A Laptop

Seeing Director Huo take action, the security guards followed suit with brutal efficiency. The men howled in pain—after all, these guards were ex-military, skilled in combat and precise in their strikes.

Only when their wails subsided did Huo Xuan coldly toss Lin Ye onto the ground. The latter scrambled up, shooting Huo Xuan a fearful glare before snarling, "This isn't over!" With that, he fled with his disheveled entourage in tow.

Lin Yue sighed. "Little brother, Tianxing Jewelry's booming success has already drawn the Lin family's resentment."

Huo Xuan replied indifferently, "Competitors are natural enemies—this was inevitable. But it doesn't matter. Tianxing will focus on Jiangzhou for now, transforming it into the nation's jade trading hub. Soon, we'll be the ones setting industry standards!"

There's a saying in business: first-class enterprises set the rules, second-class build brands, and third-class merely sell products. Huo Xuan aimed to make Tianxing a first-class entity—one that dictated the jade industry's norms.

The sheer ambition of this vision reignited Lin Yue's fire. "You've changed so much. Last year, you were just a jobless graduate. Now, you've grown formidable."

"I'm far from formidable," Huo Xuan said calmly. "True strength lies in shaping and rewriting the rules."

With a prodigy like Ge Xiaoxian managing the jewelry store, Huo Xuan had no worries. By noon, he and Lin Yue packed their bags and headed to the airport, bound for Yundong Province. After an hour-long delay, their flight finally boarded.

Growing impatient, Huo Xuan grumbled, "Yue-jie, let's buy a private jet soon."

Lin Yue rolled her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Even the Lin family only owns two jets, reserved for core members."

Unfazed, Huo Xuan asked, "Do you know what standard my master set for me?"

Curious, Lin Yue leaned in. "What?"

"He said I must earn at least 100billion,"HuoXuansighed."100 billion—enough to buy tens of thousands of private jets. So this 'dream' of mine is practically insignificant."

Lin Yue gaped. "$100 billion? Is your master serious? That kind of capital could boost the nation's GDP growth by a full percentage point!"

Huo Xuan rubbed his nose. "Exactly. Might take me till I'm eighty."

Lin Yue smiled wryly. "$100 billion? Even the wealthiest heirs of Western dynasties rarely hit that mark individually."

Huo Xuan chuckled. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Finally boarding, they took off for Yundong.

Yundong Province, one of the most developed regions in eastern China, served as its economic powerhouse—a thriving, dynamic market. It was also once the domain of the Dragon Head. Huo Xuan's trip had two purposes: first, to retrieve what the Dragon Head left behind; second, to attend the birthday celebration of Lin Yue's grandfather.

After landing in Yundong, Huo Xuan took Lin Yue to an unremarkable apartment complex, clearly housing working-class residents with no signs of wealth. Approaching a unit, he inputted an 18-digit code into the electronic lock.

With a beep, the door clicked open.

Lin Yue frowned. "Little brother, when did you buy a place here?"

Huo Xuan, who hadn't explained the trip's purpose, simply smiled. "A friend's place. I'm just here to retrieve something for him."

Stepping inside, they found a modestly furnished home, typical of a small family. Huo Xuan headed straight for the master bedroom. Moving the bed aside, his penetrating vision confirmed a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards.

After brushing off the dust, he pressed lightly on a specific spot, and a floor panel lifted effortlessly.

Inside the cavity lay two items: a square rosewood box and a black laptop. Retrieving them, he scrutinized the space for anything else.

Watching his meticulousness, Lin Yue teased, "You're acting like a spy. Is your friend's stuff that sensitive?"

"Exactly," Huo Xuan said, carefully packing the items into his bag. "Hence the caution."

"All done?"

"All done." He grinned. "Now we can head to your family's."

Lin Yue hesitated. "Grandfather's birthday isn't until the day after tomorrow. Going back early would just... complicate things. Let's stay at a hotel first?"

At the word hotel, Huo Xuan's eyes lit up. "My thoughts exactly."

Realizing his implication, Lin Yue huffed. "Not that kind of stay. Separate rooms."

Huo Xuan feigned dismay. "What a waste! A suite is plenty."

To his surprise, Lin Yue didn't argue—her silence tacit agreement.

They checked into a five-star hotel's luxury suite. Exhausted from travel, Lin Yue showered immediately and napped.

But Huo Xuan had no intention of disturbing her.

Something far more important demanded his attention.

The laptop and rosewood box now lay on the table. Inside the opened box rested a prosthetic eyeball and a fake hand. Huo Xuan powered on the black laptop.

It booted astonishingly fast—just one second. A black screen appeared with an English prompt: "Please perform iris authentication."

A small sensor above the screen pulsed red. Quickly, Huo Xuan aligned the prosthetic eyeball with it. After several rapid flashes, a beep sounded, and the screen transitioned to a blue password field.

He picked up the prosthetic hand. Each finger pressed distinct keys to input an extended passcode. Every keystroke triggered a confirming beep—proof of validation.

Had Huo Xuan used his real fingers, the system would have detected mismatched fingerprints and shut down immediately.

Upon completing the password, the screen flickered, revealing a minimalist desktop with a gray background. No browser. No conventional programs. Only a single folder and one shortcut icon.

After some exploration, Huo Xuan concluded this device ran an entirely unfamiliar—yet intuitively designed—operating system.