"Since word has come from over there, I'll be heading back first, Albedo."
"Everything here is in your hands!"
A flash of killing intent passed through Ryan's eyes. He opened a Portal and left Mars amid the send-off of the crowd.
After Ryan and Sebas stepped through, the Portal shrank into a black dot and vanished. Albedo looked up and began issuing orders according to Ryan's instructions.
"Alva, the environmental issues are up to you. If you need personnel or material support, just ask."
"Yes. I will complete the Supreme One's orders as soon as possible."
"Mare."
"H-here!"
"Assist Alva in transforming the environment as quickly as possible. At the same time, use Earth Magic to assist the construction teams in building the base."
"I-I understand!"
Mare gripped his staff and nodded. Albedo shifted her gaze and looked at the others. "You all heard the Supreme One's orders. In short, I don't care how hard you have to work, but every one of you must pass the assessment within three days. I do not want anyone among us to disappoint the Supreme One!"
New York.
Inside a private leisure club.
Most of the Haulers Group's shareholders had gathered in the spacious room.
After Ryan clearly stated his intentions, everyone had come here for a second discussion to decide what to do next.
"He's too arrogant! The company doesn't belong to him alone!"
A middle-aged man slapped the table and growled. As a renowned entrepreneur, when had he ever been treated like this?
"For someone so young to reach a position that even we of the older generation found difficult to attain, it is only natural for him to be proud. Besides, someone did break the rules first this time. It's perfectly normal for young Ryan to be so angry."
An elderly man dressed with great care stroked the cane in his hand and spoke with lowered eyes.
"Even so, he shouldn't have done this!"
The entrepreneur who had spoken first looked resentful, but wary of the old man's status and position, he did not dare say more.
"Old Morgan, even at this point, are you still going to support Ryan? I think you've already seen it. He's gone mad, completely mad!"
The Roxxon Corporation representative was displeased by the meaning behind old Morgan's words and spoke up.
At their level of wealth and influence, there were almost no secrets in the world they did not know. The information they could access was beyond what ordinary people would even dare imagine.
Although Roxxon Corporation was absolutely confident that no one could find evidence tying it to Annie's kidnapping,
the act itself was a clue.
There were only a few forces in the world capable of doing such a thing. Once the less likely possibilities were eliminated, the remaining suspects were obvious even without saying it aloud, and Roxxon was among the most heavily suspected.
"Mad? I think he's quite clear-headed."
"Once young Ryan's anger cools down, this old man can simply have another talk with him."
"You still want to give him another chance?" The Roxxon Corporation representative's expression darkened.
"What else can we do? I don't think overturning him from the Haulers Group will be an easy matter."
"That's true. Then I'll leave it to you!"
Seeing old Morgan playing dumb with him, the Roxxon Corporation representative suppressed his anger and spoke calmly.
He could tell that old Morgan simply did not want to get involved in what came next.
But since he did not want to contribute, then when it came time to divide the cake afterward, he should not blame him for being ruthless.
"It's nothing. Then this old man will be leaving first. Is anyone coming with me?"
Old Morgan rose with his cane and asked the others.
After old Morgan's question, four people hesitantly stood up. Old Morgan nodded and led them out of the room.
The others remaining in the room watched calmly.
Once the figures of those people vanished from sight, they resumed their discussion. As a massive conglomerate spanning numerous fields, the Haulers Group would not be easy to swallow whole. Besides, the cake would need to be divided carefully.
As for Ryan's possible retaliation?
No one took it seriously.
A young entrepreneur, an entrepreneur without foundations, could never imagine just how enormous a force people like them could wield in this country once they truly made up their minds.
Outside the leisure club, night had already fallen. Beneath the cover of dark clouds, only a few scattered streaks of starlight fell from above.
One of the people who had followed him out finally could not help asking as old Morgan was about to get into his car, "Mr. Morgan, why did you..."
"Are you asking why I didn't get involved with those people inside?"
The man nodded repeatedly.
Old Morgan smiled and patted his shoulder. "Just take it as an old man's intuition."
With that, old Morgan got into the car.
Decades in business had given him an eye for people that ordinary people could scarcely comprehend.
With just one glance at an ordinary person, he could roughly infer what they were thinking and how far they might rise in the future.
And Ryan—by all conventional reasoning, after doing something like this, he should have been practically doomed. The connections that had been investigated so thoroughly would also find it difficult to offer him help in this matter.
Yet whenever old Morgan thought of Ryan's wild, unrestrained face in the meeting room, he felt that Ryan must possess confidence he knew nothing about, confidence Ryan believed could absolutely turn the tables.
He did not know what it was, but he had no intention of gambling on it.
After living so many years and witnessing so much, he knew very well that this world contained many things current science could not explain.
Moreover, he had some guesses of his own.
The Haulers Group's wildly popular works by unknown authors made it difficult not to think of another civilization.
Roxxon Corporation's true goal was probably not merely to acquire the Haulers Group. Ryan's secrets were likely one of the forces driving them as well.
"We'll find out sooner or later."
Old Morgan muttered indistinctly.
No matter what secrets Ryan possessed, some of them should be exposed this time. This old man only needed to watch from the sidelines. Both sides believed they held an unbeatable trump card, so it would come down to whose card was stronger.
"That cunning old fox!"
Inside the villa, Ryan muttered as he listened to the report from the Shadow Demons hidden within those shareholders' shadows.
He had long known that Roxxon Corporation had designs on him, but old Morgan's choice still truly surprised him.
"Inform Demiurge. Cancel the plans to deal with the Morgan Consortium and the several forces that withdrew."
Although those people had chosen not to act because they wanted to watch the show, since they had not moved against him, no matter what they truly thought, Ryan could not go too far.
After all, the persona he had established was that of a righteous companion. Ruining it over a tiny bit of personal displeasure would be a losing deal.
"Yes. This subordinate will handle it immediately."
Sebas nodded upon hearing this.
Before you continue