Chapter 350: Big Changes in the course!!
The Annual Underground Secrets Exchange Conclave was one of the oldest gatherings hidden from the eyes of the ordinary world.
For centuries, it had been organized by the prestigious Krause family in Germany.
To the public, it was nothing more than a forgotten myth.
A story whispered among conspiracy theorists.
A legend without proof.
Yet for those who had reached the highest levels of the underworld, the conclave was very real.
It was an invitation only gathering.
No one could buy their way inside.
No amount of wealth, influence, or political power could earn an invitation.
Only achievements.
Only value.
Within those ancient halls, people traded things that ordinary nations could never imagine.
Confidential intelligence.
Secret identities.
Assassination contracts.
Military technology.
Prototype weapons.
Hidden treasures.
Black market resources.
Political information.
Every exchange demanded something equally valuable in return.
Money alone was never enough.
Information was currency.
Influence was currency.
Secrets were currency.
Every invitation represented recognition from the Krause family itself.
It was proof that one’s existence carried enough weight to influence the hidden world.
Even the mighty Graveyard received an invitation every year.
Ironically, almost everyone attending the conclave viewed Graveyard as an enemy.
Mercenaries.
Assassins.
Crime syndicates.
Underground financiers.
Information brokers.
Many organizations had lost people because of Graveyard operations.
Yet none of them dared to settle personal scores inside the conclave.
The rules established by the Krause family had remained unchanged for centuries.
No personal conflicts.
No assassinations.
No revenge.
No bloodshed.
Anyone who violated those rules would be blacklisted forever.
Not only themselves.
Their descendants.
Their organizations.
Their allies.
Generations would carry that stain.
Yet people obeyed those rules for a reason far greater than blacklisting.
Becoming an enemy of the centuries old Krause family was a fate very few wished to experience.
The family never sought conflict.
But once provoked...
Their retaliation always carried a price history remembered.
For the past eight years, Ghost had represented Graveyard at the conclave.
His reputation alone was enough to silence countless ambitious individuals.
Everyone knew who Ghost was.
Everyone knew what happened to those who underestimated him.
As a result, every conclave during those years passed peacefully.
No one wished to create unnecessary trouble.
...
However...
Long before Ghost became Graveyard’s official representative...
He had attended the conclave once under an entirely different identity.
Not as Ghost.
Not as Graveyard.
But as a pawn hidden inside one of Graveyard’s greatest operations.
Years earlier, Graveyard had spent countless resources pursuing a mysterious target.
The man vanished from every country before intelligence agencies could reach him.
Every trail ended in nothing.
Every operation failed.
It was as if the target simply disappeared from the world itself.
Only one pattern remained constant.
Every year...
Without fail...
That mysterious individual appeared at the Underground Secrets Exchange Conclave.
The opportunity came only once a year.
Missing it meant waiting another twelve months.
The old commander understood something else as well.
Capturing that target required far more than strength.
It required patience.
Intelligence.
Planning.
And a cover so perfect that not even the Krause family would suspect it.
So Graveyard gambled.
They sent their youngest operative to Germany.
Officially...
The boy no longer belonged to Graveyard.
Instead, he became the adopted heir of an underworld family secretly established by Graveyard decades earlier.
The family’s only purpose was gathering intelligence.
No one questioned why a child suddenly appeared.
After all...
Powerful families often hid their successors.
The disguise was flawless.
Ghost accepted the mission without hesitation.
At that time, the death of his mentor, Sky, had left his heart consumed by anger.
The old commander understood the child better than anyone else.
He knew exactly how to direct that overwhelming hatred toward a mission.
Germany became the boy’s battlefield.
Although only twelve years old...
He quickly became the public face of the family.
The underworld laughed at first.
How could a masked twelve year old possibly lead an organization?
The laughter disappeared within months.
One strategy after another shook the local underworld.
Business alliances shifted.
Smuggling routes changed.
Information networks expanded.
