2026-07-31 07:15:05Ryan stared at the black card in his hand.
The silver crown engraved on its surface reflected the light from the chandelier.
His grandfather stood beside the window with his hands behind his back.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Finally, Ryan broke the silence.
“Who are they?”
His grandfather slowly turned around.
“The Crown Society.”
Ryan frowned.
“I’ve never heard of them.”
“You weren’t supposed to.”
“They don’t appear on television.”
“They don’t attend business parties.”
“They don’t compete for public attention.”
His grandfather’s expression became serious.
“But behind many of the country’s biggest companies…”
“…their influence can be found.”
Ryan swallowed.
“They’re that powerful?”
His grandfather nodded.
“The Crawford Group only became successful because we once received help from someone connected to them.”
Ryan’s eyes widened.
“You mean…”
“They’re even stronger than us?”
His grandfather laughed softly.
“Ryan…”
“We’re ants compared to them.”
Ryan looked down at the card.
For the first time…
He realized how small his world had been.
His grandfather walked closer.
“I’ve protected that card for over twenty years.”
“I hoped our family would never need it.”
“But Ethan has changed everything.”
Ryan clenched his jaw.
“I’ll contact them.”
His grandfather grabbed his wrist.
“Listen carefully.”
“If you make this call…”
“You can’t take it back.”
Ryan nodded without hesitation.
“I don’t care.”
“As long as Ethan loses.”
His grandfather slowly released him.
Ryan picked up his phone.
His finger trembled as he dialed the number printed on the back of the card.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three.
The call connected.
A calm female voice answered.
“The Crown Society.”
“State your purpose.”
Ryan took a deep breath.
“My name is Ryan Crawford.”
“I wish to request assistance.”
There was silence.
Then…
“What level of assistance?”
Ryan’s eyes turned cold.
“I want someone ruined.”
Another few seconds passed.
Finally…
The woman spoke again.
“Your request has been recorded.”
“You will receive an answer within twenty-four hours.”
Click.
The line went dead.
Ryan stared at his phone.
“That’s it?”
His grandfather nodded.
“If they accept…”
“They’ll contact you.”
“And if they refuse?”
His grandfather smiled bitterly.
“Then pray Ethan never becomes your enemy.”
Ryan frowned.
“He already is.”
…
Meanwhile…
Inside the Imperial Sky Lounge…
Victor Langford finished reviewing a contract.
He placed it on the table.
“I’ll send my legal team to your office tomorrow.”
Ethan nodded.
“That’s fine.”
Victor smiled.
“You’ve had quite an eventful day.”
Ethan laughed.
“You could say that.”
A waiter entered quietly.
“Chairman.”
“A guest wishes to speak with Mr. Cole.”
Victor raised an eyebrow.
“Who?”
“It’s Professor Adrian Hayes.”
Ethan looked surprised.
“He came here?”
The waiter nodded.
“He’s waiting downstairs.”
Ethan stood up.
“I’ll see him.”
Victor smiled.
“I’ll wait here.”
…
A few minutes later…
Ethan entered the hotel’s private lounge.
Professor Hayes was sitting near the window with a cup of tea.
When he saw Ethan, he smiled.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Not at all.”
Ethan sat opposite him.
Professor Hayes looked healthier than he had earlier.
His eyes carried a quiet warmth.
“The surgery was successful.”
“I heard.”
The professor nodded.
“I’ve also made a decision.”
Ethan looked curious.
“What decision?”
“I’m coming out of retirement.”
Ethan smiled.
“I had a feeling you would.”
Professor Hayes laughed.
“My wife would probably scold me.”
“But…”
“I finally remembered why I loved medicine.”
He reached into his briefcase.
Then placed an old leather notebook on the table.
“This belonged to me.”
Ethan looked at it.
The cover was worn from years of use.
Professor Hayes gently pushed it toward him.
“Open it.”
Ethan flipped through the pages.
His eyes widened.
Every page contained handwritten surgical notes.
Heart procedures.
Rare diseases.
Treatment methods.
Forty years of medical experience…
Written by hand.
Professor Hayes smiled.
“Those are my personal journals.”
“I’ve never shown them to anyone.”
Ethan looked up.
“You want me to have them?”
The professor nodded.
“I know it sounds strange.”
“You’re not a doctor.”
“But my instincts tell me…”
“…one day you’ll save more lives than I ever did.”
Before Ethan could reply…
The system suddenly appeared.
Congratulations!
You have obtained: Professor Hayes’ Lifetime Medical Journal.
Reward Activated.
Master Medical Knowledge (Cardiology): Unlocked.
Host has successfully inherited world-class cardiac expertise.
A flood of information rushed into Ethan’s mind.
Advanced heart surgery.
Diagnosis.
Emergency treatment.
Rare conditions.
Within seconds…
It felt as though he had spent decades studying medicine.
He blinked several times.
The feeling disappeared.
Professor Hayes smiled knowingly.
“I don’t know why…”
“But giving that journal to you feels right.”
Ethan carefully closed the notebook.
“I won’t let your trust go to waste.”
The professor stood.
“I know you won’t.”
As he walked toward the exit, he suddenly stopped.
Without turning around, he said,
“Be careful, Ethan.”
Ethan frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Professor Hayes slowly looked over his shoulder.
“There was a black sedan parked outside the hospital tonight.”
“It wasn’t watching me.”
“It was watching you.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“You noticed?”
The professor nodded.
“They followed your car when you left.”
“They were professionals.”
A cold silence filled the room.
The system suddenly issued another alert.
Warning!
Host is currently under surveillance.
Unknown Organization Activity Detected.
Threat Level Increased: Medium.
Ethan slowly looked out the window.
Far across the street…
A black sedan was parked beneath a streetlight.
Inside…
Someone was watching the hotel through a pair of binoculars.
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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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