Michael cracked his knuckles, staring intently at the four company profiles displayed on his monitor. The blue light illuminated his face in the dimly lit apartment as midnight approached.
"These four," he thought, tapping the screen. "These are the golden tickets that no one else can see yet."
He'd chosen his targets carefully from his future knowledge:
NeuraTech: A small medical device company that would announce a breakthrough stimulation device in the next two hours, sending their stock soaring.
QuantumShield: A cybersecurity firm about to land a massive government contract.
Then
GreenHorizon and
"In my previous life, I watched these four companies explode while sitting on the sidelines," Michael mused. "Not this time."
He opened his trading platform and began dividing his capital. His fingers paused over the keyboard as he prepared to place the first order.
"This feels almost like cheating," he thought with a smile. "But then again, I've earned this advantage the hard way."
The first order went through for NeuraTech—buying a substantial position but not enough to trigger regulatory flags or move the market dramatically. Then the second for QuantumShield, followed by GreenHorizon and finally VisionStream.
Within twenty minutes, all four positions were established. Michael sat back, rubbing his eyes.
"And now we wait," he said to the empty room. "The catalyst events for each company are already in motion. They just haven't reached the public yet."
He set up alerts for significant price movements, then reclined on the small sofa against the wall.
Before he drifted away into sleep.
The sharp alert tone jolted Michael awake. Disoriented, he fumbled for his phone before realizing the sound came from his computer. The room was bathed in early morning sunlight, and his neck ached from the awkward sleeping position on the small sofa.
"What the..." he mumbled, squinting at the screen. The time showed 3:38AM.
A few more minutes before the stock market closes.
The trading platform was flashing with alerts. All four stocks were moving—not the gentle upward trend he'd expected, but dramatic, almost vertical spikes.
"There it is," Michael said, fully awake now as he clicked through the notifications.
NeuraTech: UP 127% QuantumShield: UP 83% GreenHorizon: UP 115% VisionStream: UP 92%
The stocks continued climbing. Clearly, institutional investors were piling in. His initial $78 million investment was now showing a paper value of over $160 million—and still rising.
A notification popped up on his screen:
"I need to get out before this attracts too much attention,” Michael said.
He quickly set up his sell orders, scheduling them to execute automatically the moment it crosses the mark. No need for brokers or financial advisors—he'd deliberately chosen a high-end trading platform that catered to wealthy self-directed investors precisely to avoid unnecessary interactions.
"The beauty of modern trading," he thought as he configured the orders. "No calls to make, no permissions to seek. Just me and the market."
“Now how do I pull out such funds,” Michael formulated his exit strategy carefully.
“The traditional banking system would immediately flag movements of this magnitude, potentially alerting father through the Crawford family's banking connections.”
“Yes,” a thought came to him.
"Cryptocurrency," he decided. "Untraceable, unattached to the Crawford name, and perfect for large sums that need to move quickly."
He opened an encrypted browser and set up a secure cryptocurrency wallet, configuring it with multiple security layers.
Michael watched in awe as the sell orders executed, converting his investments back to cash. The final tally appeared on screen:
$359,871,543.22
"Three hundred and fifty-nine million dollars," he whispered, staring at the number. "In a single day."
Without hesitation, he initiated the transfer to his cryptocurrency wallet, converting the entire amount to Bitcoin. The transaction would be complete within hours, leaving no trace in the traditional banking system that could alert his family.
"From zero to nearly four hundred million in cryptocurrency," he thought as he watched the transfer initiate. "Not bad for my first day as a time traveler with inside information."
**
Across town in the gleaming Financial District, several stock brokers gathered around a monitoring station at GlobalTrade Securities, one of the city's bustling trading firms.
"What the hell is happening with these four?" demanded Gerald Thornton, a senior broker, pointing at the screens showing the skyrocketing stocks. "They all exploded with no warning."
A younger broker leaned forward, squinting at the data. "It's weird. The trading patterns show someone got in big across all four companies just before midnight."
"The same trader?" Gerald's eyebrows shot up. "That's not a coincidence. That's someone with inside information."
"Maybe," replied Sarah Winters, adjusting her headset. "But here's the strange part—whoever it was sold everything almost instantly. Took profits a few minutes later."
"Someone with insider knowledge wouldn't exit that quickly," another broker noted, coffee cup paused midway to his lips. "They'd ride it longer, knowing the full potential."
Sarah clicked through several screens of data. "Whoever it was, they've completely withdrawn. Almost like they got scared by their own success."
"Or they got exactly what they needed," Gerald mused, loosening his tie. "Nobody gets that lucky by accident."
"The biggest profiter has sold off," the junior broker announced, pointing to a transaction log. "We can't see who it was though—the platform privacy shields are in place."
"A professional trader, then," Gerald concluded.
"Maybe," Sarah said thoughtfully, leaning back in her chair. "Or maybe just a newbie who got incredibly lucky and ran with their winnings.”
Gerald tapped his pen against the desk. "If you see that pattern again, flag it. Someone out there just made a fortune while we all watched."
**
Back in his apartment, Michael watched the final confirmation of his cryptocurrency transfer come through. Three hundred and fifty-nine million dollars, now securely stored in his digital wallet.
"By tomorrow, those stocks will plummet," he thought, closing the laptop with satisfaction. "The announcements never live up to the leaks, and profit-taking will drive prices down. But by then, I'll be long gone with my gains."
