ECHO PROTOCOL: Rise Of The Rejected

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jace was nervous. He had never done this before. He was about to stand in the middle of the directors, making him the center of attention.

His assistant approached him and informed him that the directors had all sat down, waiting for his arrival. Jace took a deep breath. This was his first meeting, and he hoped it would go well.

When Jace entered the conference hall, he was astounded by the room's sleek contemporary architectural design. It has a minimalist look which piqued his interest, a look that exudes elegance.

With a tap from his assistant, Jace came back to reality. He had been too preoccupied with the design to notice the ten directors seated before him. Their scornful stares pierced his skin as he cleared his throat and sat down.

This was his first time. Of course, they could see right through him. He only hoped he hadn't made any mistake yet and wished the system would somehow help him.

Then a flash occured and he smiled. He adjusted his seat for comfort and rested his two hands on the large transparent center table.

"Good day, everyone," he began, reading his words from the system.

***

Lazik sat in his office, scrolling through the social media, that was his favorite thing to do. He has kept up with the latest news since deciding to become the greatest in Velmora.

He wanted everyone to submit to him; he wanted to depose the president, the wealthiest, and even the most intelligent.

Staring at the latest article he smiled when he saw the headline: GORDON'S ENTERPRISES GOES INTO BANKRUPTCY

But then he took a pause and stared wide eyed at the next sentence: WILL THE NEW CEO BE ABLE TO ELEVATE IT FROM THIS STATE?

“What new CEO?” he asked himself.

He was the one responsible for their failing business. They had been outsmarted. Ever since the company's booming statistics, his plan was to reduce the company to nothing, but now it has been taken over by someone else?

He let out a laugh. There is no chance the company will ever grow again.

Well, that was his thought not until an image appeared, one that seemed to strike him directly.

“Impossible, this cannot be,” he muttered to himself as he enlarged the photo.

“This was–”

“Sir, I have given her a dose of the sleeping potion. She is already asleep.” Veyra reported to Lazik who was just recovering from what he had just seen.

He only nodded before sitting up to face her.

“Before you continue with that, I have a mission for you,” he told her, still staring at his phone.

Veyra sighed. What else does he want her to do?

He then showed her the image. Her eyes widened.

“Isn’t he the same–”

“Yes, he is the one,” he said nodding, then he motioned her to come closer and whispered, “I need you to–”

***

It was finally nighttime and Jace was eager to go home. The meeting was a success thanks to the system. It had helped him figure out what to say and how to respond to the questions thrown at him.

|[Task Completed]

|[Reward: An Upgraded Inventory]

When he opened it, he saw various kinds of weapons and ammunition. What did he need all these for? he asked himself as he closed it.

“I had just done all that for some weapons I didn't even need.”

But soon he shifted his mind off from that thought. At least, now they were on a track to successfully uplifting the business.

The directors were also amazed to hear about what he had to say. To them they had never come across someone with such knowledge and it was just a matter of time till they began to like him.

That was the power of Echo Protocol, the system instilled in him.

“Mr. Serex, you don't need to go with me.” Jace said when his assistant followed him to the car.

“But sir–”

“I am not discarding you, I just want you to have some rest.” Jace told him. He was having a weird feeling and wasn't certain about it.

When Serex was gone, he decided to have a drink at the nearby clubhouse. He needed to get rid of this strange feeling inside him.

“This system is definitely something,” he told himself as he shook his hands back into his pockets.

When he reached the open streets, he started walking towards the path leading to the clubhouse. He could see it from a distance.

However, before he could reach there, he heard a shout, “Thief! Catch her! She has stolen something!”

He could see a group of people coming his way. Then he spotted the person they were chasing, a young agile lady. She appeared pitiful as she raced for her life.

Suddenly, they locked their gaze as she ran past him. For a moment, he felt he had seen her somewhere before.

When he looked up, he saw the men pursuing her running towards him. Then it appeared to him.

|[Target Located]

|[Mission: Save The Lady]

|[Reward: Complete Mission To Unlock]

|[Penalty: If you fail to accomplish this task, it would lead to memory loss]

“Have I turned into a saviour of what?” he asks himself as he paves the way for the gang to pass.

One thing he hated was to indulge himself in something that does not relate to him. All he wanted to do was to sit at the clubhouse and sipped, or rather gulp some tequila. Now, he was told to go save some thief?

Worse still, he could not fight for his life, let alone a gang.

He sighed and turned to continue on his way, then paused and turned. He remembered if he declined it would result in penalties.

Grudgingly, he began to run towards their direction. He had to do it if he still wanted his memories intact. The system had sent him on a mission so he trusted the system to safeguard him.