The comic version of this novel is available to read on
Webtoon Canvas and Tapas.
"I have reached a determination," Li Ming announced, his voice slicing through the residual tension. "The executive asset who will assume the directorship of the Hydrogen Project, succeeding Kawin... is Zhou Miling."
The pronouncement detonated silently across the chamber. Sitting directly opposite Kawin, Miling’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief, her fingers losing their grip on her pen as it clattered against the documents on the mahogany table. Simultaneously, Lu Rong snapped his gaze toward Li Ming, his face instantly draining of color until it resembled parchment.
Lu Rong recognized the architecture of the move instantly. Li Ming was not elevating Miling out of any newfound reverence for her competence; he was playing a lethal gambit against a different adversary. Lu Rong’s eyes flicked toward Adisorn, who was currently locked in a cold, unyielding stare with the Chairman.
By installing Miling into this volatile vacancy, the predatory Chairman was positioning her for slaughter. The moment the infrastructure fractured under future strain, Miling would be the designated scapegoat thrown from the precipice to absorb the catastrophic fallout an exact mirror of the professional evisceration Lu Rong himself had suffered at Li Ming’s hands years ago.
"And of greater consequence..." Li Ming continued, his features rearranging into the smug smirk of an absolute victor. "The research division of CK New Energy has initialized a primary development declaration. They are currently briefing the international press corps, who are assembled in the main auditorium."
With a casual wave of his hand, Li Ming activated the automated projector. The screen descended from the ceiling, displaying a secure, live broadcast feed of the media briefing downstairs.
The elite research apparatus of CK New Energy stood aligned on the auditorium stage. A senior chief scientist stepped up to the podium, adjusting the microphone before commencing the formal address.
"For generations, global infrastructure has searched for a sustainable sovereign alternative to fossil fuels. Green hydrogen has consistently represented the theoretical baseline, yet the primary barrier preventing commercial-scale viability has fundamentally remained the baseline cost of production."
The scientist on the screen articulated the thesis flawlessly, accompanied by real-time data visualizations illustrating the volatility and economic deficits of current hydrogen logistics in heavy industry.
"As of this exact second... that paradigm is permanently shattered."
The declaration struck Kawin and Zhang Wei like a physical blow. Their frames froze, their eyes vibrating with a sudden, horrifying comprehension of the words about to follow.
"CK New Energy has successfully engineered and patented the world’s first localized Ni-P surface-coating methodology. By integrating this advanced matrix directly into our core hydrogen production and storage arrays, we have systematically reduced infrastructure costs, altering the clean energy sector forever."
The scientist gestured toward the live financial metrics illuminating the screen behind him, showcasing the operational expenditure of an active hydrogen array.
"Currently, a single kilogram of compressed hydrogen yields an energy density equivalent to roughly three liters of standard diesel. By introducing our proprietary Ni-P matrix, the translated fuel cost for our entire integrated logistics network drops to a staggering 0.55 USD per liter!"
An immediate uproar of excitement reverberated through both the media pool and the digital live-streams. The market was witnessing the holy grail of industrial revolution.
Yet, inside the boardroom, Zhang Wei’s fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. His eyes, burning with a profound, agonizing betrayal, locked onto Li Ming. Every metric, every blueprint, and the entirety of the Ni-P coating innovation had been engineered through the lifelong sweat and intellect of Yu Luofan’s startup, Hydra-Flux. Now, a mere matter of hours after Luofan had been thrown into a detention cell, the entire intellectual property had been systematically plundered, re-branded as the crowning achievement of CK New Energy.
"The formal utility patents have been verified and secured," the scientist concluded, lifting the legal documentation before the flashing cameras. "CK New Energy retains exclusive global ownership of this innovation, and its deployment will remain strictly proprietary within the energy ecosystem of the CK Group."
The relentless strobe of media flashes flooded the projector screen, a blinding orchestration of light that felt to Zhang Wei like a violent thunderstorm burying the bodies of the powerless.
Zhang Wei trembled with silent rage as he watched Li Ming rise to lead a standing ovation, joined by a blind, sycophantic chorus of board directors celebrating a historic triumph a victory bought with the stolen futures and stolen freedom of a brilliant team rotting in a cell without a voice.
This was the dividend of the new generation: a group that had set out to redefine the world, only to be crushed and looted by an entrenched cabal operating under the guise of corporate excellence.
