
The warehouse was always loud.
Metal clanged against metal, forklifts roared from constant use, and the air was thick with dust and sweat. Cardboard boxes were stacked like crooked walls, forming narrow paths that workers rushed through all day long, afraid of slowing down even for a moment.
At the far end of the warehouse, Ethan Moore bent down and taped the final seam of a shipping box. His movements were steady and practiced, every pull of the tape precise.
Though his uniform was cheap and torn in several places, he treated his work seriously and almost stubbornly too.
To him, work was work. It didn’t matter how lowly it was, he could be a bricklayer or a cleaner and he would still do it with pride.
“Ethan you lazy bone! I need you to move faster!”
The supervisor’s sharp voice cut through the mechanised noise of the warehouse. “The truck’s leaving in ten minutes! If you miss the deadline again, don’t expect your bonus!
Ethan didn’t argue, instead he simply pressed the tape down firmly and replied, “I’m almost done boss, just a few more to go.”
His tone was calm but it wasn't timid. It sounded the same way since he started work here three years ago.
It's been three years since he woke up in a hospital bed with an empty mind. He had no memories, no past, no identity beyond his name that was found on his ID card.
According to his father-in-law, he had been found unconscious by the roadside. His body was already cold and his breathing was shallow.
No family had come looking for him, no-one even came to claim him.
From that day on, Ethan accepted the new life placed in front of him without complaint.
He worked hard and even if he earned little, he endured with it.
As long as he could go home at night, eat a warm meal, and sleep under a roof, that was enough.
Especially because he had a wife now. As long as Lena was there, life felt… bearable.
Today, however, was different. It was a very special day.
It was his wedding anniversary.
Ethan glanced at the clock hanging crookedly on the wall. The red second hand ticked forward, slow and uneven. If he finished early, he could go home, buy groceries, and cook dinner himself. Lena liked light food, nothing too greasy. He could even buy a small cake on the way back.
She has been so busy lately. A little too busy.She was often coming home late and sometimes not coming home at all.
But anniversaries were still worth remembering, so she would definitely come home.
Just as he lifted the box the sharp sound of high heels echoed through the warehouse. The sound was crisp, confident and completely out of place.
Ethan paused with the box in his hands and along with everyone else looked at the entrance of the warehouse.
A woman stood at the entrance.
She was tall and elegant, dressed in a fitted black suit that hugged her figure perfectly. Her long hair was neatly tied back, and her face was beautiful but cold, like polished jade. Her gaze was sharp, so sharp that workers instinctively straightened their backs without knowing why.
She didn’t look around at all, her eyes were locked directly onto Ethan.
With each step she took toward him, the noisy warehouse grew quieter, until only the echo of her heels against the concrete floor remained.
She stopped in front of him and for a moment, she simply stared, as if afraid he might disappear if she blinked.
“Chairman Ethan.” her voice trembled slightly.
Ethan frowned. “I'm sorry miss, You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
The woman’s eyes watered instantly, “My name is Shen Fei sir,” she said softly. “I’m your executive assistant.”
Ethan stared at her, unmoved by her statement. “I don’t have an assistant.”
Before he could say more, the supervisor rushed over nervously, forcing a smile. “Miss, this is a restricted area. If you’re here to look for someone, please kindly,“
Shen Fei didn’t even glance at him, she simply raised her hand slightly and a tall and bulk man that was standing behind her stepped forward.
The supervisor felt a chill run down his spine and immediately retreated while wiping sweat from his forehead.
“You disappeared three years ago sir,” Shen Fei continued, her gaze never leaving Ethan’s face. “You are the chairman of the Moore Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the country. You're one of the wealthiest men alive sir.”
The words caused a ripple of shock among the workers in the warehouse. Ethan, the warehouse worker? One of the wealthiest men in the world?
Ethan stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I don’t remember any of that miss.”
Shen Fei clenched her fists in anger at the suffering of her master. “You were found in a coma three years ago. You lost all your memories and the doctors confirmed it.”
“That still sounds so absurd,” Ethan replied calmly.
He set the box down, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at her seriously. “Miss Shen, I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m just a warehouse worker. I’ve never run a company in my life.”
“You shouldn’t even be here,” she said suddenly, her voice trembling. “You never should’ve been.”
