2026-09-10 19:34:32Ethan left Grant Tower before sunrise with Victoria’s investment secured and one objective dominating his thoughts: turn the borrowed opportunity into at least ten thousand dollars of profit before the system’s fourteen-hour deadline expired.
The pharmaceutical shortage identified by Financial Insight looked promising, but Ethan knew an opportunity was worthless if he could not execute quickly. The supplier held limited stock of a specialized medication component that several regional manufacturers suddenly needed. Prices were rising every hour, yet the supplier had not realized how serious the shortage had become.
Victoria joined him in the back seat of her sedan while Daniel coordinated calls from another vehicle. Ethan studied the figures appearing through Financial Insight. The system did not tell him what to buy. Instead, it displayed probabilities, demand patterns, supplier reliability, and projected price movements.
That limitation forced Ethan to think.
He contacted three buyers and discovered that the largest pharmaceutical distributor had already lost a major shipment. Its purchasing manager, Samuel Reed, offered to buy the entire available stock, but only if Ethan could guarantee delivery within six hours.
“That is impossible,” Daniel said after hearing the demand.
Ethan shook his head. “Not impossible. Complicated.”
Financial Insight highlighted a logistics company whose trucks were currently returning from another city with empty cargo space. Ethan contacted the company and negotiated a discounted emergency transport contract. Then he called the supplier and offered immediate payment for the entire stock.
The supplier hesitated.
“You are not a registered pharmaceutical company,” the supplier said. “Why should I trust you with an order this large?”
Ethan answered calmly, “Because I am offering payment before delivery, and I am taking responsibility for the transportation.”
Victoria watched him carefully. She had expected him to depend heavily on her money, but Ethan was negotiating every part of the transaction himself.
After several tense minutes, the supplier accepted.
Ethan transferred the funds.
[Transaction confirmed.]
[Initial capital reduced.]
[Projected profit: $14,800.]
[Market fluctuation detected.]
[Projected profit revised: $11,600–$16,200.]
The system’s warning changed Ethan’s expression. A new competitor had entered the market and was purchasing supplies aggressively.
“Someone else is buying from the same suppliers,” he said.
Daniel immediately began investigating. “I am checking the companies placing the orders.”
Victoria leaned forward. “Could it be Richard?”
Ethan considered it. Richard had already sent people after the watch, so another attack was possible. However, Financial Insight showed something unusual. The competitor was not purchasing through a Cole International subsidiary. It was operating through three unrelated companies.
Daniel’s voice suddenly sharpened through the phone. “Ethan, I found something.”
“What?”
“All three companies were incorporated within the same month. Their directors are different, but their registered legal representative is the same.”
“Who?”
Daniel paused.
“Blackstone Protective Services.”
The name changed everything.
Ethan immediately realized the shortage might not be a normal business opportunity. Someone could be deliberately manipulating the supply chain to create pressure in the pharmaceutical market. If Blackstone was involved, the transaction might be connected to Adrian Cole.
Before Ethan could respond, his phone rang.
Samuel Reed was calling.
“We have a problem,” Samuel said. “Another buyer has offered twenty percent above your price, and my board is considering their offer.”
Ethan looked at Victoria.
“How long do I have?”
“Thirty minutes.”
Ethan ended the call and opened Financial Insight again. Several possible strategies appeared, but only one offered a high probability of success.
He called Samuel back.
“I will give you something your competitor cannot.”
Samuel sounded skeptical. “What?”
“Guaranteed delivery, priority allocation, and a fixed price for your next two shipments.”
“That requires a larger commitment.”
“I know.”
Ethan turned to Victoria. “I need another fifty thousand dollars.”
Victoria did not hesitate. “You have it.”
Daniel immediately transferred the additional funds.
Ethan used the money to secure a second supplier before the competitor could reach them. Then he arranged for both shipments to travel separately, reducing the risk of delay.
Within twenty minutes, Samuel accepted the revised agreement.
The first shipment arrived three hours later.
Ethan watched the transaction settle.
[Emergency Trial progress: 87%.]
[Profit confirmed: $12,430.]
[Objective threshold exceeded.]
[Emergency Trial complete.]
[Reward: 300 System Points.]
[Additional reward unlocked: Business Analysis Level One.]
Ethan exhaled slowly.
He had done it.
But the system immediately displayed another message.
[Hidden condition detected.]
[Successful host performance has attracted external attention.]
[Warning: Blackstone has identified the host.]
Ethan’s satisfaction disappeared.
Daniel looked at his phone. “You need to see this.”
He turned the screen toward Ethan.
A photograph showed Ethan entering Grant Tower earlier that morning.
Someone had taken it from across the street.
Beneath the photograph was a message from an unknown number.
“We know who you are, Ethan Cole. Your father made the same mistake you are making. Stop digging, or you will disappear like he did.”
Victoria read the message and went silent.
Ethan did not respond. Instead, he saved the photograph and asked Daniel to trace the number.
A moment later, Daniel frowned.
“It is impossible.”
“What is?”
“The number belongs to a company that officially ceased operations six years ago.”
Ethan looked toward the city skyline. Six years ago was the same year Adrian Cole had supposedly disappeared.
The connection was no longer a coincidence.
He opened the system.
A new mission appeared.
[Main Mission Updated: Follow the Money.]
[Objective: Discover why Blackstone manipulated the pharmaceutical market.]
[Time Limit: 72 hours.]
[Reward: 800 System Points.]
