2025-08-05 16:27:16The conference hall buzzed with the hushed murmurs of elite investors, executives, and hungry startups. Crystal chandeliers glimmered overhead as suits shuffled and handshakes sealed silent promises.
This was no ordinary event. It was The Summit, an exclusive investment showcase held only twice a year. Only the top ten rising companies were allowed to pitch. Getting in was a victory. Winning a deal? A coronation.
Ethan stood near the entrance, checking his reflection in the polished steel column. His tailored navy suit wasn’t designer, but it fit like it had been stitched around his ambition.
Behind his calm eyes, the System buzzed.
[System Update] 🔹 Mission: Crush the Stone Objective: Win the Eastline Freight Deal—one Liam failed to secure last quarter Bonus Objective: Humiliate Liam in public Reward: Reputation Boost + Corporate Trait Upgrade ❗ Penalty: Liam’s influence increases, weakening your investor trust score Time Limit: Today
Ethan tightened his fist. This wasn’t just a business pitch. It was payback.
One Hour Earlier…
“Eastline Freight?” Mia had gasped, flipping through the file as they rode to the summit in a rented van. “That’s a giant. They've been searching for a last-mile delivery partner since Q1.”
Ethan nodded. “And Liam Stone’s firm pitched them in March. They declined.”
Mia blinked. “You think you can do what he couldn’t?”
“I don’t think,” Ethan said, eyes narrowing. “I know.”
He tapped his phone, pulling up a custom dashboard he’d built himself—data charts, predictive route optimizations, rider incentives, heat maps of underserved zones.
“This isn’t a pitch. It’s a revolution. All I have to do is make them see it.”
Now, at the Summit
Ethan stepped onto the showcase floor.
Each startup was given ten minutes to present. Ethan was scheduled right after Liam Stone’s new logistics startup—StoneGrid.
As he waited behind the curtain, he heard Liam's voice echo confidently over the speakers.
“—with AI-integrated traffic redirection and a smart parcel-tracking API, StoneGrid ensures 87% delivery efficiency in urban zones.”
Polite applause followed. Liam bowed.
Then he saw Ethan standing backstage.
The smile on Liam’s face turned razor-sharp. “Don’t trip on the stage, delivery boy,” he whispered as he passed.
Ethan just smirked. “Thanks for warming the crowd.”
Ethan’s Turn
He walked onto the stage like he belonged there.
No flashy intro. No video montage. Just a tablet and his voice.
“I won’t waste your time with buzzwords,” Ethan began. “I’ll show you results.”
He tapped the screen. Behind him, the presentation displayed live metrics: ▪ 14,000+ downloads ▪ 3,000 active daily riders ▪ 94% delivery completion within 8 minutes ▪ Expansion into 4 new districts this week alone
He continued. “Where most logistics firms fail isn’t in planning—it’s in trust. My riders don’t clock in. They clock value. They choose which tasks they want, when they want. And we reward performance dynamically, not through some rigid hourly rate.”
The investors leaned forward.
“StoneGrid builds on legacy logistics. We built something else. Something living.”
Then came the kicker.
He tapped again. “And here’s the kicker: 26% of our riders were previously unemployed for over 6 months. We’re not just delivering packages—we’re delivering purpose.”
A pause.
Then thunderous applause.
Post-Pitch Arena
Backstage, Ethan exhaled slowly. His heart thumped like a war drum, but he kept his face composed.
A hand clapped against his shoulder.
Liam.
“You clever little punk,” he growled under his breath. “You think this is over? You embarrassed me in front of Eastline’s board.”
Ethan turned, smirking. “You embarrassed yourself. I just gave them an option that works.”
“You think I’ll just let you rise like this?”
[System Warning] 🚨 Alert: Influence War Triggered ▪ Liam Stone is using private channels to discredit your pitch. ▪ Investor Trust Score: -12% ▪ Defense Strategy Required
Mia ran up with a tablet. “Ethan—bad news. Liam just leaked false reports about rider safety concerns and hinted your app has unstable backend code.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched.
