2026-09-04 11:00:57Chapter 8 — The Man in the Shadows
Ethan didn't move.
The voice from the darkness echoed through the underground corridor.
“Welcome back, Daniel's son.”
Adrian immediately stepped in front of him.
“Who are you?”
No answer came.
The lights along the corridor flickered on one after another.
At the far end stood a man in a dark coat.
His face remained partially hidden by the shadows.
Ethan activated Truth Scan.
[Unknown Individual detected.]
[Identity: Unable to determine.]
[Threat Level: Extremely High.]
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
“Where is my father?”
The man smiled.
“You've asked the wrong question.”
“That seems to be everyone's favorite answer.”
“The right question is why your father chose you.”
Ethan's expression hardened.
“You knew Daniel?”
“I knew him better than anyone.”
“Then tell me where he is.”
The man stepped forward.
“Not yet.”
Adrian looked furious.
“Enough games.”
The stranger glanced at him.
“Adrian Cross.”
Adrian froze.
“You know me?”
“I know your entire family.”
The man looked at Ethan again.
“Especially your father.”
Ethan stepped forward.
“If you know him, prove it.”
The stranger reached into his coat and threw something onto the floor.
A small metal badge slid across the ground.
Ethan picked it up.
His eyes widened.
It belonged to his father.
Daniel had worn it everywhere during his time at Cross Research.
Ethan turned it over.
There was a number engraved on the back.
04.
The system appeared.
[Object confirmed.]
[Belonged to previous host: Daniel Vale.]
Ethan looked up.
“Where did you get this?”
The stranger smiled.
“Your father gave it to me.”
“Before he disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“Then he's alive?”
The man didn't answer.
That silence was enough to keep Ethan's hope alive.
Suddenly, the facility alarms began screaming.
Red lights flashed across the corridor.
Adrian looked around.
“What is happening?”
The stranger's expression changed.
“They found us.”
“Who?”
“Everyone.”
A loud metallic sound echoed from above.
Someone had entered the facility.
The stranger turned toward a door.
“There's no time.”
He pressed his hand against a scanner.
A hidden passage opened.
Ethan followed.
Adrian hesitated for only a second before following them.
They entered a narrow tunnel.
Behind them, the main door to Level B4 exploded open.
Several armed security personnel rushed inside.
“Find them!”
“They can't have gone far!”
Ethan looked back.
“Who are those people?”
The stranger answered calmly.
“Cross International security.”
Adrian's face hardened.
“My father sent them?”
“No.”
The stranger looked at him.
“Your aunt did.”
Adrian stopped.
“Evelyn?”
The man nodded.
“She's here.”
The tunnel opened into a large underground chamber.
Ethan stopped.
The room was filled with computers.
Unlike the abandoned laboratory above, these machines were modern.
Several monitors displayed financial transactions.
Others showed maps.
And one screen displayed a list of names.
Ethan walked closer.
His own name was at the top.
ETHAN VALE
Underneath it were several numbers.
Adrian looked over his shoulder.
“What is this?”
The stranger answered.
“Surveillance.”
Ethan stared at the screen.
“How long have they been monitoring me?”
“Three years.”
Ethan's face tightened.
“Three years?”
“Your father knew they would eventually come for you.”
“Then why didn't he warn me?”
“He tried.”
The stranger pointed toward another monitor.
A series of old video files appeared.
Ethan clicked the first.
His father appeared.
Daniel Vale stood inside the same facility.
But this recording was older than the one Ethan had seen at the warehouse.
Daniel looked directly at the camera.
“If you're seeing this, something has gone wrong.”
Ethan moved closer.
“I discovered that the system is not simply a source of wealth.”
Daniel paused.
“It changes the person who possesses it.”
Ethan looked at the system interface floating beside him.
Daniel continued.
“The system rewards ambition, intelligence, and courage. But it also tests character.”
Adrian looked at Ethan.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel's video continued.
“The previous hosts became powerful.”
A list appeared behind him.
“But power attracted enemies.”
The screen changed.
Several photographs appeared.
Some faces were blurred.
Others were completely missing.
Daniel's voice became quieter.
“I was Host 04.”
Ethan's eyes widened.
“But I wasn't the first.”
The video suddenly distorted.
The stranger stepped forward.
“We have to go.”
Ethan ignored him.
“Who were the first three?”
The stranger looked at him.
“That answer is exactly why your father disappeared.”
Ethan stared at him.
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you're not ready.”
Ethan's patience snapped.
“Everyone keeps telling me I'm not ready. My father disappears, people try to kill me, and now you're standing here telling me I should wait.”
The stranger remained silent.
Ethan stepped closer.
“I've waited three years.”
The man studied him.
Then slowly nodded.
“Good.”
He pointed toward another computer.
“Then prove you deserve the truth.”
A new screen appeared.
[System Trial Activated.]
Trial One: Identify the traitor.
Time Limit: 30 minutes.
Reward: $2,000,000.
Ethan stared at the screen.
“Who are the suspects?”
Four photographs appeared.
Victor Cross.
Marcus Hale.
Evelyn Cross.
