3: Bloody Returns

One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five dollars.

To the Sterling family or Preston Vance, this amount wouldn't even cover the cost of a bottle of their wine. But for Jack, who had nothing, it was the first cornerstone of his plan for revenge.

He felt no joy, his mind as calm as a sophisticated supercomputer.

As night fell, Jack didn't stay in the living room to watch TV as usual. He returned to his room. He needed a new identity, one that was hidden in the shadows, yet powerful enough to make Wall Street tremble.

He opened an encrypted browser and used his newly earned money to purchase a series of anonymous online services. After a few maneuvers, a brand new, untraceable virtual identity was born.

He registered an ID on "TradeHub," a professional forum that gathered countless top traders and financial analysts.

The ID consisted of two words: Alpha Wolf.

His first order of business was to place his prey, Preston Vance, under the spotlight for all other predators to see.

"Alpha Wolf" published his first and only post on the forum.

The title was concise and provocative: 【Vance Capital: A House of Cards Built on Lies, Set to Collapse Within Three Days.】

The content of the post was even more piercing, every word a dagger.

There was no lengthy analysis, only a few simple yet lethal "prophecies."

"One: In Vance Capital's upcoming quarterly report, the user growth data for its core project, 'Project Pegasus,' is inflated by at least 30%. The method: using bot accounts for invalid registrations via offshore servers."

"Two: On page 17 of the financial report, footnote 3, regarding the calculation method for 'asset impairment provision,' there is a clear accounting standards loophole. They used this loophole to hide at least fifty million dollars in potential losses."

"Three: Preston Vance himself has secretly sold off over 5% of the company's shares in the past two months through three separate, undisclosed trust funds."

The post ended with a single sentence.

"Vultures, the feast has begun. Short it, and tear it apart."

The post was like a rock thrown into a cesspool, instantly setting the entire forum ablaze.

At first, most of the comments were mockery and disdain.

"Who is this lunatic? Vance Capital is the hottest star on Wall Street this year!"

"30% data fabrication? Do you know what that means? That's challenging the entire SEC!"

"Haha, another retail investor who's lost his mind trying to get rich by shorting. Hey OP, did you get margin called yet?"

However, as time went on, some real professionals joined the conversation.

"Wait a minute... that loophole in footnote 3, I think I've heard of it. It's an unconventional accounting practice, technically compliant, but extremely risky. How did this 'Alpha Wolf' know about it?"

"I checked, and Vance Capital did have a few large block trades recently, but the sources were very discreet. 5%... if that's true, then Preston Vance is deceiving all his investors!"

"The bot account issue with 'Project Pegasus'... that's almost impossible to verify without an inside leak. But the tone of this post isn't speculative; it's stating a fact."

Panic, like a virus, began to spread quietly among these elite traders. The arrogant ID "Alpha Wolf," with an undeniable, beast-like intuition, had precisely struck Vance Capital's softest underbelly.

And in a dimly lit apartment in Queens, New York.

Ben Carter, a man in his late forties with graying hair, stared at his computer screen, his eyes bloodshot. He was once a star manager at a famous Wall Street hedge fund, but after crossing Preston Vance in a deal, he was squeezed out by Vance's dirty tricks and had been unemployed for a full year.

He read "Alpha Wolf's" post over and over again, word for word.

With over twenty years of experience, he smelled something unusual. This wasn't ordinary speculation or analysis. This was... a verdict. A death sentence for the prey, delivered by a predator from a higher dimension.

Ben Carter's breathing became ragged, and his long-dormant heart began to pound violently again. He knew this might be his only chance for revenge.

With trembling hands, he sent a short message to "Alpha Wolf" through the forum's encrypted private messaging system.

"Do you need someone on the front lines to trade for you?"

...

Meanwhile, at a lavish party in a Manhattan penthouse.

Preston Vance, holding a glass of champagne, was basking in the adoration of a crowd of models and business partners.

His chief assistant, a young man with gold-rimmed glasses, hurried to his side and reported in a low voice, "Boss, our PR team has detected a malicious attack post against us on a professional forum. The content... is a bit tricky."

"Oh?" Vance raised an eyebrow contemptuously. "Which loser did I crush now, crying on the internet?"

The assistant handed him a summary of the post.

Vance glanced at it casually. When he saw words like "data fabrication" and "secret sell-off," his eyes narrowed imperceptibly. But he quickly crumpled the paper and tossed it into a nearby ice bucket.

"Just internet garbage," he snorted dismissively. "Have the PR team send a warning letter, sue that idiot for libel. Don't bother with this noise. What we should be doing now is celebrating our impending victory."

He raised his glass and announced to the crowd, "To Sterling Industries, and to our new territory to come, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The party's atmosphere grew even more fervent.

Vance looked out at the glittering city skyline, a smile of complete control on his face. He was completely unaware that he had just personally shut the last window of opportunity for escape.

And outside that window, the shadow named "Alpha Wolf" had already engulfed his entire financial empire.

In Jack's room, a notification for a new message popped up on his computer screen.

It was from Ben Carter.

Jack looked at the sentence, "Do you need someone on the front lines to trade for you?" and a slow smile spread across his face.

He knew he had found his first fang.

Using the "Alpha Wolf" account, he replied with two words:

"Account. Funds."