2026-01-06 21:14:40I watched my mother laugh at a joke some old investor told. She had no idea how close she had just come to losing everything.
I couldn't let her stay in this room a second longer. Marcus was still lurking somewhere, probably fuming about his failed plan. "Mom, I need you to do me a favor," I said. I took her hand and led her away from the noisy table. She looked at me with those kind eyes. "What is it, Victor? You seem so tense tonight." "I have a bad feeling about the crowd," I told her. "I want you to head to the private wing and rest for a bit." She started to protest, but I squeezed her hand. "Please, Mom. Just do this for me so I can focus on work." She sighed but nodded. "Alright, honey. If it makes you feel better, I'll go." I signaled to two men standing near the exit. Their names were Leo and Silas. In my past life, they were the only two guards who stayed loyal. Everyone else took a bribe from Marcus to look the other way. "Leo, Silas, take my mother to the north wing," I ordered. "Nobody gets in or out without my personal word." They didn't ask questions. They just nodded and fell into step behind her as she walked away. Watching her leave felt like a massive weight was lifted off my chest. At least she was safe for now. Suddenly, a familiar chime rang inside my head. It was a digital sound that made my ears ring. [Mission Accomplished] the blue screen flashed. [Reward: $50,000 deposited. Skill Unlocked: Market Intuition.] I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and nearly dropped it when I saw the screen. It was a notification from my bank. My balance had just jumped by exactly fifty thousand dollars. Holy shit, I whispered to myself. This thing is actually real. This wasn't just some hallucination from my dying brain. The System was literally paying me to fix my life. I felt a surge of energy rush through me. The Market Intuition skill felt like a new sense, like I could suddenly see the hidden threads of money. I turned back toward the ballroom. I didn't have time to celebrate yet. There was still one more snake to deal with. Sarah was walking toward me, her red dress flowing behind her. She looked like a dream, but I knew she was a nightmare. "Victor! There you are!" she cried out. She tried to wrap her arm around mine. I stepped back before she could touch me. The look on her face shifted from a fake smile to confusion. "Babe, what's wrong?" she asked. "You didn't even come find me for a dance." I looked her dead in the eye. I didn't see my girlfriend. I saw the woman who watched Marcus stab me. I saw the woman who laughed while I died on the floor. The coldness inside me was so thick I could almost taste it. "I'm busy, Sarah," I said. My voice was as dry as bone. She flinched like I had slapped her. "Busy? It's a party, Victor. Why are you acting like this?" "The party is over for me," I replied. I didn't even try to hide the disgust in my voice. She reached out to touch my face, but I grabbed her wrist. I didn't hurt her, but I was firm. "Don't," I said. The word was a warning that made her entire body shiver. "Victor, you're scaring me," she whispered. Her eyes were wide, and for once, I think the fear was real. "Good," I said. I let go of her wrist and took a step back. In my past life, I would have apologized. I would have kissed her and told her everything was fine. But that Victor was dead. The man standing here now didn't have an ounce of love left for her. "Where is Marcus?" I asked. I looked around the room like I was searching for a pest to crush. "I don't know," she stammered. "He was just here a minute ago." I leaned in close to her ear. I could smell her expensive perfume, the same scent that filled the room when I died. "Tell him his little trick didn't work," I whispered. I pulled back and watched the blood drain from her face. She looked like she wanted to run. I didn't wait for her to respond. I just turned my back on her and walked away. I could feel her eyes on me, burning with a mix of confusion and hate. Let her wonder. I had fifty thousand dollars and a mother who was still breathing. That was more than I had an hour ago. This was just the first night. I had five years to dismantle their lives piece by piece. I walked toward the bar and ordered a glass of water. I needed to stay sharp. The Market Intuition skill was humming in the back of my brain. It was pointing toward a small group of tech investors. In my past life, I ignored them. They ended up becoming the biggest company in the city. Not this time. This time, every winner was going to be on my team. I took a sip of my water and watched Marcus reappear across the room. He looked frantic. He was looking for my mother. He was looking for the tragedy that was supposed to happen. I raised my glass toward him in a silent toast. He didn't see me, but that was fine. He would see me soon enough. They would both see exactly what happens when you kill a man and he refuses to stay dead. I felt the System pulse again, as if it was cheering me on. I was ready for whatever came next. The real game was just beginning. And for the first time in my life, I knew I was going to win.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 160