Adrian Cross.
Adrian immediately stepped backward.
“You can't be serious.”
Ethan looked at the four names.
One of them had betrayed his father.
But which one?
He activated Truth Scan.
The system analyzed the information.
[Insufficient data.]
Ethan frowned.
“Then give me more.”
[Host must investigate.]
The timer appeared.
29:47
Ethan began searching the computers.
Financial records.
Messages.
Security logs.
Everything flashed across the screens.
Adrian watched him.
“What are you looking for?”
“Something your family forgot to hide.”
Ethan opened a file belonging to Marcus Hale.
The records showed several suspicious transactions.
He rejected him.
Too obvious.
Next was Victor Cross.
There were secret meetings.
Large transfers.
But nothing directly connected him to Daniel's disappearance.
Ethan moved to Evelyn.
Her files were almost completely empty.
That was suspicious.
Then he opened Adrian's file.
Most of it contained ordinary information.
University.
Business meetings.
Charity events.
Nothing unusual.
Then Ethan noticed one hidden file.
PROJECT OMEGA.
He opened it.
The screen displayed a photograph.
Evelyn Cross.
Daniel Vale.
And a young Adrian.
Ethan stared at the date.
It was taken four years ago.
Before Daniel disappeared.
A document appeared underneath.
PROJECT OMEGA — PRIMARY CANDIDATE: ADRIAN CROSS
Ethan looked at Adrian.
“What is Project Omega?”
Adrian's face went pale.
“I don't know.”
Ethan activated Truth Scan.
[Statement probability: 34%.]
“You're lying.”
Adrian stepped back.
“I swear I don't remember.”
The stranger interrupted.
“He's telling the truth.”
Ethan turned.
“What?”
“Adrian was involved in Project Omega.”
Adrian looked confused.
“But he doesn't remember because his memory was altered.”
Silence filled the room.
Ethan looked at Adrian.
“Who altered it?”
The stranger didn't answer.
Instead, another alarm sounded.
The security team was getting closer.
The timer continued.
08:12
Ethan quickly searched Project Omega.
A final document appeared.
Objective: Determine whether the system can be transferred between hosts.
Ethan's eyes widened.
The system could be transferred?
His father had been studying whether it was possible.
Then the next line appeared.
Test Subject: Adrian Cross.
Adrian stared at the screen.
“No…”
Ethan looked at him.
“Your father used you.”
Adrian shook his head.
“My father wouldn't do that.”
“Maybe not.”
The stranger looked toward the door.
“He didn't.”
Ethan turned.
“Then who did?”
The man answered quietly.
“Evelyn.”
The door suddenly shook.
Someone was trying to break through.
The stranger looked at Ethan.
“Your trial is almost over.”
Ethan looked at the timer.
02:31
He studied the four suspects again.
Victor.
Marcus.
Evelyn.
Adrian.
Then he noticed something.
A financial record connecting Marcus to Evelyn.
He opened another file.
A secret payment had been made three years ago.
The recipient was hidden.
But the authorization code belonged to Evelyn.
Ethan's eyes widened.
“The traitor is Evelyn.”
The system went silent.
Then—
[Correct.]
[Trial completed.]
[Reward: $2,000,000.]
Ethan exhaled.
But before he could celebrate, the system displayed another message.
[Important discovery.]
Evelyn Cross was not acting alone.
Ethan's smile disappeared.
A final name appeared on the screen.
UNKNOWN.
The underground door finally broke open.
Security personnel rushed inside.
The stranger grabbed Ethan's shoulder.
“Now you understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Evelyn is only the beginning.”
He pressed a hidden button.
A second passage opened.
“Go.”
Ethan hesitated.
“Where is my father?”
The stranger looked at him.
“Closer than you think.”
Then the lights went out.
When they returned, the stranger was gone.
Ethan and Adrian stood alone in the underground chamber.
On the screen, one final message remained.
[Next Mission: Find Daniel Vale.]
[Location: Unknown.]
Ethan stared at the words.
Three years of searching had brought him here.
And now, for the first time, he had proof.
His father was alive.
Somewhere.
Waiting.
Ethan looked at Adrian.
“We're finding him.”
Adrian nodded.
But neither of them noticed the small screen behind them.
A live camera feed showed Daniel Vale.
He was sitting inside a room somewhere far away.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
He looked directly into the camera.
“Ethan…”
He smiled sadly.
“I'm sorry.”
The screen went black.
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THE VALE FAMILY ARCHIVE
Chapter 10 — The Vale Family ArchiveRain hammered against the windows of Ethan Vale’s penthouse.He stood before the glass, staring at the city below.Millions of lights illuminated the streets, but Ethan barely noticed them.His mind was somewhere else.Eighteen years ago.The system had identified him as a potential host when he was only seven.That meant his father had known.Perhaps even before Ethan understood what his family truly was.His phone vibrated.Adrian.Ethan answered.“Did you find anything?”“I found the location of the archive.”Ethan straightened.“Where?”“The old Vale estate.”Ethan frowned.“That place was sold years ago.”“Officially.”A pause followed.“Unofficially, the property was never transferred.”Ethan's eyes narrowed.“Who owns it?”“Your family.”Ethan immediately grabbed his jacket.“Send me the address.”“I already did.”His phone vibrated again.Ethan checked the message.VALE ESTATE — NORTH RIDGEHe stared at the address.He remembered the place.
