190: The collapse of Troy

Hanhai Trade Base, Command Center.

On the massive holographic star map, countless red light dots representing Giant Star Mining's logistics ships were frantically swarming toward every corner of the star sector like a swarm of startled locusts.

"Shipping rate is at three hundred percent." Standing before the light screen, Su Li's face was pale, her fingertips turning slightly white from gripping too hard. "He's dumping. With this suicidal distribution speed, if we don't intervene, the temptation of low prices will lead a massive number of low-tier users to buy even if the products are flawed. Once the market is saturated..."

"There is no 'once'." Chen Feng sat in the shadows, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest—the beat of a death god's countdown. "This is exactly what we want."

"But..." Su Li turned her head, her eyes filled with confusion. "Letting them sell that pile of junk will damage consumer trust and the reputation of the entire industry."

"In this universe, trust is a luxury; lessons are a necessity." Chen Feng stood up and walked behind Eve.

The silver-haired girl was curled up in a large ergonomic chair, her hands hovering over the keyboard. On her screen, there was only a massive red "Enter" key icon, with a line of pulsing countdown code below it.

"Eve." Chen Feng's voice was soft, yet it struck like a heavy hammer. "Are you ready?"

Eve's body trembled slightly. She looked at those data nodes representing countless ships, factories, and families. She knew that pressing this finger down wasn't just running code; it was the mournful cry of countless machines.

"Do... do we really have to do this?" Eve's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Those buyers... many of them are just miners trying to save money."

"Think of Reno." Chen Feng leaned down and whispered in her ear, his voice as cold as a polar wind. "Think of the shackles that hung around your neck for three years. Mercy toward an enemy is cruelty toward yourself; it is suicide. This is war, Eve. There are no innocents, only survivors."

Eve's pupils constricted sharply. In that instant, memories of being imprisoned in the dark laboratory flooded back like a tide.

"Understood."

Her gaze changed. Her original hesitation was replaced by a cold fanaticism belonging to a hacker.

"Trojan Protocol... full-spectrum broadcast."

Eve's finger heavily struck the Enter key.

"Send."

...Deep underground in Mining Colony No. 37.

Old miner Baru was sweating profusely as he operated an old drilling machine.

"Damn it, out of power again." He cursed and kicked the machine; the old battery from earlier had completely died.

"Uncle! Look at this bargain I just snagged!" His nephew ran over excitedly, clutching a new energy block stamped with the "Giant Star Mining" logo. "Seventy percent off! The scalpers said it's a big company clearance sale; you usually can't even buy these!"

"Seventy percent off?" Baru took it suspiciously. "It's not a fake, is it?"

"I watched the livestream just now. Even though the boss is a bald guy, the brand is huge!" Without waiting for an answer, the nephew shoved the energy block into the drilling machine's power slot. "Give it a try!"

"Click."

The interface locked in.

The next second, the drilling machine, which had been lowing like an old ox, suddenly let out a sharp, high-frequency scream.

"Vrrrrm—!!!"

The drill bit's rotation speed surged instantly. The rock layer, once hard as iron, was sliced open like tofu, sending stone chips flying.

"Holy shit!" Baru shouted in surprise. "This thing has so much kick! It's more than twice as powerful as usual! Big brands really are different!"

The nephew smiled proudly. "Of course, it has to be—"

Before he could finish his sentence...

That exciting whistling sound suddenly became extremely ear-piercing, like the death rattle of some beast.

"Beep, beep, beep—Warning! Core temperature overload! Warning!"

The needle on the dashboard instantly hit the top of the red zone.

"Uncle! It's smoking!" The nephew pointed at the power slot in terror.

A thick plume of black smoke billowed from the gaps, followed by the crackling sound of electrical sparks.

"Run!" Baru grabbed his nephew and dove backward.

"Boom!"

A dull thud. An explosion rang out from inside the drilling machine worth fifty thousand credit points. The entire machine head was instantly paralyzed, and black smoke filled the mining tunnel... Similar scenes played out at this very moment in tens of thousands of corners across the entire star sector.

Transport ships crossing asteroid belts suddenly lost their power shields and were riddled with holes by debris; medical bays performing precision surgeries suddenly lost power, leaving doctors panicked in the dark; housewives watching dramas via holographic projection at home watched helplessly as their projectors turned into balls of fire.

The initial euphoria instantly transformed into panic, ultimately converging into a torrential rage.

On the interstellar network, the trending topics shifted from "Giant Star Clearance Sale" to a blood-red "Giant Star Explosion" within just ten minutes.

"Is this the so-called trojan?" Su Li felt a chill rise from her spine as she watched the negative public opinion explode exponentially on the screen.

This wasn't simple destruction; it was a psychological execution—giving someone a piece of candy before stabbing them ruthlessly.

"They thought they were getting a bargain, but they were actually bringing bombs home." Chen Feng watched as the angry complaints flooded Giant Star Mining's customer service channels like an Avalanche; there wasn't a hint of a smile on his face. "Greed is the best accelerant."

Outside the Giant Star Mining headquarters building.

The crowd that had originally come just to watch had now turned into an angry mob.

"Burn down this crooked shop!"

"Pay us back! My ship's engine is fried!"

"Come out! Make that bald guy come out!"

Countless stones and scrap parts rained down on the building's glass curtain wall. As soon as security robots tried to disperse the crowd, they were blown into scrap metal by a few red-eyed armed miners using homemade bombs.

In the top-floor office, Hoffman slumped to the floor. Listening to the earth-shaking cries for blood outside, he heard the death knell of his commercial empire.

"How did it come to this... how did it come to this..." He clutched his hair, his gaze unfocused. "We were just shipping goods... we were just making money..."

He looked at the "faulty sample" that had just been brought to him.

The energy block had melted, but beneath the charred casing, a line of originally hidden micro-laser engraving was revealed due to the overheating.

It was an easter egg left by Eve, and also the final message Chen Feng left for him.

—"The greedy shall be consumed by greed. —H"

"Hanhai... Chen Feng..."

Hoffman let out a shrill, miserable laugh, followed by a fit of violent coughing, as if he were going to cough up his internal organs.

Hanhai Trade Base.

Chen Feng turned off the surveillance feed and turned to look at the dazed crowd.

"Is the war over?" Reno asked, his hand still gripping the gun he had just finished cleaning.

"No." Chen Feng adjusted his cuffs, his gaze sweeping over Su Li and Lao Mo. "The commercial war is over. Now, it's harvest time."

He looked at Su Li, his tone returning to that absolutely rational coldness.

"Notify the Legal Department to initiate a class-action lawsuit. Tell the Acquisition Team to take cash to Giant Star Mining's creditors. Tell them that if they want to get back even a single cent, they must sell their bonds to me at a ninety percent discount."

"As for Hoffman..." Chen Feng paused, his lips curling into a cruel arc. "Reno, take your men and help our 'old friend' move. Remember, I want him alive. Every cent he owes me, he will pay back with the rest of his life."

Looking at the man before her, Su Li felt a sense of awe from the depths of her soul for the first time.

The youth who once struggled to survive in the mines was dead.

Standing before her now was a tyrant ascending a throne of bones, a capital predator about to swallow the entire star sector.

"Yes, Boss." She lowered her head, concealing the tremor in her eyes.