Darkstone Code

"Lynch doesn’t interact much with his peers. What do you think about using the headline ’Peers make Lynch feel juvenile’ for tomorrow’s front page?"

The birthday party was still ongoing, and the reporters, having just finished a high-intensity shooting session, began to have some time to chat leisurely.

Having received the film rolls sent by the magazine, Reporter A lit a cigarette and began contributing his ideas for tomorrow’s front page headline.

That headline... no doubt, it would be something people enjoy reading, but it would also increase some people’s dissatisfaction with Lynch.

Some people just have this kind of mindset. I don’t know you, but I’ve heard you’re pretty awesome, so damn it, I dislike you!

There are quite a few people like that in the Federation, especially among the lower and middle layers—

It’s not just the fragile and sensitive people from the bottom here, but there are also some from the Middle Class.

Not all of the Middle Class are living well, so some of them have the same sensitivity. They fear becoming "objects of contempt," so they preemptively start disliking those cool people.

It’s like hurting others first before they can hurt you, gaining some sense of balance. And when they really get hurt, they can tell people around them—

"Listen, I’ve told you I don’t like this guy for a while now, look at his/her/its attitude, it’s really disgusting!"

Perfect!

Reporter B was also smoking, "If you’re not afraid of Lynch’s legal team coming after you, you can definitely write according to your idea!"

"Up until now, he’s never lost a lawsuit, no matter big or small."

Reporter A had a slight edge of annoyance, "This is the best example of the collusion between capital and power; no one can win all the time unless they already know the outcome!"

Of course, considering that overly angering Lynch would indeed bring trouble to him, this thought could only be fleeting.

In fact, even if Lynch isn’t angry, others might be, especially those labeled as "juvenile" by Lynch in that headline.

They don’t feel juvenile themselves, but if you think they are, they’d explode.

They are not celebrities, not politicians, not normal business figures; they’re just wastrels of various clans. They excel at creating negative news; sometimes, they’re like vicious dogs!

Whatever it is, as long as it rubs them the wrong way, they’ll pounce and bite.

The two reporters looked at the scantily clad girls, the bar full of champagne and high-end liquors, the waiters weaving through the crowd, and finally sighed helplessly.

They were so close to this kind of life, close enough to see the materials of the guests’ collar buttons, close enough to be just under a minute’s walk from joining in.

But it’s so far away; you know it’s right in front of you, yet you can never blend in, never truly belong.

Even if you try, someone will tell you, you don’t belong here!

Celestial Kingdom and Human World, it’s just this nearly invisible boundary, just this boundary that isolates ninety-nine percent of the world’s population.

The people at the birthday party didn’t feel the envy and jealousy from the outside world. For them, it was the most ordinary life, nothing surprising.

The youngsters were indeed playing amongst themselves, rarely encountering Lynch because they were kind of...

Just like Reporter A said, they actually felt their "juvenility" themselves.

It’s not that their IQ is low or behavior laughable, but it’s hard to show their "I’m so-and-so from such-and-such family" stance in front of Lynch.

Lynch doesn’t have a prominent family background, but his achievements make all his peers find it difficult to lift their heads.

The outside world calls him a youth leader, which many don’t concede to. Why is Lynch a leader?

But when they truly compare themselves to Lynch, they’ll find out how inadequate they are.

They can’t even manage to break away from their families to start their own businesses, just mix and muddle along in their clans—this is their juvenility!

Instead, Lynch was chatting more happily with those middle-aged capitalists. These people were shareholders of Future Light Investment Company, core members of Lynch’s Darkstone Consortium.

Their interests had been tightly knit with Lynch through his rounds of "purges."

Everyone’s investments were hard to quantify, making them increasingly impossible to detach from Lynch’s side.

"Recently, some developments have exceeded my expectations. The Federation will soon face a major upheaval across various industries; for us, this is an opportunity."

Lynch held a wine glass in his hand, standing amongst the crowd.

The outermost members of this crowd, anyone randomly picked, would spontaneously elicit admiration and awe from many present!

But at this moment, they seemed to purely encircle Lynch, quietly listening to him speak.

A woman’s charm lies in being impossible to ignore, while a man’s charm lies in his supremacy over all beings!

