"It would be impossible to meet him right now since his whereabouts are unknown. But if you do stay with me, I can help you meet him when he returns?" Leo said, with a corporate smile on his face.

"When that happens, you will finally be able to fight someone like him, and decide who is stronger?" He slowly reached out his hand, finally catching the attention of this martial fanatic.

The young-looking man looked at Leo, his expressions turning solemn. He shifted his gaze from the hologram of the bald sage, to Leo and then back.

....

A few days later, the demolition squad had arrived on the prison planet.

They had even started working, and slowly taking apart the structure of the prison by slowly dismantling it, only leaving the core like the lift and command center untouched for now.

"Wait, why am I helping them?" Amidst the demolition, an old man suddenly wondered, as he was using his magic to move heavy blocks of metal to ship.

"Hmph, did you forget? The faster we help him, the faster we can go to find that bald man? Stop talking nonsense and finish the work." The martial fanatic responded as he carried an even bigger block on his shoulder like it was barely heavier than a feather.

"That's what I'm asking? I don't even want to find that man? So why am I doing this work?" The old man scratched his beard, feeling like something wasn't right. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Hmph, stop grumbling. Isn't it good training? Instead of using magic, you should use your physical strength. Who knows, it might help you become as strong as that bald sage," Yang tossed the heavy block inside the ship before returning.

At this point, Leo was using two as his personal forklift and heavy machinery. Moreover, he wasn't even paying them enough, and none of them realized it.

Not only them, but the rest of the prisoners were also working as free labor, and they were also giving it their all.

It was as if they wouldn't have noticed even if Leo had sold them into slavery. They might have even helped him count the money instead.

Meanwhile, Leo was watching the prisoners working with the demolition squad.

Their help did make things incredibly fast. The process that was supposed to take over the week, was on pace to be completed within a few days at most.

Leo couldn't help but be impressed at their efficiency.

"They are assimilating better than I thought," he mumbled, a subtle smile forming on his lips.

He had mostly succeeded in winning their trust, albeit with certain terms and conditions. However, that was better than nothing for him.

There were also a few prisoners that refused to work with him, despite being helped by him. Leo couldn't force them either, allowing them to leave to maintain the trust of other prisoners in his personality.

However, he didn't release the ones that were purely evil, especially if they could be a threat to the world. Fortunately, such prisoners in this world were rare.

"They should be able to handle the rest." He slowly stood up, and returned to the ship to take some rest.

Within days, the entire prison structure that was visible from beyond space, and extended deep underground, was nowhere to be seen.

There was only one part of the prison that was left intact, the lowest one. However, it was buried deep within the ground, with no route left to reach it.

At the last moment, even the command center was dismantled. As per Leo's instructions, not even a single bolt was left behind.

The transport ships could be seen coming and leaving with the dismantled material every few hours. Fortunately, the world was in such an isolated place that it went unnoticed by most.

"Hah, they are really going all out. Should I come out and tell them that I am free?"

Inside the ship, Leo was lying on the bed, looking at the comments on social media.

The Watchdogs still believed that Leo was trapped in the prison, so they didn't really put much effort into searching for him. They had also stopped harassing his people.

Moreover, the people still believed that Leo was held hostage by the Watchdogs, so their protests were still continuing.

The comments section was filled with diss towards the Watchdogs, and their complaint section was overwhelming.

"Did I really have such crazy fans?" Leo smiled. "It doesn't feel half bad. Should I come forward and tell everyone the truth? Wait, isn't this a good opportunity when nobody knows about my whereabouts?"

This granted him a lot of freedom, especially since his enemies believed that he was trapped in a place from where he could never be freed.

At this point, he was beyond all regulation. The best part was that the Lionel Family believed that he was out of the picture.

"I have already won over most of their trusted clients. They should be at their most vulnerable, trying to recover what they have lost. Isn't this the best opportunity?"

Suddenly, a soft noise echoed through the room. It was the ship's internal comms.

"Boss, the last of the scrap is loaded. We're ready to depart," a voice came. "But, uh... the old man is complaining again. He says his mana pathways are sore from hauling steel beams."

"Tell him that I'll come to him later."

"Copy that. He's already picked up another crate. He's grumbling, but he's moving."

Leo walked over to a holographic display of his device. With a few swipes, he brought up the financial charts of the Lionel Family. The red lines were cascading downward like a waterfall.

The Lionel Family was overextending themselves to fill his spot in the market. Unfortunately, because of all the commotion, they hadn't been able to move freely, trying to avoid any excess attention.

If that wasn't the case, they would've already destroyed his bank. However, Leo was certain that it was only a matter of time until they were ready.

Meanwhile, the Watchdogs were wasting resources maintaining a false search. The Public was turning Leo into a martyr, driving his brand value through the roof without him spending a single credit on PR.

"If I reappear now, I'm just a businessman who escaped," Leo mused, tapping his chin. "But if I stay trapped, I'm a symbol of resistance. And symbols are much harder to kill than men."

The door to his cabin slid open without a knock. Yang walked in, his upper body bare, steam literally rising from his skin as his internal heat regulated after the heavy labor.

"The work is done," Yang said, his eyes scanning Leo with intensity. "When do we find him? The man who can challenge me?"

Leo didn't flinch. He walked over to a small cabinet and poured two glasses of chilled nutrient water, handing one to the martial fanatic.

"Patience, Senior. Strength isn't just about the force; it's about the timing," Leo said, his corporate smile returning in full force. "As soon as the time is right, I'll take you to him."

Yang took a gulp of the water, his expression softening slightly. "You talk like a politician, but you have the eyes of innocence. Fine. I will wait. But the moment he surfaces, I am fighting him. If you don't keep your promise..."

"Of course," Leo lied effortlessly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

As Yang left, Leo turned back to his monitors. He didn't intend to stay hidden forever, but he wasn't going back to the way things were.

He already had a few ideas after all. Phase One of his plan was to leak authenticated footage of the Watchdogs mistreating him and beating him up after capturing him.

As for how he was going to record that 'authentic footage', it was simply to fake it all. He was going to shoot a dramatic scene that would look like it was from the moment after he was captured.

Phase Two of his plan was to rob the Lionel Family's main vault.

Phase Three was simply to prepare the resurrection.

"It's time to show them," Leo whispered, his eyes glinting with ambition, "that being a prisoner was the only thing keeping me from taking everything they own."

The ship lurched as it entered hyperspace, leaving the empty husk of the prison planet behind in the silent dark.

....

"My Lady, it looks like your suspicions were correct. The Family Head was behind his disappearance."

Meanwhile, Fiona received an update from her followers that she had sent to check on Leo's disappearance.

"Just as I thought. Only that old man can make them move! That bastard!" Fiona frowned.

"On one end, he told us to handle this mess. On the other hand, he did it himself? No wait, maybe he doesn't know that Leo was behind the explosives. It might be that he just did this because of the bank?"

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