The loud buzz of Ethan Cole’s alarm pulled him out of his sleep.5:00 a.m.He reached for his phone and turned it off before it could ring again. His room was small and old. The ceiling had water stains, and the fan above his bed made a loud creaking sound every time it turned.He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.Another day.Another sixteen hours of delivering food.Another day of chasing money that was never enough.His phone vibrated.Loan Payment Due Today.Ethan looked at the message for a few seconds before locking the screen.“I’ll pay it somehow.”He had been saying those same words for almost a year.After washing his face, he put on his faded delivery uniform. The shirt had been washed so many times that its color had almost disappeared. His shoes were worn out, but buying a new pair wasn’t an option.Every dollar mattered.He picked up his helmet and walked outside.The morning air was cold.People were already rushing to work while he climbed onto his old delivery bike.

Everything happened in a flash.The truck’s horn echoed through the rain.Ethan wanted to move.He wanted to run.But his legs refused to listen.Bang!The truck slammed into him.His body was thrown high into the air before crashing onto the wet road.The sound of people screaming filled the street.“Oh my God!”“Someone call an ambulance!”“He’s been hit!”Ethan lay motionless in the rain.Blood slowly spread beneath him.His vision became blurry.The cold rain landed on his face, but he could no longer feel it.His breathing grew weaker.He forced himself to look toward the road.The black sports car carrying Chloe and Ryan had stopped at the traffic light.For one second…He thought Chloe would get out.He thought she would run to him.Instead, the traffic light turned green.The sports car drove away.She never looked back.A tear rolled down Ethan’s cheek.“So…”“It really meant nothing.”His eyes slowly closed.Darkness swallowed everything.…No sound.No light.Nothing.Ethan

Ethan stood in the middle of the mall.The blue screen floated in front of him.Mission: Find Sophia Bennett.Time Remaining: 29:42The timer continued counting down.Ethan looked around.There were people everywhere.Children ran across the hallway.Couples walked hand in hand.Store workers welcomed customers with bright smiles.Finding one person among hundreds of strangers seemed almost impossible.He took a slow breath.“The system wouldn’t give me a mission I can’t finish.”He started walking.Instead of looking into every store, he carefully watched the people around him.Five minutes passed.Nothing.Ten minutes.Still nothing.The timer dropped to nineteen minutes.Ethan frowned.“There has to be a clue.”Just then, he heard a woman shout.“You broke it!”The sharp voice came from a jewelry store on the second floor.Several people immediately gathered around.Ethan looked toward the crowd.For some reason, he felt the mission had something to do with it.Without wasting anot

The entrance fell silent.The two security guards stared at Manager Lewis in disbelief.One of them blinked several times, thinking he had heard wrong.“Manager… did you just say he’s the new owner?”Manager Lewis’s expression hardened.“That’s exactly what I said.”He turned to Ethan and bowed again.“My name is Lewis Carter.”“I’m the general manager of Golden Spoon Restaurant.”“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Cole.”Ethan nodded.“It’s nice to meet you too.”The two guards looked at each other.Cold sweat formed on their foreheads.Just a minute ago, they had mocked this young man because of his cheap clothes.Now they found out he owned the entire restaurant.The taller guard hurried forward.“M-Mr. Cole…”“I’m sorry.”“We didn’t know.”His voice shook as he spoke.Ethan looked at him calmly.“In this world, do you judge every customer by their clothes?”The guard lowered his head.“No, sir.”“I made a mistake.”“I hope you can forgive me.”The other guard also apologized.“We’re

The kitchen fell silent.Every pair of eyes was fixed on Ethan.Only the sound of his knife echoed through the room.Slice.Slice.Slice.His movements were smooth and effortless, as if he had spent his entire life in a professional kitchen.The chefs exchanged confused looks.A moment ago, they had doubted him.Now, they couldn’t even take their eyes off him.Barnes folded his arms, trying to hide the uneasiness growing inside him.“It’s just knife skills,” he said with a scoff.“Anyone can learn a few tricks.”None of the chefs answered him.One of the senior chefs, a man named Oliver, quietly shook his head.“No.”“Those aren’t tricks.”Barnes frowned.“What do you mean?”Oliver kept watching Ethan.“I’ve been cooking for twenty-eight years.”“I’ve worked in five-star hotels.”“I’ve competed against chefs from all over the country.”“I’ve only seen knife control like this once.”Barnes looked surprised.“Where?”“On television.”“During an international cooking competition.”Barnes