2026-09-04 10:53:41Chapter 2 — Ten Thousand Dollars
Ethan stood beneath the rain long after the black car disappeared.
The strange feeling in his chest wouldn't go away.
Someone knew he was alive.
Someone had been watching him.
And whoever they were, they knew something about his father.
He looked at the glowing screen in front of him.
[Beginner Mission: Spend $10,000 within 24 hours.]
[Progress: $0 / $10,000.]
Ethan sighed.
“Fine. Let's see what you can really do.”
He started walking.
The first thing he needed was a proper place to stay.
His tiny apartment had been enough when he was broke, but there was no reason to remain there now.
He opened a property application on his phone.
Before he could search, another notification appeared.
[System Recommendation.]
[For optimal host development, purchase or rent a residence in an area suitable for future activities.]
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
“You even choose houses now?”
[The system provides recommendations. The final decision belongs to the host.]
“Good.”
He searched for luxury apartments.
Several results appeared.
One caught his attention.
A modern penthouse overlooking the city.
Monthly rent: $8,000.
Ethan stared at the price.
Yesterday, that amount would have sounded ridiculous.
Today, it barely mattered.
He contacted the agent.
Within an hour, he was standing inside the penthouse.
Floor-to-ceiling windows covered one entire wall.
The city stretched beneath him.
There was a large living room, three bedrooms, a private study, and a kitchen bigger than his old apartment.
The agent smiled.
“Would you like some time to think about it?”
“No.”
Ethan took out his phone.
“I'll take it.”
The agent froze.
“Sir?”
“I'll pay six months in advance.”
The agent's expression changed immediately.
“Of course, sir.”
Ethan almost laughed.
Money really did change the way people looked at you.
But he wasn't interested in their respect.
He wanted answers.
After completing the payment, the system appeared.
[Qualified purchase detected.]
[Purchase amount: $48,000.]
[Wealth Return activated.]
Ethan's eyes widened.
“Wait. Forty-eight thousand?”
[Six months of rent.]
His bank balance changed.
$100,000,000 → $100,096,000
Ethan stared.
He had spent $48,000.
The system had returned twice that amount.
“So that's how this works.”
[Correct.]
A grin appeared on Ethan's face.
“Interesting.”
His mission progress updated.
[$48,000 / $10,000]
Then:
[Mission completed.]
[Reward available.]
Ethan's smile faded.
“Already?”
[Congratulations, Host.]
[You have received the Beginner Wealth Pack.]
A series of notifications appeared.
[Skill: Advanced Negotiation.]
[Skill: Business Analysis.]
[Skill: Financial Insight.]
[Skill: Enhanced Memory.]
Ethan blinked.
“You're giving me skills?”
[The host cannot become financially powerful without the appropriate abilities.]
A strange sensation passed through his mind.
Suddenly, information began appearing with incredible clarity.
Business figures.
Market patterns.
Financial terminology.
He could remember things he had read years ago.
Ethan slowly clenched his fist.
This wasn't simply money.
The system was changing him.
But before he could test his new abilities, his phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
He answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then a man's voice spoke.
“Ethan Vale.”
His expression changed.
“Yes?”
“You shouldn't have survived last night.”
Ethan's heart stopped for a second.
“Who are you?”
“You're asking the wrong question.”
“What do you want?”
The caller laughed quietly.
“You're looking for your father.”
Ethan stood.
“How do you know that?”
“Because your father wasn't guilty.”
Ethan's eyes widened.
“What?”
The line went dead.
Ethan immediately called back.
The number was unavailable.
His hands tightened around the phone.
For three years, he had heard people say his father was a criminal.
Now, within one night, two different people had suggested otherwise.
Someone had been watching him.
Someone knew his father.
And someone didn't want him investigating.
Ethan walked toward the window.
The city looked completely different from up here.
Powerful.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
He opened the old folder containing his father's documents.
There was one file he had never understood.
A photograph.
His father stood beside three men at what appeared to be a business event.
One man was a former government official.
The second was a major investor.
The third...
Ethan zoomed in.
His breathing stopped.
He recognized him.
Victor Cross.
The founder of Cross International.
The father of the city's famous Golden Boy, Adrian Cross.
Ethan remembered what Adrian had said earlier.