He checked his watch—still early enough to get home, shower, and make it to the office without raising Katherine's suspicions. He'd have to maintain his charade of dedicated Crawford executive for a while longer.
"Three hundred and fifty-nine million dollars," he thought again, the reality still sinking in. "Enough to fund our company and still have plenty left over for... contingencies."
The System message appeared before him:
[Team Building and Capital acquisition successful. Reward granted. Reward: Enhanced Strength.]
Michael nodded to himself as he put on his coat. Everything was proceeding according to plan.
He took one last look at his cryptocurrency wallet balance on his phone, then headed for the door. It was time to start building his new empire—and his revenge.
Latest Chapter
Chapter 66
The atmosphere at Lincoln Center was electric with anticipation. Fashion Week had returned, and this time So Black wasn't the mysterious newcomer—they were the main event. Michael stood backstage wearing his Black Investor mask, watching final preparations for what the media was calling "the most anticipated fashion show of the decade.""Pre-orders are already at two million units," Sophia reported, checking her tablet. "And the show doesn't start for another hour."Louise approached, radiating the confidence that had become her signature since her breakthrough performance months earlier. She was no longer the struggling model taking desperate risks—she was the undisputed face of revolutionary fashion technology."The international press is incredible," Louise said, adjusting one of the new So Black prototypes. "Journalists from thirty countries, technology reporters, medical professionals. This isn't just a fashion show anymore."Michael nodded, feeling the weight of expectations tha
Chapter 65
Michael's phone buzzed with an urgent text as he was leaving the Crawford board meeting. The message was from Kylie, and the fear in her words made his blood run cold: "I think someone's following me. Same car for three days. Help?"He immediately called her, his enhanced intuition picking up genuine anxiety in her voice even before she spoke."Kylie, where are you right now?""The university library," she replied, trying to sound calm but failing. "There's a man in a dark suit who's been sitting across from me for two hours, pretending to read but watching everything I do."Michael's jaw tightened. Eric's investigation had clearly expanded beyond targeting Michael directly to include family members who might provide leverage."Stay exactly where you are," he instructed. "I'm twenty minutes away."As he drove toward the university, Michael called Olivia on his secure line. "I need a team at the university library immediately. Kylie's being surveilled, and it's not friendly.""Corporat
Chapter 64
Michael stood in the Buzzer Tech conference room, surrounded by screens displaying global market data that would have been impossible to imagine just months earlier. Olivia was coordinating with manufacturing partners across three continents while Megan reviewed distribution agreements that spanned twelve countries."The Asian rollout exceeded every projection," Olivia announced, pulling up sales figures that made Michael's head spin. "Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are reporting demand that's literally crashing retailer websites.""European pre-orders are similar," Megan added. "London, Paris, Berlin—every major fashion capital wants exclusive launch events for So Black."Michael felt a mix of pride and anxiety as he watched their revolutionary technology spreading across the globe. The therapeutic applications Louise had developed were genuinely helping people manage mental health challenges, but the success was creating visibility that made his double life increasingly precarious.
Chapter 63
The Crawford family dining room hadn't hosted a dinner like this in years. Richard sat at the head of the table, still pale from his recent cardiac episode but determined to project strength. Eric and Katherine flanked one side, while Michael sat alone on the other, the seating arrangement making the family divisions physically obvious."I thought we should celebrate," Richard announced, raising his wine glass with deliberate ceremony. "Michael's Project New Day has received preliminary approval from the Department of Energy. Federal recognition of our renewable energy initiative."Michael's enhanced intuition immediately picked up the complex emotional currents around the table. Richard's pride was genuine, but mixed with concern about something he wasn't sharing. Eric's congratulatory smile masked fury and calculation. Katherine's supportive expression hid deep anxiety about something specific."Congratulations, brother," Eric said, his voice perfectly calibrated for family harmony.
Chapter 62
Michael woke up feeling different. Not physically different—the health apple the System had given him hadn't changed his body in any obvious way. But something fundamental had shifted in how he perceived the world around him.Walking into Crawford Enterprises that morning, he immediately noticed things that had been invisible before. Board Member Harrison's micro-expressions when he greeted Michael suggested anxiety mixed with guilt. Vanessa's posture indicated she was hiding something significant. Even the security guard's greeting carried undertones of nervousness that hadn't been there yesterday.It was like gaining a sixth sense for reading people's true intentions beneath their surface presentations."Enhanced Intuition," Michael realized, remembering the System's reward description. The health apple hadn't just improved his physical condition—it had upgraded his ability to perceive the emotional and psychological states of everyone around him.The new ability was immediately use
Chapter 61
The green flag dropped and Michael floored the accelerator, feeling the Porsche surge forward with raw power. For the first few seconds, he stayed even with Claire's Ferrari, matching her acceleration through the initial straightaway.Then she pulled ahead.It wasn't a dramatic gap—maybe half a car length—but it was decisive. Claire took the racing line through the first turn with precision that made Michael's driving look amateur by comparison. She hit the apex perfectly, carried more speed through the exit, and extended her lead down the back straight.Michael pushed harder, using every technique he'd learned over years of track days. His enhanced reflexes helped him brake later and accelerate sooner, but Claire was simply better. Not because of superior equipment or luck, but because of pure skill developed through countless hours of practice.By the end of the first lap, she was ahead by nearly three seconds. In racing terms, that was an eternity.Michael tried different approache
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