THE FIRST CLUE
Chapter 9 — The First ClueThe screen went black.For several seconds, Ethan Vale stood frozen in the underground chamber.Daniel’s face was gone.His father’s final words kept replaying in his mind.Ethan… I’m sorry.Sorry for what?For disappearing?For leaving him alone?Or for something Ethan had not yet discovered?“Ethan.”Adrian’s voice pulled him back.“What?” Ethan asked.Adrian pointed toward the wall.A thin blue light had appeared beneath the dead screen.Ethan stepped closer.Words slowly appeared.HOST 04 IDENTIFIED.His breathing stopped.Then another line appeared.HOST 05 ACTIVATION: SUCCESSFUL.Ethan stared.“Host Five?”Adrian looked equally confused.“But Daniel was Host Four.”“I know.”“Then who was Host Five?”Ethan’s system activated.[SYSTEM ALERT]Previous Host Data Detected.Host 05: UNKNOWNCurrent Status: ACTIVEEthan's eyes narrowed.“Active?”Adrian moved closer.“Does that mean someone else has the system?”“I don't know.”Before Ethan could investigate
THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS
Chapter 8 — The Man in the ShadowsEthan didn't move.The voice from the darkness echoed through the underground corridor.“Welcome back, Daniel's son.”Adrian immediately stepped in front of him.“Who are you?”No answer came.The lights along the corridor flickered on one after another.At the far end stood a man in a dark coat.His face remained partially hidden by the shadows.Ethan activated Truth Scan.[Unknown Individual detected.][Identity: Unable to determine.][Threat Level: Extremely High.]Ethan's eyes narrowed.“Where is my father?”The man smiled.“You've asked the wrong question.”“That seems to be everyone's favorite answer.”“The right question is why your father chose you.”Ethan's expression hardened.“You knew Daniel?”“I knew him better than anyone.”“Then tell me where he is.”The man stepped forward.“Not yet.”Adrian looked furious.“Enough games.”The stranger glanced at him.“Adrian Cross.”Adrian froze.“You know me?”“I know your entire family.”The man lo
THE ABANDONED FACILITY
Chapter 7 — The Abandoned FacilityThe old Cross Research Facility stood at the edge of the city like a forgotten monument.It had been abandoned for three years.No lights.No employees.No security guards.Just a massive concrete building surrounded by overgrown grass and rusting fences.Ethan parked his car several hundred meters away.He looked at the building through the windshield.The system appeared.[Target location confirmed.][Cross Research Facility.][Mission: Discover records belonging to previous system host.][Reward: $10,000,000.]Ethan stepped out of the car.“Let's find out what Dad was hiding.”He approached the entrance.The main door was locked.But the silver key in his pocket suddenly became warm.Ethan pulled it out.A small blue light appeared on its surface.The system responded.[Compatible access key detected.]The lock clicked.Ethan stared at the door.“This key was made for this place.”He pushed the door open.Darkness greeted him.He switched on his p
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE MYSTERY
Chapter 6 — The Woman Behind the MysteryEthan drove back to the city with one thought running through his mind.Evelyn Cross knows about the system.That was impossible.At least, it should have been.The system had appeared only after the accident. Nobody had been there when it activated.Nobody except...Ethan suddenly remembered the black car.The person watching him after the accident.His hands tightened around the steering wheel.Could Evelyn Cross have arranged the accident?His phone suddenly vibrated.[Danger Alert.][Host is being monitored.]Ethan looked at the rearview mirror.A black sedan was following him.The same model as the car he had seen the night before.“Of course.”He didn't panic.Instead, he took an unexpected turn.The sedan followed.Ethan turned again.Still following.He smiled.“So they really are interested in me.”The system appeared.[Suggested action: Proceed to the nearest secure location.]“Not yet.”Ethan wasn't ready to run.He wanted to know wh
WAREHOUSE 317
Chapter 5 — Warehouse 317Ethan barely slept.The final words from the system kept replaying in his mind.The Ultimate Wealth System had appeared before.Who had possessed it before him?And what had happened to that person?By six in the morning, Ethan was already dressed.The silver key sat safely in his pocket.He opened the system.[Main Mystery Mission]Locate Warehouse 317.[Mission Reward: $5,000,000][Danger Level: High]Ethan stared at the warning.“High?”[Correct.]“What happens if I fail?”[The system does not guarantee the host's safety.]Ethan smiled faintly.“So basically, you're telling me to be careful.”[Correct.]He grabbed his jacket.“Fine.”Before leaving, Ethan received another notification.[New Ability Available.][Physical Enhancement — Level 1.][Host may temporarily increase physical ability.]Ethan raised an eyebrow.“Temporarily?”[Duration: 10 minutes.]“That could be useful.”He closed the system and left the penthouse.Warehouse 317 was located in an a
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