Chapter: Chapter Nine: Target on the HeartThe bruises from the street fight hadn’t healed yet. Adrian sat at his desk the next morning, jaw stiff, ribs aching. But what weighed on him more wasn’t pain, it was the silence. Jason hadn’t shown up. The system pulsed faintly.[Threat Level: Elevated. Enemy plotting indirect retaliation]Emma slid into the seat beside him, her voice low. “You’re pushing too far, Adrian. He’s going to do something worse.”Adrian forced a smirk. “He already has. Lies. Fists. What’s left?”Emma’s eyes flickered with unease. “People like him… they always find something.”It happened during lunch. Adrian was halfway through his sandwich when a scream echoed from the courtyard. Students surged toward the windows. Emma. She was surrounded by Jason and two of his lackeys. One yanked her backpack away, spilling her books across the pavement. Jason leaned close, smirking cruelly, one hand gripping her arm. The crowd cheered and jeered, phones already out to record.Adrian’s chair screeched back as he stoo
Last Updated: 2025-10-26
Chapter: Chapter Eight: The Expulsion TrapThe whispers didn’t stop after the cafeteria incident. If anything, they grew sharper, carrying venom in Jason’s absence. He hadn’t been seen all morning. Adrian sat in class with Emma two rows behind him, unease coiling in his gut. The system’s warning echoed in his mind:[Quest Alert: Jason Reed is preparing a major retaliation. Anticipate sabotage]When the lunch bell rang, Adrian felt the weight of eyes on him. Students parted as he walked into the hallway.That’s when Principal Hargrove appeared, face stern. “Adrian Cole,” the principal’s voice was like a gavel. “My office. Now.”Gasps followed him. Emma’s worried glance burned into his back. The principal’s office was silent except for the ticking clock. Jason was already there, standing tall with mock innocence plastered on his face.Principal Hargrove’s jaw tightened. “Adrian, do you deny placing this in my mailbox this morning?”He slammed a clear evidence bag onto the desk. Inside was a small plastic pouch filled with whit
Last Updated: 2025-10-26
Chapter: Chapter Seven: The Public TrialMorning sunlight streamed into the classroom, but the atmosphere was heavy. Adrian could feel it the moment he walked in, every pair of eyes was on him. Whispers bounced off the walls like bullets. “Jason’s got something planned today.” “He’s gonna bury the worm for good.”“I heard Adrian jumped him last night.”Adrian clenched his jaw. The system hummed quietly in the back of his mind.[Quest Active: Survive Jason’s retaliation. Stage Two begins]Jason arrived late, swaggering into the classroom with a bandage across his nose. He ignored the teacher’s scolding and walked straight past Adrian’s desk, slamming a folded piece of paper onto it.Adrian unfolded it slowly. “Auditorium. Lunch. Don’t chicken out.”Jason’s smirk said it all: it was a setup.By lunchtime, the auditorium was packed. Students filled the seats, buzzing with anticipation. Rumors had spread like wildfire: Jason was going to expose Adrian.Adrian stepped onto the stage cautiously, every step heavy. Jason stood at
Last Updated: 2025-10-26
Chapter: Chapter Six: The TrapThe morning sunlight spilled through the classroom windows, but Adrian’s stomach twisted with unease. Every glance, every whisper felt heavier than usual. Jason hadn’t made a move yet, but Adrian could feel it, like thunder building behind the clouds. The system hummed in his mind.[Quest Active: Survive Jason’s revenge. Progress: 0%]Adrian tapped his pencil against his desk, eyes drifting toward the back of the room where Jason sat, staring at him. Not mocking. Not smirking. Just staring. That was worse.When the bell rang for lunch, Adrian braced himself. He carried his tray into the cafeteria, scanning the room. Jason wasn’t at his usual table. Neither were his lackeys.Emma waved him over from across the room, but Adrian hesitated. His instincts screamed. Something wasn’t right. He set his tray down anyway.Emma leaned closer, her brow furrowed. “You feel it too, don’t you?”Adrian nodded. “He’s planning something.”Emma’s lips pressed thin. “Then don’t eat that.”Adrian blinked
Last Updated: 2025-10-26
