2026-07-31 07:05:45Ryan’s footsteps echoed through the hallway before disappearing around the corner.
Ethan stood still.
His eyes remained fixed in the direction Ryan had left.
A nurse hurried past him, pushing a patient on a stretcher.
The noise of the hospital slowly returned.
But Ethan’s thoughts were somewhere else.
Tonight…
Everything would begin.
Everything that had destroyed his previous life.
This time, however, he wasn’t the poor delivery rider carrying a cheap engagement ring.
He was no longer the man everyone laughed at.
The system suddenly spoke.
[Host, please remember.]
[Changing fate requires changing decisions.]
Ethan smiled faintly.
“I know.”
“I’ve already made my first decision.”
“I’m not going there to beg.”
“I’m going there to end something.”
The system remained silent.
…
A few minutes later…
Professor Hayes returned from examining Sophia’s grandmother.
Sophia and her father immediately stood up.
“Professor?”
“How is she?”
Professor Hayes removed his glasses and sighed.
“The situation is serious.”
Sophia’s heart skipped a beat.
“But…”
“The surgery is possible.”
Hope immediately returned to her eyes.
“Really?”
The professor nodded.
“I’ve reviewed her scans.”
“The blockage is severe.”
“But I’ve handled much worse.”
Sophia covered her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Thank God…”
Her father bowed repeatedly.
“Professor…”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you.”
Professor Hayes smiled.
“Take good care of your mother.”
“That’s enough repayment.”
A doctor quickly approached.
“Professor.”
“The operating room is ready.”
Professor Hayes nodded.
“I’ll begin immediately.”
Before walking away, he turned toward Ethan.
“Young man.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan looked surprised.
“For what?”
“If you hadn’t reminded me why I became a doctor…”
“I would’ve walked away today.”
He smiled warmly.
“You’ve saved more than one life.”
Without another word, he entered the operating room.
The red light above the door switched on.
SURGERY IN PROGRESS
Sophia slowly sat down.
For the first time that day…
She looked calmer.
She turned toward Ethan.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You’ve helped me all day.”
“You barely know me.”
“Why?”
Ethan smiled.
“Do I need a reason?”
She nodded.
“Most people do.”
“Most people expect something in return.”
Ethan looked at the operating room.
“When I was younger…”
“I once needed help.”
“No one came.”
“I promised myself…”
“If I ever had the chance…”
“I’d be the person I wished had helped me.”
Sophia looked at him quietly.
She didn’t know why…
But those words touched her heart.
He wasn’t pretending.
She could hear the sincerity in his voice.
Her father walked over.
He held Ethan’s hands tightly.
“Young man…”
“You’ve done more for our family today than some relatives have done in years.”
“I’ll never forget this.”
Ethan smiled.
“I’m just glad I arrived on time.”
At that moment, the system appeared.
Emergency Mission Progress
Professor Adrian Hayes has accepted the surgery.
Current Progress: 70%
Please wait for surgery results.
Ethan quietly dismissed the screen.
There was nothing more he could do here.
Then…
His phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
Chloe ❤️
Where are you? Everyone is waiting. Ryan already arrived. Don’t embarrass me by being late.
Ethan stared at the message.
Five years ago…
Those words would’ve made him panic.
He would’ve rushed across the city just to avoid upsetting her.
Now…
He simply smiled.
How ironic.
She was worried about being embarrassed.
She had no idea what was about to happen.
Sophia noticed his expression.
“Everything okay?”
Ethan put away his phone.
“I have somewhere I need to be.”
She looked guilty.
“If it’s because of me…”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“It’s something I should’ve finished a long time ago.”
Sophia nodded.
“I understand.”
She hesitated before speaking again.
“Will I see you again?”
Ethan smiled.
“I think so.”
“I still owe you another lunch.”
She laughed softly.
“You do.”
Her smile slowly faded.
“Please…”
“Be careful.”
Ethan nodded.
“I will.”
He turned to leave.
Just before he reached the elevator, the system spoke again.
[Main Mission Reminder.]
Destination: Starlight Grand Hotel.
Time Remaining: 1 Hour 18 Minutes.
Bonus Objective: Crush Ryan Crawford’s pride.
A black Rolls-Royce was already waiting outside the hospital.
The chauffeur immediately opened the rear door.
“Good evening, Mr. Cole.”
“Where to, sir?”
Ethan looked out through the windshield.
The sun had almost set.
The city lights were beginning to glow.
He leaned back in his seat.
“Take me to Starlight Grand Hotel.”
The chauffeur nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
The Rolls-Royce pulled smoothly into traffic.
As the car disappeared into the evening rush, Ethan looked out the window.
Five years ago…
He had gone to that hotel carrying hope.
A ring in his pocket.
Dreams in his heart.
Tonight…
He carried neither.
Instead…
He carried power.
Money.
Knowledge.
And a promise.
He would never allow anyone to trample on him again.
Across the city…
Inside the private banquet hall of the Starlight Grand Hotel…
Ryan raised a glass of expensive wine.
Chloe sat beside him, smiling brightly.
Around them were nearly twenty friends and business associates.
Everyone laughed as Ryan entertained the room.
One of the guests looked around.
“Isn’t Chloe’s boyfriend supposed to be here?”
Ryan laughed loudly.
“He’ll come.”
“He always comes.”
Another man smirked.
“The poor guy must still be delivering food.”
Laughter spread across the room.
Chloe forced a smile, but said nothing.
She checked her phone.
