“Reborn With the Future in My Hands”

Chapter 4: The Future Has Changed

Ethan couldn't stop thinking about the System's final message.

[One possible betrayer has been removed from the timeline.]

Someone who was supposed to betray him would no longer do it.

But the next line disturbed him even more.

[Timeline correction will occur.]

Ethan looked at Amelia.

She was still standing beside him, trying to understand why he had suddenly gone quiet.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“You've said that three times.”

Ethan smiled.

“I've had a strange day.”

Amelia studied him.

“You're not very good at explaining yourself.”

“I'm learning.”

She smiled faintly.

“Then maybe you should start with something simple.”

“Like what?”

“Why did you know where I would be?”

Ethan became silent.

There was no safe answer.

He couldn't tell her about the System.

He couldn't tell her that he had already lived ten years beyond this moment.

And he certainly couldn't tell her that, in another life, he had watched her disappear without ever understanding why.

“I had a feeling.”

Amelia shook her head.

“That doesn't sound convincing.”

“It wasn't supposed to.”

She laughed.

For the first time since his rebirth, Ethan found himself smiling without forcing it.

Then a black sedan passed slowly behind them.

Ethan's smile disappeared.

He watched it until it turned the corner.

Someone was still watching.

The System remained silent.

That worried him.

---

The following morning, Ethan arrived at the university early.

He went straight to the computer lab.

If someone was monitoring him, he needed to understand how much information they could access.

He logged into the university system.

His student records appeared.

Nothing unusual.

Grades.

Attendance.

Personal information.

Then he noticed something.

His emergency contact information had been accessed at 2:13 a.m.

Ethan froze.

He checked the access history.

Someone had logged in using an administrator account.

The activity had been deleted.

Almost perfectly.

Almost.

Ethan smiled.

“Too careless.”

He copied the remaining data onto a flash drive.

Then the System appeared.

[Unauthorized access detected.]

[Source: Unknown.]

Ethan stared at the screen.

“Can you trace it?”

[No.]

“Why?”

[Access originated from an authorized internal terminal.]

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

Someone inside the university was helping them.

He closed the computer.

He didn't need to know who yet.

He needed to know what they were looking for.

---

At noon, Ethan met Daniel Moore in the cafeteria.

Daniel looked exhausted.

“You were right.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

“About what?”

“The project.”

Daniel opened his laptop.

“Nexora.”

Ethan leaned forward.

“What happened?”

“I found an investor.”

“That's good.”

“No.”

Daniel shook his head.

“The investor withdrew this morning.”

“Why?”

“He received an anonymous warning.”

Ethan's expression changed.

“What kind of warning?”

Daniel turned the laptop around.

A message was displayed.

**Do not work with Daniel Moore.**

**His company will fail.**

**Anyone connected to him will lose everything.**

Ethan stared at it.

“When did you receive this?”

“Three hours ago.”

“Who sent it?”

“Unknown number.”

Ethan leaned back.

The timing was too perfect.

Yesterday he had invested in Daniel's future.

Today someone was already trying to destroy it.

That meant the interference wasn't limited to Ethan.

The unknown enemy was reacting to changes in the timeline.

The System appeared.

[Future deviation detected.]

[Event probability altered.]

[Daniel Moore's original future success probability: 78%.]

[Current probability: 51%.]

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

He looked at Daniel.

“Do you trust me?”

Daniel looked surprised.

“Yes.”

“Then continue.”

“With the company?”

“Yes.”

Daniel hesitated.

“What if it fails?”

Ethan smiled.

“Then we'll make sure it doesn't.”

Daniel stared at him.

“Why are you so confident?”

“Because I've seen what happens when people give up too early.”

Daniel nodded slowly.

“Then I'll continue.”

The System appeared again.

[Minor Future Event changed.]

[Reward: 3 Karma.]

Ethan smiled.

Three Karma.

Small.

But useful.

More importantly, he had discovered something.

The future could be manipulated indirectly.

He didn't need to wait for major events.

He could build his own future.

---

That evening, Ethan returned home.

His father was sitting in the study.

Richard looked up.

“You're spending a lot of time outside.”

“I have plans.”

“What kind of plans?”

“Business.”

Richard frowned.

“You're eighteen.”

“So?”

“You should be focusing on university.”

“I am.”

Richard closed the file in front of him.

“Ethan.”

“Yes?”

“Stay away from the Rose family.”

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“That isn't enough.”

Richard stood.

“You don't understand what you're getting involved in.”

“Then explain it.”

“I can't.”

“Because of 1996?”

Richard froze.

Ethan saw it.

The fear.

Again.

“You've been asking questions.”

“Yes.”

“I told you to stop.”

“And I told you I won't.”

Richard's voice became firm.

“You have no idea what those people are capable of.”

Ethan stepped closer.

“Then tell me.”

Silence.

Richard looked at his son.

For a moment, he seemed ready to speak.

Then he shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because you're not ready.”

Ethan almost laughed.

“I died once.”

Richard's face went pale.

Ethan immediately realized what he had said.

Silence filled the room.

His father stared at him.

“What did you just say?”

Ethan took a breath.

“I said…”

Before he could finish, his phone vibrated.

The System appeared.

[Major Timeline Deviation.]

Ethan looked at the screen.

[Previous Event: Richard Carter would reveal information about 1996 on September 28.]

[Current Event: Disclosure probability reduced.]

Ethan's eyes widened.

September 28.

One day before the betrayal.

That meant his father's secret was directly connected to the betrayal event.

He looked at Richard.

His father still looked disturbed.

Ethan didn't push further.

Not yet.

He walked out of the study.

---

Later that night, Ethan sat at his desk.

He opened his notebook.

He wrote:

**What I know:**

**1. Someone knows about my first life.**

**2. Someone is monitoring my changes.**

**3. Amelia was targeted before she should have been.**

**4. Someone is interfering with Daniel's future.**

**5. My father knows the truth about 1996.**

**6. September 29 is connected to all of it.**

Ethan stared at the list.

Then added one final line.

**7. The future is reacting to me.**

His phone suddenly vibrated.

Unknown number.

One message.

**You saved Amelia.**

Another message appeared.

**You protected Daniel.**

Ethan's expression hardened.

Then:

**You're changing things you don't understand.**

He typed:

**Who are you?**

The message was read immediately.

But no answer came.

Instead, another message appeared.

**Ask your father what happened on October 14, 1996.**

Ethan froze.

October 14.

The date of the warehouse fire.

He stared at the screen.

Then his father suddenly called from downstairs.

“Ethan!”

His voice sounded frightened.

Ethan rushed out of his room.

“What happened?”

Richard stood beside the front door.

In his hand was an old photograph.

His face was pale.

He handed it to Ethan.

“Someone left this outside.”

Ethan looked at the photograph.

Three young men stood in front of the Blackridge warehouse.

Richard Carter.

Marcus Rose.

David Hayes.

But there was a fourth person.

A young woman.

Ethan's eyes widened.

He recognized her.

She was standing beside Marcus Rose.

And written on the back of the photograph was one sentence:

**She was the reason the warehouse burned.**

Ethan slowly looked at his father.

“Who is she?”

Richard didn't answer.

He simply whispered:

“The woman who started everything.”

And for the first time, Ethan realized the secret of 1996 might not begin with the three men.

It might begin with someone none of them had ever mentioned.