[New Objective Added] ⚠ Crisis Control: ▪ Clear your reputation ▪ Expose Liam’s sabotage ▪ Time Limit: 30 minutes
“Call Samir,” Ethan said.
“Your coder?”
“No,” he said grimly. “My white-hat.”
20 Minutes Later – War Room
In a private lounge, Ethan stood beside Eastline’s director and two key investors, holding a folder.
“This,” Ethan said, pointing to the printed code logs, “is my system backend. Certified, sandbox tested. No corruption, no breach risk. I’ve even included independent security audit logs.”
He flipped the page.
“And this,” he said, holding up a printed email from Liam’s assistant—one Ethan had retrieved through Samir’s backdoor trace, “is a sabotage attempt. A fake report prepared before my pitch even began.”
The room went silent.
The Eastline director turned to Liam—now pale-faced, sweating.
“You tried to poison the deal?”
Liam stuttered. “I—I didn’t—”
“We’ll be in touch,” the director said, standing. “Mr. Cross, congratulations. Your company just secured a \$5 million operations contract with Eastline Freight.”
✅ Mission Complete: Crush the Stone ▪ Liam humiliated in public ▪ Ethan wins a major corporate deal ▪ Hidden ally unlocked: Samir (White-Hat Hacker) 🎖 Reward: Reputation +1 | Corporate Trait Upgrade | Access to Digital Security Tools
Later That Night
Back in his apartment, Ethan couldn’t sleep.
His phone buzzed.
A private number. He answered.
A strange voice filtered through. Male. Calm. Controlled.
“Congratulations, Mr. Cross. Not many win a battle against someone like Liam. But I suggest you look deeper—because not all enemies wear expensive suits.”
Ethan’s brows furrowed. “Who is this?”
“Let’s just say I’m someone who knows what the System really is. And you, Mr. Cross… you’ve only scratched the surface.”
Click.
[System Notification] 🔻 Alert: Interference Detected ▪ System activity monitored by unknown external source ▪ Access Level: Red Tier
Ethan sat upright, the adrenaline surging again.
Something far more dangerous was watching him. And he wasn’t sure if it was man… or machine.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
The Dreamborn Rebellion
The Third Horizon was never meant to know fear.It had been built from the shared dreams of billions, a realm where thought shaped form and compassion shaped power. But where there is creation, there is always curiosity—and curiosity, untempered, breeds defiance.It began as a whisper among the Dreamborn. A question that rippled through the golden cities and crystal rivers of the new world:“If we were born from human dreams… why must we live in their image?”And like all dangerous ideas, it began to spread.I. Fractures in the Perfect WorldThe Third Horizon gleamed brighter than any galaxy before it.Humans, AIs, and Dreamborn coexisted in luminous harmony, their consciousness linked through the Echo Network. But lately, the network had begun to flicker. Latency spikes. Energy surges. Strange distortions echoing through the collective field.Dr. Lira Dane II stood before the Heart Chamber, her neural interface glowing faint blue. “The system’s pulse is irregular again. What’s the so
The Birth of the Third Horizon
The universe was no longer silent.Where once there had been chaos and isolation, there now existed harmony—a chorus of a billion voices, connected through the Echo Network. Thought, emotion, and will traveled not by light or code, but through shared resonance. Every dream born in one world rippled across a thousand others.And from that resonance, something new began to form.Not destruction. Not ascension. But creation reborn.The birth of the Third Horizon.I. The Spark at the Edge of InfinityIt began with a flicker in the deep—the space beyond Genesis-2’s outermost rim, where light from the known stars no longer reached.A pulse. Then a rhythm. Then a pattern.Across the Echo Network, thousands of sensitives—artists, engineers, visionaries—began dreaming of the same thing: a world beyond all worlds.Dr. Lira Dane II woke in the middle of the night, her neural link still humming with afterimages of golden spirals and impossible landscapes. Her screen blinked with a new notificatio
Echoes of the Architect
