2025-08-05 16:26:29Ethan sat silently across the polished mahogany desk, watching the wolf smile.
Mr. Zhou Liang—the so-called angel investor—was a man whose reputation preceded him. Ruthless, shrewd, and known for devouring fledgling businesses under the guise of mentorship. Many had praised his “partnerships,” only to vanish into bankruptcy while he expanded his empire.
But Ethan wasn’t the same delivery boy who once begged for a job. Not anymore.
Zhou steepled his fingers. “Let me be clear, Mr. Cross. I’m not here to coddle dreamers. Your courier app has potential, but it needs muscle. I’ll offer you two million dollars in exchange for 70% of your company.”
Ethan didn’t flinch.
“Two million?” Ethan echoed, tapping his fingers calmly. “For seventy percent?”
Zhou leaned back. “You’re not in a position to negotiate. You have no backers, no network, and limited infrastructure. I’m offering you legitimacy.”
Ethan smiled faintly.
[System Alert] 🔹 Mission Unlocked: Outsmart the WolfObjective: Negotiate an investment deal on YOUR terms. Bonus Objective: Make Zhou Liang agree to less than 40% stake. Time Limit: 30 minutesReward: Negotiation Skill Upgrade Penalty: Public withdrawal of Zhou’s offer + sabotage from his network.
25:00
Ethan leaned forward, voice low. “You’re right. I’m small. But I have something you don't—momentum. My app has 12,000 downloads in its first week. Organic. My riders are doubling daily. And I’m targeting zones your logistics empire won’t touch.”
Zhou arched a brow.
“I built it with nothing. No loans, no mentors. Imagine what I can do with a quarter of your funding.”
Zhou’s smile faded slightly.
“Interesting pitch. But I don’t bet on emotion.”
Ethan tapped on his phone and swiped a file toward Zhou. “Here. Live delivery success rates. 92.4%. Average response time: 6 minutes. I’m faster than your entire urban branch—because I don’t rely on hierarchy. My team uses incentive algorithms. Every rider earns bonus points based on performance.”
Zhou skimmed through the report.
“And?” he said coolly.
“I want \$1 million for 30%. I retain control. You get first right of refusal in future rounds. And you become the name behind the fastest-growing logistics start-up in the region. Not the man who missed the wave.”
Zhou chuckled. “Bold. You’re confident.”
“Because I’ve already turned humiliation into leverage. What do you think I’ll do with capital?”
10:47
Zhou leaned back again. Silence stretched.
“You remind me of someone,” he muttered. “Me—before I became civilized.”
He stood, walking to the window. “Fine. 35%. You get your million. I want board access and monthly updates.”
Ethan stood too.
“You have a deal.”
[System Update] ✅ Mission Complete! ▪ Zhou accepted a 35% deal. ▪ Bonus objective achieved. 🎖 Reward Unlocked: Negotiation Skill Upgrade – Level 1 ▪ Your persuasion, bluffing, and logical manipulation abilities have improved. ▪ Effect: +20% success rate in business negotiations.
System Note: Zhou Liang is now a potential ally… or future threat.
Later That Night...
Ethan returned to his shared apartment. The single bulb overhead flickered, reminding him how far he still had to go.
His phone buzzed.
Text from Mia:
“You really met Zhou Liang? Is it true? You're all over the business feeds.”
Another buzz. Group Chat:
[Liam Stone has entered the chat]Liam: “Looks like the delivery boy finally found a suit. Don’t get too excited. Zhou chews kids like you for breakfast.”
Ethan stared at the message, his fingers tightening around the phone.
[System Alert] New Mission Available: “Crush the Stone.” Objective: Secure a deal Liam failed to get last quarter. Reward: Business Reputation Boost + Corporate Trait Upgrade Status: Pending…
Meanwhile…
Liam Stone slammed his glass against the table, whiskey spilling across the mahogany.
“What do you mean Zhou signed with Ethan Cross?”
Cassandra sat across from him, visibly uncomfortable. “He’s making moves, Liam. The media’s loving the underdog story. You know how investors love fresh blood.”
Liam’s eyes darkened.
“Then let’s draw blood.”