Rival families collapsed without understanding why.
Victory after victory built an unbelievable reputation.
People stopped seeing a child.
They began seeing a monster behind the mask.
They gave him a name.
Light.
The Genius Strategist.
No one knew that behind every successful plan stood not only the boy’s extraordinary talent...
But also the combined efforts of thousands of Graveyard operatives silently supporting the operation from the shadows.
Light simply became the visible face of an invisible army.
Eventually...
The Krause family noticed.
It was impossible not to.
A masked twelve year old changing the balance of Germany’s underworld inside their own homeland could never escape their attention.
As expected...
When the next annual conclave approached...
An invitation arrived.
Addressed to only one person.
Light.
The Genius Strategist.
Graveyard’s gamble had succeeded perfectly.
That year...
The conclave unknowingly welcomed two representatives from Graveyard.
One entered openly.
The other entered hidden behind the identity of Light.
The operation ended in success.
The long hunted target finally fell.
Another mission was completed.
Another river of blood stained Ghost’s hands.
And from that day onward...
History quietly recorded something unprecedented.
The youngest operative in Graveyard’s history had already become someone capable of carrying genuine killing intent within his heart.
The next morning arrived beneath a cloudy sky.
After breakfast, Miles personally drove Calum to the Sterling family cemetery.
The peaceful place in Star Harbor, where rows of carefully maintained gravestones rested among green trees and blooming white lilies.
Calum stood silently before Edward Sterling’s grave.
For several long moments, he said nothing.
He simply looked at the engraved name, memories from decades ago surfacing one after another.
"You really left too early, Cousin..."
he murmured quietly.
Miles stood beside him with a bouquet of fresh flowers before placing them gently before the gravestone.
"I’ll take good care of everyone."
"I promise."
The breeze gently carried away the last traces of incense smoke.
After paying their respects, the two quietly walked back toward the parking area.
Before getting into the cab, Calum looked at Miles.
"About the Miller Corporation..."
Miles nodded before he could finish.
"Don’t worry, Uncle."
"They won’t trouble your business anymore."
Calum studied his expression for a moment before smiling.
"For some reason..."
"When you say those words..."
"I simply believe them."
Miles smiled.
"I’ll contact you once everything is settled."
"I’ll be waiting."
The two shook hands before Calum departed for the airport.
...
Not long afterward...
Miles arrived at Sterling Enterprises.
As soon as he entered his office, June was already waiting with several folders neatly arranged across the desk.
"Boss."
"You need to sign these documents."
Miles sat down while casually flipping through the files.
June waited until he finished signing before speaking again.
"Boss."
"We completed the first phase."
Miles looked up.
"Report."
June nodded.
"Overnight..."
"We successfully froze almost every domestic investment connected to Miller Corporation."
"Their local operations have suffered a massive financial backlash."
"At this moment..."
"They are surviving almost entirely through foreign capital."
"They never anticipated something like this."
"Our intelligence reports that the entire executive board is still trying to figure out who they offended."
Miles slowly closed the last file.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Good."
"Now..."
"I’ll show Orville Miller what a real hostile takeover feels like."
June smiled.
"The rumors are spreading exactly as planned."
She opened another document.
"Across the market, everyone now believes Ainsley Spirit Company is drowning in financial debt."
"Most investors think bankruptcy is only a matter of time."
"The shareholders have become extremely nervous."
"They believe Miller Corporation is preparing to swallow the company completely."
"They’re already contacting brokers."
"They’re willing to sell their shares at dirt cheap prices just to escape before everything collapses."
She paused before smiling.
"The funny part is..."
"Miller Corporation has already withdrawn its acquisition plan after seeing the rumors."
"They’re just as confused as everyone else."
Miles leaned back.
"They should learn what loyalty means."
"If they think they can abandon the Ainsley family the moment fear appears..."
"They deserve the lesson."
He picked up his phone and dialed Joshua.
The call connected after only two rings.
