"Now, I will instruct my legal teamto formally pursue assets rightfully belonging to Ella. which have been misappropriated by the Brooks Group and its legal representative. John, over these past thirty years,in accordance with the supplementary clause on the reverse side of this agreement." Robert announced with clinical precision.

"The supplementary clause stipulates that should the gifting condition be invalidated, the recipient must not only return all shares but also pay all capital gains generated by those shares over thirty years, plus a penalty of one hundred times the breach amount."

The chief attorney produced a thick asset evaluation report.

"According to our calculations, the 30% founding shares of the Brooks Group, after thirty years of appreciation, dividends, and reinvestment,currently have a total value of approximately 7.3 billion dollars."

"Multiplied by the hundred-fold penalty."

The attorney adjusted his glasses and announced a figure that made everyone watching the global livestreamgasp.

"The total breach amount that John Brooks and his family must pay to Ella Brooks is seven hundred and thirty billion dollars."

"Of course, considering the Brooks Group's current total market value, they cannot repay even a fraction of this debt."

"Therefore, my team will immediately petition the court to freeze all assets belonging to the Brooks Group and John personally,and initlate bunkruptcy proceedings."

"From this moment forward, the Brooks family has nothing."

John's mouth hung open, his throat producing strange rasping sounds as if an invisible hand were choking him.

Unable to utter a single word, his eyes finally rolled back, and he collapsed straight from his chair.

"Dad!" Judith screamed, rushing toward him.

The entire Brooks Group headquarters instantly descended into chaos.

Phone rings, employee screams, and the pounding of reporters at the doors outside merged into a symphony of doom.

Meanwhile, the orchestrator of this downfall sat calmly in Vanguard Technologies' laboratory, watching the screen where John had become a global laughingstock.

"He gave you life; perhaps now you've settled that debt," Robert said softly as he stood beside her.

Ella remained silent, merely picking up her phone to call Jason.

"I need your help with three things."

"First, use Diamond Tech's name to acquire all valuable patents and production lines after the Brooks Group's bankruptcy."

"Second,make arrangements for all ground-level employees who wish to stay.I need them."

"Third. tell everyone that I won't pursue a single dollar of the Brooks family's debt. but their roots must completely vanish from this land."

She sought not money. but the complete eradication of the Brooks family's foundation.

At the same time, Austin finished watching the entire livestream.

He felt no surprise; in fact, he considered this exactly in line with Ella's operational style.

What he hadn't anticipated was how far-reaching Janice's planning had been, with consequences this profound.

"Do you have anything?" He picked up his phone and dialed his assistant.

"We've discovered some things, Mr. Raymond." His assistant's voice was unusually grave. "The chief scientist for that project was Mr. Kidd's father."

"Orville?" Austin's brow furrowed tightly.

"Yes, Mr. Kidd was actually one of the most adamant opponents of the project. He considered it inhumane and even severed ties with his father over it. He only took control of the Union after his father's death,personally sealing away all related materials."

"But we've discovered that just one month before your trip to Ironbridge,a large sum was wired to John from an encrypted account in Solaris."

"Tracking that account to its actual controller led us to an unexpected name."

"Derek,"

So it was him after all.

Austin's expression instantly hardened.

He finally understood that from beginning to end, Derek had been using him as a blade-a blade to probe Ella and force her to reveal all her cards.

And he had foolishly believed himself to be the hunter controlling the game.

"Where is he now?" He asked.

"Still in Solaris," His assistant replied. "What's more, he just donated five billion dollars to The Ironbridge Technology Industry Alliance through his foundation, becoming their first honorary director from Arcadia in the Alliance's history."

Austin's heart sank completely.

Derek's move was brutally effective.

Using money as bait, he had infiltrated the Alliance, apparently intending to lay a trap for Ella before she could even arrive on the battlefield.

He couldn't wait any longer.

Austin immediately stood up.

"Prepare the jet for Solaris. Also, find a way to contact Ella. Send her everything we've discovered immediately. Whether she believes it or not,at least she should know who her true enemy is."

Across the ocean in Drakmoor, Ella had just ended her call with Jason when her phone vibrated-an encrypted email from Austin's assistant.

The email contained no unnecessary words, only a detailed investigation report.

The Iron Ordar faction the. Lnmannod Warfore nroiect. and rha Linanoiul

transactions between Derek and John.

All the clues, like puzzle pieces, rapidly assembled in her mind into a complete and grotesque picture.

Derek wasn't merely after the Sprout Initiative; he wanted to inherit the legacy of the Iron Order faction. What he aimed to create was a Cold War empire under his control.

And Janice's life's work was the final key he needed to activate this war machine.

"He's already inside!" Robert suddenly pointed at the computer screen,his expression more serious than ever before.

The screen showed security footage from inside a Solaris bank.

Derek, dressed in a black suit, stood alone before a vault door intricately carved with complex patterns.

"How could he possibly get in there?" Ella couldn't believe it. "That requires the highest level of clearance."

"He's bought off someone inside the Alliance to get temporary authorization," Robert's voice carried a hint of defeat. "While he can't remove anything, he can set new traps inside. We need to get there immediately."

Ella was about to nod when her phone suddenly rang.displaying an unfumiliar Lumerian number.

When she answered, Orville's aged and weary voice came through.

"Ms. Brooks. I deeply apologize. Something's happened at the Alliance."

Orville's voice was filled with profound helplessness-the kind of humiliation a person in power feels when forced to bow to an even greater force.

"Derek used that five billion dollars to buy off more than a third of the Union's directors. Just an hour ago, he called an emergency board meeting in his new capacity as honorary director."