Chapter: Chapter Five: Whispers of RevengeThe lunch bell rang, and the cafeteria erupted in its usual chaos. Students poured in, laughing, shouting, carrying trays of food that reeked of grease and salt. Adrian sat in the far corner, clutching his tray. His ribs still ached, his knuckles were raw, but beneath the pain was something new, a spark he hadn’t felt before. Victory.For once, he wasn’t invisible. Whispers rippled across the cafeteria as eyes turned toward him. He heard fragments of their murmurs. “Did you see him? He actually made Jason bleed.”“No way. Adrian? The worm?”“Lucky punch, maybe.”“Still… Jason’s nose was busted.”Adrian kept his eyes on his food, pretending not to hear, but inside his chest swelled. The humiliation of yesterday was still fresh, yet now people talked about him. Not as trash. Not as nothing. But as someone who fought back. The system hummed in his mind.[Update: Reputation increased to 50. New threshold unlocked: You are no longer entirely ignored. Peers will begin noticing you]Adria
Last Updated: 2025-10-26
Chapter: Chapter Four: First BloodThe crowd tightened around the back of the gym, a circle of eager faces hungry for blood. Phones were already out, recording. Whispers and laughter filled the air, but Adrian barely heard them. His heart thudded in his ears like war drums.Jason cracked his knuckles, his grin sharp and cruel. “I’ve been waiting for this, Worm. Time to show you what happens when trash forgets its place.”Adrian clenched his fists, heat burning through his arms. The system’s voice hummed in his head.[Major Task Active: Defeat Jason Reed in combat. Reward: +3 Strength, +2 Confidence][Penalty for failure: -20 Reputation, public humiliation]His mouth was dry. His knees shook. “I can’t beat him… but I can’t run, either.”Jason stepped forward, towering over him. “Any last words?”Adrian swallowed. His voice trembled, but the words came. “Yeah… try not to cry when this ends.”Gasps erupted from the crowd. Jason’s grin faltered. “You’ve got guts, Worm. Too bad guts won’t save you.”He lunged. The first pu
Last Updated: 2025-10-26
Seconds To Zero
In Neo-Veridia, time isn’t money. It’s life.
Nineteen-year-old Evan is an anomaly. In a city addicted to the dopamine rush of The Exchange—where a roll of the dice can win you a decade or kill you instantly—Evan never gambles. He works. He saves. He survives. He is the only person in the slums with a serious face and a "clean" wrist.
But the House always finds a way to break you.
When his father is struck down by a rare, fatal glitch in his Life-Clock, Evan is handed a death sentence in the form of a bill: 50 Years. Due in twelve hours.
With no collateral and time ticking down, Evan is forced to break his one rule. He enters the neon-soaked underworld of high-stakes gambling. But as he sits at the table, surrounded by desperation and sharks, Evan realizes something terrifying.
He isn't just lucky. When he looks at the spinning wheels and shifting cards, he doesn't see chance. He sees math. He sees trajectories. He sees the future.
Evan is about to play the most dangerous game in history. He isn't just playing for his father’s life anymore; he’s playing to bankrupt the system that enslaved humanity.
The odds are one in a million. Evan likes those odds.
Read
Chapter: CHAPTER 160The rain did not stop. It felt like the clouds had a debt to pay to the earth, and they were paying it in cold, gray water. Evan walked through the mud of the South District. His boots were heavy. His suit was soaked. He did not look like the "Glitch" who had broken the Spire. He looked like just another shadow in a city made of shadows.In his pocket, the silver coin felt warm. Marco was not with him in person, but Evan could feel the pulse of the coin. It was a link. It was a promise."Sunshine, can you hear me?" Marco’s voice was a soft whisper in Evan’s ear. It came from a tiny bead hidden in his ear canal."I hear you," Evan said. He kept his head down. He did not want to show his face to the drones that buzzed above like hungry metal birds."You’re close," Marco said. "The Plaza of Zeros is just around the next corner. That’s where the 'Grand Jackpot' sits. Be careful. The air there is... different. It’s thick with desperation. It’s a drug, Evan. A drug made of noise and light.
