Five hundred meters from the main gate of Starry Sky Group, three figures stood upon a small hillock, observing the farce unfolding at the entrance in the dead of night.

“Miss Yu, since we know Zhou Tengyun has returned to Hong Kong, why don't we just charge in, seize him, and avenge the Third Master, instead of waiting here?” an elder inquired of the young woman standing ahead.

“Uncle Qian, this Starry Sky Group is not as simple as it appears. Their personnel strength is formidable; just look at the security guards at the gate—they are all at the peak of the Houtian realm, on the very cusp of breaking into the Xiantian realm. Since the monks from Shaolin Temple are currently confronting them, we should remain here and watch the show unfold, letting the Shaolin monks test their mettle first. Regardless, Zhou Tengyun cannot escape,” the young woman replied, turning back. In the faint moonlight, her entire figure was snow-white, resembling a phantom. This was Yan Hongyu of the Yan family from Shuzhou, flanked by two aged men.

As Yan Hongyu and the two elders watched the spectacle unfold nearby, the Dark Hero suddenly appeared without warning, dispatching the four Shaolin masters in a mere instant. This stunned Yan Hongyu. She had not anticipated the shocking power of this suddenly appearing Dark Hero; she could barely handle Yong Xiong alone, and facing all four monks simultaneously would force her to flee. Yet, the Dark Hero had effortlessly crippled all four. Driven by curiosity, she fixed her gaze upon him, intent on discerning his true nature.

The Dark Hero had just leaped onto a tall tree, his spiritual sense remarkably acute, and immediately sensed two locations where he was being spied upon. He glanced toward those spots, instantly spotting Yan Hongyu concealed in the darkness. Two piercing rays shot from the Dark Hero’s eyes, one of which plunged directly into Yan Hongyu’s. She shuddered violently, instantly breaking into a cold sweat, feeling the terror emanating from that light. The beam was saturated with a warning, making it clear that if she did not depart immediately, she would face a fierce reprisal from the Dark Hero.

Sensing mortal danger, Yan Hongyu spun around and fled rapidly, the two elders scrambling to keep up. What Yan Hongyu did not know was that, in the darkness in another direction, a withered elder had also received the Dark Hero’s warning and likewise chose immediate retreat.

“Miss Yu, why the sudden departure? We haven't even located Zhou Tengyun yet,” the elder named Uncle Qian asked, perplexed.

“Do not speak. Leave immediately,” Yan Hongyu commanded, still running swiftly despite being drenched in sweat.

Yan Hongyu and the two elders ran ceaselessly. Half an hour later, they finally stopped atop a distant mountain peak, far removed from Starry Sky Group. Yan Hongyu gasped for breath, her face flushed, her body utterly weak.

“Miss Yu, what is wrong with you?” The two elders behind her were aghast, as they were not experiencing the same symptoms.

Yan Hongyu rested for a long moment on the ground, regaining her breath before speaking with lingering terror, “It was too terrifying; absolutely too terrifying.”

“Miss Yu, whom are you calling terrifying?” Uncle Qian asked curiously; he felt Miss Yu's behavior tonight was profoundly abnormal.

“I speak of that Dark Hero—how powerful, how terrifying. I never imagined human strength could reach such a level. Had he not shown restraint, a single glare from him could have ended my life,” Yan Hongyu still trembled with fear.

“Miss Yu, what are you talking about? Neither of us noticed anything unusual,” the other elder asked, bewildered.

“You would not understand, because he did not target you. His gaze contained immense power, a power that could have annihilated me. That feeling was horrifying; it is something I have never encountered since I began my journey,” Yan Hongyu sighed.

“A gaze that can kill? What manner of strength is that?” the two elders asked in astonishment. A chill of fear finally touched them then. They were well aware of Miss Yu’s capabilities; though young, her cultivation was profound, placing her peerless among her generation. Moreover, she was notoriously proud; if she claimed the Dark Hero was terrifying, then he must truly be terrifying.

