235: Chapter 235 Bounty Sparks a Hunting Frenzy! I Made the Creator God Work for Money

Seventeen minutes after the bounty was issued, the first Parasite corpse was thrown at the entrance of the Epoch Management Group headquarters.

The delivery was made by a Cyclops wearing a Nebula Cloak—its body spanned three star systems, yet at this moment, it was carefully pinching that twitching, indescribable thing with its fingertips, like holding a dead rat.

"One quadrillion, cash." The giant's voice roared like a supernova explosion.

Lin Chen's projection appeared in the void, scanning the Parasite remains.

[Target Confirmed: Parasite No. 3 (Deceased)]

[Integrity: 91% (Acceptable)]

[Payment Amount: One quadrillion dimension points]

[Confirm payment?]

"Pay," Lin Chen nodded.

The Group's vault instantly transferred the funds.

A satisfied light flashed in the giant's single eye, and it turned to leave.

"Wait," Lin Chen called out to it. "Interested in signing a long-term contract? The Group is forming a 'Special Threat Response Department' with an annual salary of five hundred trillion, plus bonuses."

The giant stopped: "To kill these bugs?"

"Not just bugs." Lin Chen pulled up deeper monitoring data. "There might be a manipulator behind the Parasites. I need a top-tier combat force on standby at all times."

"When do I start?"

"Now."

The giant was silent for three seconds, then extended a finger covered in nebulae and pressed its mark onto the virtual contract.

[New Employee Registered: Nebula Giant Titan (Mid-tier Creation Grade)]

[Position: Chief Combat Consultant of the Special Threat Response Department]

[Annual Salary: Five hundred trillion + Performance Bonuses]

The second applicant arrived immediately after—an ancient being composed entirely of the flow of time, dragging a Parasite corpse that was repeatedly dying across different timelines.

Third, fourth, fifth...

In just two hours, all seventeen Parasites were hunted down.

And because of this, The Group recruited nine Creation-grade beings as new employees.

Total bounty expenditure: 170 quadrillion.

But Lin Chen didn't use his own funds at all—because the sales of "Hunting Rights Futures Contracts" had already surpassed fifty trillion. After deducting bounty expenses, the net profit was 48.3 trillion.

Even better, the combined annual salary of the nine Creation-grade employees was only 4.5 quadrillion, and after they joined, The Group's stock price surged, with the market value increasing by over a hundred trillion in a single day.

"See that?" Lin Chen said to Arrogant Dragon at The Group's executive meeting. "Hiring thugs is the stupidest thing. You have to make the thugs feel like they're making money while they conveniently help you drive up the company's market value."

Arrogant Dragon watched the nine Creation Gods undergoing onboarding procedures on the surveillance screen and remained silent for a long time.

"What's next?" he asked. "The Parasites are dealt with, but the ones behind them..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Among the nine Creation employees, the time entity suddenly looked up, its body reversing like an hourglass as it issued a warning across epochs:

"Chairman, timeline contamination detected."

"The deaths of these Parasites... are triggering a Causal Backflow."

It pulled up a time-flow monitoring map—the once-clear river of time had now turned into murky black whirlpools at seventeen nodes.

Each whirlpool corresponded to the death coordinates of a Parasite.

"What will Causal Backflow do?" Lin Chen frowned.

"It will make certain 'things that shouldn't happen' happen," the time entity calculated rapidly. "For example... deceased civilizations reappearing, signed contracts suddenly becoming invalid, and even..."

It paused: "Debts that have already been paid off will reappear."

Just as it finished speaking.

The Group's financial system suddenly erupted with a piercing alarm!

[Warning! Abnormal reappearance of historical debts detected!]

[Reappearing Debt 1: 990 trillion in Seven Civilizations bonds (already converted to equity) reactivated!]

[Reappearing Debt 2: 9.9 quadrillion loan from White Bone Consortium (already acquired) reactivated!]

[Reappearing Debt 3: 300 trillion algorithm lease fee left by Alpha (already waived) reactivated!]

[Total Reappearing Debt: Approximately 110 quadrillion dimension points!]

The Finance Director's projection collapsed in fear: "Chairman! Our balance sheet suddenly has an extra 110 quadrillion in liabilities! And it's effective immediately! The creditors are already demanding payment!"

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence.

Causal Backflow... could actually rewrite reality?

"Can it be reversed?" Lin Chen asked the time entity.

