Hong Kong, China—inside the top-floor office of Prime Integrity Corp. Tower, Jonathan Black was discussing business with Bobby Brooks, Charlie, and Sophie Chow. Normally, Sophie wouldn't be allowed in this circle, but after the Donald Zade kidnapping incident, she'd proven her courage and loyalty. So, she finally earned the right to sit in and listen.
"Boss, the first half of the year's stats are done—please take a look." Bobby Brooks carefully placed the report in front of Jonathan Black. "Official income-wise, we're basically on par with last year. We've invested more in several projects, but thanks to the international situation and some sneaky moves from competitors, the results weren't ideal."
Jonathan nodded, not too concerned. "What about the underground fights?"
"On the underground fighting front, thanks to The Queen's popularity, our earnings have even surpassed the total from the past three years combined." Bobby was beaming. "Boss, you’ve become a brand in the underground fight scene. We’ve recruited a bunch of promising fighters lately, so the second half should be great too. Too bad The Queen isn’t here—if she was, cleaning up the fight circuit would be a piece of cake." Bobby sighed regretfully.
"Alright, don’t get your hopes up about The Queen," Jonathan said coolly. "Roman generals and emperors sometimes stepped into the arena, but they never stayed there forever—they were always above it. The Queen is the same. Nothing can hold her back—not some underground fight scene, for sure. Her stage is much bigger and farther than this."
With that, all four—including Charlie—gazed out at the blue sky, as if thinking of that mysterious woman.
"Whose stage is so much bigger and farther, huh?" Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out. All four snapped to attention and turned around—Jill Young had pushed open the office door, looking road-weary but lively. "Oh, everyone’s here? Good, that makes things easier."
"Your Majesty The Queen!" Bobby and Sophie were the most excited, instantly snapping out of their gloom, jumping up, and fussing over her with tea, massages, and all kinds of flattery. "Wow, I’ve been gone a while and you guys are still this enthusiastic?" Jill Young flopped onto the sofa and stretched. "Ah—nothing beats the feeling of coming home."
Seeing Yang Qi again, Jonathan seemed a bit nervous and awkward. He couldn’t help but stand up and ask, "Uh, about my thing..."
"Your thing?" Jill Young shot Jonathan a look, then finally remembered—oh, right, his cousin! "Haha, got it, got it. If Jack Young knows, then I know everything! Man, who would've thought it’d turn out like this, haha. When I got you into underground fighting, guess it really was keeping it in the family!" Jill Young stood up, patted Jonathan’s shoulder, and said, "Kid, I’ve got high hopes for you. Keep it up!"
Jonathan Black gave an awkward smile. He’d never met a cousin quite as savage as this one before. Strangely enough, when he argued with Jack Young, it was all about “who’s the real cousin.” But facing Jill Young right now, he just naturally slipped into the role of the little cousin.
But then Jill Young’s face suddenly darkened, and the whole room felt the chill. "As for my aunt’s business, I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Mess with my aunt, you mess with me. Mess with me, you’re digging your own grave. I don’t care how big that family is over there—I’m handling this!"
Jonathan straightened up and nodded hard. "I’m not letting this go either." But then he sighed. "The Zade Family’s a deep pool—roots everywhere, tangled and tough. They’re not so easy to take down."
"You don’t need to worry about that. With me in charge, the Zade Family’s gonna be nothing but Zade Scraps." Jill Young flopped back onto the sofa, raised four fingers, and said, "I’ve got four things for you guys to do. First, I want you to take over all of Hong Kong and Macau. Every district, every trade center, even every street punk and every cop in every police station—I want our stamp on them all."
Faced with Yang Qi’s orders, Bobby Brooks and the others instinctively snapped to attention, like soldiers before a general. Even Jonathan was stunned for a second, then managed, "But we don’t really have that kind of muscle right now."
He wasn’t wrong—Hong Kong and Macau are tangled up with way too many big players. It’s an international metropolis, a hub for finance and trade, with pop culture and fashion that ripple across all of Asia. Everybody’s got their eyes on this place, local and foreign, and it’s not somewhere you just waltz in and take over.
But Jill Young just grinned. "Exactly. Normally, it’d be impossible. But I’ve got something good for you." She pulled out a suitcase from somewhere nobody noticed and tossed it to Jonathan. He opened it up and found a laptop, looking puzzled. "What’s this?"