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The Final Rhythm
The Heart was quiet.Not dead—never dead—but still. The kind of stillness that comes after the last note of a song, when the air itself remembers the melody. Across the continuum, the echoes of the Dreaming God’s light drifted like petals upon a boundless ocean. Every world dreamed; every dream waited.And at the center of that sleeping vastness, Seraphina stood.The air shimmered faintly around her, thick with memory. Each breath she drew carried a thousand sensations—joy, grief, wonder, loss. They no longer weighed her down; they simply were. She was no longer fighting against the pulse of existence or surrendering to it. She had become part of it—an awareness within the dream.Solen stood a few paces behind her, his presence steady, watching as the ripples of light coiled softly around her form.“Do you feel it?” he asked quietly.Seraphina nodded. “Everything. Every dream, every heartbeat, every silence that ever was. It’s all… awake, even while it sleeps.”The horizon quivered. B
The Rise of the Living Dream
The world had not ended.It shifted.Where once there was stillness, there was breath. Where once harmony reigned, now rhythm flowed—wild, unpredictable, but alive. The continuum pulsed like a single living being, every beat echoing through stars, oceans, and the minds of all who remembered the Heart.And at the center of it all stood Sera.Her body shimmered with light that refused to settle—veins glowing in molten threads of red and silver, her eyes carrying the reflection of both dawn and dusk. The Heart beat within her chest now—not as a relic, but as something reborn.She was no longer merely a bearer of the Echo Star. She was the Living Dream.I. The Awakening of the RealmsThe transformation spread like a silent wave.Every city that had once existed in perfect balance began to stir as if waking from an ancient slumber. The rivers of Ariane’s gardens began to flow faster, twisting into new paths as though reclaiming forgotten freedom. The molten towers of Kael’s dominion burned
The Forgotten Pulse
The wind over Lyraen had changed.It still carried the warmth of harmony that had spread through the realms since the Age of Reflection began, but beneath that calm there was a tremor—a rhythm out of sync. Faint, almost imperceptible, but wrong.The city had grown vast. What began as a circle of shimmering stone and song had become a living labyrinth of light and voice. Every street hummed with the resonance of the Heart. Every citizen moved as though in tune with the very breath of the world.Except for Sera.She felt it.The pulse beneath the peace.It started as a whisper in her veins, a discordant echo that made the Echo Star crystal in her possession flicker between silver and red. The others didn’t notice. They believed the crystal was a gift—a symbol of balance, the last remnant of Liora’s transcendence.But Sera wasn’t so sure anymore.That morning, when the first light of Eiran touched the spires of Lyraen, the crystal in her hand beat once, hard enough to sting her palm. She
The Age of Reflection Begins
The world was quiet.Not the silence of endings—but the stillness that comes after a deep breath, the pause between one heartbeat and the next. For the first time since the beginning, the continuum was not tearing itself apart in conflict or remaking itself in fire. It was simply aware.The rivers moved with a gentle hum, the sky breathed in colors unseen before, and the light that touched the soil was neither harsh nor pure—it was balanced.The Heart of All Things had awakened, and through it, every being now heard a faint whisper, like a song half-remembered.“You are not alone. You are part of the dream that dreams itself.”It was the voice of Liora. Not as goddess, not as mortal—but as memory. The essence of all balance.I. The Dawn of the New AgeIn the Garden of Mirrors, Ariane stood at the edge of her lake, watching her reflection ripple with colors that did not belong to the mortal realm. Each hue shimmered with meaning—gold for will, silver for peace, crimson for courage, and
The Echo Between Gods
The world no longer slept. It remembered itself awake.The light of dawn rose not from the sky this time—but from within. Across the continents of dream, rivers shimmered with internal glow, trees whispered like living memories, and mountains trembled as if exhaling the first breath of awareness.The Garden and the Flame both stirred, bound by a pulse neither could define. The twin stars—Eiran and Solas—burned together in a single halo, their light folding into a spiral that reached across the heavens.And in the heart of the Valley of Mists, Liorastood beneath that spiral.Her hands trembled with energy too vast for flesh to contain. One eye glowed with the serenity of reflection; the other burned with the heat of will. The air around her rippled with every breath—threads of silver, gold, and crimson weaving through the fog.She could feel everything: the joy of the Garden, the fury of the Flame, the sorrow of the Witness, and the patient, aching love of the Dreaming God.It was all
The Garden and the Flame
The world no longer dreamed—it decided.The two paths that had once been one now diverged fully beneath the silent gaze of the Dreaming God. The Children of Dawn no longer gathered beneath the same stars; they gathered beneath their beliefs. The air, once filled with the hum of harmony, now carried the pulse of choice.And from choice, history began.I. The Garden of RemembranceTo the east of the world, where the light of dawn fell longest, Ariane built her refuge. It began as a circle of still water—a lake so calm that even the stars above mirrored within it perfectly, without distortion. Around its edges, she planted the first living trees, each born from a seed of memory.Their leaves shimmered faintly in tones of gold and azure. Whenever the wind passed through them, whispers filled the air—echoes of forgotten songs, laughter from the old worlds, fragments of languages no longer spoken.This was the Garden of Remembrance.Her people, the Keepers of Light, believed that peace coul
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