[Failure Penalty: System access restricted for seven days.]
Ethan accepted.
His first business victory had earned him money, experience, and a new ability.
It had also revealed something far more dangerous.
Someone had been waiting for him to become strong enough to notice the trail.
Ethan closed the system and gave Daniel one instruction. “Find that company, its owners, and every transaction connected to Adrian. We are done reacting to them. From now on, we hunt first, and much harder.”
And now that Ethan had found it, the people hiding behind Blackstone knew exactly where to find him.
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The Witness who Could Not Answer
The countdown reached forty-seven seconds before Ethan ordered everyone to stop speaking.Nurse Amaka had been dead for six years. Her name appeared in the hospital's archived personnel records, her death certificate had been verified, and her employment file had been closed. Whatever was generating the notification had no right to demand a response from someone who could no longer give one.“Daniel, preserve the countdown exactly as it appears,” Ethan said. “Mara, confirm that nothing connected to this request can affect the hospital's doors, patient records, or medical equipment.”Daniel began recording the terminal's activity while Mara contacted the hospital's technical supervisor. The administrator moved the paper documents away from the screen and ordered staff to keep the corridor clear without disturbing Adrian or Elias.The countdown continued.WITNESS CONFIRMATION: 00:31.Daniel examined the notification's metadata. “The system isn't communicating with a nurse's account. It'
The Signature Before the Name
The timestamp on the authorization changed everything, but it proved less than the archive wanted them to believe. Adrian had entered Room 317 eleven years earlier; the replacement request had supposedly been approved during that same minute. The record offered no name, only a status that treated an unidentified custodian as an unquestionable authority.Ethan asked Daniel to compare the timestamp with the hospital's original ledger, not the reconstructed digital file. “We need to know whether these records were created together or joined later. Until then, nobody calls this Adrian's approval.”Daniel contacted the records officer, who retrieved a sealed storage box from the hospital archive. The box had remained untouched since the old ward system was retired. Two officials documented its condition before opening it, and Mara ensured the security team did not remove any page without recording the transfer.Inside lay a carbon-copy register, several maintenance sheets, and a narrow env
The Authorization that lied
Ethan stared at the hospital administrator's screen, where his name appeared beneath a request for access to Room 317. The authorization carried his executive credential, a valid signature, and a timestamp showing that the request had been submitted less than thirty seconds earlier.He had never touched the hospital access system.“Freeze the request,” he instructed. “Do not approve it, and do not reject it yet. Preserve the original record and create an independent copy.”The administrator contacted hospital security while Daniel examined the authorization through an isolated device. Victoria remained connected to the conference call, listening as the technical details emerged.“The credential is genuine,” Daniel said. “The signature matches Ethan's certificate, but that doesn't mean Ethan created the request. Someone may have copied the signing authority or used a system permitted to act under his certificate.”“Can you identify the originating device?”“The record lists the executi
The Voice behind the Wall
The ticking continued for eleven seconds before Ethan heard a voice coming from the sealed wall.“My name is not the question you should be asking.”Ethan remained beside the records cabinet, keeping the evidence tray within the hospital administrator’s view. Daniel had disconnected the terminal, but the isolated screen had awakened again, displaying a single line that neither of them had entered.ONE QUESTION REMAINS.“You agreed to identify yourself,” Ethan replied. “You cannot change the terms after I have honored them.”“I agreed to answer one question. I did not agree to answer yours.”Victoria joined through the secure call. “Then clarify the arrangement before anyone proceeds. If you expect cooperation, you must explain what you are offering and what you are asking in return.”The voice fell silent.Mara checked the corridor. No person stood near the wall, and the facilities manager confirmed that the sealed passage remained inaccessible. The ticking, however, continued. Its rh
The Room That Kept it's Time
The alert reached Ethan before the hospital called. Room 317 had registered an incoming visitor, but the timestamp placed the arrival eleven years earlier, during the night Adrian first entered Saint Orson Hospital and stopped responding. The visitor’s identity field was blank. The destination field was exact.Ethan ordered Daniel to preserve the alert and send a copy to the independent auditors. Victoria arranged a secure call with the hospital administrator, while Mara prepared a team to accompany Ethan without entering any restricted area. Nobody would open a door because a screen demanded it.“Room 317 is occupied by Adrian,” Daniel said. “The hospital’s live record confirms he is still there with Elias. But the visitor record is attached to an archived ward system that was supposedly retired.”“Supposedly?” Ethan asked.“The archive has no closure certificate. It has a maintenance note saying the ward system was disconnected, then a second note saying its clock would remain activ
The Call from Two Places
Ethan did not turn when the phone rang. The map still showed Elias Cole standing behind him, although the security feed showed an empty corridor and every officer on the floor had confirmed that nobody had passed the conference room.“Daniel, answer the call on speaker,” Ethan said. “Keep the line recording, and don’t merge it with the building system.”Daniel connected the call. “Elias, can you hear us?”“I can,” Elias replied. His voice sounded strained, as though he had been running. “Why are you calling me from the executive floor?”“We didn’t call you first. Your number called us.”“That is impossible. I’m at the hospital with Adrian.”Ethan watched the map. The marker remained behind him. “Can you see the executive floor on your end?”“No. I can see the call record. It says the call began from your office, but I didn’t place it.”Ethan kept his eyes on the empty doorway. “Then we have two records and no reliable account of who initiated this. We need to establish where you are w
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