[Dragon Bay Villa - Secure Safe Room]
Alex sat in his leather chair, his hands shaking slightly. He wasn't scared; he was angry.
Luna was being treated by a medical team in the next room. Vincent had swatted her aside like a fly.
"System," Alex asked coldly. "How do I beat a Plunder System?"
[Answer: You must have higher Stats or a higher System Level than the opponent.] [Current Tycoon Points: 5,500.] [Required Points for 'S-Rank Combat Serum': 100,000 TP.]
"I need 100,000 Points," Alex muttered. "That means I need to spend roughly $10 Billion. Tonight."
Alex grabbed his phone. He didn't call a broker. He called the Mayor.
"Mr. Mayor," Alex said. "This is Alex."
"Ah! Mr. Alex!" The Mayor sounded nervous. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I want to make a donation to the city," Alex said. "I want to rebuild the entire subway system. I want to pave every road in gold-standard asphalt. And I want to build fifty new hospitals."
"S-Sir?" The Mayor stammered. "That... that would cost billions!"
"Send me the invoice for $10 Billion," Alex ordered. "I'm prepaying it. Right now."
"Ten... Ten Billion?!" The Mayor dropped his phone. "Are you serious?"
"Do you want the money or not?"
"YES! Yes, of course! I will send the wiring details immediately!"
Two minutes later.
Alex stared at his banking app. He entered the transfer details. Amount: $10,000,000,000.
[Click.]
[DING!] [Insane Expenditure Detected!] [You have donated $10 Billion to Public Infrastructure.] [Title Earned: 'Saint of the City'.] [Calculating Tycoon Points...] [Reward: +100,000 Tycoon Points.]
[Current Balance: 105,500 TP.]
Alex let out a breath. He had just spent the GDP of a small country in thirty seconds.
"Good," Alex stood up. "Now, let's go shopping."
He opened the System Shop. He scrolled past the cars and houses. He went straight to the "Superhuman" tab.
Titan Body Serum (Grade A): Grants impenetrable skin and super strength. Cost: 50,000 TP.
Mental Fortress (Grade S): Blocks all psychic attacks and System Probes. Cost: 40,000 TP.
Hyper-Regeneration: Heal instantly from non-fatal wounds. Cost: 10,000 TP.
"I'll take them all," Alex whispered.
[Purchase Confirmed.] [Items delivered to Inventory.]
Three glowing vials appeared on the table. One Red. One Blue. One Green.
Alex picked up the Red Vial (Titan Body).
"Vincent," Alex's eyes burned with fury. "You have a barrier? I'm going to punch right through it."
He uncorked the vial and drank it.