117

Swish!

Lin Chase, who was running at full speed, suddenly felt the world around him go white.

An endless burst of light erupted from behind him, so intense that even his enhanced eyes—modified by the Blacklight Virus—couldn't withstand it.

An unimaginably high temperature swept over everything.

Even though Lin had escaped for more than ten seconds—covering a great distance—he still felt an unbearable burning sensation on his back, despite the [Armor] protecting him.

At the same time, the ground shook violently.

Then came the overpressure shock wave—compressed to an extreme.

Wherever it passed, it was as if the hand of God had wiped everything away—leaving behind only bare earth and exposed steel reinforcements.

Lin had finally escaped the blast radius. Slowly, he turned to look back...

"BOOOOMMMM!!!"

The thunderous explosion, long overdue, finally echoed across the landscape.

A massive fireball—larger than his field of view—rose from the earth, growing into a towering mushroom cloud that pierced the sky.

Blinding light, searing heat, and waves of electromagnetic ionizing radiation surged outward in a terrifying display of power.

This was the strongest attack humanity could unleash—

A nuclear explosion.

In fact, Lin had planned this ever since he'd decided to target the Military Technology Headquarters.

That facility was on his hit list from the very beginning.

After all, in this era, what major corporation didn't keep some heavy weapons on hand?

Originally, Lin hadn't found anyone with knowledge of the nuke's location.

He thought the chance was gone—until he activated [Thousands of Tentacles], devouring fragments of memories from armed personnel all over the military tech compound.

One of those fragments revealed the hidden nuclear stockpile.

And now, here it was.

"F*, Lin, I gotta admit—this time, your stunt was badass. Even more hardcore than mine,"** said Johnny, who stood beside Lin, his eyes filled with manic joy as they stared at the rising mushroom cloud.

Back in his day, Johnny had pulled a similar move.

But his bomb wasn't as powerful as this one.

And the target had just been the Arasaka Tower—a mere branch in America.

Lin, on the other hand?

He had just dropped a 120,000-ton nuclear payload and completely obliterated the Military Technology Headquarters.

The executives behind that company were probably crying their eyes out right now.

"Yeah... that was pretty awesome," Lin Chase smirked.

Watching a nuclear explosion unfold—

He had always wanted to witness this.

"Alright, let's get the hell outta here. Stay too long and we're gonna be glow-in-the-dark roast meat," Johnny chuckled, then vanished.

Lin didn't waste time either. He picked up speed and bolted toward nearby Watsonton.

"Did Lin Chase... just detonate a nuclear warhead?" came the stunned voice of the old man in Kangtao's top-floor office.

At that moment, Sam Shepherd also arrived.

A projection of Linda Hanson appeared from another location.

"It looks like it. With Lin's personality, that's exactly the kind of thing he'd do."

The old man nodded but remained silent.

The blue light in his eyes flickered—he was clearly communicating with someone.

After a while, the connection ended, and his expression turned extremely grim.

"We just received confirmation from the Satellite Communications Department—there was a 120,000-ton nuclear detonation detected on the east coast of the Americas."

"The precise location... is the Military Science and Technology Headquarters Industrial Park."

Boom...

Sam and Linda both felt like thunder had exploded in their minds.

Even though they'd already guessed it, hearing the confirmed report made it feel real—and terrifying.

"Feels like a dream, doesn't it? I feel the same," the old man said with a bitter smile.

"I've lived nearly a hundred years, and this is the first time I've seen someone this insane."

He recalled Lin Chase's smiling face before he jumped from the rooftop.

The old man shuddered.

Only he knew how many times Kangtao had narrowly avoided disaster.

If they'd made even the smallest mistake in judgment...

It would have been Kangtao that got nuked.

He took a deep breath.

"Sam, call in all department heads immediately. Emergency meeting. I want everyone there—no matter what they're doing. Get them here. Fast."

Ten minutes later, the conference room was packed.

Some executives were present physically; others joined via hologram due to time or distance.

Everyone's expression was equally serious and shocked.

They already knew the reason for the meeting.

"Let's begin," the old man said, glancing around.

"No need for small talk. Does anyone here not know why we're meeting?"

Silence.

"Good. Then I'll get straight to the point."

He raised his hand and sent a digital document to everyone present.

"This list contains the names of everyone connected to Lin Chase."

"I want each of you to memorize them—and pass them along."

"From this day forward, all Kangtao subsidiaries, departments, and partners are to avoid any contact with these individuals."

"If someone has a feud with any of them—well, don't expect Kangtao to protect you."

The old man's voice was firm and unwavering—there was no room for argument.

At his age, he finally understood why Lin had made that seemingly random phone call earlier.

It hadn't been just to brag.

It was a warning.

A direct, undisguised warning.

Telling Kangtao—stay in your lane.

Or face the same fate as Military Tech.

Everyone in the room nodded solemnly.

No one dared question the old man's orders.

After all, Lin Chase had not only infiltrated the most secure building in the world—but also killed Donald, the head of Military Technology—single-handedly.

Who among them dared claim they were safer or more important than Donald?

"Next," the old man continued.

"Spread the news. Wide. And mobilize every Kangtao trader you can."

"Use this chance to tank the market value of Military Tech. Hard."

"When they're down, kick 'em harder. That's the game."

The head of Commerce—a sharp 35-year-old man—grinned as a glint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

This was his specialty.

He could already imagine the look of despair on the faces of those major investors who were still clinging to Military Tech stocks after this incident.

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