Chapter 89

Chapter 89 – The First Strike

City A awoke to a media frenzy.

News outlets broadcast damning headlines, social media buzzed with fury, and investors began pulling out of Bai Corp as whispers of scandal roared into a storm. Bai Xueqing's name trended globally—but not in the way she had hoped.

Inside Bai Corp headquarters, the atmosphere was tense. Staff whispered in corners. Some avoided eye contact with her. But Xueqing, calm as always, walked through the halls with measured grace.

In the war room—a repurposed boardroom lined with whiteboards, monitors, and stacks of encrypted files—Mo Chen, Meng Zhihao, and Lin Nuo awaited her arrival.

"We traced the blog's IP," Meng said as she entered. "It was routed through three proxy layers, but it originated from a server farm just outside Singapore."

"Guess who owns that server farm?" Mo Chen added. "An offshore shell company with indirect links to the Shadow Broker."

Xueqing took a seat, crossing her legs. "So, our enemy just made their first real move."

Lin Nuo nodded. "And the market responded. Shares dropped 7% overnight. If we don't release a counter-statement, they'll suspend trading by tomorrow."

Mo Chen leaned forward. "You said you didn't want to play defense. Let's go on the offense."

Xueqing's lips curled into a cold smile. "We hit them back—hard."

---

By evening, the tables began to turn.

Mo Chen deployed a swarm of ethical hackers to trace and dismantle fake accounts propagating the rumors. Within hours, thousands were flagged and removed. Meng Zhihao released a forensic breakdown debunking the fabricated documents, with timelines and metadata proving they had never passed through Bai Corp's servers.

Xueqing, dressed in an understated navy suit, sat before the press once more.

"There will always be people in the shadows," she said. "But I stand in the light. And so does the truth."

Her words spread like wildfire.

The stock drop halted. Supporters rallied. Former employees posted their experiences defending Xueqing's integrity. Her calm defiance won admiration—and sent her enemies scrambling.

---

Late at night, in the gloved man's private lair, the woman in black returned, her tone clipped with concern.

"She countered faster than expected. The Broker is displeased."

The gloved man swirled his drink, unbothered. "Then it's time to move up the timeline. If you want to crush a phoenix, you do it before she takes flight."

He stood and faced the cityscape.

"Prepare the next strike. And activate the sleeper inside Mo International."