2026-01-23 17:05:37“Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news!”
The reporter’s voice echoed from every mounted screen in the luxury hotel lobby. Derrick stopped walking. Luna froze beside him.
On the screen, shaky footage replayed the scene from the dealership, the smashed Porsche, Derrick holding the hammer, the black card tapping the counter.
“…an unidentified man allegedly vandalized a limited-edition Porsche before purchasing ten vehicles outright. Authorities are investigating the source of the funds.”
A commentator laughed. “Another nouveau riche clown,” he said. “Money doesn’t buy class.”
Derrick felt eyes turn toward him. Whispers followed. “That’s him.”
“He looks… ordinary.”
“Probably borrowed money.”
Luna leaned closer. “We should leave.”
Derrick nodded. Too late. A familiar voice cut through the crowd. “Well, isn’t this poetic?”
Sophie stepped forward, flanked by two sharply dressed men. One of them was older. Gray hair. Cold eyes. Derrick’s stomach dropped. “You remember my uncle,” Sophie said lightly. “Chairman Hawthorne.”
The man looked Derrick up and down. “So,” Hawthorne said, “this is the boy who embarrassed my niece.”
“I didn’t embarrass her,” Derrick replied. “She embarrassed herself.”
Sophie laughed. “Still pretending to have a spine.”
Hawthorne raised a hand. “Enough.”
He turned to the onlookers. “I apologize for the disturbance. This man is… an unfortunate acquaintance.”
Unfortunate. The word hit harder than any insult so far. A businessman nearby scoffed. “You let that associate with you?”
Hawthorne smiled thinly. “We all make mistakes when we’re young.”
Luna stiffened. “That’s uncalled for.”
Sophie turned to her. “And you are?”
Luna met her gaze. “Someone who didn’t sell her dignity.”
The room inhaled sharply. Sophie’s smile vanished. Hawthorne sighed. “Miss, you should be careful. Proximity to fraud can be… contagious.”
Derrick stepped forward. “You accused me of fraud.”
Hawthorne nodded calmly. “Your funds triggered multiple alerts.”
“That’s a lie,” Derrick said.
“Is it?” Hawthorne countered. “Then explain how a delivery boy suddenly acquires hundreds of millions.”
Murmurs spread. “Delivery boy?”
Sophie smirked. “He didn’t tell you?”
She looked at Luna. “He used to deliver groceries. That’s how we met.”
Luna turned slowly to Derrick. “You said you worked in logistics.”
“I did,” Derrick said quietly.
Sophie laughed. “He carried my bags. That was his job.”
The room laughed with her. Derrick’s hands clenched. “Did you also tell her,” Sophie continued, “that you begged my uncle for a loan?”
Luna’s eyes widened. “You did?”
Derrick swallowed. “I asked for help. Once.”
Hawthorne nodded. “He knelt,” he said casually. “Promised loyalty. Offered to be… useful.”
The words burned. “I refused,” Hawthorne added. “Men like him always want shortcuts.”
Derrick’s chest tightened. “That’s not true,” Luna said.
Sophie tilted her head. “You really believe him?”
She tapped her phone. The screen behind them lit up. Security footage. A younger Derrick, soaked in rain, kneeling in a marble office. “Please,” he was saying. “I’ll do anything.”
Gasps filled the lobby. Luna stepped back. Derrick stared at the screen, blood roaring in his ears. 'Emotional overload detected.''
Hawthorne’s voice cut in. “I recorded everything. For amusement.”
Sophie smiled sweetly. “I told you he was pathetic.”
The humiliation was absolute. Stripped bare. Derrick felt something inside him crack. Not rage. Something colder. “You showed this,” Derrick said slowly, “to destroy me.”
Hawthorne nodded. “To warn society.”
“From what?” Derrick asked.
Hawthorne gestured at him. “From believing trash can become treasure.”
The system pulsed violently. ''Host degradation exceeds threshold.''
“What happens now?” Derrick asked internally. ''System recalibration imminent.''
Sophie leaned close. “Enjoy your money while it lasts,” she whispered. “You’ll always be beneath us.”
