Arthur sat at his obsidian desk, fingers steepled, gazing out at the silvery moon hanging high in the night sky.
[Congratulations the the Host Side Mission 3 have been completed]
[ Congratulations to the host you have received: Bloodline Vengeance Halo ]
[ The Debt Paid Halo ]
["The Black Vault" (Untraceable Liquid Assets) ].
Arthur was in a daze for a moment when he heard the system notifications,
a surreal pause after a year of relentless tension. Finally, the man who had haunted him,Christopher Campbell,was dead.
"Sir, it is done. Christopher Campbell is dead." Suddenly, Evolon flickered to life on the screen.
Snapping out of his reverie, Arthur raised his head and nodded with an air of calm satisfaction. "Show me the footage."
Evolon projected the security feed in crisp, high-definition clarity.
There was Christopher Campbell: young, arrogant,and now very much deceased, slumped in his lavish office chair.
His throat had been slit so cleanly that it resembled a razor-thin necklace of crimson.
The monofilament wire still glinted ominously in the dim emergency lighting, held tightly by a shadowy figure whose golden cyber-eye gleamed like a predator's in the dark.
Arthur leaned forward in his chair, exhaling slowly as he took it all in. "Beautiful," he murmured.
Pouring himself a glass of Solarian whiskey, the same vintage his father had treasured, he raised it toward the storm-lashed sky beyond the windows.
"To you, Father. Mother. Though you may not be my biological parents, but technically I'm still your son. Rest well wherever you are." With that toast, he downed the amber liquid in one swift motion.
The burn in his throat was nothing compared to the fire igniting within him.
Evolon's blue face pulsed with information: "Xiuying left no forensic traces; the scene is staged to look like a botched corporate assassination."
A smirk tugged at Arthur's lips. "But we're going to ensure that the Campbells know exactly who did this."
"Can you clarify, sir?" Evolon queried.
"Send the footage to Kingston Campbell," Arthur instructed confidently. "Encrypted and untraceable, but unmistakable."
He swirled his whiskey thoughtfully before adding with a mischievous grin, "And let's time it for maximum impact, right during one of their board meetings."
Evolon's blue flickered as it processed this request: "Calculating optimal delivery parameters... Done! Kingston Campbell will be holding an emergency acquisition summit in three days!"
Arthur's grin widened; everything was falling into place perfectly.
Evolon then projected the draft transmission:
[ Encrypted File Delivery ]
[ Recipient: Kingston Campbell, Personal Channel]
[ Contents: Security Footage– Christopher Campbell Termination]
[ Note: "The Eastern Consortium Sends Its Regards"]
He examined it closely but shook his head dismissively. "Too obvious! We need to be subtler than that."
With deft fingers tapping on the desk, he edited the message himself:
[ From: A Concerned Friend ]
[Subject: Your Brother's Last Moments ]
[ "The Viper always strikes twice." – E.C.]
Evolon analyzed the revision,"Psychological impact increased by 38%. The vague signature will force them to investigate, ensuring they uncover the 'truth' themselves."
"Exactly," Arthur replied, finishing his drink with a deliberate calmness. "Let them connect the dots. It'll hurt more that way."
As Evolon dispatched the file into the digital ether, Arthur turned toward the window.
The moon bathed Neo-Luminara in its silvery glow, casting an ethereal light over a city steeped in mystery and intrigue.
He quickly came back to his senses and looked at the system rewards he have received after completing side mission 3.
Neutralize Christopher Campbell ]
Status: [ Completed ].
Rewards: 1. The Black Vault" (Untraceable Liquid Assets)
Amount:500 Trillion Unicreds (liquid, non-inflatable currency).
Source: A pre-System offshore network built by a now-dead trillionaire, erased from all records.
System Note:"Even the Panterran World Bank's AIs see this wealth as 'statistical noise.'"
Reward: 2. [ Debt Paid Halo ] Host ruthlessness stat permanently increases, but but you loses 5% empathy.
Reward:3. Bloodline Vengeance Halo" (Permanent Buff)
Effect: All Osborn family members gain +25% resistance to assassination attempt.
"Damm!" Arthur was surprised when he read the discription of the three rewards.
The first reward is 500 Trillion Unicreds liquid assets, that's truly terrifying, that means he have 500 Trillion Unicreds in cash lying there and not in assets or properties but in cash.
Arthur was quite satisfied with this reward, this reward will really help him a lot.
He looked at the second, well this reward is quite bizarre to Arthur. This reward is quite personal targeting Arthur, the debt paid halo increases ruthlessness stats and but he loses 5% empathy.
"Is ruthless a star?!" Arthur was confused he didn't expect ruthlessness is a stat.
As for losing 5% empathy he didn't take that to heart, infact he will really kind of reward.
The third reward is the one that really satisfied Arthur greatly. The Bloodline Vengeance Halo give all the Osborn Family members +25 resistance to assassination.
This really put Arthur heart to rest after all this means that the danger level or any assassination type danger targeted at any Osborn Family member have decreased.
As the Osborn Family continue to progress and grow so as it's enemies, and not many of the Osborn Family enemies will fight in a fair manner.
In this world of the strong preying on the weak, this halo is really a divine ability.
Arthur was quite satisfied with the three rewards given by the system.
He let out a huge sigh and then turned back and sat down on the chair and looked at Evolon.
"Evolon," Arthur began, his gaze fixed on the AI's shimmering blue visage, "we need to discuss Raven's future employment prospects."
Evolon's face pulsed slightly, a sign of its processing. "Sir, I assume you're not referring to standard corporate recruitment?"
A smirk played on Arthur's lips. "I'm thinking bigger. How about we shift her from Consortium blade to Consortium executioner?"
Evolon's blue hue flickered as it absorbed the weight of the proposal. "You're suggesting we turn their most lethal operative against them?"
Arthur lips curled up into a wicked grin.