Stop looking into what happened to him.
His phone suddenly vibrated again.
A message appeared.
Unknown Number:
If you want the truth about your father, attend the Cross International charity gala tomorrow night.
Ethan stared at the message.
Then another message arrived.
Come alone.
He deleted neither message.
Instead, he smiled faintly.
Three years ago, he couldn't even get through the front door of Cross International.
Now he had a hundred million dollars.
He had a mysterious system.
And he had a reason to walk straight into the lion's den.
Across the city, inside the headquarters of Cross International, Adrian Cross stood in front of a large window.
His assistant entered the office.
“Mr. Cross.”
Adrian didn't turn.
“Is he really alive?”
“Yes.”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“And the accident?”
“Everything was arranged.”
“Then why did he survive?”
The assistant hesitated.
“We don't know.”
Adrian finally turned around.
For the first time, fear appeared in the Golden Boy's eyes.
“Find out.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Adrian?”
The assistant stopped.
“Don't let my father know Ethan Vale is alive.”
The assistant nodded and left.
Adrian looked at the city.
He remembered Ethan's face.
Three years ago, Ethan had been powerless.
Broken.
Desperate.
But tonight...
Something about him had been different.
He wasn't the same Ethan Vale.
Adrian's phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
Ethan Vale has received an invitation to tomorrow's Cross International charity gala.
Adrian stared at it.
Then slowly smiled.
“So you really are coming.”
Back in his penthouse, Ethan stood before the mirror.
His old clothes were gone.
For the first time in years, he looked like someone who belonged among the wealthy.
But Ethan knew clothes weren't enough.
Tomorrow night, he was entering Cross International territory.
He needed information.
And he needed to know who had tried to kill him.
The system suddenly appeared.
[Special Mission Activated.]
Mission: Attend the Cross International Charity Gala.
Objective: Discover the identity of the person responsible for Daniel Vale's disappearance.
Reward: $500,000 + Mystery Item.
Ethan stared at the screen.
Then another line appeared.
[Warning: Mission difficulty — Extremely High.]
Ethan smiled.
“Good.”
He closed the system.
For three years, everyone had believed Ethan Vale was finished.
Tomorrow night, the entire city would discover otherwise.
And the Golden Boy would be the first to learn that the man he once looked down on had returned with something far more dangerous than money.
He had a system.
And he had nothing left to lose.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
THE CHOICE TO CONTINUE
THE BILLIONAIRE SYSTEM: I CAN BUY EVERYTHINGChapter 150: The Choice to ContinueFor the first time in years, Ethan Vale woke up without a message waiting for him.No system notification.No countdown.No prediction.No voice telling him what to do.Nothing.He simply opened his eyes.Morning light entered through the window.For a few seconds, Ethan remained still.Then he smiled.It was strangely peaceful.He walked outside.The world had not ended.Cities were still standing.People were still arguing.Children were still going to school.Hospitals were still treating patients.Markets were still opening.Scientists were still working.Some governments were struggling.Some communities were thriving.Humanity was imperfect.But it was alive.No golden lights filled the sky.No external observer appeared.No machine announced whether humanity had passed or failed.There was only the world.And the choices people made inside it.Ethan found Noah standing near the old building where t
THE FUTURE ARRIVES
THE BILLIONAIRE SYSTEM: I CAN BUY EVERYTHINGChapter 149: The Future ArrivesThe sound grew louder.It wasn't an explosion.It wasn't an alarm.It was a hum.A deep vibration that seemed to move through the walls, the ground, and the air itself.Ethan stared at the sealed door.“The future is coming to us.”Noah checked his scanner.“That's impossible.”Ethan almost smiled.“We've said that before.”The stone door began glowing.Lines of silver light spread across its surface.Then the chamber changed.The walls disappeared.For one terrifying second, Ethan could see the city outside.Then the city changed.Buildings rose higher.Transportation moved silently through the sky.Trees covered areas that had once been roads.People walked freely through open public spaces.There were no advertisements demanding attention.No giant corporate headquarters dominating the skyline.No single government building stood at the center.The city looked familiar.Yet completely different.Mia whispe