Derrick looked at Luna. She didn’t meet his eyes. That hurt the most. He turned back to Hawthorne. “You think money doesn’t change anything,” Derrick said.
Hawthorne smiled. “It reveals what was always there.”
Derrick nodded slowly. Then he laughed. It startled everyone. “That’s your mistake,” Derrick said. “You think this is the worst day of my life.”
He pulled out the black card. “You humiliated me publicly,” he continued. “So now I’ll return the favor.”
Sophie scoffed. “What are you going to do? Buy the hotel?”
Derrick shook his head. “No.”
He turned to Luna. “Do you trust me?” he asked.
She hesitated. Then nodded. “Yes.”
“Good,” Derrick said.
He raised his voice. “I’m donating one billion dollars,” he announced, “to every woman here who has ever been humiliated by power.”
Laughter exploded. “That’s insane!”
“He’s bluffing!”
The card tapped. Silence followed. Phones buzzed. One woman screamed. Another collapsed into a chair. Hawthorne’s smile vanished. “What did you do?” he demanded.
Derrick checked his balance. ''Transaction: $1,000,000,000, Rebate pending…''
The system paused. ''Emotional intent verified, Rebate x20 applied.''
Derrick’s breath caught. ''+$20,000,000,000''
The room erupted. “What?!”
“That’s impossible!”
Hawthorne staggered back. Sophie’s face drained of color. “Uncle,” she whispered, “the accounts”
Hawthorne stared at Derrick. “You’re not lucky,” he said hoarsely. “You’re dangerous.”
Derrick stepped closer. “No,” he said. “I’m inevitable.”
The system chimed again. ''New Restriction Applied, Public humiliation now fuels exponential growth.''
Derrick smiled. Luna finally looked at him, really looked. “What are you?” she whispered.
Derrick glanced at the shattered faces around him. “A man,” he said, “who’s done begging.”
Outside, cameras flashed. Inside, Sophie trembled. For the first time in her life, She was afraid.
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Chapter 11: When Everyone Becomes Worthless
Rain hammered the pavement. Derrick lay there, breathing hard, chest rising and falling like he’d just clawed his way out of a grave.No blue screen. No system voice. No weight pressing against his thoughts. Just pain. Real pain.Mara crouched beside him. “Don’t move too fast,” she said. “Your body remembers what it lost, even if the System doesn’t.”Derrick pushed himself up anyway. His hands were shaking. “I can hear them,” he said hoarsely.Mara frowned. “Hear who?”“The world,” Derrick replied.Sirens screamed in the distance. Not one or two, hundreds. Car alarms wailed. People shouted. Somewhere nearby, glass shattered.Across the street, a giant screen flickered violently. Then stabilized. A blue interface appeared. Not one. Thousands. Millions. All over the city. All over the world.Derrick’s stomach dropped. Mara whispered, “It’s started.”On the screen, text scrolled rapidly. COMPATIBILITY TEST: SUBJECT #18,392,104 — PASSEDA man standing nearby froze. “What does that mean?”