Last Updated: 2026-05-27
Chapter: CHAPTER 159Evan’s heart felt like it was being squeezed by cold iron. His vision was turning gray. He was dying. He was really dying. “I never let go, son.” The voice of his father echoed in his mind.Evan looked at the card again. He remembered what Marco had said on the recording. “The bridge only opens at the Zero-Point. You have to let the watch run out.”Evan realized the truth. The Headhunter wasn't a ticket out. The Headhunter was a distraction. The "Test" was a way to make Evan waste his last few minutes trying to be a hero for a bug.The Architect didn't want him in the Upper City. The Architect wanted him to hit zero.Evan gripped the card. He sat back in the booth. He closed his eyes. He didn't fight the coldness. He didn't try to call the Spark. He let the seconds fall.[00:02:00]The diner began to fade. The smell of grease vanished. The sound of the rain turned into a soft, steady ticking.Tick. Tick. Tick.[00:01:00]Evan felt his heart slow down. One beat. Then another. Long gaps
Last Updated: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 158Evan’s brain started to burn. The gold numbers in his vision began to spin.[PROBABILITY OF CATCH: 0.002%]Evan reached out his hand. He tried to grab a streak of black fire near his ear. His fingers closed on nothing.The fly was already gone. It was in the past. It was in the future."You are trying to catch where it is," Caspian’s voice echoed in the slow world. He sounded like a god speaking from the clouds. "Don't look at the 'Now', Evan. Look at the 'Will'."Evan pulled his hand back. He felt a sharp pain in his temple. A line of purple blood ran down his nose. “Look at the will,” Evan thought.He stopped moving his arm. He stayed perfectly still. He let the fly circle him. He felt the wind of its wings against his skin. It felt like tiny needles of ice. He looked at the gold numbers. He didn't look at the velocity. He looked at the Rhythm.The fly was following a pattern. It wasn't random. It was a clock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.It hit the glass window on the Tick. It hit the
Last Updated: 2026-05-24
Chapter: CHAPTER 157The air inside the "Greasy Gear" diner was heavy and still. Outside, the rain continued to scream against the metal roof. It was a cold, lonely sound. Inside, the world felt very small. It was just Evan, the cold coffee, and the man with the chrome eyes who called himself Caspian.Caspian sat perfectly still. He did not blink. He did not breathe. He looked like a statue carved from silver and expensive silk. He was a Headhunter. In the city of the Bank, a Headhunter was a person who found special talents. They found the best gamblers, the smartest hackers, and the fastest runners. They found the people the rich wanted to own.Evan looked at his wrist.[00:11:04]Eleven minutes.His life was disappearing like sand through his fingers. He felt the coldness of the Zero reaching for his heart. He looked at the obsidian card on the table. The number 25 seemed to pulse with a faint gold light."You say you have a ticket out of here," Evan rasped. His throat felt like it was full of dry th
Last Updated: 2026-05-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 156Evan felt the energy flowing out of him. It was a relief, like a fever breaking. He was emptying the trash of his soul into the machine.Caspian let go of Evan’s throat. He fell back into the booth, his body twitching violently. "SYSTEM... FAILURE..."BOOM.Caspian’s chest exploded. Not with fire, but with a pulse of purple static. The android slumped over the table, its silver face melting into a puddle of lead.Evan fell to the floor, gasping for air. He clutched his throat, his lungs burning.The diner was silent. The only sound was the humming of the broken neon sign.Evan looked at the table. Caspian was gone. There was only a pile of smoking metal and the obsidian card. Evan reached up and grabbed the card. He looked at his watch.[00:12:00]He had twelve minutes. He had just destroyed a multi-million credit piece of Upper City tech. He had just declared war on the "True Board." And he was still hitting zero.Evan stood up. He felt a sudden, sharp vibration in his pocket. He pul
Last Updated: 2026-05-22
Chapter: CHAPTER 155Evan looked at the obsidian card. He thought about the woman in the white dress. He thought about Marco’s broken arm. He thought about the millions of people in the mud outside."What would I have to do?" Evan asked."You would be a 'Fixer'," Caspian said. "The Bank is old. It has many leaks. Sometimes, a person gets too much time. Sometimes, a district gets too little. You would go there. You would use your Perception to... balance the books.""You want me to be an Enforcer," Evan said. "A hitman for the rich.""I want you to be a god," Caspian corrected. "A god of the Ledger."Evan looked at his watch.[00:22:10]The seconds were falling away. He felt the coldness of the zero creeping up his arm. He was a dying boy in a dirty diner, being offered heaven by a man in a silver suit. It was a classic gamble.“What's the catch?” he thought. “The House always has a catch.”"What happens to the people down here?" Evan asked. "If I go with you? What happens to the South District?"Caspian s
Last Updated: 2026-05-22
