Corporate Villainy: Trampling Protagonists as a Business Dad

When a protagonist fights with someone of the same cultivation level, he's bound to kick opponent's ass easily. What about when the opponent is stronger than the protagonist? Then the protagonist will either win by sheer dumb luck or run like hell. But what if the protagonist's luck went straight to shit?

Jin raised his fist to deliver the killing blow, spiritual energy crackling around his knuckles. The cultivator beneath him gurgled, blood frothing from his crushed throat. This was it. The revenge for all the shit they'd put him through.

Then a blinding beam of light slammed into his face.

What the—

The speeding car caught his legs at the knees, launching him into a brutal spin through the air—once, twice—before he crashed into the road like a broken doll. The impact drove the breath from his lungs, stars exploding behind his eyelids.

His legs were completely numb and he couldn't feel jack shit below his waist. Through the haze of pain, he saw several figures in black suits emerging from the shadows. Some moved toward him while others went for the man he'd just murdered. The man's eyes were already glassy, staring at nothing.

At least I killed that fucker.

Jin tried to grin but darkness swallowed him whole before he could manage it.

"Damn it, grab him. Take him straight to the chairman. That's what he ordered," said one of them, waving his hand dismissively.

"Team leader!" a bald man called out, his voice cracking. His fists trembled as he stared at his dead colleague—throat completely crushed, blood pooling beneath the mangled mess where his windpipe used to be. The man had choked on his own blood for almost a full minute before death finally took him.

The team leader didn't need to hear the rest. He'd worked with that man for three years and he was like a brother to him. Watched him laugh at stupid jokes, complain about his wife's cooking, send pictures of his newborn daughter. Now he lay there motionless, his face etched with pain and unwillingness.

He glanced at the bloody, unconscious piece of shit the others were hauling away, then back at his fallen comrade. Cold ruthlessness flickered in his eyes as he raised his gun, aiming directly at Jin's skull. He knew about chairman's order to keep him alive but he was driven by impulse now. He didn't care about anything. The bastard deserved to die right here, right now.

Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

Click

The gun was empty. Of all the fucking times for his clip to run out—after chasing this cockroach through half the city, after watching his teammate die in agony—his weapon chose now to betray him.

Even beaten half to death and unconscious, Jin's protagonist luck still found ways to keep him breathing.

"Fuck," the team leader muttered, then smashed his gun on the ground near Jin's unconscious form.

"Load him up. The chairman's waiting."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On the other side of the city, Vincent stepped out of the BikBok headquarters after laying out immediate objectives while hinting at grander schemes. The once-desolate office now buzzed with genuine energy. All the employees watched him with newfound respect, awe, and admiration—a complete transformation from the cowering, broken people he'd found earlier. There was a burning fire in their eyes, something they'd buried under years of bowing and scraping. It was like freshers with college dreams but mature and determined, tempered by real experience and awakened dignity. For the first time since the company's pathetic establishment, the place felt alive.

His phone rang just as a system notification materialized.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Jin has been subdued and severely injured.

Vincent's LP: +300 Jin's LP: -300

VP: +600

Vincent answered while scanning the message. He'd ordered Jin to be prevented from leaving the city, but severely injured? That was unexpected.

"Sir..." The voice on the other end was grim. "We captured the target as he tried to flee, but..."

Vincent's expression didn't change, but his grip tightened on the phone. "What's wrong?"

"...sir, Darel is dead."

Silence stretched between them. Vincent knew the man—part of Raghu's security team for years, present during the Golden Cicada operation. Loyal. Competent. Now dead because of this mess with Jin.

"Take his body and arrange the funeral. I'll visit his family personally."

"Yes, sir," came the choked reply before the line went dead.

Vincent stared at his phone for a moment, then looked up at the full moon hanging in the ink-black sky. The city sprawled below, its lights twinkling like scattered diamonds against the darkness. A cool breeze stirred his hair as he stood there, weight of his decisions settling on him.

