When he finally decided to show up, his guests went wild. They whistled, clapped, faked enthusiasm as he descended the staircase. He had made them wait on purpose, longer than necessary. He knew how much they valued their time, and exasperating them was one of those little pleasures that made life worth living.

  There they are, the pigs... of course they're waiting for me. Their gluttony is endless and they plan to eat me alive.

  Tonight was special, a party reserved for the most powerful people in the world. A historic presentation would take place this evening, unveiling an invention capable of changing the rules of the game forever. The only way to gather so much global wealth in one room was to promise them an edge over the rest of the mortals. After all, pigs are always hungry.

  Vincent raised a glass, officially kicking off the party, riling them up even more as he reached the bottom step. Each step brought him closer to the sty. What awaited him was a group of human-shaped creatures. They looked like humans: one head, two arms, two legs, they breathed oxygen and died if deprived of it... The only difference was the billions in their bank accounts.

  That stench... even after burning out my nasal receptors, I can still smell it.

  Vincent discreetly covered his nose before stepping into the muck. He knew it was psychological, but he couldn’t help it. The sound of hooves clattered against the marble as the billionaires surrounded him. Their faces twisted by hatred and the thirst for revenge, contorted into monstrous, swine-like visages. Hallucinations, according to the official diagnosis. Or, as Vincent believed, their true faces.

  I have to endure this... today is the last day they’ll get to smile.

  He took a long sip of champagne to wash down the foul taste as he shook the guests' hooves. Hams in tuxedos, that’s how he saw them. Walking moneybags. He could see their wealth printed on their foreheads, a constant reminder of how much he had to bleed them dry.

  They smiled with their lips, but not their eyes. He knew they despised him as much as he did them, but none would dare confront the richest man on Earth. They had other methods to undermine him. Cowards never strike head-on.

  "Golden Boy! Finally gracing us with your presence! How much longer were you planning to keep us waiting, huh?"

  One of them shouted, a nasty old man, one of the most powerful bankers in the world, vocalizing what the others only thought.

  "I hope whatever you’re about to show us is worth the delay."

  They were all speculating about the real reason behind the presentation. That was the only reason they'd tolerated the endless wait. How would it affect the stock market? Which shares should they sell? What sectors would be impacted? They knew that each of Vincent’s inventions had the power to destabilize entire markets, topple empires, and drive them to bankruptcy.

  "What are you talking about? Weren’t you here to see me?"

  Vincent replied, feigning ignorance with a mocking smile.

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  "My presence alone should be enough to gather you all. Or do I need some other excuse to meet with my dearest friends?"

  "We know you've got something good... you wouldn’t have gone dark for months otherwise..."

  Of course they knew. Their corporate spies were everywhere. But Vincent had worked on this almost entirely alone. No one knew the details. He didn’t want the rats jumping ship before it sank.

  "It’s true. I’ve been working on something revolutionary. But you’ll have to wait for the official announcement tomorrow, like the rest of the mortals."

  "Heh... are you sure about that?"

  The old man laughed. He didn’t consider himself mortal.

  It was well known, at least within Vincent’s circle, that some of them had taken inhuman steps to avoid aging. The masses believed the rich injected themselves with children’s blood to stay healthy, which was absurd. Children’s blood was laughably cheap. A billionaire of that caliber would never resort to something so mundane.

  No, of course you’re not mortal. You’re not human either. Just another pig like the rest of the guests at this party.

  It took a lot of self-control not to crush the man’s hand until his bones snapped. But there was no need. One look was enough to put him in his place. Vincent had a reputation for holding grudges. He had ruined companies just because someone looked at him the wrong way. Not out of hatred, but survival. To teach them not to cross him. He had never taken things as far as he really wanted. Not yet. Even as the richest man in the world, if he didn’t play by their rules, he could still be brought to his knees. And that balance of power was exactly what he planned to destroy tonight.

  Before the tension could escalate further, another pig approached to greet him, completely ignoring the heavy atmosphere. His face was flushed from alcohol.

  I see not everyone’s having a bad time...

  "Hey, don’t tell me whatever you’re unveiling is already in our drinks. I’ve been drinking this stuff all night!"

  Shouted the pharmaceutical tycoon, downing another glass in one gulp.

  "You caught me."

  Vincent played along.

  "I spiked your drinks with a rejuvenation serum. What, didn’t notice? Three of your wrinkles are already gone."

  "Ha! Don’t joke like that. You don’t want to compete in my field."

  He said it with a smile, but there was a sharp edge behind his eyes.

  Of course I’m coming for your field. For all of them.

  That man, now a wine vacuum, had caused the death of five million people that year alone through his interference. Vincent’s Multilaser Irradiator, capable of destroying tumors without surgery, had been buried by the FDA after a fear campaign. By combining multiple radiation beams at a single localized point, it could eliminate malignant tumors without exposing the patient to dangerous levels of radiation. But an invention like that would cost the pharmaceutical industry billions. They couldn’t allow it. So they buried it.

  Curing the disease isn’t profitable. Treat the symptoms, they said. And they didn’t just bury the tech. They turned the public against it. That machine will cure your cancer just to give you another, so they can keep charging you.

  Bastards.

  Every single one of them had stood in his way somehow. To them, it was just business. But individually, they’d caused more harm to humanity than any natural disaster. Wherever he looked, Vincent saw an enemy. A pig with the gluttony to devour the world.

  Eradicating all disease. Complete economic stability. Clean, unlimited energy. Free internet for all. All projects aborted early, crushed under the greed of those around him. Any advancement that didn’t serve as a vehicle for more profit was strangled by the system itself. No matter how many breakthroughs Vincent made, they always found a way to bury them, to ensure humanity stayed leashed under their control.

  But I can’t keep playing by their rules. Small solutions will never spark a revolution. I need something so transcendent it can’t be ignored. Something disruptive enough to make entire industries obsolete. The flame of Prometheus.

  Being surrounded by so many pigs made him sick to his stomach. But thinking about the future brought a smile back to his face.

  To free the world from this artificial stagnation, there must be an event that completely destroys the global balance of power. A financial cataclysm from which only I emerge intact...

  A total market reset.