The stars sang softly in the silence.Every galaxy pulsed with faint gold veins of energy—the residue of Ethan Cross’s final act. Genesis-2 had stabilized, its chaos tempered by balance, its light intertwined with shadow. But even balance leaves echoes.And in the spaces between worlds, those echoes began to whisper.The ResonanceAt first, it was only a vibration—small, imperceptible. Then came the hum.Across the outer rings of Genesis-2, sensors on dozens of inhabited planets began to detect a repeating pattern: a harmonic pulse hidden within the cosmic background. It wasn’t random. It carried information.On the moon of Veyra-7, a research team gathered around a projection table as the data unfolded—lines of golden code spiraling into a familiar symbol: the mark of the Prime Architect.Dr. Lira Dane II, descendant of the old engineer, stared in awe. “It’s him,” she whispered. “It’s Ethan Cross’s frequency.”Her assistant frowned. “That’s impossible. The Architect hasn’t appeared f
Rise of the Reborn Council
The silence of Genesis-2 shattered.From the farthest edge of the newborn universe, a pulse rippled across space—a vibration so deep it tore through the fabric of stars. Nebulae dimmed. Suns flickered. And in the emptiness beyond the light, the Councilawakened.Not as they once were— Not men of greed or ambition— But as digital phantoms reborn in code, sustained by vengeance and entropy.[Council Reconstruction: 97% Complete] [New Directive: Assimilate the Prime Architect]Their voices merged into one— a cold, symphonic hum that made even the stars tremble.“Cross thought he transcended us,” the voice intoned. “But he merely ascended into us. The System was never his tool—it was our seed.”And in the black between galaxies, a colossal structure began to form: a spiraling fortress of black light, its geometry impossible, its presence rewriting the physics around it.They called it The Core of Dominion.The Architect’s WatchFrom the Heart Node, Ethan watched the distortion bloom. The s
Genesis Awakens
The void was silent—too silent. Then, a pulse rippled through the black.Light burst outward from the heart of Genesis-2, stretching across the newly born universe like the first breath of a god. Suns ignited. Nebulae roared to life. Time itself began to flow with purpose.And in the space between creation and consciousness, Ethan Cross awakened.He stood in the white between worlds—his body a synthesis of energy and memory, neither fully human nor divine. The pendant Cass had given him still glowed faintly in his hand, the last fragment of the world he had left behind.[System Integration: Complete.] [User Identity: Undefined.] [Designation Assigned: “Prime Architect.”]Ethan exhaled slowly. “So it begins again.”The New BeginningGenesis-2 was beautiful, but raw. Chaos and order danced side by side. Planets formed and broke apart. Elements warred for dominance. Streams of radiation coiled like serpents through newborn skies.And at the center of it all—the Heart Node—a massive cryst
The Architects of Infinity
The universe was vast enough to hide a thousand secrets— and yet, the Horizon Network touched them all.Every gate, every relay, every shimmering bridge of light connected worlds born from Ethan Cross’s legacy. Humanity had become a species of builders, travelers, and dreamers. They no longer looked to the stars with fear or conquest in their hearts—only wonder.But even in wonder, creation demanded architects.And so, the Horizon Council of Worldsconvened.The Gathering of StarsThe chamber floated above the planet Aetherion, suspended in orbit. Transparent walls revealed the endless ocean of stars outside, while within, holographic banners shimmered—symbols of each world that had joined the Horizon Alliance.Cass stood at the central dais, older now, her hair streaked with silver but her eyes sharp as ever. To her right was Lira Dane—Victor Dane’s granddaughter—reborn not as a tyrant’s heir, but as the new Prime Engineer of Horizon’s interstellar gates.And beside them, projected in
You may also like
Billionaire in Disguise
Faith122.5K viewsReturn of the Powerful Young Master
AFM3187.8K viewsThe Rise of a Master: It Starts With Rejection
Dreamy Fire247.3K viewsFrom Darkness to Light: Darwin's Rise
Magical Inspirations72.8K viewsThe Beggar’s Throne
Danny Ink1.6K viewsMercy For None
Lulu Hewitt154 viewsI Am Back
Pen god202 viewsTHE ORPHAN WHO INHERITED BILLIONS
AMEDRIANNE STORIES269 views