Ethan glanced at the clock again, impatience flashing briefly in his eyes. “Look, today's my wedding anniversary and I don’t want trouble. Please don’t disrupt my work.”
Those words hit Shen Fei harder than outright rejection.
She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it.
She searched his face desperately hoping to find arrogance, pride, even a trace of superiority like the chairman she just to know.
After a long silence, Shen Fei finally exhaled.
“I won’t force you to accept this,” she said quietly. “But you deserve to know the truth.”
She took out a black card from her purse and placed it into his hand.
“This is yours sir. A supreme black card,” she said firmly. “The password is your birthday. Go to the bank and check the balance yourself.”
Ethan frowned slightly, feeling the cold surface of the card.
Then Shen Fei opened a small velvet box and it had a beautiful ring inside.
The ring looked ancient and old. It had dark metal, engraved with strange, worn patterns. It didn’t sparkle, but it carried an inexplicable weight.
“This was left to you by your mother,” Shen Fei said softly. “It was her most cherished possession and she gave it to you before she died.”
Ethan’s fingers tightened unconsciously. “My… mother?”
He hesitated but then he slowly accepted it.
As Shen Fei turned to leave, she paused and looked back at him one last time.
“When you remember who you are sir” she said, her voice low and steady, “the entire world will kneel again.”
She left the warehouse and Ethan stood frozen for several seconds before letting out a quiet breath.
He shook his head and put the card and ring into his pocket.
None of it mattered now. He finished his work early and left the warehouse.
But fate didn’t allow him to go home.
At the entrance of the warehouse stood Lena Carter.
She was beautiful, elegant, and dressed in a way that screamed success. Her posture was straight, her expression composed. Standing beside her was a tall man in a tailored suit, wearing a confident, arrogant smile.
It was Victor Shaw and he was the son of one of the city’s four great families.
Lena looked straight at him. “Ethan, we need to talk.”
He nodded. “Sure. Let me just,”
“I want a divorce Ethan.” Lena said sharply.
Ethan froze in his tracks.
“My company has expanded rapidly,” she continued evenly. “Our statuses no longer match. You can’t support my career anymore with your tiny salary.”
Ethan felt his chest tighten. “Is that… really what you think?”
She didn’t avoid his gaze. “I’ve thought about this for a long time. We’re no longer suited for each other,” she said softly.
She handed him the divorce papers and an envelope. “This is compensation, it's eight million dollars. It’s enough or you to start over.”
Ethan glanced at the money in her hands and smiled faintly, “So money decides everything now?”
Lena’s fingers trembled slightly, but she didn’t answer.
He pushed the envelope back to her “No need.”
Victor scoffed quietly. “At least have some self-awareness, you will suffer without her money.”
Ethan ignored him and without hesitation, he signed the papers.
“If you’ve already decided,” he said quietly, “there’s no reason to force things.”
For a brief moment, Lena’s eyes wavered.
She opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something.
Then she closed it. She turned and left with Victor.
Ethan stood alone at the warehouse entrance and his wedding anniversary ended in silence.