“That Dark Hero seems to be guarding the Starry Sky Group. With him present, there is no way we can breach the defenses to capture and kill Zhou Tengyun to avenge Third Grandfather. We should withdraw from this location for now and strike when Zhou Tengyun is isolated,” Yan Hongyu conceded that she could not match the Dark Hero’s power and immediately issued the order to retreat. Yet, the formidable image of the Dark Hero had rooted itself deep within her heart, impossible to erase.

In the other direction, the withered elder also collapsed to the ground after retreating a great distance, sweating profusely, having come to a decision mirroring Yan Hongyu’s.

These events transpiring behind the scenes were unknown to the reporters and Wu Yuanjia. Upon seeing the Dark Hero depart, the monks who had been blocking the entrance immediately converged, carrying the four crippled monks aside. They then began calling for ambulances and reporting the incident to the Shaolin Temple elders.

The media reporters immediately rushed forward, filming the four men disabled by the Dark Hero. They also attempted to interview the remaining monks, but those monks were now utterly unwilling to speak with the press.

Wu Yuanjia and the security personnel were dumbfounded. They had expected this troublesome situation to escalate, yet it ended so bizarrely. The sudden appearance of the Dark Hero, spending very little time neutralizing the leaders of the monks, resulted in the immediate cessation of the blockade.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ The next morning, the people of Hong Kong awoke to the happy realization that the Dark Hero had reappeared during the night. This time, he displayed great might, effortlessly crippling all the martial arts-practicing monks from Shaolin Temple; their hero had not abandoned them. Consequently, the citizens of Hong Kong launched into a fervent discussion about the matter.

Some posited that Hong Kong was the Dark Hero's established domain. The Shaolin monks, by operating there without his permission, had challenged the Dark Hero’s authority, thus provoking his swift lesson to warn future trespassers about this boundary.

Others suggested that the Shaolin monks’ audacity in causing trouble at the legendary Starry Sky Group—a Hong Kong enterprise—had deeply displeased the Hong Kong native, the Dark Hero. Therefore, disabling the troublemaking monks served as a public declaration that Hong Kong businesses were inviolable.

A third theory held that the Shaolin monks were simply envious of Starry Sky Group’s wealth, arriving to solicit donations but making exorbitant demands. When refused, they flew into a rage and attempted extortion, leading them to blockade the company gates. The embodiment of justice—the Dark Hero—learned of this, and operating on the principle of rooting out evil, intervened to cripple the unscrupulous monks.

The rumors circulating among the populace were varied and numerous. However, the consensus was unified: because the Dark Hero appeared only in Hong Kong, the locals claimed him as one of their own, directing their condemnation squarely at the Shaolin monks. This severely damaged Shaolin Temple’s prestige in Hong Kong. As for Starry Sky Group, the citizens viewed them as entirely innocent victims of an inexplicable monk invasion; the company’s response was deemed appropriate, while the local police were seen as incompetent for failing to stop the monks’ actions. Without the Dark Hero’s sudden intervention, no one knew how long Starry Sky Group would have been harassed.

Liu Hui stared, a wry smile playing on his lips, holding the newspapers filled with gossipy reports. He wondered if the Dark Hero had overplayed his hand; perhaps a lower profile was necessary henceforth. Yet, this outcome was beneficial: the Dark Hero’s appearance had not only resolved the Shaolin trouble but also served as a chilling example for anyone else contemplating targeting Starry Sky Group. The crippled Shaolin masters were their immediate models.

Yong Xiong and his three junior brothers from Shaolin Temple had been rushed to a nearby hospital. After examination, doctors determined that the monk struck by the Dark Hero’s massive sword was riddled with broken bones and would be permanently paralyzed. As for the three whose meridians were completely severed, they were rendered utterly useless; even with recovery, they would only retain minimal bodily movement, forever unable to use martial arts—their Xiantian-level skills completely destroyed.

