Chapter 2: The Toothless Tiger
The phone rang, shattering the quiet hum of the car engine. The name Lin Jie, CFO flashed on the screen.
Li Wei's first feeling was a hot rush of anger. But before he could react, the System glowed brightly in front of his eyes. New words appeared, outlined in red.
[NEW MISSION: The First Reckoning] [THEY TOOK WHAT IS YOURS. MAKE THEM PAY.] [GOAL 1: Take back your 50% of Tri-Star Ventures.] [GOAL 2: Hurt Lin Jie and Zhang Wei. Hurt their money. Hurt their reputation.] [RULES: Use what the System gave you. Do not tell them about me.] [REWARD: 10% of Veridian Dynamics (A huge international company).] [FAILURE: Not an option.] [ACCEPT MISSION?] [YES / NO]
This was it. The first step. The reward was huge—a piece of a global giant. But the last line was what really hit him: Failure: Not an option. This was his purpose now.
He clicked [YES]. The mission glowed softly in his vision, a constant reminder.
The phone was still ringing. He took a deep breath. The rage was still there, but now it was cold and sharp, like a knife made of ice. He was in control.
He answered on the fourth ring.
There was a short silence on the other end. Lin Jie was probably expecting a scared, broken man.
Li Wei spoke first. His voice was calm and flat. "Lin Jie." He said the name like it was unimportant.
"Wei?" Lin Jie's voice was tight. He sounded confused and annoyed. "Is that you? The police called. They found your wrecked car. We thought you were dead." The lie was obvious.
"How kind of you to worry," Li Wei said, his voice dripping with fake politeness. "But as you can hear, I'm fine."
"Good. That's... good," Lin Jie said, stumbling over his words. This wasn't going how he planned. "Listen, about those papers you signed—"
Li Wei cut him off. "The papers you forced me to sign with your lies? Yes, what about them?"
Lin Jie's voice turned hard. "You need to finish the job. Sign the final documents. Give us your shares. Take the small amount of money we offered and disappear. It's the best deal you'll get."
"Or what?" Li Wei asked, his voice still dangerously calm.
"Or things will get worse for you," Lin Jie threatened. "That car accident was a warning. Next time, you might not walk away. And remember our agreement? The one we all signed as 'brothers'? If a partner dies, his shares go to the others for half the price. We'll buy them from your poor parents. I'm sure they could use the money."
The threat to his parents was the final straw. Any last bit of feeling for this man vanished, replaced by pure, cold purpose.
Li Wei didn't yell. He went even quieter. "You think you're a big man in a big company, Lin Jie? You think your little billion-RMB business makes you powerful?"
"It makes me more powerful than you," Lin Jie shot back, mocking him. "You have nothing. You are a toothless tiger. All you can do is growl. Sign the papers."
Li Wei smiled a cold, hard smile. "A toothless tiger? We'll see about that. Tell me, Lin Jie, how does it feel to know that everything you have can be taken away?"
"What are you talking about?" Lin Jie snapped, but a sliver of doubt was in his voice.
"You'll find out soon," Li Wei said softly. "I'd tell you to get a good lawyer, but I don't think it will help you."
He hung up.
The cabin was silent again. His heart was beating fast, but his mind was clear. The mission in his vision glowed.
[GOAL 2: Hurt Lin Jie and Zhang Wei.] [STATUS: IN PROGRESS]
He had gotten under Lin Jie's skin. The first blow was struck.
Just then, a new call came through on the car's screen. The caller ID was not a name, but a number he didn't recognize. It looked very professional.
He answered. "Hello?"
A woman's voice, crisp, efficient, and respectful, came through the speakers. "Mr. Li Wei?"
"Yes."
"Good evening, sir. My name is Evelyn Reed. I am the senior executive assistant assigned to you at OmniStar Global. On behalf of the entire board, welcome. I am calling to schedule a time to go through the handover procedures for your new holdings at your earliest convenience. We are at your complete disposal."
Li Wei looked at the city lights ahead. The pieces were moving into place.
"Thank you, Ms. Reed," he said, his voice now full of a new kind of authority. "Let's get started. I have some changes I want to make right away."