even find a proper job, shouldn’t be in front of me, making a fool of yourself."

Luo Yuxiang, enraged by the fact that Ethan Shaw knew all about him, spat out in anger, "Wrong! In this world, it’s not just money that talks. I have something that’ll leave you speechless. I’ll make sure you know Xiao Lu will never leave me. Heh!" He pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Ethan Shaw, grinning maliciously. "Take a look at this. After you see it, you’ll understand what happens when you mess with me!"

Ethan Shaw opened the envelope and saw that it contained tasteful photos of Lily Ju. The first photo immediately captivated him. He hadn’t realized how stunning her figure was. These past few days, while working so closely with her, he hadn’t noticed, and he suddenly felt like he had been blind to it.

Having just broken up with Nicole, Ethan Shaw hadn’t even realized he was starting to develop feelings for his work colleague until Luo Yuxiang pointed it out. He silently thanked Luo Yuxiang for making him realize this. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Luo Yuxiang seethed in anger. "What are you laughing at? Do you think I’m not serious? I have nothing to lose, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do!"

Ethan Shaw’s expression turned cold again. "What do you want?"

Luo Yuxiang snarled, "Xiao Lu will always be mine. Stay away from her."

Ethan Shaw shook his head. "No, I’m asking how much you want. Don’t you want to make some money? Sell me these photos, they’re quite good."

Luo Yuxiang hesitated for a moment, then thought about it. This man had just claimed to manage 40 billion in funds, and a small part of that could easily provide him with financial freedom. If he achieved financial freedom, he could find another girlfriend with his looks and charm in no time. Luo Yuxiang quickly adjusted his demand. "At least 100 million. Don’t you have 40 billion?"

Ethan Shaw chuckled. "Brother, I manage 40 billion, not own 40 billion. Besides, even if I had 40 billion, I wouldn’t give any of it to someone like you. If you’re lucky, I’ll give you 100,000 or 80,000. Consider yourself fortunate."

Luo Yuxiang barked, "One million! It’s non-negotiable!"

Ethan Shaw quickly agreed, "Alright, one million. If you keep raising the price, I’ll have someone break your legs, and your third leg too."

Luo Yuxiang was delighted and immediately took out his phone to exchange contact information.

Ethan Shaw said, "A friend of mine spent one million on hospitalization recently, and I’m short on cash right now. I’ll give it to you in a couple of days. Be patient. For now, give me the photos. Is there more?"

Luo Yuxiang replied, "That’s all for now. The rest will come after the transaction is complete. Three days, no later!"

"Deal." The transaction was settled. However, Ethan Shaw felt awkward again. Should he ask Zhou Shirong to lend him one million? It would be so embarrassing. Perhaps it was better to finalize the short-selling plans. He had been hesitating on who to target, but after this exchange with Luo Yuxiang, he quickly decided on the founder of an autonomous driving company. Coincidentally, this person was in Wu City, so Ethan Shaw immediately ordered his subordinates to invest 10 billion in futures and short-sell "Yunliu Smart Driving," a global leader in autonomous driving with a 20% global market share, and 60% in Wu City. This company’s success heavily relied on the genius of its founder, Wan Yunliu, a math prodigy.

Ethan Shaw had Algernon pull up Wan Yunliu’s profile. The man was handsome, wealthy, young, came from a good background, and had a high IQ. Ethan Shaw couldn’t help but feel envious. 99% of women around the world would have no resistance to this kind of man. As he thought about it, he grew more determined. The more perfect the man, the more Ethan Shaw wanted to see him destroyed.

Yunliu Smart Driving had a market value of $500 billion, and Wan Yunliu’s personal wealth exceeded 100 billion. The company was big enough for Ethan Shaw to sell short $500 billion within a few hours. Most investors were bullish on the company, so the pressure to short-sell was minimal.

Once the position was built, Ethan Shaw arrived near Wan Yunliu’s villa. Ironically, he was traveling in a Yunliu Smart Driving autonomous taxi. His driver, Ma Liangcai, had just returned to his hometown to take care of some personal matters.

Everyone’s house was in the database, and it was easy to locate Wan Yunliu’s home. This was one of the reasons Ethan Shaw would never buy property. He didn’t want to be found easily. Since his falling out with the Dark Forest System, he had resigned himself to a life of wandering.

After earning a substantial sum, he planned to avoid contact with Crescent Wellness as much as possible to prevent the hunters from tracking him down.

His plan was to circle around Wan Yunliu’s villa with the "Gray Kiss" in hand, and then everything would be over. It seemed like just a casual stroll through a scenic villa district.

Algernon was monitoring the surveillance cameras, tracking the car plates, reporting as Wan Yunliu’s car passed each camera. The two of them were getting closer—8 kilometers, 7 kilometers, 6 kilometers, 5 kilometers...