MARCUS CHEN; The Reborn
Marcus Chen, the youngest five-star general in modern history, dies in disgrace—poisoned in a military prison after being framed for a war crime that killed 1,400 civilians. He wakes up ten years in the past, on his first day at the National Defense Academy, with a mysterious Warden System bonded to his soul.
The system gives him a mission: prevent seven catastrophic disasters over the next ten years or detonate, taking half a continent with him. Armed with future knowledge and system-enhanced abilities, Marcus begins saving lives while hunting the conspiracy that destroyed him. Each mission he completes reveals a darker truth—he wasn't framed by accident. He was chosen.
As Marcus dominates academy training with the tactical genius of his former life, he draws the attention of people who will shape his destiny. Instructor Kane, who seems trustworthy but harbors dangerous secrets. Aria Volkov, the intelligence operative who died in his original timeline but now investigates his impossible knowledge. Leon Cross, the congressman's son who starts as an enemy but becomes an unlikely ally when he discovers his father's role in the conspiracy. And Dr. Sophia Reeves, the psychologist who unknowingly created the weapon slowly killing Marcus.
With each prevented disaster, the conspiracy tightens its grip. Firebase Theta—the atrocity that destroyed Marcus's life—isn't just coming. It's accelerating. Marcus realizes he can't stop it. He can only expose it. He forms a team of outcasts and traitors, sacrifices his career and identity, and wages a shadow war against an enemy embedded in the highest levels of government.
But prevention comes with a price. The Warden System is burning through Marcus's lifespan, the line between hero and weapon blurs with every mission, and the conspiracy's true goal is more terrifying than revenge: they're not trying to destroy him. They're trying to recruit him.
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Chapter: CHAPTER 6SAFE HOUSES AND SECRETSAria's apartment was small, clean, and completely sterile.No photos. No decorations. Just functional furniture and blackout curtains. The kind of place someone lived but didn't inhabit. Marcus recognized it immediately—a safe house mindset. Never get comfortable. Never leave traces."Sit." Aria gestured to the couch. "I'm getting coffee. You look like death."Marcus collapsed onto the cushions. Every muscle ached. The system's emergency enhancement had burned through his reserves, leaving him hollow and shaking. He checked the countdown: [MISSION THREE: 68 HOURS, 43 MINUTES.]Less than three days. And he had no idea how to complete it while Director Vance was hunting him.Aria returned with two mugs, sat across from him. She'd changed into civilian clothes—jeans, a fitted black shirt. Without the uniform, she looked younger. More human."Drink," she ordered.Marcus obeyed. The coffee was strong, bitter, perfect. He wrapped his hands around the mug, absorbing t
Last Updated: 2025-12-11
Chapter: CHAPTER 5THE PRICE OF KNOWING Kane's office smelled like old coffee and bad decisions. Marcus stood at attention in front of the desk while Kane paced behind it. The instructor hadn't said a word in three minutes. Just paced. Back and forth. Back and forth. Finally, Kane stopped. "Sit down." Marcus sat. Kane leaned against the desk, arms crossed. Up close, Marcus could see the exhaustion etched into his face. The gray in his beard seemed darker than this morning. His eyes were bloodshot. "You disobeyed a direct order," Kane said quietly. "Yes, sir." "You entered a hazardous zone without authorization." "Yes, sir." "You risked your life and compromised emergency operations." "Yes, sir." Kane's jaw tightened. "Stop saying yes sir and defend yourself." Marcus met his eyes. "I can't defend what I did. You gave an order. I ignored it. But two people are alive because I did." "And if you'd died? If the building had collapsed on you? How many resources would we have wasted recovering yo
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: CHAPTER 4SMOKE AND MIRRORSMarcus reached the live fire range in eight minutes flat.Smoke billowed from the ammunition storage building. Sirens wailed. Cadets scattered like ants, some running toward the chaos, others running away. Instructors shouted orders that nobody followed.Fire suppression systems had activated, but the smoke was too thick, too black. That wasn't just ammunition burning. That was something chemical.Marcus pushed through the crowd. His mind raced through possibilities. The mission had accelerated. Something he'd done changed the timeline. But what?"Chen!" Kane's voice cut through the noise. The instructor stood near the main building, coordinating evacuation. "Get back to the barracks! Now!"Marcus ignored him. The system displayed overlay information: [CASUALTIES CURRENT: 2 CRITICAL, 7 INJURED. STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE IMMINENT IN 4 MINUTES, 32 SECONDS.]Two critical. That means two dead if I don't move.He ran toward the smoke."Chen! That's an order!"But Marcus was alr
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: CHAPTER 3THE WATCHERMarcus woke at 0400 hours, two hours before reveille.Old habits died hard. Or didn't die at all.He sat up in the darkness, listening to the breathing of nineteen other cadets in the barracks. Soft snores. Restless shifting. The normal sounds of exhausted kids pretending to be soldiers.Except Marcus wasn't pretending.The Warden System displayed its countdown: [MISSION TWO: 58 HOURS, 12 MINUTES.]Fifty-eight hours until someone sabotaged the live fire range. Fifty-eight hours to figure out who, how, and why.He dressed quietly, military efficiency ingrained after years of pre-dawn operations. Dark sweats, running shoes, nothing that would draw attention. Just another cadet who couldn't sleep.The barracks door creaked as he opened it."Where are you going?"Marcus froze. The voice came from the bunk nearest the door. Danny Park, his assigned roommate. Quiet kid, barely spoke during orientation. In Marcus's original timeline, Danny had washed out after six months."Couldn
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: CHAPTER 2FIRST BLOOD Marcus hit the obstacle course at a dead sprint. His lungs burned. Legs screamed. But the Warden System's countdown pulsed in his vision: [MISSION ONE DEPLOYMENT: 2 HOURS, 17 MINUTES]. Two hours until three cadets died on this exact course. "Chen!" Instructor Kane's voice cut across the training field. "You're not on the schedule until 0900!" Marcus didn't slow. He vaulted over the first barrier, landed, rolled, came up running. His eighteen-year-old body felt foreign—lighter, faster, but without the muscle memory of a decade of combat. His mind knew how to move. His body had to relearn. Kane appeared in his path, arms crossed. Forty-five, built like a tank, with a gray beard and eyes that missed nothing. "I said you're not scheduled." "Couldn't sleep, sir." Marcus stopped, forcing his breathing to steady. "Thought I'd get familiar with the course." "Familiar." Kane walked a slow circle around him. "You ran that sequence like you've done it a thousand times." I ha
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: CHAPTER 1THE GENERAL DIES AT DAWNThe poison tasted like copper and regret.Marcus Chen's vision blurred as he slumped forward in the steel chair, chains cutting into his wrists. Blood dripped from his nose onto the concrete floor of Sub-Level Nine, each drop echoing in the silence. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, that same mechanical hum that had driven three prisoners insane last year.He'd counted the days. Two hundred and seventeen since the trial that wasn't a trial. Since they'd paraded him in front of cameras and called him a monster."Still conscious?" Director Hale stood by the door, checking his watch like he had somewhere better to be. "The sedative should've worked by now.""Disappointed?" Marcus coughed. More blood. "Want to... watch me beg?""I want this over with." Hale adjusted his cufflinks. Italian silk, probably cost more than a soldier's monthly pay. "You made it personal when you refused the deal."Marcus laughed, though it came out as a wheeze. "The deal where I..
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