Latest Chapter
152
The screaming did not stop.It came from somewhere above them, muffled by layers of concrete and steel, but it was still loud enough to make Ethan's entire body go cold.For several seconds, nobody moved.Nobody spoke.The only sound inside the facility was the faint hum of machines that had supposedly shut down.Ethan slowly got to his feet.His legs felt weak.He looked at the main screen again.EARTH LOCATION: COMPROMISED.Then another line appeared.ENTITY TRANSFER: SUCCESSFUL.Ethan stared at it.“That isn't possible.”His father stepped closer to the screen.“It is.”Ethan looked at him.“We sent it back.”“No.”His father's voice was quiet.“You sent part of it back.”Sofia stood beside Ethan.“What does that mean?”His father did not answer immediately.Ethan felt something twist inside his stomach.“Dad.”His father finally looked at him.“The entity didn't need its entire consciousness to come here.”Ethan's eyes widened.“It sent a piece.”His father nodded.“A seed.”The w
151
Ethan stared at the countdown.00:07:42.Seven minutes.That was all the time they had.The original facility had suddenly become alive again. Machines were turning on one after another, lights were flashing across the walls, and somewhere beneath the floor, something enormous was moving upward.Ethan could feel every movement through his feet.His father stood several feet away, staring at the screens.He looked more frightened than Ethan had ever seen him.“What happens when the countdown reaches zero?” Ethan asked.His father did not answer.“Dad.”His father finally looked at him.“It arrives.”“What arrives?”“The original entity.”Ethan's eyes narrowed.“The thing that created the First Mind.”His father nodded.“Yes.”Sofia stepped closer.“And what happens when it gets here?”His father looked at her.“It will take back everything that came from it.”Ethan immediately understood.“Us.”His father nodded.“You and Sofia.”Ethan looked at the countdown.00:07:09.“We have to sto
150
Ethan stood at the top of the staircase and stared into the darkness.The voice of the First Mind still echoed through the facility.MY CHILD HAS FINALLY COME HOME.Ethan's hand tightened around Sofia's.He had heard many voices since entering the hidden city.He had heard the Architect.He had heard Daniel.He had heard versions of himself.He had even heard voices belonging to people who had died decades ago.But this voice was different.It did not sound like someone speaking to him.It sounded like something remembering him.And that frightened Ethan more than anything else.Sofia looked at him.“Ethan, are you sure about this?”“No.”She blinked.He gave her a small smile.“But I'm going anyway.”They began walking down the staircase.Each step seemed to take them deeper than the one before.The walls changed as they descended.The metal walls disappeared.Then the wires disappeared.Then the lights disappeared.Soon, the staircase was surrounded by smooth white walls.Ethan ran
149
Ethan could hear his own heartbeat.It was the only sound he could recognize in the darkness.Everything else had disappeared.The machines had stopped humming. The lights had gone out. Even the old man behind him had gone completely silent.Then something breathed beneath the floor.Slowly.Deeply.Like something enormous had just awakened from a sleep that had lasted for years.Ethan turned toward the glass chamber.His father was still standing inside.The emergency lights suddenly flickered on, revealing his face again.Ethan had spent years imagining what his father might have looked like.He had imagined a hundred different faces.None of them had been right.Because the man inside the chamber looked exactly like the person Ethan remembered from the deepest part of his childhood.His dark hair was longer now, and his face looked older and thinner, but his eyes were the same.Those were the eyes Ethan had inherited.Those were the eyes he had seen in old photographs without under
148
Ethan stared at the final message.ORIGINAL PROJECT LOCATION: EARTH.For several seconds, he couldn't move.The hidden city around them had gone completely silent.No alarms.No voices.No footsteps.Nothing.It was almost peaceful.And somehow, that made Ethan even more nervous.Because peace had never lasted long in this place.Sofia stood beside him.“Ethan.”He didn't answer.His eyes remained fixed on the screen.The words disappeared.Then another message appeared.LOCATION UNKNOWN.Ethan's jaw tightened.“You have got to be kidding me.”Sofia stepped closer.“What does that mean?”“It means we don't know where it is.”“But the city knows.”“The city is shutting down.”The screen flickered.Another message appeared.ARCHIVE ACCESS: DENIED.Ethan walked toward it.“Open.”Nothing happened.He tried again.“Open the archive.”The screen remained blank.Ethan slammed his palm against it.“Open!”Sofia grabbed his arm.“Ethan, stop.”He pulled away.“No.”She stared at him.“You're
147
Ethan couldn't see anything.There was only white.No ground.No sky.No sound.For a moment, he wasn't even sure he had a body.Then he heard breathing.His own.Slow.Uneven.Alive.“Ethan?”Sofia.Her voice sounded far away.He tried to answer, but nothing came out.He opened his eyes.Sofia was standing several feet away.She looked exactly the same.Same face.Same clothes.Same frightened expression.But something felt different.Ethan pushed himself up.“Sofia?”She nodded.“I’m here.”Ethan looked around.The city was gone.The origin facility was gone.Even the darkness was gone.They were standing inside a massive white room.There were no doors.No windows.Nothing except a black line running across the floor between them.Ethan stared at it.“Where are we?”“I don't know.”He stood.His body felt strangely light.Too light.He looked at his hands.No glowing marks.No cracks.Nothing.For the first time in days, he looked completely normal.That frightened him more.“Sofia
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