309: Chapter 309, Number 117's Last Words! Loopholes in the Truth About Debt

After Yuanshi's projection dissipated, Lin Chen stood in place, motionless.

Zhang Hao thought he was spacing out and leaned in to whisper, "Boss, how about we head back first? This place is giving me the creeps..."

Lin Chen ignored him.

He was waiting.

Three seconds later, the system suddenly popped up an encrypted message.

Sender: ███ (Corrupted)

Message content: Only a single line of text—

「Debt is a rule, not a fundamental law. Golden Abacus is the key.」

The message automatically destroyed itself.

Zhang Hao leaned over to look but saw only a blank space. "Boss, what was that?"

Lin Chen didn't answer.

He just stood there, staring at the blank space, silent for a long time.

Then he smiled.

That smile sent a chill down Zhang Hao's spine—even though he didn't know what had happened, he knew someone was about to be very unlucky.

"Let's go back."

The three of them teleported back to the Dead Silence Star Domain.

As soon as they arrived under the tree of heavenly dao, Lin Chen opened the system and began operating it frantically.

Zhang Hao leaned in for a look, but saw only a screen full of data streams that he couldn't understand at all.

Arrogant Dragon leaned in as well, and he couldn't understand it either.

The young girl Morgana walked over carrying a glass of Ice Spring Brew, glanced at the screen, and asked, "What are you looking for?"

Lin Chen didn't look up. "Number 117's last words."

"Number 117? Isn't he dead?"

"Dead, yet not dead." Lin Chen's fingers danced rapidly across the screen. "When Yuanshi borrowed his identity, he sealed his consciousness fragments within the Administration Bureau's underlying database. That message just now was sent by him."

Zhang Hao was stunned. "But the message was already destroyed?"

Lin Chen glanced at him.

"Information can be destroyed, but traces cannot."

He continued his operations.

Three minutes later, the screen suddenly flashed.

A fragmented audio clip began to play.

The voice was intermittent, mixed with piercing static, but it was just barely audible—

"...Lin Chen... if you receive this... it means I've succeeded..."

"Yuanshi... he used my identity... to do many things... I couldn't stop him..."

"But I found a loophole... regarding your debt..."

Lin Chen leaned forward slightly.

The audio continued:

"Debt... is not a fundamental law... it's just a rule..."

"Rules... can be changed..."

"But the one who changes it... must be the primary creditor..."

"Yuanshi only holds 13%... the real majority share... belongs to the Universe Bank..."

"Golden Abacus... is the key..."

The audio suddenly cut off.

After a burst of sharp static, Number 117's voice sounded again, this time so weak it was almost inaudible:

"Lin Chen... I'm not going to make it..."

"In this life... I've done many wrong things... to be able to give you a hand at the end... I'll consider it atonement..."

"Tell Yuanshi for me... some things... cannot be locked away by rules..."

"Like... the human heart..."

A final soft click.

The audio ended completely.

Dead silence fell over the command center.

Zhang Hao's eyes were a bit red, but he forced himself to stay silent.

Arrogant Dragon gripped his sword hilt, his knuckles turning white.

The young girl Morgana set down her glass and said softly, "He... used his last bit of strength to send you a message?"

Lin Chen nodded.

"Then he..."

"Gone," Lin Chen said. "Completely gone."

Silence.

A long time later, Zhang Hao asked in a low voice, "Boss, that loophole he mentioned... is it real?"

Lin Chen didn't answer.

He opened the debt details and re-examined the data.

【Creditor List】

Universe Bank: 47% share (Golden Abacus)

Major Civilization Investors: 35% share (Dispersed)

Administration Bureau (Yuanshi): 13% share

Others: 5% share

Yuanshi only held 13%.

According to the Administration Bureau's rules, any modification of debt-related rules required the consent of the primary creditor—that is, a creditor with a share exceeding 30%. With only 13%, Yuanshi's word alone didn't count.

But the Universe Bank had 47%.

Golden Abacus alone could determine the direction of the debt.

Lin Chen stared at that number, silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

Zhang Hao leaned in. "Boss, what are you smiling at?"

Lin Chen didn't answer.

He opened communications and dialed Golden Abacus directly.

Three seconds later, Golden Abacus's holographic projection appeared in the command center. He looked a bit tired, but his eyes were still as shrewd as an old fox's.

