The Beginning of Revenge

Night, outside Haulers Building.

A speeding convoy of black cars raced in from the distance. With the screech of brakes, more than a hundred security personnel stepped out. Ryan looked at Annie, surrounded by the crowd, and let out a slight sigh of relief before walking over.

"If you want to cry, then cry." Ryan spoke gently as he held the mud-stained Annie in his arms. Unable to endure the grievance in her heart any longer, Annie buried herself in Ryan's embrace and burst into tears.

Because she had trusted the wrong person, twelve people had died because of her, and she herself had nearly lost her life as well. The fact that the girl had endured until now before venting her fear and grievance showed just how strong she was inside.

Just as he had when they were children, Ryan gently stroked her hair and softly comforted her by her ear. After quite a while—

"I want to avenge them, Ryan!"

"I want to go myself!"

Annie gritted her teeth and repeated herself. She had never suffered such a great loss in her life. If she did not avenge this, she felt as though she would go mad.

"I'll send people to handle it, but you can't go. It's too dangerous."

Ryan shook his head and rejected her request. This incident alone had frightened him badly enough. He had even been prepared to fight the Sorcerer Supreme and seize the Time Stone. If there was a next time, he was not sure what he might do.

"Please, Ryan!" Annie's delicate face was filled with a heart-wrenching plea. It was the first time Ryan had seen her make such an expression since he had known her.

The refusal on his lips caught in his throat. Ryan sighed. "Go upstairs and rest first. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

There were still many people watching nearby. Although they were all employees Ryan had hired and would not gossip, he was not accustomed to handling family matters while surrounded by a crowd.

"Mm." Annie nodded obediently and did not press the matter further. Before leaving, she suddenly turned back. "Those people who died because of me... I hope their families can be properly taken care of."

She normally never interfered in Ryan's company affairs, but this time, she had to make him agree no matter what. She owed them that much.

"Don't worry." Ryan answered flatly.

Since they had done what bodyguards were supposed to do, Ryan naturally would not be stingy with the compensation afterward.

Reassured by his answer, Annie left. Ryan glanced at John, whose face was flushed red as his eyes wandered, too afraid to look at him. Ryan snorted coldly. "The security department was infiltrated and nearly caused the company major losses. John, your salary will be reduced by one grade, and you'll forfeit one year's bonus!"

"Yes!" John answered immediately, giving Ryan a grateful look.

He knew Ryan had already shown mercy. Miss Annie had nearly come to harm; even if Ryan had fired him, it would not have been strange at all. Reducing his salary by only one grade and taking away a year's bonus was clearly because Ryan valued his loyalty and their past relationship.

"Remember, there won't be a next time!" Ryan glared at the repeatedly nodding John, then shifted his gaze to the others. "This emergency has made everyone work hard. Everyone involved today will receive five times their wages. John, Ashe, arrange for it to be recorded, then come to my office afterward."

Amid the crowd's cheerful send-off, Ryan headed toward his office.

On the way, he stopped by Annie's room and found her staring blankly into space, so he did not disturb her.

The first time one saw blood, one always had to go through this, especially when she wanted to personally seek revenge. She would see even more bloodshed in the future.

Ryan had also thought it through. His future was bound to involve war and bloodshed. If she wanted to stay by his side, all of this was a journey she had to go through. The life of an ordinary girl had ceased to exist the moment he crossed over and decided to adopt her. As for how he would answer Annie afterward, Ryan already had a few ideas.

Two knocks sounded at the office door. Ashe and John opened it and walked in.

In the enormous Transporter Company,

there were only three people Ryan could be said to trust completely. Aside from the two before him, there was also Mocha, who oversaw the company's legal department. However, there was clearly no need to tell him about today's matter for now. The old man was getting on in years; if he heard that Annie, whom he had doted on like his own granddaughter all these years, had been in trouble, he would certainly rush over from home in the middle of the night. He might even give Ryan a good scolding, and Ryan had no desire to listen to that nagging.

"John, what do you think about the attackers?"

Ryan tapped his fingers against the desk and asked.

Although YGGDRASIL had more than six thousand different skills, it lacked abilities that could investigate the future, predict fate, or directly obtain intelligence. Otherwise, he would not need to put so much effort into investigating.

Still, it was understandable. YGGDRASIL was only a game; no matter how realistic it was, it could not predict what players were thinking.

After thinking briefly, John said, "The enemy probably isn't an ordinary force. Ordinary forces can't deploy suicide squads. And the people who kidnapped Miss Annie acted decisively, leaving no trace after their failure. It was very much like... the methods of certain intelligence agencies."

John's voice clearly weakened toward the end. If his guess was true, it would be a disaster.

"You mean the United States Government?"

Without waiting for John's reply, Ryan shook his head. The possibility of it being the government was very small. Leaving aside the taxes his company paid every year, his current status and strength ensured that even if the secret of his crossing between worlds were exposed, the government would focus on cooperation rather than doing something that would so obviously anger him.

As for the rest, several names gradually flashed through Ryan's mind.

"Ashe, how much funding can the company currently mobilize?" Ryan looked up and asked.

"If we avoid affecting the group's development next quarter, we can draw out 35 billion dollars." After a moment's thought, Ashe answered.

Because it was a cultural entertainment company and everything it sold was wildly popular, the company's accounts always held a considerable amount of liquid capital. Even so, that was only this year's profit, which was meant to be distributed as dividends at the shareholders' meeting early next year.

"Thirty-five billion." Ryan murmured, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk.

To develop the company, he had previously had no choice but to give up quite a few shares in exchange for temporary protection. But unfortunately... at the thought of Annie's kidnapping, a cold glint flashed through Ryan's eyes!

He was not someone incapable of letting others profit alongside him. Honestly, after obtaining Nazarick Great Tomb, the modest profits brought by Haulers Group no longer meant much to him.

But that absolutely did not mean he was willing to make money together with a group of people waiting to take over his assets after he died.

Every other shareholder in the company represented a certain force. Someone among them must have known about what had happened tonight, yet he had not received even the slightest warning beforehand. Their intentions were obvious without asking.

And this was not the only incident. Similar things had happened many times over the past ten years, though they had previously happened to him.

"Insatiable greed!" Ryan snorted coldly and looked up to order, "Ashe, mobilize the remaining funds to strike at the United States economy. I want to see results within three days. At the same time, notify the other shareholders that a shareholders' meeting will be held in three days!"

"Understood, but BOSS, the government won't just stand by and watch this happen, and the other shareholders..."

"Who owns the most shares in this group?" Ryan interrupted Ashe.

"You do!" Ashe took a deep breath, already knowing what Ryan was going to say.

"Then do it! The tens of billions of dollars in taxes the group pays every year, and the dividends they receive, aren't given for nothing! If the government wants me to stop, then it can give me an explanation!"

"John!"

"Yes!" Stunned by Ryan's words, he immediately responded.

"For the next few days, have your people be extra careful. I'm afraid someone may lash out in desperation."

"Yes, I guarantee the mission will be completed."

"Mm, you may leave."

Ryan waved his hand. Watching the two leave the office, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.