Jiang Ting's Midnight Strategy
After collecting the medicine, Jiang Ting drove through the city shrouded in darkness, his car wheels gliding silently over the deserted streets. Soon, he stopped in front of a hidden clubhouse, turned off the headlights, and stepped through the heavy wooden door.
In the dim light, the air was thick with a sense of oppression. A middle-aged man wearing a black hat curled up in the corner of a sofa, his eyes flickering nervously, fingers tapping the table in agitation. The weak light cast shadows across his face, highlighting his fear.
The man's voice was low, trembling with dread: "Mr. Jiang, this matter… involves more people than you imagine. Jason is just a pawn. There are more hands behind this, not just one."
Jiang Ting's eyes narrowed, sharp as a falcon's, his gaze cold and steady: "Keep investigating. I want every detail on everyone involved."
The man's fingers froze, his voice shaking: "But Mr. Jiang, if we keep going… it might backfire."
Jiang Ting's lips curled into a cold smile, a decisive chill flashing in his eyes: "The fire is already at our doorstep. What's there to fear? I won't let anyone shake the foundation of Ying Group."
His tone was as sharp and final as a blade of ice, cutting away all hesitation and fear. The anonymous letter in his hand, each word like a nail, revealed a conspiracy brewing beneath the surface. Senior members of the group were colluding with external forces, aiming to exploit the upcoming foreign exchange market volatility to launch a fatal attack on Ying Group's assets.
A silent storm was closing in.
The Determination of Dawn
By the time the meeting ended, the sky in the east was already streaked with pale light. The cold wind blew softly, carrying a bone-chilling chill. Jiang Ting chose not to return home. Instead, he drove straight to Ying Group's executive lounge.
At the top of the skyscraper, the first rays of dawn filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a faint golden glow on the floor. Jiang Ting stood with his back to the light, his posture upright, his expression calm, while storms brewed behind his eyes.
He looked out at the city slowly waking up, his thoughts and determination crystallizing into ice.
"Astra…" he murmured, her name like an invisible incantation circling his mind.
Her mind-reading, her foresight, her powers — they might be the very assets he needed in this storm. Her stubbornness, her refusal to submit, made her an irreplaceable piece on his chessboard.
After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Ting picked up his phone, his fingers typing swiftly, sending a short message:
"You'll be in the trading department today. Your seat is ready."
The message sent, his lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes deep and cold.
The Trading Floor
Astra had barely settled into her seat, her thoughts still scattered, when a sharp, urgent voice rang out.
"USD to Xuanyuan currency has broken the key support level! The short positions are expanding rapidly!"
The speaker was Li Xiao, head of the trading floor. In his early forties, his cropped hair stood stiff as steel needles, his eyes sharp enough to pierce the screens. His voice held no panic, only an urgent calm, like a dagger poised to strike.
"Move! Liquidate part of the long positions to prevent further losses!" Li Xiao's fingers flew over the keyboard, his brow furrowed, his expression a mask of composure, though the vein throbbing at his temple betrayed his stress.
Astra's gaze swept over Li Xiao and quickly scanned the entire trading floor. Everyone was wound tight, eyes glued to their screens, fingers pounding keyboards, phones ringing, voices shouting commands.
"For the sake of those two thermoses of medicine, I'll help him this time," she thought. Taking a deep breath, a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes as she activated her mind-reading ability.
The Underlying Turmoil
Her consciousness transformed into invisible threads, weaving through the crowd, gently brushing against each person's thoughts.
Wang Jun, 30 years old, a rising star in the forex department.
His eyes held a flicker of panic, his inner voice rushed and anxious:
"The dollar's collapsing? But the Fed's statement was supposed to support a strong dollar! Who's smashing the market? Shadow funds? A bank's manipulation?"
Astra caught his unease and suspicion, her lips tightening slightly.
Chen Li, 28 years old, calm and composed, known by colleagues as the "Ice Queen."
Her mind was a turbulent sea beneath a serene surface:
"Some mysterious whale is shorting like crazy. There's a leak somewhere… Damn it, if I get trapped, my performance is done for! I can't lose!"
Her fingers clenched the mouse, knuckles white, sweat beading on her temple, hidden by her icy expression.
Astra frowned. This mounting tension could easily lead to mistakes. Her mental threads stretched further, catching more disordered thoughts.
Li Xiao's Energy Field
Taut as an over-stretched string, his mind flickered with last night's argument with his wife:
"I came home late, and she was still complaining… No matter how I explain, it's useless. If I screw up at work, I ruin my family too."
Zhang Wei's Energy Field
Steeped in guilt and regret:
"My kid ran away from home yesterday, and I'm stuck here staring at screens. What's the point of all this money?"
The trading floor's energy field was a tangled mess of fear, anxiety, anger, and exhaustion, each emotion eating away at calm and reason.
Golden Purification: Restoring Order
Astra closed her eyes slowly, and the world fell silent. Her consciousness rose, drifting to a higher plane. From this vantage, she saw everyone's emotional turmoil clearly — like tangled threads of invisible wire.
Fear, anxiety, anger, regret… Negative emotions flowed through the air, threatening to drag everyone into chaos. She took a deep breath, raised her fingers slightly, and a soft golden light gathered in her palm, gentle yet infused with incredible power.
"Boundless heaven and earth, restore clarity, dispel illusions, let all evils retreat."
The incantation whispered through her mind like a clear stream, carrying a calming magic. Golden light radiated from her body, spreading through the trading floor like a warm ripple. Her consciousness, now threads of golden silk, delicately wove through each mind, soothing and purifying.
The Rebirth of the Trading Floor
Astra opened her eyes, the faint glow fading from her pupils. The air felt clearer, the tension loosening. The once oppressive atmosphere softened, each person breathing steadier, eyes sharper.
Li Xiao glanced around, sensing the change. The weight in his chest lifted. His gaze met Astra's, a flicker of confusion and gratitude in his eyes.
"All right! Compile the data. Prepare for the second round!" His voice was steady, commanding.
The traders straightened, fingers poised over keyboards, the chaos replaced with focused determination. The clatter of typing resumed, a synchronized force of renewed purpose.