In disdain, even an inadvertent smile on the lips is enough to evoke temptation!

The three sisters looked at Lynch from afar, each feeling a genuine thirst from within; lust or desire isn’t exclusive to men, women experience it too.

Compared to the subjects of their past conquests or those they needed to persuade, if those people were stars, then Lynch was the sun!

"We have to try...", the youngest sister couldn’t hold back anymore. Though she was called the youngest, they were born together and weren’t much different in age. Her voice squeezed out of her throat, making her seem a bit ridiculous.

But her two elder sisters didn’t laugh at her; instead, they felt a deep sense of agreement.

To have a night with a man like him, they’d gladly trade a few years of their lives!

With her mind filled with untimely thoughts, the youngest sister put down her wine glass, "Damn it, did any of you bring an extra pair of panties?"

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lynch continued talking with others about the upcoming changes.

Someone seemed a bit puzzled by Lynch’s views, "Mr. Chairman, will the Duncan Clan really fall?"

The person asking the question stood on the outer middle layer of the crowd. Lynch looked at him and signaled for him to continue and finish his question.

"I reviewed some statistics. The companies directly or indirectly held by the Duncan Clan, which we now control, account for about eleven-point-three percent of registered companies in the Federation."

"And these companies contributed about seven percent to the Federation’s GDP last year!"

"If it collapses, it will bring significant social issues to the Federation, such as unemployment and public security."

"How does the Federation plan to solve this problem if it decides to take action against the Duncan Clan?"

"If they don’t have a proper plan to resolve this issue, then it’s very likely the Duncan Clan will eventually survive this calamity!"

Lynch listened carefully, then nodded, acknowledging the point to some extent.

In fact, the most critical aspect of forming a nation and constructing power and classes is having enough of the lower tier!

To put it simply, when you manage the livelihoods of a hundred people and can decide their future and life or death, your decisions are what people call power!

The magnitude of power depends on how many people’s futures and lives you can decide. Only when it’s enough does this power become dazzling.

But if you can only decide the future and life or death of a few people or can’t do anything at all, then you wield no power.

The lower society of the Federation has about sixty million people, and possibly millions are providing various services for the Duncan Clan.

Once the Duncan Clan collapses, these people will be unemployed, and so many people becoming jobless at once is a shock to the Federation that even the Federation Government will struggle to contend with.

It’s very likely the President and his Cabinet would have to resign collectively. This is also the Duncan Clan’s confidence in opposing the Federation Government.

Moreover, the cost of taking action against the Duncan Clan is enormous. It’s possible that halfway through, the Federation Government will find they can’t proceed.

As soon as they can’t continue, the next steps would be compromise and negotiation, and perhaps the Duncan Clan will still exist in the world.

Will those who besieged them at the beginning eventually pay the price?

This is what this shareholder truly wanted to ask.

Everyone has pondered this question, and they all gazed at Lynch. Even the youngest here is a decade older than Lynch, yet they all look at him, showcasing a man’s charm.

Lynch pondered for a moment, shook his head, "Precisely because it’s so immense, it forces the Federation Government to address the issue."

"Capitalists are only safe when they have money because this money needs power to protect it."

"But when these capitalists not only have money but also wield power, then those who truly hold power will be afraid."

"When people are afraid, there are only two outcomes."

"First, unable to face the fear, and ultimately getting swallowed by fear, drowned in darkness."

"Second, spawning endless courage to confront the fear, destroying it face-to-face, regardless of the cost!"

"Our government is undoubtedly courageous; even when facing Gafura’s invincible fleet, we haven’t shown the slightest weakness."

"This determines that our Federation Government will not compromise with the Duncan Clan, and war is certain to break out, and it will happen soon."

Lynch looked up at the sky, where the sun was no longer as blazing as in mid-summer, seeming to be shrouded by a thin veil of autumn.

"War is approaching, and before it erupts, all the issues must be resolved."

He withdrew his gaze, looking at the surrounding people, "Even if it means triggering a brief, small-scale civil war, it’s not an issue!"

Lynch still had some words unsaid — if necessary, the Federation Government can completely disregard fairness.

When the referee gets into the ring, it no longer matters who wins or loses.

Because...

The referee decides!