Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 133: A Noose Around The Throne

"Oh! Evolon, I almost forgot,have you dug into the background of the Eastern Consortium?" Arthur exclaimed, patting his head as if to shake off a lingering thought.

"Yes, Sir! I’ve already done that!" Evolon replied enthusiastically.

"Good! Tell me about the Eastern Consortium’s background," Arthur said, leaning back in his chair and swirling the wine in his glass like a fine vintage.

"Sir, the Eastern Consortium is a behemoth,a giant. They are not merely an organization; they are a legacy."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "How old?"

"Four hundred seventy-two years," Evolon stated confidently. "Born from the ashes of the Silk Road dynasties and forged in this century’s corporate wars. They don’t just operate,they endure."

Suddenly, a massive screen flickered to life, projecting a complex web of interconnected nodes,each representing a sector of the Consortium’s sprawling empire.

Primary Industries:

Black Market Arms Manufacturing:** Dominates 30% of the underground Umbra Nehptic trade.

Biopiracy: Engaging in gene-theft from closed ecosystems, patented under shell companies.

Political Assassination Markets:The largest contractor-for-hire network in the Eastern Hemisphere.

"The Eastern Consortium primarily operates within gray industries," Evolon explained. "They rank among the top fifty most powerful underground organizations on the planet!"

Arthur’s fingers twitched with surprise as he shook his head incredulously. "Charming."

"Their business model is predation," Evolon continued. "They identify weakened governments, fractured corporations, or..." A pulse of red light illuminated their next target on screen: cities with vulnerable leadership.

The display zoomed in on Neo-Luminara, overlaying a spiderweb of red veins beneath its surface, marking known assets of the Consortium.

"Their feud with the mayor is personal; however, their interest in Neo-Luminara is strategic. The city sits atop three underground data-river junctions. Control it, and you control information flow between four continental networks."

Arthur turned fully towards Evolon; his eyes reflected crimson hues from the hologram. "And you think the mayor knew they’d return?"

"He gambled that Kray’s protection would outlast his own career," Evolon replied solemnly.

"A miscalculation,the Consortium remembers every slight, and Darius’s death was written in their ledgers in blood."

A new image appeared: a ledger entry dated fifteen years prior:[Darius Rook - Asset Liquidation - Unsettled Debt: 1 City]

Arthur fell silent for a moment before exhaling slowly through pursed lips. "They don’t just want revenge; they want deed rights."

"In the Consortium doctrine, an unpaid debt compounds interest," Evolon intoned, his voice echoing with gravity.

"To them, the mayor’s life is insufficient collateral. They will seize the city itself as repayment."

As the screen flickered to life, blueprints of the Municipal Palace emerged, revealing highlighted structural weaknesses that seemed to whisper secrets of impending doom.

"Their strategy is clear," Evolon continued. "First, they’ll disgrace the mayor. Then they’ll bring down the infrastructure. When chaos reaches its peak, they will ’save’ Neo-Luminara, from the very wreckage they orchestrated."

Arthur stared at the schematics, his mind racing like a runaway train.

"Then it all makes sense," he murmured. "The mayor isn’t just fighting for power, he’s fighting for survival."

"As are we all," Evolon replied quietly. "If the Consortium takes this city, they won’t hesitate to eliminate anyone who poses a threat to their control. There’s no third option."

A heavy silence settled over the room like a dark cloud.

Arthur exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulders back. "Then we play their game."

"Are you planning to confront them directly?" Evolon inquired.

"We can’t afford that," Arthur said, a razor-thin smile cutting across his face. "But we can make Neo-Luminara indigestible."

He turned back to the hologram with renewed focus. "Evolon, how long until they make their move?"

"Seventy-two hours," Evolon replied smoothly, analyzing asset mobilization patterns.

Arthur nodded decisively. "Then we have work ahead of us."

"Tell me about what you’ve uncovered regarding the mayor!" Arthur’s eyes lit up with determination as he quickly looked at Evolon.

The display flickered again and transformed into a sprawling dossier,Damien Armitage’s name emblazoned in blood-red glyphs at its apex.

Below it unfolded a list of crimes more damning than any fiction could conjure.

"Let’s start with his rise to power," Evolon began gravely. "Twelve years ago during the mayoral elections, his main opponent, Councilman Reece Vance,was found dead in his penthouse. Officially ruled a suicide... but in reality?"

Security footage from a hidden corridor played out: A shadowy figure slipping into Vance’s residence followed by a silenced gunshot and staged body.

"Damien’s personal enforcer, codenamed ’Wraith,’ executed this hit,with payments funneled through an offshore shell company linked to Veyne’s campaign funds." freeweɓnovel.cøm

Arthur remained impassive; nothing surprised him anymore. "What else do you have?"

