[Sector 8 - The Forge (Executive Suite)]
The heavy doors to the command center hissed open. Admiral Valerius marched in, his plasma rifle slung over his shoulder. Behind him, flanked by two towering Praetorian Guards, was the former ruler of the galactic underworld.
Lady Vesper, Heir to User 005, looked nothing like a queen. Her violet skin was pale, her cybernetic implants sparked faintly, and her elegant robes were scorched from her narrow escape from the mercenary guilds.
"Master," Valerius saluted. "The extraction was successful. The package is secure."
Alex didn't look up from his holographic terminal. He was sipping a fresh espresso, wearing a perfectly tailored midnight-blue suit. "Did she cause any trouble, Admiral?"
"No, Boss. She spent the entire flight staring at the Dreadnought's engines. She couldn't believe we printed it in a day."
Vesper swallowed hard. She stepped forward, pulling a glowing, intricate data-drive from her pocket. "The decryption keys, User 009. The hidden ledgers, the blackmail files, and the flight path through the Black Hole. Everything my ancestor built... it's all yours."
Alex finally looked up. "Luna. Take the drive. Dawn, initiate the hostile integration."
[The Consolidation]
Luna smoothly took the drive from Vesper's trembling hands and plugged it into the central console. Instantly, the entire room lit up with gold data streams.
"Decrypting..." Dawn's voice echoed with sudden, immense power. "Accessing Sector 4 Spice Mines... Override Successful. Accessing Core Communications Network... Override Successful. Accessing Intergalactic Shipping Guild... Override Successful."
Vesper watched in horror as thousands of years of Syndicate history were wiped clean and replaced with the logo of the Pantheon Group.
"It's done," Dawn reported. "Sir, the Pantheon Group now holds a 74% monopoly on all major industry in the Galactic Core."
"Good," Alex smiled. "Vesper, your desk is in the basement. You report to Dawn now. If you do a good job, I might pay you minimum wage next century."
Before Vesper could protest her humiliating demotion, the room's lighting suddenly shifted from gold to a harsh, flashing crimson.
[The Audit]
The temperature in the room dropped. Dawn's avatar flickered and vanished, forcefully suppressed. A mechanical, booming voice bypassed the speakers and spoke directly into Alex's mind. It was the God-Tycoon System.
[CRITICAL ALERT: MONOPOLISTIC STAGNATION DETECTED.] [User 009 Liquid Balance: 0 GC.] [System Protocol 404: A Tycoon cannot hold zero liquidity. Initiating Tier-3 Promotion Audit.]
"An audit?" Alex frowned, looking at his glowing interface. "I just bought half the universe."
[To proceed to Tier-3, User must prove a Total Asset Valuation exceeding 50 Trillion GC. Failure to pass the Audit will result in account liquidation and User termination.] [Calculating Net Worth...]
"Boss, what's happening?" Valerius gripped his rifle as the planetary furnace below them began to shake. "The Forge's power grid is locking us out!"
"The System is checking my receipts," Alex gritted his teeth. "It thinks I'm broke because I spent all my cash buying the dip."
[Evaluating Asset: Earth & Neo-Atlantis. Value: 5 Trillion GC.] [Evaluating Asset: The Forge & Fleet. Value: 10 Trillion GC.] [Evaluating Asset: Starlight Drives Inc. Value: 140 Million GC.]
The numbers were ticking up, but too slowly.
[Current Valuation: 15.1 Trillion GC. Audit Failed. Preparing for Liquidation in 10... 9...]
"Wait!" Vesper screamed, realizing if Alex died, she died with him. "The new assets! The ones you just bought from my family's crashed empire!"
"System!" Alex roared, his Tycoon's Aura flaring, cracking the reinforced glass of his desk. "Include the freshly decrypted Syndicate Assets! Appraise them at their pre-crash monopoly value!"
[8... 7... Recalculating with Decryption Keys...] [Evaluating Asset: The Intergalactic Shipping Guild (Restored). Value: 20 Trillion GC.] [Evaluating Asset: Core Communications Network. Value: 15 Trillion GC.] [Evaluating Asset: Sector 4 Spice Monopoly. Value: 10 Trillion GC.]
The numbers exploded upwards.
[Total Asset Valuation: 60.1 Trillion GC.] [Audit Passed.]
[The Level Up]
The flashing red lights vanished, replaced by a blinding, heavenly gold aura that washed over the entire planet.
[Congratulations, User 009.] [The God-Tycoon System has upgraded to Tier-3: Universal.] [New Title Unlocked: 'Emperor of the Core'.] [Audit Reward: +10,000,000,000 GC (Liquidity Injection).]
Alex exhaled, adjusting his tie as the gold light faded. His balance updated. He now had 10 Billion Galactic Credits in pure cash.
"Well," Alex said calmly, looking at the terrified faces of Luna, Valerius, and Vesper. "It seems my credit score just went up."
Alex turned to the console, pulling up the Star-Chart. "Dawn. Plot the coordinates provided by our new intern. It's time to visit User 001."