Liu Hui felt no anxiety over the four Shaolin monks being disabled. Everyone had clearly witnessed that the Dark Hero was responsible; it had nothing to do with Starry Sky Group. Furthermore, blockading a corporate entrance was despicable behavior; Liu Hui was confident Shaolin Temple would not dare seek retribution.

Eventually, Shaolin Temple did quietly retrieve the four injured monks, making no attempt to settle accounts with Liu Hui. The police issued a formal statement, urging the Dark Hero to surrender himself to the authorities and cease challenging Hong Kong's rule of law. However, the general public scoffed at this plea. If the Dark Hero surrendered, those corrupt officials would become utterly unrestrained. As long as the Dark Hero existed, the greedy and lawless would dare not overstep their bounds, knowing that the Dark Hero hung over them, capable of striking them down at any moment.

Seeing the Shaolin matter resolved satisfactorily, Zhou Tengyun took his leave of Liu Hui, departing Hong Kong to return to his base in Africa.

A few days later, Desheng from Starry Eye arrived to see Liu Hui. They conversed behind closed doors in Liu Hui’s office for a long time, after which Desheng silently began making arrangements exactly as instructed by Liu Hui.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ The Lunar New Year was fast approaching. Starry Sky Group had made remarkable progress over the past year, filling all employees with joy and making them feel their choice to work there was the luckiest decision they had made. With this trajectory, the coming year promised to be even brighter.

In stark contrast to the happy ordinary workers, Hu Xian’er inside Liu Hui’s office was extremely anxious. She reported to Liu Hui, “Boss, our staff in the United States informed us today that they received news of consumers suffering severe side effects after taking our company’s ‘Starry Sky Myopia Relief.’ That consumer is preparing to sue us in Federal Court. This news is expected to break in the media around noon Hong Kong time today, which will undoubtedly have a profoundly negative impact on our company.”

“Xian’er, don't worry. These are minor issues; they won’t affect the company significantly. Stop worrying,” Liu Hui said cheerfully, brewing her a cup of tea to help her calm down.

“How can I not worry? If this story gets out, one wrong move in handling it could obliterate the market we’ve painstakingly cultivated,” Hu Xian’er could not settle her nerves.

“Rest assured, Xian’er. Our product quality is absolutely sound, so that news must be false. We only need to articulate our position clearly,” Liu Hui remained unhurried, offering reassurance.

“Boss, of course, I know our product is fine, but the consumers don’t. I fear this bad news will be infinitely magnified in the market, and with strategic manipulation, it could cause widespread panic. If that happens, it will certainly cause our main distributors to lose confidence. They might demand refunds. Even if they don't ask for returns, demanding back the advance payments they made us—we wouldn't be able to cover it,” Hu Xian’er fretted.

“We can just return their advance payments; it’s not a major issue,” Liu Hui stated casually.

Hu Xian’er stamped her foot in exasperation and gave Liu Hui’s arm a sharp pinch. “My dear Boss, have you forgotten? You already diverted that enormous sum. That money is now with Mr. Wang Yilang at the asset management company, and I heard he has already spent it. How can we pay it back now?”

“Ah, the money’s already spent? Then what should we do?” Liu Hui asked, rubbing his head.

“Boss, I give up. Fine, I will immediately go find Manager Wang and ask him to secure bank collateral against the assets he acquired to try and raise those funds. Otherwise, if things turn sour and the main distributors demand their money back while we are unable to pay, it will be a genuine crisis,” Hu Xian’er said helplessly.

“Has the situation become that serious?” Liu Hui asked.

“I hope this is merely my speculation,” Hu Xian’er replied, departing with a heavy heart.

Liu Hui watched her retreating figure and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ At twelve o’clock Hong Kong time, a news bulletin suddenly aired on television, reporting that a consumer in the United States who took ‘Starry Sky Myopia Relief’ suffered severe side effects; instead of improving, the consumer’s vision had drastically deteriorated. This consumer had now sued Starry Sky Group in the US Federal Court, and the presiding judge was reportedly accepting the case, currently gathering detailed documentation before setting a trial date.