No reply from Ethan.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
For some reason…
She suddenly felt that tonight…
Something unexpected was about to happen
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 109: Legacy Reawakened
The blue screen flickered.It was unstable.Unlike the flawless interface Ethan had relied on throughout his journey, this one was fractured.Tiny cracks spread across its edges as though the system itself had suffered tremendous damage.The familiar mechanical voice spoke again.It was weaker than Ethan remembered.Yet…He smiled.After everything that had happened…It still sounded like home.Legacy System…Emergency Restoration… 7% Complete…Warning… Core functions unavailable…Reason… Legacy sacrificed during the Final Convergence…Ethan’s heart pounded.“So…”“You survived.”The screen remained silent for a moment.Then…A new sentence appeared.Correction…This unit did not survive.This unit… was remembered.The words struck him harder than any attack ever could.Remembered.Not rebuilt.Not repaired.Remembered.The blue screen slowly continued.Human belief…Shared memories…Legacy fragments carried within countless lives…Emergency reconstruction successful.Ethan finally un
Chapter 108: The Sky Breaker
The crack spread across the blue sky.It didn’t happen all at once.Thin fractures crawled outward like veins across glass, stretching from one horizon to the other.Each new crack released a faint silver light.The peaceful meadow beneath Ethan’s feet trembled.Birds that had been singing moments before suddenly took flight.The gentle breeze vanished.An unnatural silence swallowed the world.Ren’s small hand instinctively reached for Ethan’s.His fingers were trembling.“They found us.”Ethan looked down.“Who?”Ren swallowed.“The ones who don’t want us remembered.”Another deafening roar echoed overhead.This time…It was closer.The sky shattered a little more.Chunks of blue light drifted downward before dissolving into countless glowing particles.Ethan had seen worlds collapse before.He had watched stars disappear.Yet…There was something uniquely terrifying about watching the sky itself come apart.Not because it looked destructive.Because it looked…Wrong.Like reality w
Chapter 107: The First Face
Every step echoed inside Ethan’s helmet.Crunch.Crunch.Crunch.The lunar dust compressed beneath his boots as he followed the countless footprints stretching toward the enormous black doorway.Mission Control remained connected through his communicator.“Ethan, your oxygen levels are stable.”“Heart rate elevated, but within acceptable limits.”Dr. Brooks’ calm voice filled the silence.Professor Orion spoke next.“Distance to the structure: four hundred meters.”“Proceed carefully.”“I will.”Ethan answered.He never took his eyes off the doorway.The closer he came…The larger it became.From orbit it had looked massive.Standing beneath it…It was overwhelming.It rose into the endless darkness above him like a mountain carved from midnight.Its surface reflected nothing.Not sunlight.Not stars.Not even Ethan himself.It was as though the doorway refused to acknowledge reality.Back on Earth…Sophia stood inside Mission Control.Her hands remained folded tightly together.She h
Chapter 106: The Man Who Walked Through Silence
By sunrise…Ethan had made his decision.He would go.Not because he trusted the beings beyond the black doorway.Not because he believed they meant no harm.But because he had seen something in the message that no one else seemed willing to acknowledge.They had asked.Twice.First…May we speak?Then…One may come.An enemy didn’t ask permission.An enemy simply invaded.Whatever waited beyond that door…It wanted to be heard.Whether that was a blessing or a trap…Only one way existed to find out.The launch facility came alive before dawn.Floodlights illuminated the enormous launch pad while engineers hurried around the silver shuttle.Unlike the bulky spacecraft used during the early years of space exploration…This one had been built after the Seven Days.Human technology had advanced dramatically with knowledge recovered from the Architects.Its engines were cleaner.Its shields stronger.Its navigation system could cross the distance between Earth and the Moon in less than th
Chapter 105: The Invitation
No one celebrated.Although the footprints had stopped appearing…Although the black doorway had remained closed…Not a single person inside Mission Control believed the danger had passed.If anything…The silence felt heavier.It was the silence of two strangers looking at one another across a great distance.Waiting.Wondering who would speak next.Dr. Elena Brooks stood beside the communications console, replaying Ethan’s transmission.“My name is Ethan.”“You asked if you could speak.”“You can.”She listened to it three more times before finally muting the speakers.“I’ve worked in aerospace for seventeen years.”She slowly shook her head.“I spent my entire career preparing for first contact.”She smiled weakly.“I never imagined it would begin with… permission.”Professor Orion nodded.“Neither did I.”Hours passed.The black doorway did not move.The Moon remained quiet.Scientists continued monitoring every satellite, every telescope, and every sensor aimed toward the far sid
Chapter 104: Beyond the Black Door
The three knocks echoed through Mission Control.Slow.Steady.Deliberate.Every person in the room froze.No one spoke.No one breathed.The sound wasn’t coming from the speakers anymore.It seemed to resonate through the walls themselves.Three knocks…Yet it felt as though something enormous had struck the fabric of reality.Then…Silence.Emergency lights flickered back to life.Rows of monitors rebooted one after another.Technicians hurried to their stations.“Power is returning!”“I’m reconnecting to the lunar station!”“Signal stabilizing!”Dr. Elena Brooks leaned over one of the consoles.“Get me visual confirmation.”The largest monitor flashed.Static filled the screen.Then the image cleared.Everyone stared.The giant black doorway still stood on the Moon’s far side.Exactly where it had been before.Silent.Motionless.Almost…Innocent.Kai slowly let out the breath he had been holding.“I hate doors.”Lyra looked at him.“You hate everything.”“I especially hate mysteri
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