From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 641: The Take Over

The first order of business in the wake of the battlefield’s silence was the massive undertaking of absorbing the Gilt Rats’ empire. It was only during this process of deep forensic accounting and asset seizing that Max and his inner circle truly realized the staggering scale of the Gilt Rats’ influence. Their fingers weren’t just in the underworld; they were woven into the very fabric of Notting Hill City.

They owned various stakes in legitimate businesses, from logistics to local infrastructure, but more importantly, they held a terrifying currency: a vast database of blackmail. They had leverage on high-ranking officials across nearly every major industry. Seeing the sheer volume of sensitive data, it finally made sense how they were able to manipulate even a member of the Stern family into a corner. It also explained why someone would go to such violent lengths to ensure those secrets stayed buried forever.

Max couldn’t help but wonder if the outcome would have been different if the Gilt Rats had relied on these subversive methods instead of choosing a direct physical confrontation. While Max had his own unique weapon—the massive amount of money he could use to sway or buy people—even he realized that simple cash didn’t always work when the blackmail ran as deep as what Ramon had collected.

In the end, Max was profoundly thankful that Ramon had decided to be cooperative. By providing the access codes and the ongoing financial ledgers of the Gilt Rats’ businesses, Ramon saved Max a massive headache. Without that cooperation, there would have been months of legal pushback and hidden trapdoors that could have collapsed the entire transition. In exchange for this, Max held up his end of the bargain; he ensured Ramon’s confinement was as comfortable as a prison could possibly be. Ramon essentially lived under a form of high-security house arrest, with access to the tools and comforts of the outside world, so long as he remained in his one designated location.

However, once the transition was complete, Max didn’t hold onto everything. He was a businessman first, and he knew when to trim the fat. Any business he believed he could do without, he sold off immediately. Not every member of the Gilt Rats was willing to join the Billion Bloodline group; some saw the change in leadership as a sign to retire from the life entirely, while others were simply wary of joining a group that was still relatively new to the high-stakes world of syndicates.

To keep every single one of those companies running would have required a level of manpower and a steep learning curve that Max simply didn’t want to navigate. There was also a more practical reason for the sell-off: the Gilt Rats were surprisingly low on liquid cash. A massive portion of their wealth had been poured into the research and development of the exoskeleton suits. Max now understood where nearly all of Chad’s stolen money had gone and why they had been so desperate to find new sources of funding.

But before he could settle into his new role as the head of a syndicate, there was a high-priority debt to resolve. Max had to settle the loan with his grandfather, Dennis Stern. As he had suspected, the old man wasn’t satisfied until he saw his investment doubled. Max didn’t hesitate; he transferred the funds back, paying the "interest" in full.

Dennis was visibly surprised by how quickly the debt was cleared. He even remarked that Max could have kept the money longer if he needed it, but Max knew better. Dennis was the most dangerous man he knew, and in this world, being in debt to a shark like that was a death sentence. It was far safer to clear the books as quickly as possible.

The payments didn’t stop with his grandfather. Max made sure to reward the people who had bled for him. He authorized substantial bonuses for each of the Rangers, including Na and Darno, for their role in the frontline combat. Vivian received a large sum for her technical support, and every member of the group who had participated in the battle found a significant deposit in their accounts. Max was spreading the winnings, ensuring that the loyalty of his group was reinforced by the success they had achieved together.

As Max sat at his desk, the quiet of the office a sharp contrast to the chaos of the previous weeks, he sent the final payment.

"Max, you really don’t have to do this," Aron said, standing by the door.

"I have to," Max replied, looking at his screen. "It’s been a tough two weeks, Aron. And after everything has been completed and the debts are paid, it’s strange to see that I’ve landed right back on the same number."

Current Balance: $2,006,380,000

Though the number was the same as it had been before the payouts and sales, the foundation beneath it was far stronger. His passive income had grown significantly through the absorbed assets, meaning his wealth would now grow faster than he had ever anticipated.

"Aron, that money I sent you... that is hard-earned money from your own pocket," Max said firmly. "I can’t imagine what you went through to accumulate that. You have to take it back. Otherwise, I’ll feel so guilty I won’t be able to focus on what comes next."

Max wanted to tell him that he felt more guilty than he could ever say out loud, but he kept that to himself. "When this is all over, I want you to be able to enjoy that money."

"That would be nice, sir," Aron replied with a small, weary smile. "And when do you think this will all be over? When you officially become the heir?"

"It’ll be over when I find out who is really trying to kill me," Max answered.

In his head, he added the second part of that answer. And when I finally take out the person who betrayed me. I wonder... now that we’ve become a true syndicate, am I finally strong enough to fight the White Tigers?

End of Volume