Though the applause filled the vacuum of the room, beneath the manufactured adulation, a toxic, incendiary hatred ignited within the chests of Kawin, Zhang Wei, and Lu Rong—a hellish fury quiet and absolute, destined to incinerate Li Ming’s throne to ash when the hour arrived.
Following the adjournment of the high-stakes session, Zhou Miling entered the vast expanse of the Chairman's private office. She executed a disciplined, deferential bow before raising her eyes to meet the architect of her elevation, her gaze carefully lacquered with profound gratitude.
"You have my deepest gratitude, Chairman, for investing this extraordinary leverage in me," she delivered smoothly.
Li Ming offered a warm, patriarchal smile, though the eyes behind his spectacles remained entirely detached. "That directorship... has been calibrated for your profile since the beginning."
Miling felt a surge of validation ripple through her. She bowed her head once more. "I shall command the portfolio with total devotion, ensuring every operational metric aligns precisely with your vision, sir."
Internal satisfaction colored her thoughts as her lips curled into a microscopic, triumphant smile. She had successfully outmaneuvered her rivals, climbing another rung toward absolute corporate dominance.
Yet, before the arrogance could take root, the Chairman fractured the silence.
"You are intellectually astute enough to comprehend... that this new directorship is not your final destination."
The remark caused Miling to freeze, the smile stiffening on her features. "Sir?"
"Historically, Kawin commanded the directorship of the Hydrogen Project because his international optics and verified credit rating anchored institutional investor confidence, single-handedly stabilizing our group's trading metrics," Li Ming explained, leaning back slowly into his executive leather chair, his razor-sharp gaze dissecting her every reaction. "But with his sudden liquidation, the gravity flips. The primary obstacle you will immediately inherit... is a volatile investor confidence crisis."
Miling’s brows knit together, her lips tightening as the suffocating weight attached to her new chair began to materialize. Yet, her vanity refused to permit a retreat.
"I provide my absolute guarantee, Chairman... that under my administration, the project will restore market equilibrium and compel international institutions to recognize my sovereign authority over this infrastructure."
Li Ming tilted his head, a faint nod accompanying his words. "I harbor no doubts regarding your potential. But you understand, of course, that absolute confidence is a double-edged blade."
Miling held the stare, sensing the old dragon was about to deliver a thesis designed to dismantle her confidence entirely.
"If you achieve operational stability... you are fully aware that your trajectory within the CK Group architecture, and ultimately the very chairmanship I occupy, will establish your name as the definitive successor." Li Ming paused, his eyes flashing with a deep, terrifying intensity that sent her pulse racing. Miling’s focus flicked involuntarily toward the heavy steel placard engraved with Chief Executive Officer resting on his desk before snapping back to his face.
"However... should you fail to contain the volatility, your entire footprint within the CK Group... will be reduced to absolute ash within a single trading day." Li Ming laid the ultimatum bare, like a dead card dropped onto felt. Miling maintained a rigid stare. "So I must interrogate your resolve once more... Are you truly prepared to occupy this specific crossroads?"
The interrogation forced her hands into tight fists, her mind a violent battleground between the cold dread beginning to seep into her veins and an ambition too monstrous to abandon. She had crossed too many lines to retreat out of fear. With the ultimate prize dangling within arm's reach, she would not permit it to slip away.
"My position remains unchanged," she articulated with ironclad certainty. "I am moving forward."
Li Ming's lips curled slightly. "Excellent."
A precise knock interrupted them as Rosé entered the suite, presenting a leather-bound signature folio. When opened before the Chairman, it revealed the formal executive decree confirming Zhou Miling’s appointment as Director of the Hydrogen Project, effective the following week.
"Given your absolute conviction, I sign this authorization with total confidence," Li Ming remarked, his pen executing a swift, authoritative script across the parchment before sliding the document across the desk to her.
"Congratulations on your initial breakthrough. From this second onward, you stand on your own foundation, insulated from external dependencies. The power of the directorship... is officially yours, Director Miling." The Chairman stood up, extending his right hand. Miling stared at her name printed beneath the sovereign title before reaching out to lock her fingers in his, inclining her head.
"Thank you for this invaluable leverage... Chairman," she stated, entirely unaware of the weight of his gaze tracking her from above the cold, calculating look of a vulture watching a carcass step cleanly into a snare.