"It can, but the energy required is equivalent to... extinguishing ten thousand stars," the time entity shook its head. "And that's just treating the symptoms. As long as the source of causal contamination exists, the debts will keep reappearing."

"Where is the source of contamination?"

The time entity pointed to those seventeen black whirlpools: "Deep within each whirlpool hides a 'Parasite Core'—that is their true form; what we killed were just shells. Unless the cores are destroyed, the causal contamination will not dissipate."

"Core locations?"

"In the deepest ruins of the zeroed civilizations," the time entity pulled up the coordinates. "That place is shrouded by the Zeroing Storm; conventional means cannot enter. Furthermore, each core has a defense mechanism of at least High-tier Creation Grade."

High-tier Creation Grade?

Even the strongest among the nine new employees, the Nebula Giant Titan, was only Mid-tier Creation Grade.

The meeting room fell into silence.

The 110 quadrillion debt was accruing interest every minute; at this rate, The Group would be dragged down.

Just then—

A remnant data stream from Inspector 117 suddenly popped up a last-will message in the system.

It was something it had secretly planted before being dragged into logic hell:

"Lin Chen, you think you've won?"

"The Parasites were just scouts sent out by 'them'."

"The real hunters... are still watching you from the higher dimensions."

At the end of the message, a set of coordinates was attached.

Lin Chen clicked on the coordinates.

The image showed a cage composed entirely of golden chains, floating in the void outside the universe.

A person was locked inside the cage—

It was Mirror Lin Xiao!

That Earth clone, who should have dissipated in data aging, was now pierced by countless chains, in a state of neither life nor death.

Outside the cage, three lines of text floated:

[Want him?]

[Exchange ten living Creation-grade beings for him]

[Deadline: 72 hours]

"This is..." Arrogant Dragon's pupils contracted.

"Kidnapping," Lin Chen's voice was ice-cold. "And the kidnapper knows the business—they know I'd haggle if they asked for money directly, so they're taking my person."

Nebula Giant Titan suddenly spoke: "Chairman, those are 'High-Dimensional Shackles'. One who can manifest such a cage... is at least at the Peak Creation Grade, or perhaps even..."

"Even what?"

A rare flash of fear appeared in Titan's single eye:

"A Narrative Layer Administrator."

Everyone in the room held their breath.

Narrative Layer? The place where stories are written?

"Wait," Arrogant Dragon realized, "wasn't the Narrative Layer management party we negotiated and signed a contract with before neutralized by our Genesis Bonds?"

"That was a low-level executor," the time entity interjected. "The Narrative Layer is also divided into ranks. The one who signed the contract with us was just an 'Editor', but one who can manifest High-Dimensional Shackles... is at least at the 'Editor-in-Chief' level."

It pulled up analysis data: "The Editor-in-Chief level has the authority to directly modify the story outline. If they wish, they could write 'Lin Chen suddenly dies' at the beginning of the next chapter, and then..."

"And then I'd really be dead," Lin Chen finished the sentence.

The meeting room fell into a deeper silence.

Quadrillions in debt from causal contamination in front, and high-dimensional kidnapping behind.

"Two paths," Lin Chen held up two fingers. "First, agree to the kidnapper's demands and send ten Creation employees to exchange for Lin Xiao—but we'd lose high-end combat power and set a bad precedent: anyone could kidnap our people for ransom in the future."

"And the second?" Arrogant Dragon asked.

"Second," a dangerous light flashed in Lin Chen's eyes, "turn the kidnapping case itself into a bigger business."

He pulled up the universal news release interface and began drafting a headline:

[Breaking! Epoch Management Group Suffers High-Dimensional Terrorist Attack!]

[Nine Creation-grade New Employees and Their Families Face Death Threats!]

[Attacker Identity: Suspected Corrupt Elements of the Narrative Layer!]

[The Group's Bounty: Anyone providing clues about the attacker will be rewarded one quadrillion! Anyone assisting in the rescue can obtain permanent dividend rights in The Group!]

The news was sent out.

The entire universe was in an uproar.

The nine Creation employees were instantly furious—their families were threatened too?!

"Chairman!" The Titan giant's single eye was bloodshot. "I request to fight! I'm going to drag that bastard out of the Narrative Layer and tear him apart!"

"Me too!" The time entity's time-flow began to boil. "Daring to touch my kin, they are dead!"

The other seven Creation employees were equally murderous.

Lin Chen raised his hand for silence: "Don't be in a hurry. Since the other party wants to play at kidnapping, we'll play with them—but we'll play by our rules."

