My Ultimate Sign-in System Made Me Invincible - Chapter 391: The Liam Effect (Bonus - 4/10)

Chapter 391: The Liam Effect (Bonus Chapter 4/10)

The past month had been absolute chaos for everyone connected to Liam Scott.

Daniel had experienced it firsthand. As Managing Director of Bellemere Family Office, he’d become the primary point of contact for anyone trying to reach the mysterious teenage billionaire who is suspected to own Nova Technologies.

The flood of emails had started after the first livestream. Meeting requests from hedge funds, private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds, Fortune 500 companies, even a few government agencies trying to be subtle about their interest.

After the Jupiter livestream, the volume had increased tenfold.

After Mars, Daniel’s inbox had essentially become unusable. Thousands of requests flooded in daily, each one trying to sound more important than the last. Offers of partnership, investment opportunities, acquisition proposals, technology licensing deals—everyone wanted a piece of whatever Liam was building.

Daniel had done as Liam had instructed, and had deleted all of them.

But the emails were the least of the problems.

The real chaos centered on JP Morgan and its CEO, Whitlock.

Nova Technologies was created through JP Morgan’s private banking channels, which meant Whitlock was the only confirmed point of contact with the company’s owner. After the first Transparency Report revealed Nova Technologies’ unprecedented profit margins, Whitlock had become the most sought-after person in global finance.

After the first livestream, things had escalated dramatically. And after the Jupiter’s livestream, they’d gone nuclear.

Whitlock was receiving hundreds of calls daily. Government officials, corporate executives, intelligence agencies, foreign diplomats—everyone wanted information about Nova Technologies and its owner. The pressure on JP Morgan’s CEO had become so intense that the US government had finally taken action.

Three weeks ago, JP Morgan had been quietly classified under Strategic Infrastructure Protection. The designation was normally reserved for critical utilities, defense contractors, and communication networks. Applying it to a bank was unprecedented, but the government had decided that Nova Technologies represented such a significant strategic advantage that protecting its only known point of contact was a national security priority.

The classification came with immediate consequences.

Whitlock now traveled with a Secret Service detail. His movements were tracked and protected. His communications were monitored. His schedule was screened for potential security risks. The man had gone from respected CEO to one of the most protected individuals in America, just like the president and head of intelligence agencies.

JP Morgan’s staff, executives, and board members had all been subjected to enhanced background checks and ongoing surveillance. Foreign employees faced particularly intense scrutiny. Several had been quietly reassigned to positions where they had no potential access to anything even remotely related to Nova Technologies.

The US government had tried everything to establish direct contact with Nova Technologies’ owner. They’d sent official requests through diplomatic channels. They’d even attempted to trace the financial flows, though that had dead-ended in a maze, leafing nowhere.

When all subtle approaches failed, they’d resorted to the only option left—protect the one connection they had and hope it eventually led somewhere useful.

The move had infuriated other countries. China, Russia, the EU, even traditional allies like the UK and Japan had filed formal protests about the US government’s “monopolistic protection of strategic technological assets.” Multiple international trade complaints had been filed. Diplomatic channels were clogged with accusations and counter-accusations.

But none of it mattered. Every country would have done exactly the same thing if they’d had the opportunity. The protests were just theater, performative outrage over losing an advantage they never had in the first place.

The classification had consequences for JP Morgan as well.

The bank’s status in the corporate world had skyrocketed. Companies that had previously viewed JP Morgan as just another financial institution now saw it as the gateway to potentially world-changing technology. The market had responded accordingly.

JP Morgan’s market capitalization had surged from $1.1 trillion to $1.7 trillion in just over a month. A $600 billion increase in value based almost entirely on speculation about its connection to Nova Technologies.

Whitlock had become simultaneously the most powerful and most stressed CEO in global finance.

***

Liam’s friends hadn’t escaped the chaos either.

All eight of them had found themselves even more popular in ways they’d never experienced before.

Long-lost friends had started calling. Distant relatives they’d barely known existed were reaching out. People they’d gone to elementary school with were sending messages about “catching up” and “hanging out like old times.”

The transparent desperation would have been funny if it hadn’t been so relentless.

Everyone knew why the sudden interest had appeared. Liam’s friends were the only confirmed way to potentially access the teenage billionaire who suspectedly controlls Nova Technologies. Anyone who could get close to them might eventually get introduced to Liam himself.

Their families’ businesses had experienced similar transformations. Deals that had been stalling for months suddenly closed with favorable terms. New opportunities appeared from nowhere. Regulatory issues mysteriously resolved themselves. Everything was running too smoothly, too perfectly.

They all understood why. The invisible hand of Liam’s influence, whether he was actively involved or people were just being preemptively helpful to stay in good standing.

To their credit, Liam’s friends had handled the pressure with remarkable maturity. Not a single one of them had accepted any of the “casual hangout” requests. They’d maintained tight security around their schedules and movements. The only leisure time they allowed themselves was on Liam’s yacht, which he’d left in their care before his trip.

The yacht had become their sanctuary. Three hundred million dollars of floating isolation where they could relax without opportunists watching their every move. They’d taken it out several times over the past month, always with enhanced security that Liam’s family office had arranged.

Some particularly bold opportunists had tracked them to the marina, but between private security and the yacht’s own defensive measures, nothing had ever come of those attempts.

***

Standing on the island’s runway, Daniel watched the space shuttle complete its landing sequence. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the tarmac, and a warm breeze carried the scent of ocean salt.

He smiled to himself, preparing for whatever revelation Liam was about to drop. After a month of livestreams that had progressively broken reality, Daniel had learned to expect the impossible.

But has he really learned to expect it?