Chapter 145: Eclipse Proposal
At Eclipse Corporation...
The atmosphere inside the executive conference room remained tense. The chairman sat at the head of the table while several department heads reviewed digital reports.
One executive spoke first. "Our representatives have requested today’s meeting with Nathan Industries."
The chairman nodded. "They accepted?"
"Yes."
"They believe it’s a partnership discussion."
A faint smile appeared on the chairman’s face. "Excellent." He pressed a button on the table. A holographic chart appeared above it. Several graphs filled the screen.
Supply chains, investment routes, logistics, corporate ownership. Every line eventually pointed toward one name. That was Nathan Industries.
"Our target isn’t simply their profits." He looked around the room. "It’s their reputation."
Another executive adjusted his glasses. "If today’s proposal succeeds...Nathan Industries will unknowingly become responsible for several failed overseas contracts."
"Exactly. The media will blame them, the investors will panic, the stock value will collapse. And while everyone watches them struggle...We acquire everything they lose."
The room fell silent.
One younger executive hesitated before asking, "...Chairman. What if they reject the proposal?"
The chairman smiled. "They won’t. And if they do... We have prepared alternatives." He tapped another button.
The screen changed. This time, it displayed photographs of warehouses, shipping routes and financial records. "Our influence extends much farther than they realize."
He slowly folded his hands. "Business isn’t won by strength. It’s won by preparation."
Another executive looked toward the image of the Bunny Vigilante displayed in the corner of the screen. "And him?"
The chairman’s expression hardened. "He interferes with our operations. He rescued people who weren’t supposed to be rescued. He exposed routes that took years to establish. He has become...an unpredictable variable."
The chairman looked directly at the blurry image. "I dislike variables." He stood from his chair. "Find him. I don’t care whether he’s a police officer...A vigilante or simply a reckless fool. I want every piece of information you can gather."
A middle-aged investigator stood. "Chairman. We’ve reviewed over two thousand surveillance recordings. The strange part is...The Bunny Vigilante seems to appear in places where no camera captures his arrival. And moments later...He’s gone."
The chairman narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. So even technology struggles to follow him." A faint smile returned. "That only makes this hunt more entertaining."
...
Elsewhere...
Nobody finally reached Riverside Park. The afternoon breeze gently rippled across the river. Families strolled along the pathways. Children chased pigeons across the open plaza. Street musicians filled the air with cheerful melodies.
Everything felt peaceful.
Near the entrance to a small café, Toma spotted him. She stood and waved. "Nobody!"
He smiled and walked over.
"There you are." Toma let out a relieved sigh. "You actually came."
"You sounded worried."
"I was."
He pulled out the chair opposite hers and sat down.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Nobody carefully examined her face. She looked healthy. Only a little exhaustion remained in her eyes. He finally relaxed. "...I’m glad you’re alright."
Toma smiled softly. "So am I."
A waiter approached their table. "Would you like to order anything?"
Nobody grinned. "Another coffee."
Toma laughed. "You really love coffee, don’t you?"
He shrugged. "It has saved me from falling asleep more times than I can count."
Neither of them noticed...
Across the street, a man wearing sunglasses quietly lowered a pair of binoculars. He spoke into a hidden earpiece. "I’ve located the target’s friend. The civilian known as Toma has just met the man."
A calm voice answered from the other end. "Maintain surveillance. Do not engage."
The man adjusted his cap. "Understood."
Without realizing it, Nobody and Toma had already become the subjects of someone else’s investigation.
And somewhere inside Eclipse Corporation, the chairman looked out over Alkon City with quiet confidence. "The game has begun." This time, the battlefield would not be an abandoned street in the dead of night. It would be the city itself.
.....
Morning sunlight reflected off the towering glass exterior of Nathan Industries Headquarters.
Employees streamed through the revolving entrance, each carrying tablets, documents, or steaming cups of coffee. The lobby buzzed with activity as another busy workday began.
Luxury sedans arrived one after another at the entrance.
Today’s schedule wasn’t ordinary.
Nathan Industries was hosting a corporate meeting with one of the largest companies in Alkon City.
Eclipse Corporation.
...
Inside the executive floor...
Aiden stood in front of the conference room, adjusting his navy-blue suit. He glanced at his reflection in the glass wall before taking a deep breath. "You’ve got this." Although he had attended countless meetings before, today’s atmosphere felt different.
His secretary approached him. "Mr. Aiden. The representatives from Eclipse Corporation have just arrived."
Aiden nodded. "Escort them to Conference Room One."
"Yes, sir." The secretary walked away.