Chapter: CHAPTER TEN“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Kaidon said, with a laugh of anxiety preceding his statement. He watched as Ophelia fumbled with something in her purse.“This is your phone. You had a call few hours ago, from someone who claims that you are owing them. He says he is going to reveal your identity.” Ophelia pulled out her other phone. “I decided to check your track record with Mr. Richard and there is no connection as well. This makes me wonder how you got his number”At this revelation, Kaidon knew there was no lie he could come up with. Ophelia had all the evidence needed to hold against him. He was totally clueless as to what to say.“What have I ever done to you Kaidon? I always thought you are one of the good persons out there. Turns out that every devil is usually once angels.” Ophelia stared one last time at Kaidon with disgust and turned around to leave, despite the plea from him.When Ophelia arrived at Gideon’s mansion, she goes over to Gideon who is well seated in
Last Updated: 2025-11-10
Chapter: CHAPTER NINE The restroom door was opened and she noticed Gideon coming from afar towards the restroom and knew a perfect plan. She turned to Ophelia, saying. “While you call me a whore, I will have you remember that you are the one with a child, whose father is unknown and right now, it is clear you are planning to pin it on Gideon, by forging a fake DNA test result for him.” Valerie said those words aloud,, knowing that Gideon could be listening.Meanwhile, Gideon had been curious to know where Ophelia had gone to and followed her tracks. When he was about checking the restroom, he had heard a familiar voice being Valerie speak some shocking facts. He entered the restroom and gave Ophelia a hard stare.“You are coming with me this minute!” He declared after acknowledging the presence of Valerie. Gideon had also seen Valerie come to the party, and upon enquiry he realized that the Mayor had begged that Valerie accompany him to the party innocently. When Ophelia got to the car with Gideon, she d
Last Updated: 2025-11-10
Chapter: CHAPTER EIGHTWhen Kaidon appeared at the club later that night he was highly observant about the place. He knew not to trust anyone in such a dangerous place.Upon entering the club, he walked to the VIP session and find William seated and waiting anxiously.“I am sorry for what happened the last time we met” William apologized the moment he laid eye on Kaidon. “Where is the document?”Kaidon asked, ignoring the question. After it is handed over to him, Kaidon looked at the details of the document and realized the fifty fifty clause. Well satisfied, he signed the deeds afterwards.“Mr. Richard will be taking charge of your assets and that includes your hotels, shopping malls. He is going to own fifty percentage in share.” “Is he dumb?” Kaidon looked up at Williams after his comment.“I acquired these properties and you must understand that we only agreed to the company clauses.” He protested.“You have to accept his position. He is going to be the director of your company and you know what that
Last Updated: 2025-11-10
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENWhen Kaidon arrived at the coffee shop, he met Richard by the counter speaking with another middle aged man.“I am really sorry for the actions of my soldiers” He apologized the moment he laid eye on Kaidon.“I am going to deal with those miserable beings when I am done” Kaidon warned as he is offered a sit. “This is Alion, one of the largest Oil business mogul in the world. He is also fascinated by the presence of Agent 43 system program in your body” Richard explained.“It is the single most powerful program known to man and I am happy to be standing next to someone who possess it” Alion mentioned with excitement on his face.“Thank you very much,” He turned to Richard. “About what you were saying last night” “Why did you not signed the deal to buy the stock of William Armstrong?” Richard asked, deviating away from the question.“He was being rude and I have to walk away from such mannerism” Kaidon replied. Richard heaved a sigh and run his hand over his hair. “How do I explain t
Last Updated: 2025-11-10
Chapter: CHAPTER SIX When he arrived at the VIP room, an old aged man walked sat down with a document on the table. “And who are you?” Kiadon already knew the man was Mr. Williams and it was no surprise that he looks down on him with a look of disdain.“Is that how you talk to your investor?” He asked, taking his sit right next to William whose face showed shock.“You are the investor?” He asked.“Are we going to get down to business or should I close up the deal?” Kaidon asked, already getting impatient with the man’s insufferable behavior.“Fine, show me a proof that this is not some sort of scam” Williams insisted.Kaidon was about to pull out his credit card, when Ophelia and Gideon walked inside the room. They both froze seeing Kaidon with Mr. Williams.“Father what are you doing with this poor and wretched individual?” She asked taking her sit beside her father.“He says he is the one that wants to buy off my company” There is a brief silence in the room and it is followed up by a heavy laughter
Last Updated: 2025-11-10
Chapter: CHAPTER FIVEOphelia walked around Gideon’s room panicking after receiving the news about her father going bankrupt.“You need to relax babe. Everything will be fine.” Gideon assured her and walked over to her side, placing his hand on her shoulder.“Everything cannot be alright. My father going bankrupt means that we are going to live in the slums” “No,” He said, holding her shoulder and staring deep into her eyes. “You are not going to be living in the slum.” He paused for a moment as an idea came to his mind.“Tell you what, I think we could find an investor to finance your father’s company and get it back to the way it used to be” He suggested.“But how are we going to make that possible?” Ophelia asked.“Well, my father is out of the country at the moment. I will tell his personal assistant to find an investor” He assured.Ophelia embraced him in a warm hug and they remained in that position for a long period of time. They broke away from the hug as Ophelia’s phone vibrated in her pocket.“O
Last Updated: 2025-11-10
