"What do we do now?" Lin Tian asked, standing in the vast conference room surrounded by a throng of so-called company executives.

The management personnel below were struck dumb. After all, what options remained? Subsidiary companies were either being acquired or drowning in debt. The only viable path was to sell the entire corporation for a high price; otherwise, nothing would be left but mountains of liability. None of them had ever imagined that a major company, built over many years with total assets soaring to two billion, could collapse so swiftly. The enemy's maneuvers had been too fast, too overwhelming for them to react. In just a few days, the Lin Corporation had been slashed to pieces.

Lin Tian swept his gaze over the silent assembly, a coldness creeping into his heart. He didn't know what to do. These past few days, he had fought tirelessly to salvage the situation, but the more he struggled, the faster everything slipped away—branches, capital, and stock value.

"What, after the company has supported you for so long, not a single person can offer a suggestion at this critical juncture?" Lin Tian felt a deep surge of regret; their salaries were far from meager, yet now, in this moment of crisis, not one could help him.

The entire day passed in the Lin Corporation’s conference room in stifling silence. Facing such overwhelming problems, Lin Tian felt an infinite weariness. Not only was his company about to vanish, but he didn't even know the identity of his adversary. He returned home, sinking onto the sofa, gulping air in heavy, frustrated silence.

"Huh? Dad, why are you home so early today?" Lin Hai asked in confusion when he found his father already there.

"The company, hmph, the company," Lin Tian mumbled, his voice laced with crushing defeat mixed with a chilling sneer.

Seeing his father's demeanor, Lin Hai couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what happened to the company?"

"It’s finished. Everything is finished." Lin Tian grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the side table and mindlessly chugged a large gulp.

Lin Hai’s face froze upon hearing this. He quickly moved to his father’s side, anxiously demanding, "Dad, what exactly happened? What's finished?"

"The company is done for, utterly finished." Lin Tian looked at his son, his voice thick with bitterness.

Lin Hai learned the extent of the company’s troubles from his father. Disbelief immediately set in, followed by a sharp shout: "We don't even know who the hidden enemy is, and the company is facing bankruptcy? Are you kidding me? Our company has been established for so long; how could it be so fragile?"

He seemed completely unwilling to accept the reality.

"It’s true, son. We are truly going bankrupt. Most of the subsidiaries are already in someone else's hands. Seventy-five percent of the main company's shares have been acquired. They'll probably come tomorrow to buy the rest," Lin Tian said, his heart aching. The Lin Corporation was the essence of his life’s work, and it had crumbled in less than three days.

"Impossible, impossible! I don’t believe it!" Lin Hai thrashed about as if driven mad. Indeed, how could he not? To fall overnight from being a privileged young master to potentially penniless—it was enough to drive anyone over the edge.

The next day.

Just as predicted, a young man and a stunning beauty led four or five burly men in black suits into the Lin Corporation headquarters. Some of the men carried leather briefcases, others held documents, all sporting imposing, dignified expressions. At this point, the Lin Corporation had few remaining staff—only the management team who had been drawing salaries for nothing and a handful of shareholders. Of course, Lin Tian and Lin Hai were both present in the conference room.

The young man leading the group was dressed impeccably today, sporting formal, aristocratic attire and polished leather boots, lending him an air of effortless elegance. A faint, roguish smile played on his lips, and his slightly tousled, layered hair added a touch of dark charisma to his already refined features.

Undoubtedly, this person was Yang Yi, followed by Feng Shi and the five Black God Guards.

"Boom—!" Reaching the conference room door, Yang Yi showed no restraint, kicking the entire structure open.

"Who are you people? Don’t you know how to knock?" Lin Tian demanded angrily.

"Heh heh, General Manager Lin. Do I need to knock to enter my own company? I’ll do as I please!" Yang Yi’s voice dropped as he finished speaking.

"It's you?" Lin Hai’s eyes widened as he stared at Yang Yi.

"That's right, it is me... What, Student Lin, you seem quite surprised?" Yang Yi's smile sharpened into something teasing, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he looked at the man who had placed a one-hundred-million bounty on his head.

"Hai'er, you know him?" Lin Tian frowned. The moment he saw Yang Yi and the imposing figures behind him, he was certain these were the men who had come to acquire his company.