I wake up just before dawn.My body is stiff and my bruised shoulder throbs with a dull ache.I slept in my clothes, keeping the heavy shotgun resting on the floor right next to the bed.I walk into the small bathroom and splash freezing water on my face.I look at my tired reflection in the dusty mirror.The dark circles under my eyes have returned violently.I look like a man running out of time.I dry my face with a rough towel and walk back into the main room.I turn on the small television in the corner and mute the volume.I tune it to the primary financial news network.I sit on the edge of the bed and wait for the morning markets to open.At exactly nine o'clock, the opening bell rings on the screen.Instantly, the news ticker at the bottom of the screen flashes a bright, urgent red.ST. CLAIRE GROUP ENACTS EMERGENCY FREEZE.ALL LIQUID ASSETS SECURED PENDING INTERNAL REVIEW.Diane did exactly what I asked. She
CHAPTER 159
I drive aimlessly through the dark city streets for twenty minutes.I need to put distance between myself and the meatpacking district.I need to make sure Alice is not actively tracking my vehicle.My left shoulder aches terribly from the brutal recoil of the shotgun.My clothes are soaked with cold sweat and freezing rain.I pull into an empty, poorly lit parking lot behind a closed grocery store.I turn off the engine and lean my head against the steering wheel.I pull up the interface in my mind.I am still alive.But I am running out of time, and I am running out of resources.I open my glove compartment and grab my cheap burner phone.I dial Adekunle's private number. He answers on the first ring."Did you do it?" he asks urgently. "Did you blow up the server farm?""I triggered a massive blackout and destroyed their local cooling systems," I tell him, breathing heavily."But it did not blind her completely. She is s
CHAPTER 151
The warehouse is pitch black except for the narrow beam of my tactical flashlight.Alice Vane does not hesitate.She raises her sleek, suppressed pistol and fires three rapid shots.The bullets hit the heavy metal server rack right next to my head.Sparks shower down into the dark aisle.I drop to the dirty concrete floor immediately.I pump the heavy shotgun and fire a blind shot toward her position.The loud blast is deafening in the enclosed space.The heavy steel slug rips through the dark.I hear it smash into a row of dead computer monitors behind her.Glass shatters and rains down onto the floor."You missed, Victor," Alice calls out.Her voice echoes strangely off the high metal ceiling.She sounds entirely calm. She sounds like she is enjoying this.I roll sideways under a heavy metal table.I turn off my flashlight.Total darkness swallows the massive room again.I try to slow my breathing.The air smells strongly of burned ozone and fresh gunpowder.I read the glowing red t
CHAPTER 157
I park my car exactly six blocks away from the abandoned meatpacking district. It is eleven-thirty at night. The city air is freezing and thick with fog.I leave my cell phone locked inside the glove compartment. I do not want any active signals broadcasting my location.I open the dark trunk and pull out the heavy black duffel bag. I sling the strap over my shoulder. The weight of the weapon inside feels strangely comforting.I walk slowly through the dark, empty streets. The old brick buildings here look like massive, decaying teeth against the night sky. There are no civilians around. The streets are completely dead.I approach the target warehouse from the rear alleyway. Adekunle was right. The building looks totally abandoned from the outside. The windows are boarded up with thick rotting wood. The loading dock doors are covered in heavy graffiti.But I can hear a low, steady humming sound vibrating through the wet brick walls.
CHAPTER 156
I drive deep into the forgotten industrial sector near the old shipyards. The roads here are heavily cracked and full of deep potholes. The streetlights were smashed years ago and never replaced. I park my car in front of a rusty chain-link fence. Behind the fence sits a massive, crumbling auto salvage yard. Stacks of crushed cars rise into the dark sky like metal mountains. I walk up to the heavy metal gate and press the dirty intercom button. Static buzzes loudly for a few seconds. "We are closed," a rough voice grunts through the speaker. "I am Elias St. Claire's son," I say clearly into the metal box. "I am looking for Silas." The intercom goes completely dead. I wait in the cold air for two long minutes. Finally, a heavy electric lock clanks loudly. The metal gate slides open a few feet. I slip inside the dark salvage yard. A huge man is waiting for me near a rust
CHAPTER 155
I drive to a cheap, rundown motel on the far industrial edge of the city. The paint on the building is peeling badly. The neon sign out front is buzzing and missing three letters. It is the exact kind of place where people go when they want to be invisible.I walk up the exterior concrete stairs to room number four. I knock on the door using the specific, heavy pattern Adekunle and I agreed on.I hear a deadbolt slide back. The door opens an inch. Adekunle looks through the crack. He looks exhausted and furious. He pulls the door open wider and gestures for me to step inside quickly.The small motel room smells like stale smoke and cheap cleaning chemicals. Adekunle has a thick burner laptop set up on the wobbly wooden desk. There are empty coffee cups scattered everywhere."This is an absolute nightmare, Victor," he says, pacing the short length of the stained carpet. "I spent five years building that news platform. Five years of bleeding for every single subscriber." He waves his ha
You may also like
My Sniper System
kuhaku_sora24.2K viewsChanging Life With Instant Wealth System
Dee Hwang 22.3K viewsEarly Access System Volume 1: Shadow Of The Behemoth
ChadGuy4523.5K viewsRise of the Revenge System
Qin Li21.3K viewsThe Lawyer Who Never Loses
Rosehipstea 263 viewsCold Apocalypse: My Wife's Betrayal
F.J. Wilder1.4K viewsThe Necromancer King
Chizzy Writes 697 viewsApocalypse Overlord: My God-Tier Architect System
Flimxy vic 1.5K views