Another Enemy Erased

A politician defied the Nine Dragons. By morning, his career was over. The night before, he had stood firm against their influence, refusing to approve a lucrative infrastructure deal that would have expanded their corporate empire. He believed he could resist them. He was wrong.

By dawn, a corruption scandal surfaced. Leaked bank records, offshore accounts, and falsified financial statements painted him as a traitor to his country. The news channels broadcast his downfall in real time, his face plastered across every screen. The narrative was airtight—there was no room for doubt.

Then came the final blow.

A televised confession, scripted and rehearsed under duress. His voice trembled as he admitted to crimes he never committed. His resignation followed moments later. The Nine Dragons had dismantled him before he could even fight back.

As the dust settled, the power vacuum he left behind was swiftly filled by someone more... cooperative. A puppet placed by the syndicate, ensuring their influence remained unchallenged. In the digital abyss, Luo Jian watched impassively. He didn’t need to threaten or kill. He simply rewrote reality.

Jakarta – Luo Jian’s Control Room. The politician believed he was safe. He believed that his influence, his connections, and his wealth would protect him. He was wrong. Luo Jian had already decided his fate.

Luo Jian sat in the dim glow of his control room, sipping a delicate cup of oolong tea. His fingers moved lazily over the holographic interface in front of him, scanning financial records, private messages, and call logs. His target was a minister of trade, a man who had become too ambitious, too unpredictable. He wasn’t loyal to the Nine Dragons. And that made him a liability.

Luo Jian tapped a single key. The fall began. A set of falsified bank records was sent to every major news outlet. Anonymous whistleblower documents surfaced, detailing years of "corruption." A social media frenzy erupted, accusations spreading like wildfire. The minister’s name was trending worldwide before he even woke up.

By the time the politician opened his eyes, his world was already crumbling. His phone buzzed endlessly—journalists demanding statements, allies refusing to answer, his legal team in panic.

He switched on the television. His face stared back at him—

Headlines screamed: BREAKING: Trade Minister Caught in Massive Corruption Scandal Whistleblower Exposes Years of Financial Fraud Public Outrage Grows as Evidence Mounts

He gasped for breath. This wasn’t real. But it didn’t matter. Luo Jian watched the chaos unfold from his high-rise office, calm and unmoved. He did not need assassins or bullets. He used something far more effective—perception. The world had already judged him guilty. Before the sun had even risen, the politician was a dead man walking.

As the minister sat in his office, staring at the endless notifications of resignations, subpoenas, and betrayals, his phone rang. A voice spoke—low, measured, impossible to trace.

"You have one option left."

Silence.

The politician’s hands trembled.

"You know what to do."

A long pause. Then—

Minister whispering, broken. "I understand."

Luo Jian smiled. Another enemy erased.

—

Jakarta – The Press Conference. The room was silent. A crowd of journalists sat with cameras rolling, their pens poised like daggers, waiting for the final blow. The trade minister stood at the podium, shoulders hunched, his once-proud frame now smaller, defeated. His eyes were hollow. His hands shook. He knew this was his execution. Not by bullet. But by perception. And Luo Jian was the unseen hand tightening the noose.

Just hours before, inside his darkened office, the minister had sat motionless, his mind unraveling. His world had collapsed overnight. His accounts were frozen. His party had abandoned him. His own staff refused to answer his calls. Then the final call came. A voice—smooth, patient, merciless.

"You will resign. You will admit your guilt."

Minister whispering, desperate. "I—I didn’t do any of this. The evidence—it’s all fabricated!"

"The world doesn’t care."

Silence.

Luo Jian calmly. "Your wife and children are watching. Don’t make this harder for them."

The minister closed his eyes. He had no choice. Now, under the blinding lights of the press conference, he repeated the words fed to him.

"I deeply regret my actions."

The room erupted in a flurry of flashes and whispers. He gripped the edges of the podium.

"I have betrayed the trust of the people."

The weight of Luo Jian’s power crushed him in real time. Behind the cameras, in the shadows of the event, a handful of unseen enforcers stood quietly. A reminder. If he deviated from the script, he wouldn’t be the only one to suffer. So he spoke exactly as instructed. And when he finished, the final question came. A reporter leaned forward.

"Sir, what will you do now?"

The minister hesitated. His lips trembled. Then, he spoke the last words of his career.

"I will accept the consequences and step down immediately."

Miles away, Luo Jian sat in his high-rise office, watching the press conference through a private feed. He sipped his tea, savoring the moment. Another enemy erased. Another puppet ready to take his place. He turned his attention back to his monitors, scrolling through the latest data feeds. The world had already moved. No revolutions. No martyrs. Only control.

As the minister exited the stage, he knew the truth. He was no longer a man. He was a cautionary tale. And in Luo Jian’s world, there were no second chances.

—

The city’s elite gathered in a grand hall, raising their glasses in celebration. A new Trade Minister was being sworn in—handpicked by the Nine Dragons. Dignitaries, corporate leaders, and media moguls exchanged pleasantries, speaking of "stability" and "restored trust."

In reality, nothing had changed. Only the name on the plaque. And that was how Luo Jian designed it.

Somewhere in the city, the former Trade Minister sat alone in a dimly lit apartment. His estate had been seized. His offshore accounts were gone. His wife and children had been sent abroad for their safety.

He was alone.

Outside, a black sedan had been parked for hours. Watching. He knew what came next. He had seen it happen to others. Disappearances. Suicides. Accidents. There was no mercy in the Nine Dragons’ world. Minister muttering to himself.

“No second chances.”

He opened his phone. One last number. One last call.

—

Across town, an investigative journalist named Clarissa Tan sat in her cramped apartment, staring at her screen. Something about this case felt wrong. The corruption allegations had appeared too suddenly. The whistleblower’s identity was impossible to verify. The financial records didn’t have a clear source.

It wasn’t proof yet. But it was enough to make her dig deeper. Then, her phone vibrated. An unknown number. She hesitated. Then answered.

“Who is this?”

A shaky breath.Then a voice she never expected.

“You’re looking in the wrong places.”

“What?”

Minister whispering. “Luo Jian. The Nine Dragons. They made me—”

Then— A loud crash. The line went dead.

In his high-rise, Luo Jian scrolled through live security feeds. He sipped his tea. One screen showed a black sedan. Two men stepping out. A minister’s apartment door was forced open. He tapped his screen. The feed cut to black. Luo Jian speaks softly.

“No loose ends.”

The past had been erased. But what Luo Jian did not see was the journalist who had just heard the truth. And she wasn’t going to let it go.

Clarissa stared at her phone. The call had been traced and deleted. But she had already saved the recording. Her instincts screamed at her to drop the story. To walk away. To forget. But she couldn’t because she had just heard a man die. And if Luo Jian thought he had erased everything— He was wrong.