THE ORIGINAL DOOR
THE BILLIONAIRE SYSTEM: I CAN BUY EVERYTHINGChapter 148: The Original DoorEthan read the message again.ETHAN, WE FOUND THE ORIGINAL DOOR.A second message followed.AND IT'S OPENING.Noah walked toward him.“What happened?”Ethan handed him the phone.Noah's expression changed immediately.“That's impossible.”“Why?”“Because the First Engine was the door.”Ethan looked at Subject Zero.The little boy had gone completely still.“You know something.”Subject Zero didn't answer.Ethan stepped closer.“Where is the original door?”The boy finally looked at him.“Where it has always been.”“Where?”“Under the first place humanity chose to build.”Daniel frowned.“That could mean anywhere.”Subject Zero shook his head.“No.”He pointed toward the old map.“The first city.”Noah brought up historical records.Thousands of ancient settlements appeared.Then one location began glowing.The coordinates were far older than any modern nation.Ethan stared.“What is that?”Daniel's face went p
THE WORLD WITHOUT A TEST
THE BILLIONAIRE SYSTEM: I CAN BUY EVERYTHINGChapter 147: The World Without a TestMorning came quietly.For the first time in months, Ethan woke up without a system notification.No glowing screen.No mission.No warning.No mysterious voice telling him what to do.He simply opened his eyes.For a moment, he waited.Nothing happened.Ethan smiled.“So this is what normal feels like.”His phone rang.It was Noah.“Ethan, you need to see this.”“What happened?”“Everything.”Ethan sat up.“That's not specific.”“Exactly.”Twenty minutes later, Ethan arrived at the emergency coordination center.The building was packed.Scientists stood beside government representatives.Community leaders spoke with engineers.Doctors were coordinating with volunteers.Businesses were sharing supplies.Universities were opening research facilities.There was no central command.Yet somehow, everything was moving.Noah showed Ethan the latest data.“Look.”Ethan stared at the screens.Food distribution h
THE FIRST ARRIVAL
THE BILLIONAIRE SYSTEM: I CAN BUY EVERYTHINGChapter 146: The First Arrival“You should have chosen me.”The voice came from the darkness.Ethan didn't move.Neither did Noah.Mia's hand reached for the emergency controls, but nothing happened.Every light in the building was dead.Then a single silver light appeared.A man stepped into it.Marcus Vane.Except he wasn't exactly the Marcus they remembered.His appearance was familiar, but his eyes were different.Silver.Completely silver.Noah whispered, “That's not possible.”Marcus smiled.“That's what humans always say when they encounter something they don't understand.”Ethan stepped forward.“You've been watching us.”“Longer than you know.”“You're the external observer.”Marcus shook his head.“No.”“Then what are you?”Marcus looked around the room.“I am the first arrival.”Subject Zero suddenly stepped forward.Marcus looked at him.For the first time, his smile disappeared.“You.”The little boy stared back.“You remember
TEN DAYS
THE BILLIONAIRE SYSTEM: I CAN BUY EVERYTHINGChapter 145: Ten DaysThe countdown appeared everywhere.10 DAYS.It wasn't displayed by the old system.It wasn't controlled by the First Engine.It appeared on ordinary screens, phones, televisions, public signs, and even devices that weren't connected to the internet.No one knew how it had happened.But everyone knew what it meant.Humanity had been given ten days.Ethan stood in the emergency hall with Noah, Mia, Daniel, Subject Zero, and representatives from several countries.Everyone was talking at once.“We need a military response.”“No. We need communication.”“We should destroy the lights.”“They already left.”“We need Ethan.”The last statement silenced the room.Ethan looked around.“No.”A government representative frowned.“No?”“You don't need me.”“But you're the only person who has communicated with them.”“That's exactly why I shouldn't be the one deciding.”The room became quiet.Ethan walked to the center.“The observ
You may also like
Fist Emperor Of The Universe
CrazeNovel53.5K viewsSystem for you Darling!
CrazeNovel23.6K viewsSkythunder System
Scoco23.0K viewsWulin : Martial Heroes
Keikokumars25.9K viewsThe F-Class Awakening
Overzealous Chef519 views“Reborn With the Future in My Hands”
MD KASHIF150 viewsBurned But Not Broken
Fathia MG142 viewsThe Multi-Limbed Dilemma
Queena29 views