Lin Hai lost the power of speech, his gaze fixed fiercely on Yang Yi. In that instant, he understood everything. The bounty he had placed on Yang Yi must have been discovered, and this was his revenge. Furthermore, Lin Hai had never imagined Yang Yi possessed such deep backing; it explained why his previous background checks had revealed nothing.

"Heh heh, since Student Lin won't answer General Manager Lin, perhaps I can answer for him. Ahem, Student Lin and I are classmates, though sadly..." Yang Yi shot Lin Hai a playful look.

Lin Tian felt as though he had stumbled into a quagmire, his vision blurred, but maintaining appearances, he still needed to understand why Yang Yi was doing this. "Since you are Hai'er's classmate, why are you doing this?"

"Why? You should ask your dutiful son about that," Yang Yi sneered. "Enough wasted words. My main purpose here today is to take possession of the Lin Corporation. You still hold twenty-five percent of the shares; I suggest you hand them over."

"On what grounds?" Lin Tian scoffed. He had already calculated that if he clung tightly to these last twenty-five percent, even without the company, the resulting wealth would sustain him for life.

"Does General Manager Lin really think he can still hold onto those twenty-five percent?" Yang Yi sneered; people always indulged in fantasies.

"What do you mean by that?" Lin Hai asked.

"Tap!" Yang Yi snapped his fingers. Feng Shi, understanding immediately, smiled, pulled out a debt document, and addressed Lin Tian: "Seventy-five percent of the Lin Corporation’s shares are already in our hands. And if General Manager Lin refuses to relinquish the remaining twenty-five percent, you will owe three hundred million RMB in debt. Here is the bank's statement!"

Saying this, to Lin Tian’s utter shock, he tossed the debt statement onto the table before him. Lin Tian trembled violently, slowly reaching out a shaking hand to pick up the document. His eyes snapped wide open. In that moment, despair consumed him. He had accounted for everything except the company's land deeds—the items directly tied to the bank. Seeing the figure on the statement sent his mind into complete system failure.

"Well, to be precise, you don't have to hand them over. But you'd have to bear this debt. If you comply, you can dust off your hands and walk away. I trust General Manager Lin knows exactly which path to choose between those two options," Yang Yi stated with a faint smile.

Lin Tian looked at the smiling Yang Yi, never imagining he would be so completely crushed by a young man barely twenty years old. Confusion and disorientation washed over him. Meanwhile, Lin Hai’s face turned pale. He glanced at his father, then at the debt statement, and his expression suddenly contorted into a mask of savagery. He snatched the document and tore it to shreds, roaring, "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Why are you doing this? Why?!"

Lin Hai seemed completely unhinged, his savage features twisting further. He somehow pulled a knife from somewhere and lunged toward Yang Yi.

"Ah!" The supposed senior executives screamed and bolted out of the room. Of course they fled; their business here was done. If they stayed and witnessed a homicide, they’d be implicated in the trouble.

Lin Tian gasped at Lin Hai's action, crying out, "Hai'er..."

"Hmph!" Yang Yi let out a cold snort but didn't move, merely standing his ground. However, Feng Shi acted instantly. Moving three quick steps, he delivered a swift kick—"Clang!"—sending the small knife skittering across the floor. Then, with tremendous force, Feng Shi landed a punch squarely in Lin Hai’s stomach, making him gag. Though he managed to swallow the retch, he clutched his abdomen, his face flushed crimson, slowly, slowly sinking to his knees as he stared at Feng Shi.

"Hai'er—!" Lin Tian rushed to his son's side and yelled at Yang Yi, "I'll give them up! I’ll hand over the shares! Just don't hurt my son."

"Good, very good!" Yang Yi raised his hand.

One of the Black God Guards stepped forward and presented a share transfer agreement and a pen to Lin Tian. Lin Tian took them without a second thought, immediately signing his name before handing the document to the guard.

"Dragon Lord..." The Black God Guard respectfully presented the transfer form to Yang Yi.

"Mm, General Manager Lin certainly knows how to comply," Yang Yi said, a wider smile blooming on his face as he glanced at the signed document, certain his objective was achieved.

"May I ask you one question?" Lin Tian fixed his gaze on Yang Yi.

Yang Yi knew exactly what he wanted to ask and smiled. "You may."

"Why treat us this way?" Lin Tian desperately needed to know.

"Heh heh, you’ll have to ask your precious son about that. A ten-million bounty wasn't enough, so he raised it to one hundred million. He certainly has backbone," Yang Yi finished. Without waiting to see their expressions, he turned and walked away.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.