Chapter 10: The Choice That Breaks Gods
4… The countdown burned in the air like a brand. Derrick’s finger hovered inches from the projection. ERASE: LUNA VALEAround him, the ballroom had descended into chaos. “Stop him!”“Kill the system!”“He’s going to erase her!”Sophie collapsed completely, sobbing. “Please… she didn’t do anything… please…”Agent Mercer aimed her weapon, not at Derrick. At the blue interface. “Fire,” someone shouted through her earpiece.Mercer hesitated. Derrick noticed. “You can’t,” he said calmly.Her eyes flicked to him. “Don’t test me.”“You already did,” Derrick replied. “The moment you let it watch.”The system chimed. ''COUNTDOWN CONTINUES.''3… Derrick closed his eyes. Luna’s face surfaced in his mind. Not the ballroom. Not the severance notice. But earlier. A memory the system had not shown.Luna laughing in the car. Luna arguing with him about money. Luna saying, 'You’re still human.'His chest tightened. “System,” Derrick said quietly. “You said erasure is mercy.”“CORRECT.”“Then why does
Chapter 9: The Day Humanity Flinched
The helicopters circled like vultures. Their blades thundered through the night sky, shaking the windows of the ballroom. Red lights flashed across faces drained of color.No one moved. No one dared. Derrick Wallance stood before the hovering blue interface, his hand raised, finger suspended inches from the word: ERASURESophie’s voice broke first. “You won’t,” she said hoarsely. “You’re not a monster.”Derrick didn’t look at her. “I wasn’t,” he replied. “Once.”Agent Mercer stepped forward slowly, palms raised. “Derrick. Listen to me.”He glanced at her. She swallowed. “Whatever this thing is, it’s manipulating you. You don’t have to choose.”The system pulsed. ''External influence detected: Fear.''Mercer stiffened. “Did it just?”“Yes,” Derrick said. “It hears everything.”A man near the back shouted, “Turn it off!”Another screamed, “Kill him before he kills us!”Security shifted uneasily. The humiliation was no longer personal. It was collective. The system’s voice echoed again,
Chapter 8: When the World Learns Who You Are
The ballroom smelled like fear. Not metaphorical fear. Real fear, sharp, metallic, crawling into the lungs. Paramedics rushed in, voices overlapping. “Clear the area!”“Pulse is weak!”“Move!”Hawthorne’s body lay on the marble floor, suit rumpled, dignity erased. Moments ago, he had been untouchable. Now, people stepped around him like inconvenient furniture.Cameras didn’t stop recording. They never did. Sophie stood frozen, phone slipping from her fingers. “Uncle…” she whispered. “Wake up.”No response. Derrick didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t kneel this time. The system pulsed gently, like a satisfied heartbeat. ''Ascension state stabilized.''Luna was already gone. That fact hurt more than the screaming. Agent Mercer pushed through the crowd, eyes locking onto Derrick instantly. “Wallance,” she said sharply. “Don’t move.”Derrick looked at her. For the first time, she flinched. “Am I under arrest?” Derrick asked calmly.Mercer hesitated. “You were involved in”“In a man kneeling
Chapter 7: Isolation Is the Crown
“Say something.”Luna’s voice trembled, but she didn’t move closer. Derrick stood frozen, staring at her phone.RELATIONSHIP STATUS: TERMINATED.It wasn’t metaphorical. It wasn’t emotional. It was absolute. “I didn’t do this,” Derrick said slowly.Luna laughed once. Sharp. Broken. “Then who did?”The ballroom buzzed again, whispers returning, laughter crawling back like insects sensing blood.Sophie leaned back in her chair, amused. “Looks like your magic finally has limits.”Hawthorne folded his hands. “The System made a choice,” he said calmly. “And so did you.”Luna looked at Derrick. “You knew this could happen.”“No,” Derrick said. “I knew it might.”“That’s worse,” she replied.The system pulsed faintly. ''Isolation protocol active.''Derrick clenched his jaw. “Undo it.”No response. “UNDO IT.”Silence. Sophie stood and walked closer, heels echoing. “You’re learning,” she said softly. “Power always collects interest.”She circled Luna. “Did you really think you were special?”Lu
Chapter 6: The Second Time on His Knees
The ballroom was silent. Not the polite kind of silence. The predatory kind. Hundreds of eyes fixed on Derrick Wallance as if waiting for him to collapse.The auctioneer cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said cautiously, “we will now proceed with Lot Seventy-Seven.”Derrick didn’t move. Luna’s fingers tightened around his sleeve. “We can leave,” she whispered. “Right now.”“No,” Derrick said quietly. “This is why we’re here.”Across the room, Hawthorne sat at the center table, surrounded by executives, senators, old money. Sophie sat beside him. Smiling. The auctioneer continued. “Lot Seventy-Seven is a private equity stake”“Withdraw it,” Hawthorne interrupted calmly.The auctioneer froze. “Sir?”Hawthorne raised his glass. “I’m exercising my influence.”A murmur rippled through the crowd. The auctioneer swallowed. “Lot Seventy-Seven has been withdrawn.”Gasps followed. Derrick stepped forward. “You can’t do that.”Hawthorne looked at him pleasantly. “I already did.”“Th
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