The news instantly triggered localized panic in the market. Consumers who had previously used ‘Starry Sky Myopia Relief’ grew worried, flooding Starry Sky Group’s customer service lines. The headquarters’ service phones were completely jammed. Only after patient explanations from service representatives, coupled with the fact that the consumers themselves felt the product worked well and noticed no side effects, did they manage to calm down.

However, by evening, several more reports erupted across the television media. News surfaced that similar incidents of severe side effects following the use of ‘Starry Sky Myopia Relief’ had occurred sequentially across Europe and the Americas. Consumers appeared on screen to make tearful accusations against Starry Sky Group, claiming they hadn't realized their recent symptoms were caused by the product until prompted by the American consumer’s report. They too, therefore, decided to sue Starry Sky Group for compensation.

These subsequent reports triggered a chain reaction. Consumers who had taken ‘Starry Sky Myopia Relief,’ subjected to psychological suggestion, began to feel that any recent irregular symptoms they experienced were linked to consuming the product and were, in fact, side effects. The situation rapidly deteriorated; the media was saturated with voices condemning Starry Sky Group.

Starry Sky Group was currently in a high-level meeting; all senior executives were present to devise a strategy to confront the crisis facing the company.

Li Zhi of the Sales Company held several freshly received faxes. She addressed Liu Hui, “Boss, these are faxes from our various regional main distributors, demanding replies regarding the reported content and the full return of their advance payments for goods. I just calculated that the total amount they are demanding back exceeds five hundred billion US dollars.”

Liu Hui inquired, “Are they only demanding their advance payments back, or are they also requesting product returns?”

“Aside from the US main distributor, other regional distributors did not mention returns,” Li Zhi replied.

“Manager Wang, that colossal sum I transferred to you—how much do you have left?” Liu Hui asked Wang Yilang of the asset management company.

Wang Yilang admitted shamefully, “Boss, I apologize. That entire sum has been spent. I encountered an excellent investment opportunity and, to seize it, I poured all the money into it. There is none left now.”

“Was this the investment concerning Rio Tinto in Australia and Vale in Brazil?” Liu Hui asked.

“Yes. Because Rio Tinto and Vale were experiencing cash shortages, they offered extremely favorable financing terms. Seeing an opportunity, I invested our capital, securing a twenty percent stake in both companies,” Wang Yilang explained.

“Excellent, excellent. Both companies have massive iron ore output. By joining them, we will gain significant leverage in negotiations over iron ore pricing,” Liu Hui said, pleased.

Hu Xian’er gently interjected from the side, “Boss, you’re veering off topic.”

Liu Hui blinked, then laughed, “My apologies, I was distracted. What I wanted to ask is, can you approach a bank and use the equity we just acquired as collateral to retrieve those funds?”

“Manager Wang, I am extremely sorry. I contacted the banks just now. All the major banks cited tight liquidity and refused to provide us with loans, while the smaller banks lack the capacity,” Wang Yilang confessed, feeling responsible that his unrestrained spending had created a liquidity gap for Starry Sky Group—something unimaginable in the past.

“Manager Wang, don't worry. Since those banks cannot lend to us, we will seek out other banks. There will always be a solution, won't there?” Liu Hui comforted Wang Yilang.

“Everyone, our company is facing a **major headache. But I must tell you all that this **major headache is easily solvable. Right now, I need you to unite and focus on your core duties. I will handle everything else. Have faith in me; remember, to this day, no real difficulty has ever truly defeated me,” Liu Hui concluded.

Although Liu Hui assured them he would handle everything, the executives remained apprehensive. The situation was not as relaxed as he portrayed. After all, the funding gap totaled fifty billion US dollars—an amount so immense it weighed heavily on their minds, making it hard to breathe, let alone consider the impending legal battles.