183: The weight of the gold coin

Su Li gripped the edge of the console tightly, her knuckles turning a sickly pale from the strain. The string of astronomical figures on the holographic screen glowed with a faint green light, reflected in her bloodshot eyes like a flickering ghost fire.

"How much?" Her voice was hoarse, as if she had swallowed a handful of gravel. "Chen Feng, what exactly... did you sell?"

Chen Feng sat in that worn-out executive chair, fiddling with a metal lighter he had picked up from somewhere, the lid clicking open and shut. He didn't look at Su Li; his gaze pierced through the murky air, settling on some point in the void.

"I sold Hanhai's life for the next year to the Divine Court."

"Life?" Su Li spun around abruptly, her usually elegant and cold face now somewhat distorted, caught between a cry and a laugh. "Do you know what this number means? Ten minutes ago, I was still calculating how to strip the copper wires from the backup generator to sell for pain relief for the wounded... and now you're telling me this money... this money is real?"

She suddenly gagged. The sudden release of long-term mental pressure triggered a violent physiological rejection.

"It's real." Chen Feng stopped his movements and tossed a data chip shimmering with deep blue light onto the table, where it landed with a crisp clatter. "An electronic contract from the Mechanical Divine Court, personally issued by Sequence Zero."

The blue emblem, symbolizing absolute rationality and supreme computing power, was projected into the air—cold, precise, and unquestionable.

A deathly silence fell over the command center. Several employees who had been packing their personal belongings in preparation for dismissal froze in place, their cardboard boxes hitting the floor with a thud.

"Really... we don't have to die?" In the corner, a young communications officer named Xiao Wu asked with a tremble, tears rolling down his face without warning and splashing onto the floor.

"Die?" Chen Feng stood up and straightened his collar, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "In this universe, poverty is the only capital crime. Since we've been exonerated, it's others who should die."

*Bang!*

The command center doors were slammed open, and Reno charged in like a wounded bull. He was still wrapped in bandages he hadn't had time to remove, clutching a tactical knife with a worn serrated edge. The heavy scent of tobacco mixed with the smell of blood instantly filled the room.

"Boss! Rumors are flying outside... those bastards are saying we're rich? Is it true?" Reno's single eye bulged as his gaze darted frantically between Chen Feng and Su Li, finally locking onto the string of numbers.

He froze for a full three seconds, a gurgling sound coming from his throat as if he wanted to laugh but was choked by phlegm.

"Damn it..." Reno punched the doorframe hard, leaving a visible dent in the metal. "I don't have to take the brothers to be interstellar pirates? I don't have to kidnap Miss Su and sell her to slave traders for travel expenses?"

Su Li shot him a cold glance. Normally, she would have retaliated with a sharp tongue, but now she simply took a deep breath, pulled a nutrient solution from her pocket, bit off the cap, and downed it in one go. Her eyes gradually regained that terrifying clarity.

"If you want to sell me, I'm afraid you'll have to get in line." Su Li pushed up her glasses, her fingers flying across the virtual keyboard at an incredible speed. "Chen Feng, since we have the money, should we immediately repay the high-interest loan from the Iron Hook Chamber of Commerce? If we don't, the interest will keep compounding every hour. Also, do we need to pre-order a batch of escape pods? As a..."

"Stop," Chen Feng interrupted her.

He walked to the holographic map and traced a red line through the void with his finger, pointing directly at the headquarters of Giant Star Mining in the center of the star sector.

"Su Li, put away that poor-man's mindset." Chen Feng's voice was as cold as a wind over an ice plain. "Not a single cent of this money is to be used for debt repayment."

"Not paying the debt?" Su Li's fingers paused in mid-air, her brow furrowed. "Then we'll be blacklisted by the credit system, and the Iron Hook people will blow this place to smithereens."

"Let them come." Chen Feng turned around, a near-manic ferocity in his eyes. "Notify all departments to enter Level One War Mobilization immediately. All funds are to be invested into the procurement and production of offensive assets. What we're buying isn't a life-saving charm; it's a noose."

"A noose?" Reno licked his parched lips, the predatory light in his eyes intensifying. "For whom?"

"Hoffman." Chen Feng snapped his fingers.

"Eve, come in."

At his words, the holographic projection of the silver-haired girl appeared beside the conference table. She looked even more haggard than a few days ago, with sunken eyes, but the data streams flickering in her pupils were more violent than ever.

"Connected to Giant Star Mining's internal surveillance network," Eve's voice was raspy and mechanical. "This is what they are doing."

The holographic projection shifted.

It was a magnificent press conference venue with flowers, red carpets, and spotlights. Hoffman, dressed in a well-tailored white suit, stood in the center of the stage, rehearsing for an empty audience. He wore that sickeningly humble smile characteristic of a victor, holding a replica energy block.

"Everyone, this is not just a product; this is Giant Star Mining's blessing to the low-dimensional world..." Hoffman's voice echoed through the vast hall.

"Three days from now," Chen Feng pointed at Hoffman on the screen, "on this very stage, I want him to swallow these 'blessings' one by one, along with his teeth."

Su Li looked at the arrogant man in the footage—one of the executioners who had once used the same methods to drive her father to his death. The hesitation in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by a cold resolve even sharper than Chen Feng's.

"Understood." Su Li quickly swiped several commands across the console. "I will freeze all non-combat expenditures, including the cafeteria's meat supply and the recovery allowances for the wounded. Every cent will be turned into a blade aimed at them."

"That's the spirit." A cruel arc curled at the corner of Chen Feng's mouth.

Reno twirled his tactical knife, creating a sharp whistling sound. "Boss, just say the word. Who do we kill? Even if it's ripping that pretty boy's head off to kick around like a ball, I can do it right now."

"No, Reno." Chen Feng shook his head. "Killing him is too easy. I want to take his proud business empire and tear it apart like toy blocks in front of all the investors, media, and allies at the moment the entire universe is watching."

He looked out at the dim sky through the window, as if seeing the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads through the clouds.

"Get ready. This is a funeral where only madmen can survive."