With the deadline extended to a week, the system stopped screaming…and started whispering.
That was worse.
Max spent the first two days doing the only thing he truly knew how to do: observe.He didn't touch anything.He didn't move a single cent.
He analyzed cash flows, emails, logistics calendars, contracts with suppliers and insurers. Aurora Capital was not a makeshift company: every process had redundancies, cross-audits, and external validations. Even mistakes were budgeted.
And Selene stood at the center of it all.
She personally led the first delivery. Not out of distrust, but instinct: she knew that first move would define the project's perception. Max watched her coordinate calls, correct contracts in real time, anticipate objections before they even existed. There were no obvious gaps.
The system vibrated, impatient.
DING.⏳ Time remaining: 5 days💀 Warning: Sabotage opportunities decreasing
Max tried indirect approaches.
Day three: secondary suppliers. Maybe one with a weak track record, something that could "break" on its own. Nothing. All of them had been absorbed by Valmont-affiliated companies or audited by third parties. Adrián didn't trust chance; he bought it and locked it away.
Day four: documentation. He tried to find a legal bottleneck, a poorly worded license, a permit stuck in a gray area. Selene had already accounted for it. Not only were the correct permits in place—there were extra ones, legal cushions for delays that would never come.
The system vibrated again.
DING.⚠️ Critical opportunity detected: Minor logistical delay🎯 Estimated impact on Villain's profit: -2%
It was small. Ridiculously small.But it was the only thing left.
Max hesitated.
That delay meant altering a secondary transport order, forcing a reschedule Selene would notice. It wouldn't be a disaster—but it would be an annoyance. A signal. And Max knew how to read signals.
So did Selene.
He clenched his teeth and went for it.
He didn't hack anything.He didn't falsify records.He simply nudged a validation into the wrong time slot, trusting the human system to do the rest.
It didn't work.
Selene caught it in under an hour.
"This is misconfigured," she said calmly, without raising her voice. "Fix it. And check who touched the sequence."
No shouting.No open accusations.That was the worst part.
Max felt cold sweat run down his back as the system reacted.
DING.❌ Mission partially executed📉 Insufficient impact
⏳ Time remaining: 1 day💀 Imminent penalty
On the last day, there were no moves left. The operation was sealed tight. Adrián didn't show up even once—there was no need. His machinery ran on its own. Selene closed the delivery with surgical precision.
Aurora Capital launched without a hitch.
The system didn't wait.
DING.💀 Break Event — FAILED📉 Penalty applied:
Capital XP: -120
Influence: -20
Risk/Courage: -15
🔒 Special status: "Mild Emotional Lock"📌 Effect: Persistent doubts in future decisions against the Villain
Max sat staring at the dark screen, while elsewhere in the city the first positive numbers began to register.
He had tried to sabotage an empire……and learned something brutal:
Not all villains can be stopped with small traps.And some systems forgive neither cowardice nor failure.
Just as failure became inevitable and Max accepted—knot in his stomach—that the mission was lost, the system didn't let him fall.
Not with dignity.With audacity.
DING.
🎉 CONGRATULATIONS!You have activated a Hidden Survival Achievement:
💨 "The Most Toxic Fart in the City"
Conditions met:✔️ Extreme stress✔️ Enclosed corporate environment✔️ Personal dignity at -80%
🏆 Reward unlocked:🧠 Special class obtained: Master Hacker (Temporary)⏱️ Duration: 24 hours
📈 Bonuses:+100 Focus+80 Financial Creativity+Emergency access to secondary administrative systems
⚠️ Restriction: Not applicable to Adrián Valmont's systems (God-Level Shielding)
Max blinked.
"…What?"
The description unfolded mercilessly:
📜 "When the hero is backed into a corner, even shame can become power. The system recognizes your public humiliation as a catalyst for evolution."
Max remembered the exact moment.The closed room.The cheap coffee.Days of accumulated tension.The sound.The silence afterward.
He wanted to die.
But the numbers… the numbers went up.
DING.[Focus: 35 → 135][Financial Creativity: 42 → 122]
His mind cleared instantly. Where he once saw walls, he now saw cracks. Not the main systems—those were impossible—but the secondary ones: human validations, reports no one checked because "everything was fine."
He couldn't sabotage the shipment.But he could reclassify its impact.
He didn't touch logistics.He didn't touch contracts.
He touched perception.
In under two hours, he redirected internal reports toward conservative metrics, triggered "observation phase" protocols for minor investors, and planted just enough doubt for the first result to be labeled a "moderate success" instead of an "explosive launch."
No loss.But a narrative delay.
The system vibrated, satisfied.
DING.✔️ Emergency Mission — COMPLETED (Alternate outcome)📉 Villain's profit symbolically reduced📊 Adjusted ratio: 1.29x
🏆 Rewards:+60 Capital XP+15 Influence❌ Critical penalty avoided
🔔 System note:"Remember, Hero: you don't always win by destroying. Sometimes it's enough to ruin the narrative."
Max leaned back in his chair, exhausted, red with shame and relief.
He had saved his mission……thanks to a legendary fart.
And somewhere in the city, Adrián Valmont kept making millions, unaware that—for the first time—something hadn't gone exactly as expected.
Less than ten minutes after Max had "executed" his creative sabotage, Selene's phone vibrated. The call arrived as quickly as the system's update report: a message from Adrián, firm and cold, leaving no room for doubt.
"Selene," he said. "The initial operation failed to meet projected targets. The partnership continues, but I've adjusted the profit split: 70% for me, 30% for you. I trust you understand that responsibility lies with the one directing execution."
Selene pressed the folder to her chest, holding back the urge to explain, justify… or scream. Max, beside her, felt a mix of triumph and guilt: his system celebrated, but the real penalty had arrived.
DING.
💀 Penalty applied: [Capital: -20] [Influence: -15]📊 System note: "Partnering with a Villain generates collateral effects on responsible allies. Reflect, Hero."
Selene took a deep breath, mentally recalculating her next move. The operation wasn't lost, but the board had just proven that in this game, every action had an owner—and every mistake had a price. Max could only clench his fists and learn the most expensive lesson of his life: sometimes the hero survives… but the boss pays the bill.
Selene's efficiency was legendary. The moment Max's system emitted the sabotage alert, she had already begun reviewing operation reports. She analyzed inventory movements, traced loading orders, cross-checked employee data, and examined every access log to the warehouse. Every action was fast, precise, meticulous.
Everything pointed to one person. Max.
Without hesitation, Selene acted: she summoned her team, verified evidence, and fired him before the system's penalty could further crush his stats. A formal message from Adrián confirmed the reduced profit share and made it clear who bore responsibility.
Selene exhaled slowly. Even with all her speed and control, she had learned that on this board, efficiency wasn't everything—inevitability mattered too.
DING.⚠️ MAXIMUM ALERT💀 Punishment Event Executed: "Failed Sabotage"
🎯 Penalty applied:-100 Capital XP-50 Influence-30 Morality/Ethics-20 Risk/Courage
⏱️ Current status: Partial board reset → Hero Level reduced to 1
💡 Strategic tip unlocked (ironic):"Congratulations, Master Hacker! You dropped the most toxic fart in the city and learned how to lose… with style."
⚠️ Immediate consequence: All weekly missions reconfigured, resources temporarily locked
🎯 New mandatory mission: "Rebuild prestige and capital from zero"⏳ Time limit: 7 days before additional penalty
📊 Current status:[Capital: 0][Influence: 5][Reputation: 10][Focus: 50][Financial Creativity: 15][Risk/Courage: 5][Morality/Ethics: 0][Hero Level: 1]