Li Wei flew to Fujian under a false name — system-generated passport, flawless in every database. The small island he had purchased months earlier was little more than a rocky outcrop with sparse vegetation, but it had deep natural harbors and high cliffs on three sides — perfect defensive geography.
He spent three days on site with Chen Hao and Guo Feng, mapping bunker locations. They marked spots for underground shelters, desalination units, wind turbines, and concealed docks for the fishing boats already on order.
Total on-site expenditure (equipment pre-order, survey gear, temporary worker wages): 85 million RMB.
[Ding! Large expenditure detected]
[Base 105×: +8,925,000,000 RMB]
[Wealth Aura bonus: 1.27× multiplier]
[Additional +2,857,500,000 RMB]
[Total: 11,782,500,000 RMB]
By the time they left, contracts were signed for initial construction — disguised as "eco-tourism resort development" on all paperwork.
Back at Fortress Zero, Tang Ning showed him drone footage of the old family neighborhood.
The three of them — father, mother, sister — were seen carrying plastic bags of cheap vegetables from a street market. Li Jian Guo limped heavily. Zhang Mei's hair had turned almost completely white in less than eighteen months. Li Na looked gaunt, eyes hollow.
Tang Ning spoke quietly. "They look like ghosts already."
"They made their choices," Li Wei answered without looking away from the screen. "We watch. We wait."
That night he added another layer to the evidence folder: medical records showing Zhang Mei's untreated chronic bronchitis worsening into possible pneumonia. No hospital visits since the last bill went unpaid.
He closed the laptop and stared at the ceiling for a long time.
The revenge was no longer just about the rooftop.
It was about every year he had spent believing family meant something.