"Lin Chen? Looking for me this late, is something the matter?"

Lin Chen projected the debt list directly in front of him.

"Take a look at this."

Golden Abacus glanced at it, and his brow furrowed.

"967 trillion... you owe this much?"

Lin Chen nodded.

"Daily interest is 773 trillion."

Golden Abacus's brow furrowed even deeper.

"Lin Chen, are you... looking to borrow money from me? I'm telling you, the Universe Bank has been tight lately too. The Zeroing Storm has caused our bad debt ratio to skyrocket—"

"Not borrowing money," Lin Chen interrupted him. "Discussing a partnership."

Golden Abacus was stunned for a second.

"Partnership?"

Lin Chen projected a draft of the "Debt Restructuring and Debt-to-Equity Swap Plan."

Golden Abacus looked at it for three seconds.

Then his expression changed.

From a weary banker into a shark that had scented blood.

"Debt-to-equity swap? You're serious?"

Lin Chen nodded.

"The 967 trillion debt will be entirely converted into shares of a new company. The Universe Bank will hold 47%, becoming the second-largest shareholder. Other creditors will be allocated shares proportionally. I will retain a 51% controlling stake, but I promise that over the next ten years, 30% of the new company's profits will be used for dividends."

Golden Abacus fell silent.

He was calculating.

Three seconds later, he spoke:

"New company? What new company?"

Lin Chen smiled.

"New Era Joint Development Company."

"Responsible for post-disaster reconstruction, cross-star domain trade, rule trading, civilization resurrection... in short, every business that can make money, we'll do."

Golden Abacus's eyes lit up.

But he didn't agree immediately.

"Lin Chen, your plan is very tempting. But I have a question."

"Speak."

"Why do you think those creditors will agree to a debt-to-equity swap? They invested in debt, which has fixed interest. Converting it to stock makes the risk much higher."

Lin Chen looked at him with a meaningful smile.

"Because they don't have a choice."

"What do you mean?"

Lin Chen opened another set of data—it was the "Universe Bank Stock Price Trend Chart" he had just pulled up.

"Look, after the Zeroing Storm, the Universe Bank's stock price dropped by 37%. Why? Because the bad debt ratio skyrocketed. My 967 trillion debt accounts for 15% of the Universe Bank's total assets. If I can't pay it back, that 15% becomes bad debt. Bad debt increases, and the stock price continues to fall. The stock price falls, and depositors start a run on the bank. A bank run, and the bank goes bankrupt."

He paused, looking Golden Abacus in the eye:

"Right now, it's not that I owe you money; it's that you're afraid I won't pay it back."

Golden Abacus fell silent.

For a long, long time.

So long that Zhang Hao thought he was going to explode in anger.

Then he laughed.

There was a hint of helplessness in that smile, but also a hint of admiration.

"Lin Chen, you're a goddamn genius."

"Turning creditors into hostages and debt into bargaining chips. This maneuver—I've been in banking for three hundred years, and this is the first time I've seen it."

Lin Chen shrugged.

"So, partnership?"

Golden Abacus reached out his hand.

"Partnership."

Two hands gripped each other.

Three seconds later, Golden Abacus's projection dissipated.

Zhang Hao watched from the side, dumbstruck. "Boss, that's it... it's done?"

Lin Chen nodded.

"It's done."

Arrogant Dragon scratched his head. "But Boss, didn't you say you wanted to turn creditors into shareholders? Golden Abacus agreed, but what about the other creditors?"

Lin Chen glanced at him.

"If Golden Abacus agrees, the other creditors have no choice but to agree."

"Why?"

"Because he is the largest creditor. If he doesn't press for the debt, the other creditors can't either. If he wants a debt-to-equity swap, the other creditors can only follow suit. This is the game of capital."

Arrogant Dragon fell silent.

The young girl Morgana picked up her glass and took a sip.

"Lin Chen, your brain... how exactly is it wired?"

Lin Chen ignored her.

He opened the system and began drafting the formal document.

The title of the document was:

「Establishment of New Era Joint Development Company and Implementation Plan for Debt-to-Equity Swap」

Below it was a line of small text:

「Let all creditors become shareholders. Let all shackles become capital.」

Outside the window, the starry sky was brilliant.

And Lin Chen knew that the real game had only just begun.