2025-06-21 04:55:45The city glimmered beneath Ethan's penthouse window, but his eyes were fixed on the glowing text floating in front of him.
Main Quest Unlocked: Inheritance Protocol – Stage 1
Objective: Locate Vault File Alpha
Hint: “Begin where the name was erased.”
Reward: Vault Access Key | Enhanced Processing Speed | Bloodline Seal Fragment
His fingers twitched. Vault File Alpha… What did that mean?
The words shifted again:
Time Limit: 72 Hours
Failure Consequence: Mission Lockout
Scene 1: Forgotten Clues
Ethan sat back in his chair, mind racing.
“Where the name was erased…” he whispered.
He opened his old personal files, searching records he hadn’t touched in years. Hospital bills. Storage unit invoices. A torn letter from his mother—sent just months before her Alzheimer’s worsened.
One name jumped out: Greenhill Orphanage.
That was where his father spent part of his childhood—after being disowned. But the building had been shut down. Bulldozed, even.
He remembered reading it in an article years ago. “Fire Destroys Abandoned Orphanage,” the headline said.
Still, he whispered the name to the Legacy System.
Query Received: Cross-referencing…
Location: Greenhill, Detroit. Site Status: Demolished, but sub-basement intact.
Travel Required. ETA by car: 9 hrs
Ethan nodded. Time to go digging.
Scene 2: Road to Detroit
Claire stirred on the couch as Ethan packed his duffel bag.
“Going somewhere?” she asked, still wrapped in a silk robe.
“Detroit,” he said, zipping up.
She blinked. “That’s not exactly a weekend getaway.”
“It’s not a vacation.”
A beat of silence.
“I’m coming with you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”
“I said I’d stay and prove myself. That means more than just sharing your bed.”
He hesitated—then nodded once.
Scene 3: Underneath the Ashes
Greenhill Orphanage was just a patch of charred earth and vines when they arrived. Snow had covered most of it, masking the burned foundation.
But the system pulsed again:
Site Located. Access Tunnel Detected. Entry Coordinates: -42.198, 83.045
Warning: Radiation Levels – Moderate. Time Limit Once Inside: 20 Minutes
“Radiation?” Claire asked, eyes wide.
“I’ll handle it,” Ethan said, touching the system’s interface.
Ability Unlocked: BioFilter Shield – Lv. 1 (Duration: 25 min)
The shield shimmered around him like a faint aura. He handed Claire a mask. “Stay outside. If I’m not back in 30 minutes, call that number I gave you.”
She nodded.
He climbed down into the ruins.
Scene 4: The Vault Door
Beneath the ash and broken brick, Ethan found a tunnel leading to what looked like an old underground shelter.
Faded letters on the wall spelled: C. COLE – PRIVATE
His chest tightened.
At the end of the corridor stood a steel vault door, old-fashioned, untouched by time.
The system lit up.
Vault File Alpha Confirmed.
DNA Verification Required. Please place hand on panel.
He obeyed.
A soft hiss. The door creaked open.
Inside was a dusty room lined with ledgers, microfilm, and one glowing object—a rectangular slab, silver with crimson lines.
Object: Vault Key Alpha
Status: Legacy Transfer Ready
Activate? [Y/N]
Ethan tapped Yes.
Scene 5: The D******d
Energy surged through his arm. Images flashed before his eyes—his father in a boardroom, shouting; papers signed under duress; a younger Benjamin Langston shaking hands with masked men.
Then—his mother, crying, holding Ethan as a baby.
System D******d: 43%… 64%… 91%…
Suddenly—
Intrusion Detected. Unauthorized Signal Nearby. Risk Level: HIGH
Ethan spun. Footsteps echoed in the tunnel.
Then—a gunshot rang out. A bullet pinged off the wall.
Ethan dropped and rolled behind a cabinet, blood roaring in his ears.
Cloaking Field Unavailable. Activating Reflex Boost – Lv. 1
A masked attacker entered the room. Not just any thug—he moved like ex-military. Clean. Tactical.
Legacy Hostile Identified: "The Vulture"
Contracted Assassin – Rank B
Objective: Retrieve Vault Key
Ethan had no weapon.
But he had the system.
Scene 6: The First Fight
He reached behind the shelf, gripping a rusted metal pipe.
The Vulture spotted him, fired again.
Ethan ducked, then sprinted.
Combat Mode Active – Adrenaline Surge Initiated
+25% Speed
+15% Strength
He lunged, swinging the pipe—missed—then feinted and jabbed the assassin’s ribs.
A crunch. A grunt.
The Vulture dropped his gun, staggered back.
Ethan delivered a roundhouse kick—training he didn’t even remember having.
Enemy Vitality: 58%
Status: Aggressive. Enraged.
The assassin lunged. They grappled, fists flying. Finally, Ethan slammed the pipe across his temple.
The man collapsed.
Breathing hard, Ethan picked up the Vault Key. A light pulsed inside it.
D******d Complete.
New Data Unlocked: Hidden Heir Ledger | Black Box Recordings
Next Stage: Deliver Key to Lockridge Holdings – New York
Time Limit: 72 Hours
He exhaled slowly.
And climbed out of the ruins.
Scene 7: Claire’s Loyalty Tested
Claire waited at the edge of the site, pacing.
When she saw him emerge, bruised and bleeding, she ran toward him. “What happened?!”
“Someone tried to intercept me,” Ethan said.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
She placed a hand on his chest. “This is bigger than anything I imagined.”
He looked into her eyes.
System Scan: Emotional Intent – Trust: 87% | Loyalty: 70% | Fear: 62%
Note: Rising Bond Detected
He nodded, slowly. “We’re not done yet.”
Next Objective: Reach New York. Unlock Full Inheritance.
Watchers Closing In.
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