Chapter Twenty-Five: The Maybach in the Night

The night was deep.

Wang Changming, having finished a day full of social maneuvering, arrived at his Maybach in the underground garage. His chauffeur, already waiting and gloved in white, bent down to open the car door for him.

Settling into the familiar back seat, Wang Changming loosened his collar, retrieved a bottle of sparkling water from the built-in fridge, and took a sip to clear his head from the evening’s wine.

He exhaled, rolling down the window to gaze at the city’s nocturnal scenery. Adjusting the angle of his seat, he reclined comfortably against the plush backrest.

The Maybach glided forward with impeccable smoothness, leaving no hint of the road beneath as it carried him toward his estate villa built on the outskirts of Qingxia City.

This chauffeur was one he had hired specifically—background spotless, skills impeccable. The salary was higher than others, eighty thousand a month, but to Wang Changming, such a sum was a trifle. If something proved useful to him, he never minded paying more.

What mattered was utility.

For those who lacked it, Wang Changming never hesitated to reveal his most ruthless side. That was his creed.

It was this devotion to “efficiency above all” that allowed the company he founded—Prosperity Games—to carve its way through adversity, becoming one of the country’s leading game companies in just two decades, and propelling him into the ranks of the nation’s top ten richest men.

Of course, Wang Changming was well aware that the so-called “rich list” was hardly the full story. His fortune, however impressive, was a mere footnote compared to some of the truly hidden magnates. Yet this did nothing to quench the quiet arrogance that grew in his heart.

“All of this… is wealth I earned with my own hands…”

The icy bubbles slid down his throat, prompting him to let out a slow breath.

That crisp coolness brought a fleeting sense of comfort.

Yet, as he recalled the dinner he had just attended, a frown creased his brow.

Tonight’s guest had been the head of a newly established media relations firm, young but already wielding surprising influence.

Recently, Wang Changming had entrusted a portion of his company’s public relations and government affairs to this firm, signing contracts worth hundreds of millions—even though Prosperity Games already boasted mature in-house PR and GR departments. The depth of the other man’s connections was obvious.

But during tonight’s dinner, despite the man’s apparent deference, Wang Changming could hear traces of greed behind his words.

“Chairman Wang, there’s been some negative chatter about Prosperity Games lately. A former employee, dismissed due to illness, posted some unfavorable remarks online, but we noticed and suppressed them immediately…

“And there were also two accidental employee deaths at your company. After we intervened, one of them was not publicly linked to Prosperity Games…”

Such matters were discussed over the dinner table. Wang Changming smiled broadly, offered hearty thanks for the man’s efforts, and even suggested adding tens of millions more to the contract. The man’s respectful smile became all the more genuine, and the two exchanged toasts in an atmosphere of conviviality.

But now, sitting alone in the car, Wang Changming’s expression turned icy.

“What a worthless PR company. If you didn’t have the right grandfather and father, would you even deserve to sit at the same table as me in ten years?”

Recalling the man’s respectful yet self-satisfied face, Wang Changming sneered inwardly.

He had nearly built himself up from nothing, surviving and thriving through the lawless early days of the country’s internet boom—driven by the age’s current, and in turn, shaping it. The young scions who relied on family to stand shoulder to shoulder with him were the ones he despised most.

What irked him further was that, due to pressure and reality, he sometimes had to bow his head to such people, sharing profits to secure “special attention” or simply to avoid “being specially attended to.”

“PR and public opinion—those dismissed employees might as well be spouting nonsense. Who would believe them? Even without your firm, do you think the money I spend each year on influencers and media is wasted? As for accidental deaths—‘accidental’ is the word. Would the government jeopardize tax revenue and jobs over such news? It’s nothing but stealing credit for others’ work…”

Years of navigating the business world had taught Wang Changming well.

The thought that minor figures in his company had given the other party an excuse to demand more money stoked his inner fury.

“Perhaps I’ve been too generous with employee benefits these years. People are perverse by nature—work hard when they’re hungry, get restless when they’re full. With the industry cooling off lately, and Feixun hinting at coordinated tightening, it’s time to have a chat. We’ll shrink hiring quotas and benefits together.

“With the two industry leaders making a move, every game company in the country will follow. We might even spark a full-blown ‘industry winter.’ Lower costs, higher efficiency—profits will rise, and employees thinking of jumping ship will hesitate.

“They need to taste the chill of winter—it’s the only way to keep the flock in the pen.”

Having settled his plans for the future, Wang Changming felt his mind clear, his breath easier.

Leaning back contentedly, he looked through the windshield, the Maybach’s headlights illuminating the road ahead. Not far off loomed his villa estate, purchased a decade ago—a shadow in the darkness less than a kilometer away. Spanning over ten acres, complete with an artificial lake, rock gardens, and manicured grounds, the main house alone was a three-story, three-thousand-square-meter masterpiece crafted by a top designer. Every brick and tree held a fragment of his memory—his most cherished retreat.

Wait—something was wrong.

Yes, darkness—why were there no lights on in the estate?

Wang Changming’s eyes widened in sudden alarm, as if his very blood had turned to ice.

He remembered clearly: he had hired the country’s best security company, with a team of over fifty guards. Every night when he returned, the villa was awash with light… so why was it pitch-black tonight?

Could it be—

“Boss, something’s not right…” The chauffeur, who had served him for years, noticed as well. Hesitantly, he turned and spoke his first words of the night.

Wang Changming nodded grimly.

“Turn around and head back the way we came. I’ll contact security and ask what—”

He never finished the word “happened.”

At that moment, a faint sound came from the roof.

A hiss.

Then.

As Wang Changming looked up, he witnessed the most astonishing sight of his life.

The Maybach S680 Guard 4Matic—capable of withstanding AK-47 fire, even surviving several kilograms of TNT detonated at close range—suddenly developed a crack in its armored roof.

Ten fingers appeared, forcing their way through.

Two hands gripped the armored steel.

In the next instant, under the stunned gaze of Wang Changming and his driver—

—the entire roof was ripped open by those hands with savage force!

The pitch-black night sky was laid bare above them.

And beneath that sky, a figure loomed—like an abyss come to life.