296: Chapter 296 The Power of Pay-to-Win! I Mortgage My Future to Buy Time

At the 17th second of the hand of formatting's appearance, Lin Chen's communicator rang.

Caller ID: Inspector 117.

Lin Chen stared at the name and fell silent for three seconds. Number 117? The same Number 117 who dissipated during the Kindling Project settlement? The one who left the final words, "Debt is the true shackle"?

He picked up.

On the screen, Number 117's face was clearly visible—not a projection, not an AI simulation, but a living, breathing face of flesh and blood.

“Lin Chen, long time no see.” Number 117's voice was as flat as ever, as if chatting about domestic trivialities.

Lin Chen didn't waste words: “That hand, did you do it?”

“To be precise, ‘we’ did it.” Number 117 stepped aside, revealing the people behind him.

Lin Chen's pupils constricted.

It was a massive circular conference room suspended in the void. Twelve people sat in the room—no, not people, but twelve figures radiating different lights. In front of each figure was a token engraved with a number:

【Inspector 001】 to 【Inspector 012】

And Number 117 stood in the center of the conference room, positioned higher than all twelve of them.

“Let me introduce myself.” Number 117 smiled. “I am the true controller of the Epoch Administration Bureau, the creator of the Inspector sequence. You can call me—‘Yuanshi’.”

Looking at that once-familiar face, Lin Chen now felt only a sense of estrangement.

“So, everything before—your identity as an Inspector, the Kindling Project, the debt shackles—it was all an act?”

“Not entirely.” Yuanshi shook his head. “Inspector 117 did exist, and he did die. I merely borrowed his identity and ‘resurrected’ at the appropriate time. As for the Kindling Project and the debt shackles... those are standard procedures of the Administration Bureau. I simply didn't tell you that the Administration Bureau itself can also be manipulated.”

He paused and pointed to the twelve figures behind him:

“These twelve are the Administration Bureau's ‘Executors,’ responsible for running specific rules. And I am the ‘Formulator,’ responsible for the top-level design of the rules. From the first epoch until now, it has been 3.27 million years.”

Lin Chen remained silent.

3.27 million years.

Older than The Silencer.

Older than the First Author.

“So, the Zeroing Storm was your doing?” Lin Chen asked.

“Yes and no,” Yuanshi said. “The Zeroing Storm is a fundamental law of the universe; it triggers automatically at certain intervals. I merely... utilized it. When the storm arrives, I use the ‘hand of formatting’ to clear away civilizations that don't meet my standards, preserving those I deem valuable.”

“Standards?”

“Yes.” Yuanshi nodded. “My standard is simple: the development direction of a civilization must comply with the principle of ‘controllable growth.’ It can't be too fast, as it easily spirals out of control; nor can it be too slow, as it would have no value. And you—”

He looked at Lin Chen with a complex gaze.

“You are an exception. Your Capital Law allowed your civilization's development speed to break through the controllable upper limit. By rights, you should have been formatted long ago. But every time, you managed to dodge it with all sorts of wild maneuvers. This made me very curious.”

“So you want to study me?”

“Study? No.” Yuanshi smiled. “I want to invite you to join us.”

He raised his hand, and a golden token emerged in the void.

Engraved on the token was: 【Inspector 013】

“Become the thirteenth Executor and manage all epochs with me. Your Capital Law will become a new tool for the Administration Bureau. And those friends of yours—Arrogant Dragon, Su Qingyu, Zhang Hao—can all be preserved, and even gain certain privileges.”

Lin Chen looked at the token and was silent for three seconds.

Then he laughed.

That smile made Yuanshi raise an eyebrow slightly—he had seen the leaders of countless civilizations face this choice with either fear, ecstasy, or hesitation. But this was the first time he had seen a smile like Lin Chen's.

“Yuanshi, right?” Lin Chen spoke. “Have you ever considered one question?”

“What question?”

“You've lived for three million years and managed countless civilizations, but perhaps you've never been rejected.”

Yuanshi's expression froze.

Lin Chen continued: “You invited me to join because I am an ‘exception.’ But an exception is an exception because I don't follow your rules. By asking me to join, you want to pull me back into your rule system. In that case, would I still be an exception?”

Yuanshi fell silent.

Lin Chen pointed to the star domains behind him being eroded by the storm:

“Look, my civilization is being destroyed by your hand of formatting. My friends are resisting with their lives. My employees are afraid. At a time like this, you want me to abandon them to become your subordinate?”

He withdrew his smile.

“Yuanshi, I have a suggestion for you.”

“What suggestion?”

“Take back the hand of formatting. Stop the Zeroing Storm. Then, we sign an agreement—you acknowledge my civilization's right to independent development, and I acknowledge the necessity of your Administration Bureau's existence. We coexist peacefully.”

“And if not?”

“Otherwise,” Lin Chen opened the asset management system, “I will use my remaining 2,000 trillion to launch a hostile takeover of your Administration Bureau.”

Yuanshi was stunned for a second.

Then he laughed.

That laughter was even more hollow than Number 117's, like an echo of wind blowing through three million years.

“A hostile takeover of the Administration Bureau? Do you even know the value of the Administration Bureau?”

“I don't,” Lin Chen said. “But I know that anything that can be valued can be acquired.”

He pulled up a newly generated report:

【Epoch Administration Bureau Asset Valuation (Preliminary)】

Fixed Assets: Epoch Core, Twelve Executor Permissions, hand of formatting, Zeroing Storm Control System

Intangible Assets: Three million years of management experience, all civilization archives, rule-making authority

Total Valuation: Approximately 3 Jing dimension points (30,000 trillion)

Lin Chen looked at the number and smiled.

“3 Jing? I thought it would be more expensive.”

Yuanshi frowned: “What do you mean?”

Lin Chen opened his account balance.

5,037 trillion.

Not enough.

But he opened another document—"Letter of Intent for Equity Subscription of the Pre-established New Era Development Company."

The letter showed: Universe Bank, Icebound Star Domain, Data Star Domain, Arrogant Dragon Private Fund, Zhang Hao Funny Fund... all parties had committed to a total subscription amount of 2.5 Jing.

Adding his own 5,037 trillion, it was just over 3 Jing.

“See that?” Lin Chen said. “My money isn't enough. But my credit is.”

For the first time, Yuanshi showed genuine shock.

“You... when did you raise this?”

“During the three minutes of your self-introduction.” Lin Chen pointed at Zhang Hao. “He was just eavesdropping via the fourth wall. When he heard you acting all high and mighty, I simply sent out a subscription invitation.”

From outside the screen, Zhang Hao's voice came through: “Boss! The Universe Bank says Golden Abacus has added another 5,000 trillion to the subscription! The total is now 3.2 Jing!”

Lin Chen nodded and looked at Yuanshi:

“Now, you have two choices.”

“One, accept my acquisition offer and become a subsidiary of New Era Development. You continue being your ‘Yuanshi,’ but major decisions require my approval.”

“Two, refuse, and then we go to war. If you win, I die; if you lose, the Administration Bureau belongs to me.”

“Choose.”

Yuanshi fell silent.

The twelve figures behind him began to whisper among themselves, their lights fluctuating violently, clearly in intense discussion.

Three minutes later.

Yuanshi looked up.

“Lin Chen, I admit, you have surprised me.”

“But—”

He raised his hand, and the hand of formatting suddenly accelerated, clawing fiercely toward the Dead Silence Star Domain!

“I refuse!”