Aiden looked toward the city skyline. "Eclipse...I’ve heard plenty about them. They’ve expanded incredibly fast over the last three years. But something about them doesn’t sit right with me."
The conference room doors slowly opened.
One by one, the representatives from Eclipse Corporation entered. Each wore tailored black suits. Their expressions were calm and professional.
Finally...
The chairman entered. The entire room seemed to become quieter. He walked with slow, confident steps before taking the seat opposite Aiden. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Mr.Aiden. It’s an honor."
Aiden politely returned the smile. "The pleasure is ours. I hope your trip here was comfortable."
"It was." The chairman folded his hands on the table. "I’ve been looking forward to today’s discussion."
Everyone took their seats. Several assistants distributed printed proposal files around the table. Coffee was served. The atmosphere remained friendly.
At least...
On the surface.
...
Meanwhile...
High above the city...Inside Eclipse Corporation’s headquarters...Another executive monitored the meeting through a secure video connection. He turned toward several analysts. "Phase One has begun."
One analyst asked, "Probability of success?"
"Eighty-six percent. And if Nathan Industries discovers the hidden clauses?"
The executive smiled. "They won’t. Our legal department spent nearly a year preparing this proposal. Every dangerous condition is buried beneath perfectly reasonable business language."
The analysts exchanged impressed glances. "This could become one of the biggest corporate acquisitions in Alkon City’s history."
...
Back inside the conference room...
The chairman opened the proposal. "Our companies share similar ambitions. We believe cooperation would benefit both sides."
Aiden slowly turned the pages. Manufacturing partnerships, international shipping, technology sharing, joint investments and everything looked surprisingly attractive. Even the projected profits were impressive.
Nathan Industries’ finance director leaned toward Aiden. Quietly, he whispered, "The numbers look excellent."
Aiden didn’t answer. He continued reading. Every page looked flawless. Almost...Too flawless.
The chairman noticed his hesitation. "Is something concerning you?"
Aiden closed the file. "Not concerning. Interesting."
The chairman raised an eyebrow. "Oh?
Aiden said,"I’ve attended many business negotiations. But I’ve never seen an offer this generous."
The chairman laughed politely. "Sometimes opportunities simply arrive at the right time. Perhaps."
Aiden maintained eye contact.
The chairman continued,"But opportunities usually come with expectations."
The room became noticeably quieter.
The chairman’s smile never disappeared. "Naturally. We expect long-term cooperation. And mutual trust."
Aiden slowly nodded. "I see."
...
Elsewhere...
Nobody and Toma were still sitting at the riverside café. A fresh cup of coffee rested in front of Nobody.
Toma stirred her iced drink. "You seem distracted."
Nobody looked up. "Hm?"
"You’ve barely touched your coffee."
"I’ve been thinking."
"About what?"
"The System."
Toma tilted her head.
"The...what?"
Nobody almost answered before stopping himself. "Oh. Nothing. Just talking to myself."
Toma laughed. "You do that surprisingly often."
"...Do I?"
"Yes."
"You’ll suddenly stare into space like you’re reading invisible messages."
Nobody forced a smile. "If only you knew..." He quickly changed the subject. "So...How have things been at university? Oh how’s things going at the office of Aiden?"
Toma sighed. "Busy. Everyone’s talking about today’s meeting."
"What meeting?"
"Nathan Industries is considering a partnership with Eclipse Corporation."
Nobody’s expression changed slightly. "Eclipse?"
"You’ve heard of them?"
"Only a little."
Toma said,"They’ve become huge recently. They’re investing everywhere."
Nobody slowly took a sip of his coffee. For some reason, the name felt familiar. Almost immediately....
Ding.
A blue window appeared before him.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Passive Warning
Keyword Detected:
Eclipse Corporation
Threat Assessment...
Analyzing...
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Nobody remained perfectly still.
Toma noticed his silence. "What is it?"
Nobody replied,"...Nothing. I just remembered something."
The System continued processing.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Analysis Complete.
Hidden Story Importance:
Extremely High.
Recommendation:
Investigate Eclipse Corporation immediately.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Nobody frowned. "Again? Another hidden quest?"
He discreetly dismissed the notification before Toma could notice him staring into empty space again.
...
Back at Nathan Industries...
The discussion had entered its second hour. Charts covered the large digital display. Projected revenue continued climbing across the screen.
The chairman calmly explained every detail. "Our logistics network will reduce transportation costs by nearly thirty percent. Our overseas branches will handle international distribution. We’ll also establish a shared research division."
Several Nathan executives nodded in approval. Everything sounded reasonable. Even beneficial.
Only Aiden remained unusually quiet. He wasn’t looking at the presentation anymore.