2026-07-31 07:25:45Ryan walked into the hall with a confident smile.
His expensive suit was perfectly tailored.
His hair was neatly styled.
He looked as arrogant as ever.
The twelve masked members watched him silently.
Ryan stopped beside Ethan.
“So…”
“You got invited too.”
Ethan looked at him calmly.
“I did.”
Ryan smirked.
“Don’t get too excited.”
“People like you don’t belong here.”
Before Ethan could reply…
The chairman raised his hand.
“Enough.”
The room immediately fell silent.
He looked at Ryan.
“Mr. Crawford.”
Ryan straightened his posture.
“You requested the Crown Society’s help.”
“I did.”
“And after a thorough investigation…”
“We rejected your request.”
Ryan’s smile faded.
“But…”
The chairman continued,
“Every applicant deserves one opportunity.”
“So tonight…”
“You and Mr. Cole will face the same test.”
Ryan nodded confidently.
“I won’t disappoint you.”
The chairman smiled faintly.
“We’ll decide that.”
He snapped his fingers.
The doors opened.
Two assistants entered.
Each carried a black briefcase.
They placed one in front of Ethan.
The other…
In front of Ryan.
“Open them.”
Both men did.
Inside each briefcase…
Were one million dollars in cash.
Perfectly arranged.
Ryan’s eyes widened.
Even Ethan looked surprised.
The chairman calmly spoke.
“Each of you has exactly one million dollars.”
“You may do anything you wish with it.”
“You have one hour.”
“When you return…”
“You must explain your decision.”
Ryan frowned.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“No rules?”
“No rules.”
“No witnesses?”
“No.”
The chairman leaned back.
“We only ask one question.”
“What kind of man are you…”
“…when nobody is watching?”
The room became silent.
Ryan smiled.
“This is easy.”
The chairman looked at both men.
“Your time begins…”
“Now.”
One Hour Later…
Ryan returned first.
He walked into the hall with a proud smile.
The briefcase was still in his hand.
Completely full.
The chairman looked at him.
“You’ve returned.”
Ryan nodded.
“I have.”
“What did you do?”
Ryan placed the briefcase on the table.
“I kept every dollar.”
Several members exchanged glances.
The chairman remained expressionless.
Ryan confidently explained,
“You gave me the money.”
“It became mine.”
“Keeping it proves I understand business.”
“Profit comes first.”
“If I waste opportunities…”
“I don’t deserve success.”
He smiled proudly.
“I believe that’s the smartest decision.”
The chairman simply nodded.
“I see.”
A few minutes later…
The doors opened again.
Ethan walked inside.
His briefcase looked much lighter.
The chairman noticed immediately.
“You spent some of it.”
“I did.”
“How much remains?”
Ethan placed the briefcase on the table.
The assistants counted it.
“Nine hundred thousand dollars.”
A murmur spread through the room.
Ryan laughed.
“So you wasted a hundred thousand.”
Ethan ignored him.
The chairman asked,
“What did you spend it on?”
Ethan answered calmly.
“On my way back…”
“I passed a children’s cancer center.”
“A little girl was crying.”
“Her father couldn’t afford her treatment.”
“I paid the hospital.”
The room became quiet.
Ethan continued,
“I also met an elderly street cleaner.”
“He hadn’t been paid for three months.”
“I cleared his salary.”
“And…”
“There was a food shelter preparing dinner.”
“They were running out of supplies.”
“I covered their expenses for the month.”
Ryan burst into laughter.
“You actually gave away one hundred thousand dollars?”
“How stupid.”
“You could’ve invested it.”
“You could’ve doubled it.”
Ethan finally looked at him.
“I already have enough money.”
Ryan rolled his eyes.
“That’s why poor people stay poor.”
The chairman suddenly stood.
His gaze shifted between the two men.
“Ryan.”
“Yes?”
“You kept every dollar.”
“I did.”
The chairman nodded.
“Ethan.”
“Yes.”
“You spent ten percent.”
“I did.”
The chairman smiled.
“Both of you misunderstood the test.”
Ryan frowned.
“What?”
The chairman looked toward one of the assistants.
“Bring in the guests.”
A side door opened.
Three people entered.
The elderly street cleaner.
The little girl’s father.
And the manager of the food shelter.
Ryan stared in confusion.
The chairman explained,
“They’re all members of the Crown Society.”
Ryan’s face froze.
“What?”
The chairman nodded.
“There was no sick child.”
“The hospital bill never existed.”
“The old street cleaner is a retired judge.”
“The shelter manager owns three international companies.”
Ryan looked completely confused.
“They were actors?”
“No.”
“They were volunteers.”
The chairman turned toward Ethan.
“You believed every one of them.”
“I did.”
“Weren’t you afraid of being deceived?”
Ethan smiled.
“Of course.”
“Then why help them?”
Ethan answered without hesitation.
“Because if someone asks for help…”
“I’d rather be fooled once…”
“…than ignore someone who truly needs it.”
Silence.
No one spoke.
The chairman slowly smiled.
Then…
For the first time…
Every masked member stood up.
They all faced Ethan.
The chairman’s voice echoed through the hall.
“The final trial is complete.”
“You have shown integrity.”
“You have shown wisdom.”
“And most importantly…”
“You have shown compassion without expecting recognition.”
He walked toward Ethan.
Then removed his own silver mask.
Underneath was the face of a dignified man in his sixties.
His sharp eyes carried decades of experience.
“My name…”
“…is Alexander Kingsley.”
“I am the First Chairman of the Crown Society.”
He extended his hand.
“Mr. Ethan Cole…”
“Welcome to the Crown Society.”
The system appeared.
Main Mission Complete!
Congratulations!
You have successfully joined the Crown Society.
Rewards Issued:
10,000 System Points
Master Negotiation Skill
Elite Business Network Unlocked
New Main Storyline Activated
Warning!
The Black Dragon Syndicate has officially classified the Host as a Priority Target.
Before Ethan could shake Alexander’s hand…
The massive doors of the hall burst open.
Bang!
A masked guard rushed inside.
His breathing was uneven.
“Chairman!”
Alexander turned immediately.
“What happened?”
The guard swallowed hard.
“We’ve received an emergency report.”
“The Black Dragon Syndicate…”
“…has kidnapped Sophia Bennett.”
Previous Chapter
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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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