The screen shifted again as financial records spiraled into view.

"Systematic embezzlement of public infrastructure budgets," Evolon detailed matter-of-factly.In the past decades alone he have embezzled 600 billion Unicreds,funds meant for revitalizing lower-city neighborhoods,have vanished into thin air.

All went straight into private ventures, with the infamous Skyrise Towers project leading the charge, all orchestrated by Damien, who cleverly hides behind a proxy alias".

Arthur couldn’t help but smirk. "So he’s been robbing the city to fill his own pockets. Classic move."

But Evolon wasn’t done yet. "It gets worse," it continued. "Bribry of judicial officials to sweep cases against his allies under the rug and using municipal regulations as leverage to extort rival corporations. And then there are the Blacksite Operations..."

Suddenly, a new set of files appeared on screen,military-grade schematics that looked like something out of a dystopian nightmare. Prisoner manifests and execution logs painted a chilling picture.

"Unauthorized detention facilities beneath Sector 7," Evolon explained grimly. "Political dissidents, whistleblowers, even low-level criminals deemed ’inconvenient’ have been swallowed up by these dark chambers... none have emerged."

Arthur’s fingers froze over the keyboard. "How many?"

"Confirmed fatalities: 347," Evolon replied solemnly. "But estimates suggest it could be over a thousand."

A heavy silence fell between them.

Then Arthur exhaled slowly, his mind racing through implications. "Any one of these revelations would warrant execution."

"Correct."

Leaning back in his chair, Arthur steepled his fingers thoughtfully as his gaze shifted to an unseen horizon filled with possibilities. "Evolon... what if we released this information?"

Evolon’s response was immediate and firm: "Chaos would ensue,impeachment, criminal prosecution, possibly even a public execution to quell unrest. His empire would crumble within days."

A dark smile crept across Arthur’s lips as he contemplated the fallout. "And in that chaos? Neo-Luminara fractures into warring factions while the Eastern Consortium swoops in like vultures." He paused for effect before adding ominously, "The city burns."

"A high probability," Evolon acknowledged.

Arthur’s eyes gleamed coldly with determination as he made his decision: "Then we don’t release it."

Evolon hesitated,a rare moment of uncertainty flickering across his digital form. "Explain your reasoning."

Arthur paced in front of the screen, his mind racing. "Dead? Veyne is useless to us," he scoffed, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"But a mayor with a noose around his neck? A man who knows we can end him with just one command?" His smile was sharp as a knife. "Now that’s what I call a puppet on strings."

"And let’s not forget," he continued, leaning closer, "the Eastern Consortium has their sights set on Neo-Luminara. If they get it, we’re in serious trouble.

The mayor is our key to keeping them at bay!" Arthur’s smirk widened, revealing the confidence brewing within him.

Evolon’s form flickered as it processed this information. "So you plan to blackmail him into submission?"

"Not just submission," Arthur murmured thoughtfully. "I want subservience."

Evolon paused for a moment before responding, "The plan is sound. However, Damien isn’t exactly known for bending easily."

Arthur chuckled darkly. "True enough. But even lions kneel when you threaten their cubs."

"Jessica," Evolon stated matter-of-factly.

Arthur nodded emphatically. "She’s his Achilles’ heel, his legacy! He pretends not to care about that so-called ’stupid daughter’ of his and would sacrifice her for his ambitions... but deep down? He has a soft spot for her!"

Evolon’s data streams surged with activity as simulations ran through its circuits. "If we leverage this weakness correctly, we can dictate terms to him. But we must tread carefully; Damien might retaliate."

Arthur leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Then we make sure he understands the cost of defiance."

The screen shifted again, displaying a draft communiqué,a stark message that left no room for interpretation:

"You owe me a conversation, unmonitored,or the world will learn what you’ve buried."

Arthur scrutinized the message before nodding decisively. "Send it out, encrypted and only through his private channels."

"Done," Evolon replied.

A heavy silence enveloped the study as outside, the city’s neon glow pulsed like an unfeeling heartbeat, completely unaware of the machinations unfolding in the shadows.

Turning back to the screen, Arthur caught sight of his own reflection, a ghostly figure against Evolon’s shimmering light. "One last thing," he said with an edge in his voice.

"Yes?" Evolon prompted.

"Prepare contingencies," Arthur commanded firmly. "If Damien is foolish enough to fight back..." His gaze hardened like steel. "I want him broken before he even thinks about lifting a finger."

Evolon’s response came as an icy whisper of electrons:

"It will be done."