"Mr. Sterling."
Joshua’s voice sounded anxious.
"I don’t understand what’s happening."
"Someone spread rumors that our company is collapsing."
"If this continues..."
"Our shareholders will panic."
"They’ll sell everything to outsiders."
Miles smiled calmly.
"Then buy them."
Silence followed.
"...What?"
Joshua sounded completely confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Buy every single share they want to sell."
Joshua frowned.
"Mr. Sterling..."
"I don’t understand."
"We’re already losing customers."
"Our vineyard is gone."
"Without it..."
"Our future is uncertain."
"Shouldn’t we preserve every bit of cash we still have?"
Miles calmly replied,
"I promised you something."
"I promised your vineyard would return."
"And I promised they would hand it back for free."
"I never make promises I cannot keep."
Joshua quietly listened.
Miles continued.
"This is an opportunity."
"Take your company back."
"Completely."
"Remove every weak shareholder who abandons your family because of rumors."
"When the company returns to the market..."
"Every future profit will belong entirely to the Ainsley family."
"There will be no one left to divide it with."
Joshua slowly fell silent.
His breathing became steadier.
Then...
Understanding appeared.
"I see now."
He smiled.
"You’re right."
"I don’t need shareholders who lose faith because of market gossip."
"They don’t deserve to carry our family’s legacy."
"I’ll begin buying back every available share immediately."
Miles nodded with satisfaction.
"You understand quickly, Mr. Ainsley."
"Good."
Joshua hesitated before asking,
"And the Miller Corporation?"
Miles looked through the office window toward the cloudy skyline above Star Harbor.
A cold smile slowly appeared.
"Witness their fall with your own eyes tomorrow."
Joshua’s heartbeat quickened.
"You mean..."
Miles calmly replied,
"We’re simply removing a weed from our land."
The call quietly ended.
For Orville Miller...
The countdown had already begun.
...
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Inside the quiet music room of the Krause family mansion
The old man sat comfortably in his chair.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
The butler entered with unusual urgency.
"Sir."
The old man slowly looked up.
"What is it?"
The butler bowed.
"We’ve just received a request."
The old man’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"A request?"
"Someone is asking for an invitation..."
"...for Light."
The room instantly fell silent.
The old man’s hand froze midway.
His sharp eyes narrowed.
"What did you say?"
The butler continued respectfully.
"They also attached proof."
"Who made the request?"
The old man’s voice had become noticeably more serious.
"It came from Africa."
"The requester is Kenan."
The old man immediately placed his cigar down.
"Show me."
The butler stepped forward and handed him a tablet.
Displayed on the screen were two photographs.
One was an old white half mask.
The other...
An invitation issued eleven years ago.
Addressed to only one person.
Light.
The old man’s breathing became slightly heavier.
His eyes remained fixed on the familiar mask.
After several long seconds...
A smile slowly spread across his aged face.
"This..."
"It is him."
"That is definitely him."
The butler spoke cautiously.
"We cannot be completely certain, sir."
"It could also be someone attempting to infiltrate the conclave."
The old man let out a quiet laugh.
"The mightiest figures of the underworld never dared to offend the Krause family."
"Do you really think some ordinary treasure hunter wishes to throw away his life?"
He gently tapped the tablet.
"Besides..."
"Kenan was invited because he possessed knowledge more than ordinary people."
"He carried information connected to treasures."
"He was valuable."
"Nothing more."
His smile deepened.
"Reply to Kenan."
"Tell him..."
"The Krause family wishes to speak with Light first."
"If the conversation confirms that its Light"
"The invitation will be sent immediately."
The butler bowed.
"Understood, sir."
As the butler walked toward the door, the old man continued staring at the photograph.
A rare excitement appeared in his eyes.
"It has been..."
"So many years."
"I wonder..."
"What kind of man that little strategist has become."
Outside the room, the butler immediately took out his phone.
He selected Kenan’s number.
The call began to ring.