The rhythmic drumming of thousands of footsteps echoed against the polished marble as the employees of the CK Group flooded into the gargantuan sloped auditorium. Every square inch of the space was packed, a sea of white-collar soldiers waiting for the word of their commander.
Li Ming stood center stage, bathed in the blinding glare of the spotlights. The aura of the Old Dragon radiated outward, making the massive hall feel suddenly small. He began to speak, his voice a low, resonant rumble that commanded absolute silence.
"Today... I must inform you all that a new era for CK Group has begun. We move forward with the collaboration of world-class professionals."
In the front row, Lu Rong sat as still as a marble bust, his spine straight with the arrogance of his rank. But his eyes, fixed on the stage, burned with a silent, smoldering rage at the steady erosion of his power.
Below, in the executive assistants' section, Tum fought to keep his breathing steady. Through his specialized vision, he saw Li Ming's aura—a vibrant amber gold. But beneath that surface, he glimpsed something terrifying: thick, suffocating coils of deep violet, signifying a web of "plans within plans" so complex they were nearly unreadable.
"I introduce to you the pillars who will support our future..." Li Ming gestured grandly. "First... Mr. A.P. Markrim of ZX Capital, our M&A Transaction Manager."
Adisorn stepped onto the stage, the epitome of dark elegance. He scanned the crowd with a composed, sovereign smile as the room erupted into thunderous applause.
"And next... Mr. Gawin, CEO of Wonder Package Thailand, who assumes the role of Director-General for the Green Hydrogen Project of Asia."
Gawin followed, his stride brimming with confidence, taking his place alongside Adisorn at center stage.
But then... the applause died down, and Li Ming remained stationary. A cunning glint flashed in his eyes as he surveyed the auditorium. He uttered a sentence that sent a shockwave through the entire empire.
"And finally... the individual who will carry the Li family's legacy into the next generation..."
Gawin and Adisorn stiffened simultaneously. Their instincts screamed in unison; this character was not in the script they had been given.
"I introduce... Li Wenjie, my son! As the Chief Strategic Officer of CK Group, effective this very second!"
The room dissolved into a frantic buzz of whispers. The spotlights swung to the side of the stage, revealing a tall, lithe figure in a charcoal grey suit. Li Wenjie stepped out with the fluid, silent grace of a leopard stalking through shadows. His face was flawlessly handsome but coated in a layer of glacial ice. He walked past Adisorn and Gawin as if they were nothing more than thin air—no eye contact, no nod, no greeting. It was a silent, lethal declaration: This is my domain.
Li Ming beamed with the smile of a man holding the winning hand. "Mr. Wenjie will work closely with me... and oversee all strategic operations alongside all of you."
Lu Rong's smug expression vanished. He realized in an instant that the ultimate power had just been snatched back into the direct bloodline. Tum, watching through his special sight, turned pale. The aura surrounding Wenjie was horrific—the ash-black of a heartless void mixed with the burning crimson of a long-dormant vendetta.
The most dangerous person in the room wasn't Lu Rong. It wasn't even the son. It was the Old Dragon himself, who had orchestrated this perfect checkmate.
"And I officially announce that Mr. Fan Mingzhi, our former CSO, will be promoted to Senior Strategic Advisor, working directly alongside Mr. Wenjie starting today."
The spotlight shifted again. A man in his 50s, stoic and imposing, stepped forward. Fan Mingzhi's gaze as it fell upon Gawin and Adisorn was fathomless and predatory.
Tum saw Fan Mingzhi's aura erupting in solid black tinged with velvet red—the color of dark authority and a ruthlessness that could crush anything into dust. This was the "Third Pillar" they had feared.
Adisorn glanced at Fan Mingzhi for only a fraction of a second before straightening his posture. He met the storm of change with a mocking, defiant smirk. His sharp gaze shifted to Li Ming, a silent message passing between them: I already mapped this scenario. I knew exactly how the Dragon would move his cub.
Behind the Chairman, Rosé watched Adisorn's back with pure awe. His intuition was terrifyingly accurate. He had known all along that Li Ming would always choose his own blood over an outsider, no matter how talented.