At 11 p.m., Yun City was still brightly lit.
But inside Zhou Cheng's office, the atmosphere had completely changed.
The computer screen kept refreshing.
Lines of data appeared one after another without stopping.
Partnerships terminated.
Channels withdrawn.
Resources cut off.
It was as if someone was standing behind him, slicing through his entire system with precise, deliberate strikes.
The assistant stood nearby, his voice tense.
"Mr. Zhou, three core partners have already withdrawn."
"Two more are negotiating termination."
Zhou Cheng didn't respond.
He simply stared at the screen.
His gaze grew darker with each passing second.
At this moment, he finally saw the situation clearly.
The other side was not defending.
They were attacking.
And not with hesitation.
This was suppression without restraint.
He slowly sat down.
His fingers pressed against the desk.
For a long time, he didn't move.
The silence in the room felt heavy.
The assistant couldn't hold back anymore.
"Do we… continue?"
Even as he asked, he lacked confidence.
Zhou Cheng remained silent for more than ten seconds.
Then he spoke.
"Continue."
His voice was low.
But there was a trace of unwillingness.
"I still have one last card."
After saying that, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.
This time, his tone was colder than ever.
"Financial level."
"Lock him completely."
The person on the other end didn't ask questions.
Only gave a short response.
"Understood."
The call ended.
Zhou Cheng placed the phone on the table.
Then leaned back in his chair.
This step was his final line.
If it succeeded, all of Ethan's financial channels would be cut off.
No matter how strong the traffic was.
No matter how large the influence became.
Without money flow, everything would collapse in reality.
At the same time, inside Skyview Residence, Ethan had just put down his phone.
A notification suddenly appeared.
"Account abnormal."
"Funds temporarily frozen."
"Transaction permissions suspended."
He glanced at the screen.
There was no surprise.
Instead, he smiled faintly.
"So it's finally here."
This was no longer ordinary suppression.
This was a direct financial strike.
Once locked, no funds could move.
For most people, this would be the end.
But Ethan remained standing there.
Calm as ever.
The system activated immediately.
"High-intensity financial lockdown detected."
"System level upgraded."
The interface expanded.
A new ability appeared.
"Level 4: Capital Penetration."
The explanation was simple.
Bypass external restrictions.
Establish independent financial channels.
Ethan read it once.
A faint light appeared in his eyes.
This was the key.
He didn't hesitate.
He activated it directly.
A few seconds later, the frozen status disappeared.
A new channel was established.
Funds resumed flowing.
Even smoother than before.
Ethan lowered his head slightly.
Checked his balance.
The numbers had increased again.
But he didn't stop.
Instead, he continued operating.
"Invest again."
Amount: ten million.
Purpose: city-wide advertising.
Confirmed.
Within minutes, changes began to appear.
Major roads across Yun City lit up.
Shopping malls.
Office building screens.
Outdoor billboards.
Every core advertising space turned on almost at the same time.
The visuals were identical.
Black background.
Ethan's silhouette in the center.
One sentence below.
"You can't stop me."
At that moment, the entire city saw the same message.
At the same time, the internet exploded.
"City-wide ads?"
"This is insane."
"He bought everything?"
"What level is this?"
The heat surged again.
And this time, it wasn't pushed by any platform.
It was forced up by pure capital.
Back in Zhou Cheng's office, the assistant rushed in.
"Mr. Zhou, something's wrong!"
"He bought all the city advertising!"
Zhou Cheng stood up abruptly.
He walked to the window.
In the distance, the screens were flashing.
That sentence was clear.
"You can't stop me."
He stood there.
His entire body slowly froze.
It wasn't anger.
It wasn't shock.
It was something deeper.
Powerlessness.
At that moment, he finally understood.
This battle had never been on the same level.
He was playing within the rules.
But the other side—
could change them.
Zhou Cheng slowly turned around.
Sat back in his chair.
As if all strength had left him.
After a long time, he finally spoke.
"Stop."
The assistant froze.
"Mr. Zhou?"
Zhou Cheng didn't look at the screen anymore.
He closed his eyes.
"It's over."
The words were soft.
But final.
At the same time, inside Skyview Residence, Ethan stood in front of the window.
The city lights stretched endlessly below him.
Traffic moved slowly.
Everything was still running.
But he stood above it all.
He lowered his head slightly.
Looked at his phone.
His balance had already surpassed ten million.
And it was still rising.
But there was no excitement in his expression.
He simply said one sentence.
"Now this is a real trump card."
The night was quiet.
But everything had changed.
好