He pulled up a newly created virtual exchange interface:

[New Financial Product: High-Dimensional Kidnapping Event Risk Hedging Contract]

[Product Description: Investors can bet on the outcome of the event—if the hostage is safely rescued, the betting party gains a thousandfold return; if the hostage dies or The Group yields, the principal is a total loss]

[Issuance Volume: Unlimited]

[Target Fundraising: One hundred quadrillion dimension points]

As soon as the product went online, universal speculators flooded in again!

A thousandfold return! And with nine Creation Gods personally involved in this event, the success rate looked very high!

In just ten minutes, the fundraising amount surpassed thirty quadrillion!

Lin Chen used this money to do three things:

First, apply to the Universal Supreme Court for a "Temporary Investigation Order against the Narrative Layer"—on the grounds of "suspected cross-dimensional terrorism."

Second, use the raised money to place a reverse bounty on the dark web: "Ten quadrillion reward for anyone providing the true coordinates of a Narrative Layer Editor-in-Chief level entity."

Third, and most brilliant—he issued "Hostage Rescue Special Bonds" with an annual interest rate as high as 20%, promising that "if the rescue fails, the principal and interest of the bonds will be fully redeemed by The Group."

The bonds sold out in seconds.

Another seventy quadrillion was raised.

Now Lin Chen held one hundred quadrillion in cash, nine furious Creation employees, and the Imperial Sword of the Universal Supreme Court.

"Alright." He looked at the coordinates of the golden cage. "Now it's our turn to make an offer."

He connected the communication to the cage.

On the screen, below the three lines of text outside the cage, a blurry figure slowly emerged—it was a silhouette sitting at a typewriter, its face unclear.

"Thought it through?" the typewriter silhouette made a mechanical sound. "Ten Creation beings for your brother."

"No," Lin Chen smiled. "I'm offering a better price."

"Oh?"

"I'll use one hundred quadrillion in cash, plus 'Exemption from Narrative Layer Corruption Investigation', to exchange for two things from you."

"Which two things?"

"First, Lin Xiao's safe return."

"Second," Lin Chen paused, "your position as Editor-in-Chief."

The typewriter silhouette suddenly froze.

"You... what did you say?"

"I said, I'm going to acquire your position." Lin Chen pulled up the universal corporate law clauses. "According to the 'Cross-Dimensional Position Succession Regulations', when a position holder is suspected of a crime, their position can be transferred to the victim as a 'compensatory asset'."

"And you are now suspected of kidnapping, extortion, terrorism... enough to sentence you to position stripping."

The typewriter silhouette frantically pounded the keyboard, seemingly checking legal clauses.

Five seconds later, it screamed: "Impossible! Narrative Layer positions cannot be transferred!"

"They couldn't before," Lin Chen nodded. "But I just used one hundred quadrillion in cash to bribe the seven members of the Narrative Layer's 'Supreme Ethics Committee'. They unanimously passed the 'Amendment Regarding the Temporary Transfer of Positions in Emergency Situations'."

"The amendment took effect three minutes ago."

"So now..."

Lin Chen approached the screen, word by word:

"Either you resign voluntarily and sell the Editor-in-Chief position to me, taking the hundred quadrillion cash and running."

"Or I'll have nine Creation Gods storm the Narrative Layer and completely delete this 'plot' of yours."

"Choose."

Inside the cage, Mirror Lin Xiao suddenly opened his eyes and yelled weakly: "Don't worry about me... it doesn't dare kill me... if it kills me, the plot will collapse..."

The typewriter silhouette trembled violently.

Finally, it let out a venomous roar:

"I... resign."

A golden position transfer contract floated out of the void.

Lin Chen signed it.

Editor-in-Chief authority, acquired.

The golden cage instantly disintegrated, Mirror Lin Xiao fell and was caught by the Titan giant.

As for the typewriter silhouette, it snatched the hundred quadrillion in cash and fled in panic toward the depths of the universe.

Crisis resolved.

Lin Chen looked at the newly acquired Editor-in-Chief authority panel and suddenly laughed:

"Now..."

"It's time to write the next chapter."

He opened the Narrative Layer editor and typed a line at the end of the latest chapter:

[Next Chapter Preview: Lin Chen discovers that the source of all zeroing events points to a mysterious existence called the 'Founder of the Epoch Administration Bureau'—and that founder is currently sitting in his meeting room, waiting to talk business with him.]