This was the first time someone had died directly because of Vincent's orders. He'd orchestrated plenty of business destruction, ruined careers, crushed companies—but actual death? That was new territory. The weight of it settled on his shoulders like lead. This was the price of the game he played, and he knew damn well it wouldn't be the last. But knowing that didn't make it any easier to swallow.

He glanced at David, who had also received word. His bodyguard's face remained professionally blank, but Vincent caught the flicker of sadness in his eyes. David had known Darel too.

"Prepare to go somewhere."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Pain.

That was Jin's first conscious thought as awareness crashed back into him like a sledgehammer to the skull. His legs screamed agony, but worse was the complete numbness below his waist. Panic clawed at his throat as he realized he was bound to a cold metal chair, thick rope cutting into his wrists and ankles.

Several men with guns stood around him in a loose circle, their faces hard and unforgiving. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

I'm alive? The thought should have brought relief, but looking at these bastards, Jin wasn't sure that was a good thing.

The moment he stirred, one of the guards noticed and bolted through a nearby door, barking into his radio.

Jin took in his surroundings through waves of nausea. The cavernous space reeked of rust and decay—an abandoned factory with broken windows that let slivers of moonlight cut through the gloom. Oil stains painted abstract patterns across cracked concrete floors, and forgotten machinery lurked in the shadows like metallic ghosts.

Perfect place for a murder.

As Jin spiraled more into his thoughts, heavy footsteps echoed outside, growing closer. The door swung open with a groan of protest.

Vincent entered, flanked by additional bodyguards. His face was stone-cold as their eyes locked across the space. The air between them practically vibrated with tension.

Jin felt something he'd never experienced before—pure, unadulterated hatred radiating from every cell in his body. It wasn't just anger at his situation or fear of what was coming. This was deeper. This was the rage of a man who'd lost everything to the bastard standing before him.

Vincent felt it too. That murderous glare made him pause for just a heartbeat. If not for twisted fate, they would never have crossed paths. He was the one who'd pushed Jin to this breaking point.

But the hesitation lasted only a moment. Vincent understood damn well that if he hadn't plotted against Jin, he'd be the one getting destroyed instead. This world operated on simple rules—the strong devoured the weak without mercy or hesitation. It didn't matter who was right or wrong, who had noble intentions or twisted desires. Power was the only currency that mattered, and Vincent had learned that lesson early. Not to mention the bastard had killed one of his men, someone who'd never done anything to deserve such a brutal death.

Before Vincent could speak, something unprecedented happened. The familiar blue glow of a system notification began to manifest in his peripheral vision, but something was different this time. The color shifted, deepening into rich gold that pulsed with an energy he'd never felt before. Vincent's eyes widened as he recognized this wasn't his usual corporate system interface. This was something entirely new.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Detected a hostile system towards you in protagonist Jin.

Detected that protagonist Jin's luck value is very low.

[EXTRACTION] feature is now available. You can absorb the hostile system and merge it with your [CORPORATE VILLAIN EXPANSION SYSTEM].

NOTE: Protagonist's survival rate after the extraction is less than 10%.

Do you wish to proceed?

Vincent stared at the notification, his mind racing. He'd grown accustomed to his system's capabilities over time, but this was entirely different. A hostile system? Was Jin's system hostile to him?

The [EXTRACTION] feature was labeled as 'now available' which meant there were probably other functions locked away, waiting for the right conditions to unlock.

But what caught his attention more was the brutal mathematics at the bottom. Less than 10% survival rate. That wasn't just a business transaction or corporate maneuvering. This meant he might have to watch someone die by his direct action. Hell, he didn't even know if the process would be painful for Jin or if it would be quick and clean.

Vincent's jaw tightened as he processed the implications but his hesitation lasted only seconds. His eyes flashed with cold, murderous intent as he made his decision. He was going to do it, if not for himself then for his dead bodyguard but inside he knew that the dead bodyguard didn't hold that much significance for him to alter his decisions. This was his way to justify the reason for the actions he was about to take.

"Everyone out—"

Hurried footsteps echoed outside, growing closer and more urgent. David burst through the door, his face had beads of sweat pouring down as he carried a phone in his outstretched hand.

"Sir, you need to take this call. It's important."