They thought they knew the price of everything. The bankers, the CEOs, the underworld kings—they all believed they were running Haddon City. But as the sun rose over the fractured city that morning, they were about to realize that the rules had changed. The boy in the muddy sneakers wasn't just another new billionaire; he was a devastating financial anomaly that was about to break the world's economy.
Viktor Volkov's garden, once a masterpiece of French landscape design, now looked like a crime scene. A fleet of black armored SUVs—owned by Aryan's new security division—surrounded the premises. The bank's foreclosing agents, armed with the new Governor's orders, were sealing the doors. Volkov, the legendary 'Ghost of Haddon,' was standing by the road, his expensive silk shirt stained with the cognac he had spilled, watching the workers pack his paintings into a truck.
He didn't have a single legal dime to his name. Not for legal fees, not for food, not for an Uber to a friend's house. The single dollar bill Aryan had dropped on his lap earlier that day was sitting on the pavement nearby, blowing in the wind.
"Master, we have to leave," his butler whispered, the man's eyes dull and tired.
Volkov grabbed the Butler by the collar.
"Leave to where? I built this! I own this!"
"You own numbers on a screen, Viktor," a voice said, low and terrifying. "And those numbers... well, they just decided to quit working for you."
Volkov turned. Standing near the open iron gates was a figure who looked entirely too young to wield such colossal power. Aryan wasn't in a suit. He wore that same black hoodie and jeans, his face an emotionless mask. He looked more like a delivery boy than a Triple-Billionaire.
"You," Volkov rasped, his voice like grinding stones. "You think buying a bank makes you the king? You don't know who's behind me, kid. They will find you, and they will erase you."
Aryan let out a low, cold laugh. "They already know who I am, Viktor. The 'True Masters' of the world? I'm looking forward to meeting them. But as for you..."
[Ding!]
[System Mission: Final Judgment.]
[Task: Decide the fate of the antagonist.]
[Option 1: Complete Mercy - $0 (Cashback: 0x)]
[Option 2: Eternal Servitude - $1 Billion (Cashback: 40x)]
[Option 3: Total Erasure - $5 Billion (Cashback: 100x)]
Aryan looked at Volkov. This was the man who had ordered the murder of a delivery boy's sister. This was the man who thought he ruled the world from the shadows. Complete Mercy? Not a chance. Eternal Servitude? Too risky; you can't trust a snake. Total Erasure? Now that was appealing.
But Aryan was strategic. $5 Billion to erase a man who was already legally dead seemed like overkill. But then, he saw the look of primal rage in Volkov's eyes and knew—a snake is never more dangerous than when it is cornered.
"System," Aryan said, tapping a newly unlocked option on the 'Influence Map' interface. "Option 3. Total Erasure. And I want the media to see every second of it."
[Ding!]
[Transaction Authorized: $5,000,000,000.00]
[Spend Detected: The Ultimate Sacrifice.]
[Generating 100x Cashback...]
[Congratulations! $500,000,000,000.00 (500 Billion) Credited to Host's Account!]
Aryan's mind went numb with power. 500 Billion Dollars. He was now, without a doubt, the richest man who had ever lived. He didn't just have infinite money; he had the money of nations. He had 'Fuck the World' kind of money.
Suddenly, sirens blared from the main road. But they weren't the police. They were international media trucks. News choppers began to circle overhead.
Aryan walked past Volkov and picked up the microphone from a foreclosing agent.
"Viktor Volkov!" Aryan's voice was amplified, echoing through the empty garden and onto the national news feeds. "You stand here accusing me of stealing your world. But the truth is, your world was built on a lie."
Aryan raised his hand, pointing toward Volkov's mansion. A low, tectonic hum began to shake the ground.
"Let the world see what the 'Ghost of Haddon' is truly worth," Aryan commanded.
Hidden beneath the mansion, devices Aryan had purchased in the level 3 upgrade activated. They were 'Implosion Nanites'—$5 Billion worth of microscopic, self-replicating demolition drones. In less than ten seconds, the walls of the great Volkov Mansion began to glow, turning a bright, white-hot blue.
"NO!" Volkov screamed, running toward his house.
But before he could even reach the porch, the mansion didn't explode—it imploded. The entire massive structure folded in on itself, disintegrating into a cloud of fine, gold dust that shimmered in the morning light. It was silent, terrifying, and mesmerizing. The cameras captured every second. The 'Ghost' was officially gone.
Volkov stopped, falling to his knees on the pavement, staring at the empty space where his empire had stood. He was legally broke. His home was dust. His name was now synonymous with a spectacular, televised collapse. He looked at Aryan, his eyes empty of rage, filled only with the chilling knowledge that he was truly, completely nothing.
Aryan walked over and stood right above him, blocking the camera's view of Volkov's face. He pulled out that same silver ring.
"A delivery boy's sister nearly died because
of you," Aryan whispered, his voice too low for the cameras. "But don't worry, Viktor. I won't let you die. That would be too easy.
No... I'm going to make sure you live. And every time you wake up, you will remember that you lost everything to a boy who once sat in the mud, crying for a single dollar."
Aryan stood up and walked away. Mark held the Maybach's door open. Aryan didn't look back as the car sped away, leaving the world's media to deal with the bankrupt king who was now kneeling in the ashes of his own home.
He sat in the Maybach, checking his balance. $518,506,765,012.45.
[Ding!]
[Level Up! You are now Level 5: God-Level Arbitrator.]
[New Feature Unlocked: 'The Oracle' - Real-time analysis of global political and financial shifts.]
The car pulled up to 'The Azure Horizon.' As he stepped onto his terrace, the 'Oracle' interface flickered. A single, ominous message appeared on the screen.
[Warning: The World Economic Forum has activated the 'Omega Protocol'. An international hit team is moving toward your location.]
Aryan looked out at the ocean, a dark smile playing on his lips. "Good. The city was getting too small anyway. System, how much does it cost to buy the entire mercenary group Volkov used to hire?"
[Ding!]
[Calculating... $1 Billion for the whole organization.]
"Buy them," Aryan commanded. "And tell them they have a new target."
Author's Note - Read this for your first review!
❣️Author's Note:❣️
> "Aryan has moved to Level 5 and has a $518 Billion balance! He just broke the world's rich list. But the real game is starting. The true rulers of the world have sent a global hit team. The next chapters will take Aryan from revenge to a global financial war!
💖💐❣️ To my amazing readers:❣️💐💖
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* Comment below: Should Aryan buy a private army or use his wealth to buy the media and control the world's opinion of him? Let me know!"