2026-07-31 07:24:17Ethan slowly locked his phone.
His expression didn’t change.
But his mind was racing.
Someone had watched the entire operation.
Not through the news.
Not through rumors.
They had known immediately after it ended.
That meant the Crown Society had eyes everywhere.
Director Stanton smiled.
“Mr. Cole, we’d like to hold a press conference.”
“The media deserves to know what happened today.”
Several reporters had already gathered outside the emergency department.
Camera flashes lit up the hallway.
Microphones were being prepared.
Ethan shook his head.
“No.”
Director Stanton looked surprised.
“You don’t want the recognition?”
Ethan smiled.
“I didn’t save Professor Hayes to become famous.”
“I did it because he needed help.”
The doctors exchanged glances.
Their respect for Ethan grew even stronger.
Professor Hayes was wheeled out of the operating room.
Although still weak…
He was awake.
He looked at Director Stanton.
“Cancel every interview.”
Director Stanton nodded immediately.
“Yes, Professor.”
Professor Hayes then looked at Ethan.
“I owe you my life.”
Ethan smiled.
“You already thanked me.”
The old professor laughed softly.
“I wasn’t talking about words.”
He slowly removed a silver ring from his finger.
It was simple.
Old.
With a tiny heartbeat symbol engraved on it.
He held it out to Ethan.
“I’ve worn this for thirty-five years.”
“It was given to me by my teacher.”
“It represents the National Medical Association.”
Several senior doctors gasped.
“The Honor Ring…”
Professor Hayes nodded.
“I’ve decided…”
“…to pass it on.”
The hallway became silent.
One cardiologist whispered,
“Only seven people have ever received that ring.”
Professor Hayes smiled.
“Today…”
“It belongs to Ethan.”
Ethan accepted it respectfully.
The system immediately appeared.
Special Item Acquired
Honor Ring of Medicine
Effect: Reputation among medical professionals greatly increased.
Hidden Privilege Unlocked.
The blue screen disappeared.
Director Stanton looked at Ethan.
“Our hospital will always welcome you.”
“If you ever need anything…”
“You only have to ask.”
Ethan nodded politely.
“I appreciate it.”
Just then…
Victor Langford called.
Ethan answered.
“Mr. Cole.”
“The meeting is still scheduled for eight tonight.”
“I know.”
Victor hesitated.
“I’ve done some digging.”
“And?”
“I found something unusual.”
“What is it?”
“The Grand Meridian Opera House has been closed to the public for three days.”
Ethan frowned.
“So why invite me there?”
“Because…”
Victor lowered his voice.
“They rented the entire building.”
Ethan remained silent.
Victor continued.
“My security team tried getting closer.”
“They were stopped before reaching the entrance.”
“By who?”
“They couldn’t identify them.”
“No uniforms.”
“No badges.”
“But every one of them moved like trained soldiers.”
Ethan looked at the clock.
It was already five in the evening.
Three hours remained.
“I’ll be careful.”
Victor sighed.
“I know you will.”
“But remember…”
“Not every battle is won by fighting.”
After the call ended…
Sophia walked over.
She had been waiting quietly.
“Ethan.”
He turned.
“Yes?”
She smiled shyly.
“I just wanted to say thank you.”
“You saved my grandmother.”
“And today…”
“You saved Professor Hayes too.”
Ethan smiled.
“I’m glad they’re both alright.”
She hesitated.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“How do you stay so calm?”
Ethan thought for a moment.
Then he answered,
“When people panic…”
“Someone has to think.”
Sophia smiled.
“I’ll remember that.”
She reached into her bag and handed him a small box.
“I made this.”
Ethan opened it.
Inside was a handmade keychain.
A small silver star hung from it.
“It’s nothing expensive.”
“But…”
“I wanted you to have it.”
Ethan smiled warmly.
“I like it.”
“I’ll keep it.”
Sophia’s face brightened.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Just then…
A young nurse hurried toward Ethan.
“Mr. Cole.”
“Someone left this for you at the reception desk.”
She handed him a black envelope.
Everyone immediately recognized it.
There was no sender.
Only Ethan’s name written in silver ink.
He opened it.
Inside was a single white card.
Congratulations.
You passed the first test.
Compassion cannot be bought.
Power without kindness is worthless.
Tonight, we will see whether your wisdom matches your heart.
8:00 PM.
Do not be late.
At the bottom…
The silver crown symbol shone beneath the hospital lights.
The system appeared one last time.
Main Mission Updated
The Crown Society’s Evaluation Begins Tonight.
Current Evaluation Score: 30%.
Next Evaluation: Wisdom.
Reward for Passing: Access to the Society’s Inner Circle.
Failure Consequence: Invitation Permanently Revoked.
Ethan folded the invitation and slipped it into his pocket.
He looked out through the hospital window.
The sun was beginning to set.
In three hours…
He would walk into the headquarters of the most mysterious organization in the country.
And deep inside the Grand Meridian Opera House…
A dozen masked figures were already waiting.
Not to welcome him.
But to decide…
Whether Ethan Cole was worthy of standing among them.
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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