Digital Oracles and Mortals' Choices

Before leaving, through the Crimson Empress, Li Wei sent several key targets a "bill" whose wording was "polite" but whose contents were utterly shocking.

Recipient One: Tony Stark (and Stark Industries)

Item: "Strategic Assistance" and "Battlefield Cleanup" Service Fees for the Battle of New York

Amount: $10 billion

Or equivalent value: 10% non-dilutable equity in Stark Industries

Note: Cryptocurrency payments accepted. A daily late fee of 1% will be charged for overdue payment, and the right to take further measures is reserved.

Recipient Two: World Security Council (all members)

Item: Service fees for dimensional threat warnings, invasion crisis resolution, and monitoring of subsequent potential threats (one-year term)

Amount: $200 billion (to be apportioned among member states)

Or equivalent value: Copies of and access to all research data held by each nation regarding extraterrestrial technology and supernatural items.

Note: The payment deadline is one week. Refusal to pay will be deemed a unilateral forfeiture of the Myriad Realms Secret Society's potential protection. Bear the consequences yourselves.

This bill did not pass through any conventional channels. Like an oracle, it appeared directly and simultaneously on Stark's private servers, the World Security Council's highest-level encrypted internal network, and even several council members' personal encrypted tablets. Every firewall and air-gapped network was as good as nonexistent before the Crimson Empress.

Top floor of Stark Tower.

Tony Stark stared at the bill on the holographic display, so furious he nearly smashed the whiskey in his hand.

"Ten billion?! Ten percent equity?! Who does he think he is?! God's debt collector?!" Stark roared at the air. "JARVIS, have you traced the source?"

"I'm sorry, sir. The data stream appears to have originated from nowhere and cannot be traced. The other party's network technology... exceeds the limits of my comprehension." JARVIS's voice carried a rare hint of frustration.

Stark collapsed onto the couch and rubbed his brow. Of course he remembered Li Wei's "help," but this price... He stared at the words "further measures," recalling how easily Li Wei had dealt with the Extremis Virus soldiers and erased the creatures from another dimension. A chill ran up his spine. This was not a request. It was a notice.

World Security Council, emergency online meeting.

"Absurd! This is blatant extortion!" one representative slammed the table and roared.

"Two hundred billion?! And he wants our most classified research data and access rights? Does he think he's the world government?!"

"The key question is... how did he get the message in? Our network is absolutely secure!" Another representative had gone pale.

"Absolutely secure?" Nick Fury's lone eye looked especially grim on the screen. "In the face of an entity that can instantly cripple our fighter jets and dump Hydra soldiers at the FBI's doorstep, that term needs to be redefined. Gentlemen, what we may be facing is an entity that stands above our entire civilization in both technology and power."

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence. Fury's words were like a bucket of cold water, waking those whose minds had been clouded by rage.

"Then what do we do? Pay this astronomical sum?" someone asked hoarsely.

"Or... try to 'persuade' him to lower his demands?" A dangerous glint flashed in another person's eyes.

Probe and Response:

Certain major powers that prided themselves on their military strength did not submit immediately. A highly classified special forces unit under one council member state received vague orders to "make probing contact and apply pressure." They used official channels to try to locate Li Wei's base and dispatched an elite team to "invite" him.

The moment this team entered the neighborhood where Li Wei's apartment was located, they discovered that they had completely lost contact with the outside world. The space around them twisted, and the surrounding buildings warped like reflections in a funhouse mirror. Then, every electronic device they carried overloaded and burned out, while their weapons seemed to be dismantled by an invisible force, turning into piles of parts scattered across the ground.

A cold, synthetic female voice—the Crimson Empress—rang in every one of their minds:

"Warning: Illegal intrusion into territory under the jurisdiction of the Myriad Realms Secret Society. First offense: expulsion. Next time will be regarded as a declaration of war."

The next second, the world spun. When they regained their senses, they found themselves thrown into the central square of their nation's capital, barehanded and disheveled, as though sleepwalking. There had been no direct confrontation from start to finish—only absolute, crushing technological humiliation.

At the same time, that country's central bank, along with the private accounts of several senior officials who had pushed for the operation, suffered a mysterious raid. Their total losses happened to equal exactly the portion of the bill that country was required to pay. The flow of funds was a mystery and could not be traced.

The incident was like a final alarm bell, forcing everyone still clinging to wishful thinking to face reality: the other side not only possessed incomprehensible military might, but also held financial and cyberattack capabilities that could paralyze modern society at any moment.

Compromise and Transaction:

The one-week deadline was drawing near.

After an intense internal struggle and a thorough discussion with Pepper Potts, Tony Stark ultimately chose to compromise. He could not bear the consequences of becoming Li Wei's enemy, especially that silent, invisible ability to freeze assets and dismantle technology. He signed the equity transfer agreement, assigning 10% of Stark Industries' shares to an offshore shell company controlled by the Crimson Empress. It hurt terribly, but he also vaguely felt that binding such a powerful "shareholder" with these shares might... not be entirely a bad thing.

After a sleepless night of fierce arguments and painful deliberation, the World Security Council also reached a consensus. They could barely scrape together $200 billion in cash, but the option demanding research data and access rights touched their fundamental bottom line. They chose to pay in cash.

The enormous funds flowed silently into the thousands of anonymous accounts designated by Li Wei and controlled by the Crimson Empress, like streams flowing into the sea, before being swiftly consolidated. Overnight, the Myriad Realms Secret Society possessed liquid capital rivaling that of nations—not just one nation, either.

Aftermath and a New Order:

The "bill storm" temporarily subsided, but its impact ran deep.

Stark Industries' board was shaken by the sudden appearance of a mysterious tenth major shareholder, forcing Tony to devote considerable effort to calming them down.

The World Security Council was badly weakened, its budget stretched thin. Its funding for S.H.I.E.L.D. was also drastically cut, making Nick Fury's life even harder. More importantly, a kind of "Li Wei phobia" began spreading among the global elite.

The reputation—or rather, infamy—of the Myriad Realms Secret Society and Li Wei reached its peak. He was no longer merely a powerful individual, but the leader of a mysterious force with terrifying economic power and cyberwarfare capabilities.

At the base within the Mirror Dimension, the Crimson Empress reported to Li Wei:

"Master, the Stark Industries equity transfer has been fully received. The $200 billion has all arrived, and global asset allocation and investment have begun."

"What was the council's follow-up response?"

"They have tightened their lockdown on all supernatural projects and extraterrestrial technology. At the same time, they have launched a secret plan called Typhon, intended to study how to deal with... entities like you. Shall I infiltrate it?"

"No need." Li Wei waved a hand, a hint of amusement at the corner of his mouth. "Let them study. Before absolute power, any plan is futile. Just keep them under surveillance."

He walked up to the enormous fund-flow chart and looked at the figures representing vast wealth.

"With these resources, many plans can be accelerated. Construction of a physical headquarters for the Myriad Realms Secret Society can be put on the agenda. The location... the high seas of the Pacific Ocean. We'll build an island of our own."

"As for the next target..." Li Wei gazed into the distance. "It's time to acquire some... power that acts more directly upon the rules."