The city did not sleep.
It watched.
From the moment Liang Chen's name echoed through the underground arena, invisible lines began to shift. Calls were made. Messages were sent. Doors that had been closed for years quietly unlocked.
Power had noticed him.
Liang Chen stood on the rooftop of the abandoned building, the wind brushing against his coat as he looked down at the endless grid of lights below. The city felt alive now — not chaotic, but aware.
His phone vibrated again.
Same number.
He answered this time.
"Speak," Liang Chen said calmly.
A short pause followed.
"You're confident," Zhao Wenhai said on the other end, his voice steady and controlled. "That's rare for someone who just entered my field of vision."
Liang Chen leaned against the railing.
"You entered mine first," he replied. "By sending your son."
Silence.
Then a low chuckle.
"So you do know who I am."
"I know exactly who you are," Liang Chen said. "And I know why you're calling."
Zhao Wenhai exhaled slowly.
"You humiliated my son. Publicly. In a way that cannot be ignored."
"That was his choice," Liang Chen replied. "Not mine."
Another pause.
"Meet me," Zhao Wenhai said. "Tomorrow night. We should talk like civilized men."
Liang Chen smiled faintly.
"Send the location."
The call ended.
[Ding.]
[High-Influence Contact Established.]
[Dominion Authority stabilized.]
Liang Chen slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"So," he murmured, "the city answers."
---
The next morning arrived quietly.
Liang Chen woke before sunrise.
His body felt different again.
Stronger.
Denser.
Supreme Body — Stage 1 had fully stabilized overnight.
He rolled his shoulders slowly, feeling the subtle resistance in his muscles. Not cultivation yet — but something closer to perfected physical authority.
Enough to dominate ordinary men.
Enough to survive the next step.
He swallowed the medicine he had obtained from the old pharmacist and closed his eyes briefly, regulating his breathing.
[Ding.]
[Daily Stabilization Complete.]
[Supreme Body efficiency increased by 3%.]
Liang Chen opened his eyes.
Small gains.
But constant.
That was how empires were built.
---
The location Zhao Wenhai sent was not a restaurant.
It was a private club perched on the top floor of a newly constructed skyscraper — glass walls, private elevators, no public access.
Money spoke loudly here.
Liang Chen arrived alone.
No guards.
No entourage.
The receptionist barely looked at him before directing him to the private lift.
At the top floor, the doors opened silently.
Zhao Wenhai stood near the window, hands behind his back, the city spread beneath him like a map he already owned.
He was in his early fifties. Tall. Well-built. His suit was understated, but everything about him radiated authority.
He turned slowly.
"Liang Chen," he said. "You're younger than I expected."
Liang Chen stepped forward calmly.
"And you're weaker than you think."
The air shifted.
Zhao Wenhai's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
"Sit," Zhao Wenhai said, gesturing toward a table already prepared with tea.
Liang Chen did not sit.
"I don't negotiate from below," he replied.
Zhao Wenhai studied him for a long moment.
Then he laughed quietly.
"Good," he said. "That saves time."
He poured tea for himself.
"My son crossed a line," Zhao Wenhai said calmly. "I know that. Discipline will come later."
Liang Chen remained silent.
"But you embarrassed the Zhao family," Zhao Wenhai continued. "That creates instability."
"Stability is expensive," Liang Chen replied. "And you haven't paid."
Zhao Wenhai's smile vanished.
"You're bold."
"No," Liang Chen corrected. "I'm accurate."
A heavy silence followed.
Then Zhao Wenhai leaned forward slightly.
"I can offer you protection," he said. "Money. Influence. A clean path upward."
Liang Chen finally moved.
He walked closer until only the table separated them.
"Protection," he said softly, "is for people who expect to kneel later."
Zhao Wenhai's gaze hardened.
"And what do you expect?"
Liang Chen met his eyes.
"To be acknowledged."
The word landed like a weight.
Zhao Wenhai straightened.
"You want partnership?"
"No," Liang Chen replied. "I want recognition."
Another pause.
"From whom?" Zhao Wenhai asked.
Liang Chen turned slightly, looking out at the city.
"From the people who think they own it."
Zhao Wenhai laughed again — but this time, there was no warmth in it.
"You're dangerous," he said.
Liang Chen nodded once.
"That's why you called."
---
The meeting ended without agreement.
But not without consequences.
As Liang Chen stepped out of the building, his phone vibrated repeatedly.
Unknown numbers.
Messages.
Invitations.
Threats.
Warnings.
The city was reacting.
[Ding.]
[Dominion Network expanding.]
[Multiple influence nodes detected.]
Liang Chen ignored them all.
He walked calmly down the street.
Power did not chase opportunities.
It forced them to line up.
---
That evening, Zhao Ming sat in silence in his room.
His father had not scolded him.
That was worse.
When Zhao Wenhai entered, Zhao Ming stood immediately.
"You lost control," Zhao Wenhai said flatly. "And created a problem."
Zhao Ming swallowed.
"I'm sorry."
Zhao Wenhai's eyes were cold.
"You will fix it."
"How?"
Zhao Wenhai turned away.
"You will invite him to the family gathering."
Zhao Ming froze.
"Father, that's—"
"—a test," Zhao Wenhai interrupted. "If he knows how to kneel, he will kneel there."
"And if he doesn't?"
Zhao Wenhai's voice dropped.
"Then we will know he must be crushed."
---
That night, Liang Chen received the invitation.
A formal card.
Gold lettering.
Zhao Family Annual Gathering.
Location: Zhao Estate.
Time: Three days.
Liang Chen stared at it calmly.
A family gathering.
A public stage.
A trap.
Or an opportunity.
[Ding.]
[Mission 003 Activated.]
---
Mission 003: Public Recognition
Objective:
Attend the Zhao Family Gathering and establish dominance publicly.
Conditions:
• Authority figures must acknowledge host
• No concealment of identity
Reward:
Supreme Body — Stage 2
New Authority Skill Unlocked
Failure Penalty:
Dominion Authority suppression
---
Liang Chen read the mission without emotion.
Then he smiled.
"They chose the battlefield," he murmured.
He closed the card slowly.
"And I'll choose who kneels."
Far across the city, lights burned late into the night as forces prepared.
Some hoped to control him.
Others planned to eliminate him.
None understood one thing yet—
This wasn't a negotiation.
It was an announcement.