"This thing’s called the Strategic Brain—it’s a financial miracle worker. Try it out here. If it works, let’s just say Hong Kong and Macau will be a breeze. Of course, if it doesn’t…" Jill Young chuckled. "Pretend I never said anything. If that happens, I’ll just charge the Zade Family solo."
"A financial miracle worker?" Jonathan turned on the laptop. As a high-IQ manager, he quickly figured out what it was. His face shifted—he was stunned, then ecstatic, then shocked, flipping between surprise and joy three or four times before finally staring deep at Yang Qi. "Where’d you get this thing?"
"Oh?" Jill Young raised an eyebrow. "Looks like it works."
"Works? This thing’s like a cheat code from God! With it, even a total idiot could cruise through the financial world! Honestly, it shouldn’t even exist!" After shouting a couple more times, Jonathan finally got a grip, looking at the Strategic Brain like it was forbidden magic—almost scared. "Seriously, if there were a few more of these, it’d probably cause chaos. Where’d you get it? You didn’t rob some superpower’s top finance lab, did you?"
He’d just said it as a joke, but once the words were out, Jonathan realized it wasn’t impossible. With this big-shot cousin’s personality and skills, it wouldn’t be surprising if she ended up on Interpol’s most-wanted list someday.
"Come on, I don’t have time to go robbing finance labs." Jill Young looked totally unfazed. "I just went on a little trip not long ago. Met some interesting friends in a magical place—they gave me all sorts of stuff, and this was one of them. Don’t worry, the Strategic Brain is one-of-a-kind in 'this world.'"
Jonathan nodded, finally convinced. He handed the Strategic Brain to Charlie and ordered, "Top security, top secrecy—get on it, now." Charlie took the job, and Jonathan turned back to Jill Young. "If we use it right, the first task might actually be doable. What’s the second?"
"Second thing’s this." Jill Young tossed out a little silk pouch. Bobby Brooks caught it and gave it a shake—didn’t weigh much, but it rattled.
Bobby opened it up and his eyes went wide. The bag was jam-packed with huge, flawless diamonds—the sparkle nearly blinded him! They were all raw stones, but every single one was top grade, and even the smallest was as big as a thumb joint! Any one of these, polished up, could be the showpiece in a high-end jewelry store!
"Whoa…" Bobby’s tongue practically tied itself. "Where’d you get these?"
"Got them during my travels, of course. Over there, they’re not worth much, but here, they’re rare as can be. So, how much do you think these are worth?"
"I... I have no idea," Bobby muttered. "Diamonds are complicated—I’m no expert. But if I had to guess, this whole bag’s probably worth at least three hundred million yuan…"
"Alright, you handle it. Do a good job and there’s a big reward in it for you." Jill Young held up a third finger. "Now, the third thing: help me find a villa. Not picky—just needs to be by the coast, big enough, clean, good climate. City and price, whatever. Used to think nothing of those big mansions, but after living it up in Steelbull City, I gotta admit—a big house is pretty nice."
"No problem!" Buying a villa was a piece of cake for Bobby—he could pick out the best one, guaranteed. "So, what’s the fourth thing?"
"Fourth thing," Jill Young grinned, "Help me set up a vacation."
"Vacation?"
"Yep!" Jill Young jumped up, full of energy. "I want to hit Snow Mountain, the Grand Canyon, go skydiving, go deep-sea diving—I want to try everything I haven’t done yet! Everybody, get moving—I’m heading out right now! Sophie, come eat with me, let’s tour all the best food in Hong Kong first!"
Just as suddenly as she’d arrived, Jill Young swept out like a whirlwind. Sophie hurried after her, and the two disappeared down the hall. In the office, Jonathan and Bobby exchanged a look, then both broke into helpless laughter and shook their heads.
"She’s still the same—hasn’t changed a bit," Jonathan said, amazed. With someone so bursting with energy around, he always felt fired up himself. That kind of charisma, honestly, was off the charts.
Bobby nodded, then shook his head hard. "But speaking of change, boss, have you noticed The Queen’s aura getting stronger? She’s always been a top fighter, but now—when she gives orders, it’s like she’s got the presence of a real ruler. I swear, it’s not fake. When she was talking, it felt like facing the empress of the underworld—I didn’t even dare breathe. Wonder what she’s been through."
"Who knows? She’s a mystery—no need to dig too deep." Jonathan turned to look out at the bustling city, then reached his hand toward the world outside. "But one thing’s for sure: Hong Kong is going to be our territory. We’re going to make this place our kingdom, and we’ll do it fast!"