Chapter Six: Corporate Carnage
Three days had passed since Bruce Wayne publicly eviscerated his board of directors and reclaimed control of Wayne Enterprises. But the corporate world wasn't backing down. Rivals like Lex Luthor, Queen Industries, and Stagg Enterprises were already making moves, hoping to capitalize on Bruce's supposed instability. They had spent the last year weaving a web of deceit, paying off former board members, buying up shares, and preparing for the moment they could strip Wayne Enterprises bare.
But Bruce wasn't the man they thought they could outmaneuver. He had planned for this—years ago.
Inside Wayne Tower, Bruce sat in the dim light of his private office, a glass of whiskey untouched on the desk. His fingers moved deftly across a holographic display, lines of code running across the screen. He had built Wayne Enterprises into a technological juggernaut, its systems second to none. What the world didn't know was that Bruce had buried countless digital traps inside the networks of his competitors. Insurance policies. Safeguards. Weapons.
Before, he would have hesitated to use them.
Now? He didn't even blink.
Lucius Fox stood at the door, watching in silence as Bruce worked. "You're really going through with this?"
Bruce didn't look up. "They came for me, Lucius. They're getting what they deserve."
Lucius exhaled slowly, his gaze heavy. "We could fight them in court. There are ways to—"
"Fight them?" Bruce scoffed, his voice colder than usual. "I'm not playing by their rules anymore."
Lucius stepped closer, concern etched into his face. "This isn't you, Bruce. You've always been ruthless, but this? This is something else."
Bruce finally looked up, his eyes dark and unreadable. "I'm something else, Lucius. They took my family from me. All of them. They thought they could walk into my city and dismantle everything I built. I won't let that happen. Not again."
He tapped a final key on the display, and a series of progress bars filled the screen, showing multiple companies being compromised. LexCorp. Stagg. Even Queen Industries. Every major rival that had dared to make a move on Wayne Enterprises was about to learn the hard way.
"I've planted viruses in their systems for years," Bruce said, leaning back in his chair. "Lex, Queen, Stagg—they all think they're untouchable. They think buying up shares and bribing former board members makes them powerful. But now, they're mine."
Lucius rubbed the back of his neck. "And what happens next?"
Bruce smirked. "They get a choice. Sell back any shares they hold in Wayne Enterprises or watch their companies crumble from the inside out. I'm talking about full system lockdowns. Manufacturing halted. R sabotaged. And every dirty secret they've tried to bury? I'll make sure the world knows."
Lucius shook his head. "Bruce… this isn't how we do things."
"This is exactly how we do things now." Bruce's voice was like ice. "You think Lex would hesitate if the roles were reversed? He wouldn't. He'd kill us both."
Lucius fell silent, realizing there was no changing Bruce's mind.
Bruce leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Send the message. Let them know their time is up."
Later that Night – LexCorp Tower
Lex Luthor sat in his office, poring over financial reports, when his screen suddenly went black. His brow furrowed, and he reached for the intercom, but before he could speak, the lights in his office flickered. The entire building shuddered, and alarms began to blare.
"What the hell is this?" Lex muttered, tapping his keyboard furiously. Nothing. Every system was down. His phone buzzed with frantic messages from his tech teams, all reporting the same thing—complete system failure. The entire infrastructure of LexCorp was crashing, and they had no idea how to stop it.
His screen flickered back to life, but instead of the financial reports, a single line of text appeared, glowing in red:
Sell or Burn.
Lex clenched his fists, his face twisting in fury. "Wayne," he growled.
He slammed his fist on the desk, shattering the glass surface, his mind racing. Bruce had gone too far. This wasn't business. This was war.
Gotham City – Wayne Tower
Bruce stood on the rooftop, looking out over the city, his cape billowing in the wind. He didn't need to be inside Lex's tower to know what was happening. His viruses were spreading like wildfire, infecting every rival company that had dared to cross him. Lex would be scrambling. Stagg would be panicking. Even Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, with all his resources, wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding.
They had all thought they could take from him. But Gotham belonged to him. Wayne Enterprises belonged to him. And anyone who thought otherwise was about to be reminded who ran the city.
As Bruce stood in the shadows, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it. Lucius had sent the message.
The first offer had already come in. One of the former board members, desperate to save what little he had left, was selling back his shares.
Bruce smirked.
One down.