The scent of scorched earth still hung metaphorically over the remnants of Blackguard Industries. The Sentinel Unit's failure had confirmed David's absolute kinetic superiority. Now, it was time to finalize the victory by erasing the financial ghost of Project Chimera.
Back in the Bastion's Command Center, Marcus Cole was almost vibrating with anticipation, seated before a wall of monitors displaying the intricate, labyrinthine shell corporations and numbered trusts that constituted the last financial holdings of Blackguard CEO Robert Hayes and the remaining oligarchs who had backed the coup.
"The Sentinel fiasco caused a massive, non-recoverable dip in their underlying shadow assets, Mr. David," Marcus reported, his voice a low, excited rasp. "Hayes's final liquidity is tied up in a series of highly leveraged synthetic equity swaps, designed to hedge his assets against global instability. The oligarchs, meanwhile, are still heavily exposed in their doomed short position against the Japanese Yen, desperately trying to cover their losses from the Silver Crash."
"Prometheus, analyze the optimal point of pressure," David commanded.
"Analysis complete, Host," Prometheus responded. "The system is brittle. Simultaneous, targeted pressure on both the synthetic equity swaps and the Yen short position will trigger cascading, non-linear liquidations across all remaining twelve oligarchic entities and Robert Hayes's personal trusts. Result: Total financial annihilation and asset seizure. Necessary expenditure: $800 million in calculated market injections to force the liquidation event."
The Final Financial Hammer
David did not hesitate. The $\$ 800$ million was a meager price to pay for the complete removal of a global threat. He signed the digital release.
"Execute, Marcus. I want nothing left of their empires but debt."
Marcus, guided by Prometheus's instantaneous, microsecond-accurate trade orders, initiated the final blow using the vast funds received from the previous cashback reward. The $\$ 800$ million was injected not just as direct market pressure, but as precise, algorithmic movements that exploited the exact weaknesses Prometheus had identified—the moment the swaps became toxic, and the Yen shorts were forced into margin calls.
The screens in the Command Center turned blinding crimson. The chaos was instantaneous and brutal.
"Margin calls! They're failing across Zurich, Singapore, and Dubai!" Marcus yelled, his hands flying across the keyboard to capture the collapsing assets. "Hayes's last trust fund just liquidated—$2.5 billion in clean assets seized by the Phantom Fund! The oligarchs are defaulting! Their entire global network of assets—from private island resorts to European banks—is entering immediate receivership!"
Within five minutes, Prometheus chimed the final confirmation: "Financial Threat Neutralized. All identified assets of Project Chimera and Blackguard Industries have been seized or rendered worthless. Robert Hayes's personal assets total $5,000, designated for government seizure pending arrest. No further capacity for organized global disruption detected."
The war was truly over. Not with a whimper, but with the digital scream of total financial collapse. David looked at the extinguished red lights on the screen. The shadow state was dead.
[DING! Financial Annihilation Expenditure: $800,000,000. Cashback Multiplier Triggered: 2x!]
[You have received $1,600,000,000.00 cash back. Current Balance: $8,055,000,023.90.]
The Readiness of the Quantum-Aero Battery
With Blackguard's political and kinetic threats eliminated, the path was clear for Aero Corp to execute its true purpose: the energy revolution.
Dr. Vivian Zhou stepped into the center of the command room, holding the latest prototype of the Quantum-Aero Battery. It was a sleek, palm-sized cylinder, capable of holding more energy than a conventional car battery, with a lifespan measured in centuries.
"Mr. David, the prototypes are stable. Prometheus's optimizations have increased the energy density by another 7% and reduced the fabrication cost by 15%. The new manufacturing facilities—the ones we acquired from the Blackguard shell companies—are ready for conversion," Vivian announced, her eyes shining with scientific triumph. "We can begin mass production immediately. We can power a city block with one pallet of these."
"The scale must be immediate and global, Doctor," David stated, walking over to a holographic display of the world's energy grid, now dominated by polluting fossil fuels. "When we launch, we don't disrupt the market; we annihilate it. The world must realize, instantly, that the age of oil is over. Prometheus, project the immediate global impact of mass production."
"Projection: Within six months of full-scale production utilizing the newly acquired resource contracts, Aero Corp will possess the capacity to supply 40% of the world's commercial energy storage needs," Prometheus calculated. "The resulting collapse of oil and gas markets will be approximately 85%. Global geopolitical stability will be fundamentally altered. This will be the greatest transfer of wealth and power in human history."
The sheer audacity of the plan—to become the undisputed global power supplier in six months—was breathtaking. David knew this act of disruption would generate new, powerful enemies (the oil conglomerates and the nations dependent on them), but Prometheus and the Emitter offered absolute protection.
Aero Corp's Public Reveal
The moment had arrived to emerge from the shadows. Aero Corp was ready to announce its existence to the world, not as a start-up, but as a technological superpower.
"Prometheus, schedule a global, high-priority broadcast across all media platforms for 48 hours from now. Utilize the Orion Network to ensure the transmission cannot be blocked, delayed, or censored by any government or corporate entity," David commanded. "The broadcast will originate from the central nexus of Aero City, showcasing the full scale of the construction and the Quantum Field Emitter shield."
David looked at Marcus. "We need to ensure maximum penetration into the heart of the global financial establishment. Buy every available advertising slot in every major financial district—Times Square, London, Tokyo. Not for promotion, but for presence. I want the announcement to be inescapable."
Marcus understood the intent immediately. This was about spending to create overwhelming psychological impact.
"Allocating $500 million to a synchronized, global advertising and media blitz, targeting every major financial index and geopolitical hub. It will be the most expensive, most pervasive corporate announcement ever made," Marcus confirmed, already activating the Phantom Fund.
"Make it unforgettable, Marcus. This is the moment the world realizes the Architect has arrived."
The $\$ 500$ million expenditure, though smaller than the financial strike, was critical. It was the necessary cost of global, unblockable visibility, ensuring the Quantum-Aero Battery launch would crash the global economy with maximum effect.
[DING! Global Media Expenditure: $500,000,000. Cashback Multiplier Triggered: 2x!]
[You have received $1,000,000,000.00 cash back. Current Balance: $9,055,000,023.90.]
David looked at the soaring balance. He was nearing the $10 billion mark in total spending, a huge achievement, but the next major technological leap—the Global Weather Manipulation System Blueprint—was still locked behind the massive $20 billion cumulative milestone. The upcoming energy revolution would generate the necessary wealth, but David knew the ensuing political backlash would require a financial maneuver even larger than the liquidation of Blackguard.
"Marcus, initiate the infrastructure acquisition. The next phase requires physical control over global distribution. Allocate $10 billion for immediate, simultaneous purchase of the top five global shipping and logistics companies, along with the required real estate for the Aero Hyper-Charge network."
The sheer audacity of the expenditure was stunning, aiming to buy the entire global distribution infrastructure overnight.
[DING! Global Infrastructure Expenditure: $10,000,000,000. Cashback Multiplier Triggered: 1.5x!]
[You have received $15,000,000,000.00 cash back. Current Balance: $14,055,000,023.90.]
David had just executed the largest spending spree yet. His cumulative spending had shattered the previous threshold and was soaring toward the ultimate Tier 8 milestone.
David looked at the soaring balance. "We have the fortress, the product, and the distribution network. Prometheus, prepare the global launch strategy. The world will be reborn in 48 hours."