Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 108: Grave Diggers

Seven hundred kilometers per hour," he hissed incredulously. "That’s not just a train; that’s a missile!"

His chief engineer frantically scrolled through specifications on his tablet. "Their SEDS system shouldn’t be feasible at this scale, the energy demands alone..."

"I don’t care how they did it!" Evans slammed his fist down on the table. "What’s our counter?"

An uneasy silence fell over the room as everyone lowered their heads in defeat.

The CFO cleared his throat hesitantly. "We could... accelerate our own maglev program?"

Evans let out a hollow laugh. "We’re ten years behind! By the time we reach 500 km/h, Osborn Heavy Industries will dominate every major route."

A junior analyst timidly raised her hand. "What if we... leak something? Safety concerns? Regulatory delays?"

Evans’s eyes narrowed with realization; a cold glint ignited within them. "That’s a good idea! Get me everything, every piece of dirt on Osborn Heavy Industries: every shortcut they’ve taken."

As the room erupted into a whirlwind of frantic activity, Evans found himself fixated on the frozen image of the HyperRail-X displayed on the screen.

A sneer curled at the corner of his lips, hinting at his disdain.

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Osborn Heavy Industries Headquarters – Executive Viewing Suite

The wall-sized screen showcased Derrick’s press conference in stunning 8K resolution, his voice resonating powerfully through the suite’s surround sound system.

Arthur sat motionless in a sleek black leather chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin, his reflection faintly visible in the glass.

Nearby, Oscar busied himself at the wet bar, pouring two glasses of rich red wine.

He handed one to Arthur without taking his eyes off the screen.

"This old man is really good," Oscar muttered as Derrick deftly sidestepped a reporter’s question about Osborn’s influence. "Almost makes me forget we’re footing the bill for his legacy."

Arthur accepted the glass, swirling the crimson liquid with narrowed eyes and chuckling softly. "Legacies aren’t cheap."

On-screen, Derrick gestured toward a holographic map of the Neo-Luminara Corridor. "Phase One will break ground next month, with completion slated for Q3 next year."

Oscar’s surprise was palpable as he tightened his grip on his glass and turned to Arthur. "Q3? We told him eighteen months!"

"He’s shaving six months off that timeline," Arthur noted coolly. "He probably promised the Mayor a ribbon-cutting before election day."

Oscar exhaled sharply, concern etched across his face. "That’s not enough time for proper stress-testing."

Arthur savored another sip of wine before responding thoughtfully. "Then make it enough."

Suddenly, Evolon’s voice cut through their conversation: "Priority alert: PrimeRail Transport is attempting to access our sealed patent filings."

The screen split, Derrick’s speech shrank to a corner while schematics of PrimeRail’s headquarters filled center stage.

"Evans Stark initiated a cyber intrusion seven minutes ago," Evolon reported as data streams flickered across the display. "Their target: HyperRail-X’s SEDS cooling system specs."

Oscar’s nerves flared as he cursed under his breath. "What! If they succeed..."

"They won’t." Arthur set down his glass with purpose and flashed a hooked smile. "Evolon?"

"Countermeasures deployed," Evolon confirmed smoothly. "I’ve fed them falsified blueprints showing nonexistent ’thermal stabilizers.’ Their engineers will waste weeks chasing shadows."

A new window opened revealing security footage from inside PrimeRail’s boardroom where Evans Stark paced like a caged wolf, frustration evident in every stride as he barked through an audio feed:

"I don’t care if you have to hack the damn Bureau! Find me a weakness!"

Arthur couldn’t help but smirk; disdain flickered in his eyes. "Desperation looks good on him."

Oscar’s expression was anything but cheerful; his face remained tense, a mask of anxiety. "This is just the beginning. Do you really think Evans will stop hacking?"

"No," Arthur replied with a firm shake of his head. "He’ll likely try to bribe our suppliers next, but I doubt that’ll work since we control our own supply chain. And then there’s the matter of potential plant safety concerns with the unions."

He glanced at Evolon’s feed and asked, "Which issue should we tackle first?"

"Union infiltration," Evolon responded decisively. "PrimeRail’s labor liaison has just scheduled emergency meetings with three of our track-laying crews."

Oscar raked a hand through his hair in frustration. "We need to lock down...."

"Already taken care of," Evolon interrupted confidently. "The crews in question are loyal to us. They’ll spin whatever narrative we want them to."

Arthur stood up, adjusting his cuffs as a wicked smirk crept across his face. "Perfect. Let Evan think he’s found some leverage. When he makes his move..."

"We own PrimeRail," Oscar chimed in, admiration lighting up his eyes as he looked at Arthur.

On the screen, Derrick’s press conference reached its peak, a stunning simulation of the HyperRail-X gliding into an ultra-modern station, met by thunderous applause from the crowd.

Arthur couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, "I hope this works out!"

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Meanwhile, Evolon meticulously tracked every keystroke and IP address, monitoring each nervous PrimeRail executive accessing sensitive files. This evidence would undoubtedly prove invaluable down the line.

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Oscar stared intently at the feeds, his engineer’s mind racing with possibilities.

"You’re not just defending," he suddenly realized aloud. "You’re luring them into making a mistake big enough to bury themselves."

Arthur flashed a knowing smile and replied, "Efficiency, cousin! Why play whack-a-mole with their sabotage when we can let them dig their own grave?"

On-screen, Derrick was shaking hands with the Transportation Minister, a perfect image of bureaucratic victory.

Oscar shook his head in disbelief and sighed softly, "I have so much to learn from you, cousin!"

Arthur simply smiled in response.

"Oh! By the way," Oscar exclaimed suddenly, "where did you get that AI? It’s incredible! If I had one like that, my work would be so much easier, and it could even help me realize my dream of building the fastest car on land!"

"I built it myself!" Arthur said proudly without a hint of shame.

Oscar shot him a skeptical side-eye and scoffed disdainfully, "You? What can you do? You don’t even know how to program basic code yet here you are boasting!"

Arthur fell silent for a moment before glaring back at Oscar defiantly. "Just wait until I tell Uncle about how you’ve been switching girlfriends more often than changing your boxers this past month!"

Oscar’s face turned pale in an instant.

The thought of his father’s terrifying reaction sent shivers down his spine, and he could feel his body trembling at the mere idea of Arthur spilling the beans. What would happen next?