The intelligence David retrieved under the cover of the Cloaking Device was a cold splash of reality. He spent the entire night in his penthouse suite, his mind meticulously dissecting the data siphon from the FTIC servers. The threat was no longer speculative; it had a name: Project Chimera, and a primary executor: Blackguard Industries.
Blackguard was a global defense and security conglomerate, a shadow organization frequently contracted by the U.S. intelligence community for 'unconventional retrieval' and 'asset elimination.' Their assets were not stocks or factories; they were specialized paramilitary teams, untraceable drones, and deep ties to the highest levels of government.
David's Perfect Recall instantly assembled a comprehensive profile of Blackguard's command structure, recent covert operations, and key weaknesses. They were ruthless, effective, and now focused on Aero Corp. They didn't want to buy the Quantum-Aero Battery; they wanted to seize it and silence the inventor.
The Cloaking Device offers stealth, David analyzed, staring at the blueprints for Blackguard's advanced surveillance drones. But stealth is temporary. When they finally find me, I need something kinetic. Something absolute.
The answer was clear: the Self-Repairing Nanobots. To acquire the ultimate defense, he needed the ultimate expenditure.
The $50 Million Threshold
David's remaining spending required to hit the Tier 3 milestone was approximately $30 million. This wasn't a sum he could discreetly spend on watches or small stock purchases. He needed an investment that was immediate, justifiable, and provided strategic security.
He pulled up the listings for high-security, ultra-luxury real estate—the kind of properties built by paranoid tech billionaires. He focused on those that offered deep subterranean fortifications and independent power grids.
He found it: "The Bastion Estate." A sprawling, seemingly innocuous mountain retreat three hundred miles from the city, but with eight levels of reinforced concrete and steel descending beneath the bedrock. It had been built by a reclusive oil magnate who had recently died, leaving the estate in a complicated legal trust that demanded immediate liquidation.
The asking price: $60 Million.
David didn't negotiate. He called the listing agent, a high-strung broker named Simon, at 4:00 AM.
"I am acquiring The Bastion Estate immediately. I will wire $70 million—$10 million over asking—on the condition that the title is transferred and registered in Aero Corp's name before noon today. The additional $\$10$ million is for your immediate, personal facilitation of this deal. Can you bypass the lawyers and the trust bureaucracy, Mr. Simon?"
Simon's voice on the line was a mixture of disbelief and utter greed. "S-seventy million? Mr. David, I can have the trustees on a private jet to the notary's office within the hour. Consider it done. We'll find a way."
The transaction was executed with the chilling speed that only immense wealth and perfect knowledge could command. The $70 million vanished from David's account.
The system chimed instantly, its metallic voice celebrating the aggressive expenditure.
[DING! Congratulations, Host! You spent $70,000,000. Cashback Multiplier Triggered: 4x!]
[You have received $280,000,000.00 cash back. Current Balance: $905,000,023.90.]
[FINAL SPENDING MILESTONE REACHED! Total accumulated spending of over $50,000,000!]
The final message was the one that mattered.
[Level Up! Host is now a Level 5 Technological Apex Predator.]
[Tier 3 Technology Unlocked: [Self-Repairing Nanobots Blueprint]]
The Nanobot Invincibility
A new data chip—sleek, black, and radiating a subtle, complex energy signature—materialized on his desk. David integrated the blueprint into his mind.
The Self-Repairing Nanobots were not merely a medical device. They were a revolutionary molecular defense system. Once injected into the bloodstream, they would distribute themselves through every cell and organ, existing in a dormant state until needed.
Capability: They could instantly repair tissue damage, seal wounds, filter toxins, and—most crucially—reconstruct damaged DNA. A bullet wound, severe burns, or even lethal poisons would be repaired within seconds, rendering the host virtually immune to conventional forms of attack.
Defense: When activated, they could form a molecular density barrier just beneath the skin, effectively providing the host with temporary, biological armor capable of deflecting low-caliber rounds.
Side Effect: The nanobots would also subtly optimize the host's musculature and neurological pathways, pushing physical limits beyond human potential.
This is it, David thought, a cold exhilaration running through him. Stealth is for escaping the fight. These Nanobots are for winning every fight. Blackguard can send their assassins, but they'll be fighting an invincible ghost.
The Strategic Briefing
David flew his two lieutenants, Marcus and Vivian, to the newly acquired Bastion Estate via a hired helicopter. They met in the lowest subterranean level—the command center—a room built to withstand a tactical nuclear strike.
Marcus was awed. "Mr. David, this place is impenetrable. The legal purchase alone has already sent a message that you are not going anywhere. We are now truly off the grid."
Vivian, however, was focused on the schematics David had instantly printed and handed to her—the Nanobot blueprint. Her scientific mind was both terrified and mesmerized.
"Mr. David, the complexity of this is beyond anything on this planet. The molecular self-assembly protocols... it's not just science, it's biology applied as engineering. You said we were safe from the investigation, but if the government learns we are producing this—they will stop talking and start launching missiles."
David sat down, his demeanor radiating chilling control. He laid out the classified "Project Chimera" data he'd obtained.
"We are not safe, Vivian. We are targets. Titan Energy's collapse was the noise. Project Chimera and Blackguard Industries are the silence that follows. They don't want to talk; they want to retrieve the technology and eliminate the source. They suspect non-terrestrial technology. We need to prove them right, but only after we are untouchable."
He gave Marcus his new set of orders, his voice firm and absolute.
"Marcus, your job just changed from financial warfare to infrastructure defense. First: Establish multiple, layered ghost companies in neutral territories (Cayman, Switzerland) using the data I provided you from the FTIC servers. I want all Nanobot production capital routed through them. Second: Liquidate another $100 million. Use it to acquire the absolute rarest biological and chemical compounds needed for the Nanobot fabrication—no questions asked. I want those compounds flown to the Bastion via diplomatic pouch routes, not standard shipping."
Marcus's eyes were narrowed in intense concentration. "A $\$100$ million supply run with diplomatic cover. Understood. We're going fully black-ops, Mr. David."
David turned to Vivian, his genius scientist. "Vivian, forget the Quantum-Aero Battery for two days. Your sole priority is the Nanobot Fabrication. We need one fully tested vial of the Nanobots. I will be the first and only human test subject. If I am compromised, Aero Corp is finished. If I am invincible, Aero Corp can conquer the world."
Vivian looked at the schematics, then at the half-a-billion-dollar command center, then at the unnervingly calm man before her. "It's a five-day production cycle for the prototype vial, Mr. David, given the materials. But if it works… no human military force could ever touch you."
"Then begin the five-day countdown, Doctor," David commanded. "Because I intend to introduce myself to Blackguard Industries on day six."
The money had bought the fortress, but the technology was about to buy invincibility. David was ready for the kinetic war.