The Trillionaire's Disgrace: My Blood System Demands Sacrif.

The champagne glass hit Marcus square in the forehead, and for a second, he thought someone had shot him.

Blood and Dom Pérignon dripped down his face. Around the private dining room, twelve people in designer clothes stared at him like he was dog shit.

His mother-in-law Eleanor stood at the head of the table, arm still raised from the throw. Diamonds sparkled on her wrist.

"That's for being late, you worthless piece of garbage."

Marcus tasted copper. His delivery uniform polyester red with grease stains looked like a clown costume next to all the Armani. He'd raced across downtown on his piece-of-shit scooter because Eleanor's text said be here by 7 sharp.

It was 7:03.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Wright. Traffic was"

"Shut your fucking mouth." Eleanor's smiled ear to ear. "Nobody wants to hear your excuses."

Marcus's wife Elena sat at the far end beside some guy he'd never seen. Model looks. Expensive suit. His arm draped over Elena's chair.

Elena wouldn't look at Marcus.

Three years. Three goddamn years of this bullshit. Three years working double shifts while her family used him as a punching bag. Three years of sleeping on the floor because Eleanor said he didn't deserve Elena's bed.

"Sweetheart," Eleanor cooed at Elena. "Why don't you introduce your husband, Victor?"

Eleanor pulled a manila folder from her bag and slapped it on the table. Through the plastic window, Marcus saw legal letterhead.

PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE.

His stomach dropped.

"What the hell is this?"

"Your ticket to freedom," the handsome guy: Victor said. "Victor Kane. CEO of Kane Industries. I'm going to marry Elena once we deal with this unfortunate situation."

Victor's hand slid to Elena's shoulder. She leaned into him.

"Elena." Marcus's voice came out hoarse. "What's going on?"

She finally looked at him. Her face was blank as a mannequin's.

"Sign the papers, Marcus."

"But we're... I thought"

"Thought what?" Eleanor laughed. "That my daughter loved you? This was charity from day one. We took pity on you after your family got themselves killed. You've been living off our generosity ever since, you pathetic leech."

The other guests snickered.

"Let me make this simple." Victor pulled out a checkbook, scribbled something, and ripped off a check. "Fifty thousand dollars. Sign the papers, disappear, and you never have to deliver another lo mein."

He slid the check across the table.

Marcus stared at the numbers. More money than he'd seen in three years.

Then he saw the ring on Elena's hand. Not her wedding ring that had disappeared months ago. This was new. A diamond the size of a marble.

"You're already engaged." His voice came out dead. "How long?"

Elena's mask cracked for half a second. "Does it matter?"

"How. Long."

"Eight months," Victor said, grinning. "Met at a charity gala. Instant connection. You know how it is when successful people meet. Well, you wouldn't know."

Eight months. While Marcus worked sixteen-hour days to save for Elena's birthday present. While her brother used him as a punching bag.

The Chen Massacre flashed through his mind. One night. Forty-seven family members dead. Parents, siblings, cousins, everyone murdered in coordinated hits. The five hundred billion dollar Chen Empire, gone. Absorbed by powerful families who claimed they were "protecting assets."

The Wright family had taken their cut.

Eleanor had offered Marcus a deal: marry Elena, work off his family's "debts," and maybe someday he'd get something back.

He'd been twenty-five, alone, and terrified. He'd said yes.

Now his wife had been fucking a billionaire for eight months.

"I'm not signing shit," Marcus said.

Silence.

Eleanor's face turned purple. "Excuse me?"

"You want a divorce? Give me back what you stole. The Wright family managed twenty percent of Chen assets. That's one hundred billion dollars. Write me that check, and I'll sign."

Everyone lost their shit laughing.

Victor wiped tears from his eyes. "The delivery boy thinks he's entitled to money? Your family's assets were seized due to criminal activity. There's no inheritance. You're nobody."

"My family was murdered. And vultures like you picked the corpse clean."

Eleanor's smile vanished. She looked past Marcus. "Richard. Take out the trash."

Marcus's brother-in-law stood up. Richard Wright was six-four, 250 pounds of ex-linebacker muscle. He cracked his knuckles.

"You don't make demands, Chen. You lost that right when your family died like dogs."

The first punch hit Marcus's gut. Air exploded from his lungs. The second, uppercut to the jaw, snapped his head back. Blood filled his mouth.

"Richard, stop!" Elena's voice. Distant.

"It's not enough until he understands." Eleanor's voice was ice. "Take him outside."

Richard grabbed Marcus by the collar and dragged him toward the exit. Past shocked diners. Out the back door into the alley where dumpsters overflowed.

Richard slammed him against brick. Marcus's vision went spotty.

"Should've taken the money." Richard pulled out brass knuckles. "Victor wants you gone permanently. I told him I'd make it look like a mugging."

Marcus's blood went cold. "You're going to kill me."

"Can't have loose ends. Victor's paying us fifty million. Your life ain't worth fifty million, Chen."

The brass knuckles slammed into Marcus's ribs. Something cracked. He screamed. Another punch shattered his cheekbone. Teeth broke.

"Should've died with your family three years ago." Richard kicked him in the stomach. "Would've saved everyone the trouble."

Marcus curled up while Richard rained down blows. His vision darkened. Blood pooled under him.

This was it. Beaten to death in an alley while his wife celebrated inside. Last of the Chen bloodline, dying in garbage.

Richard's kicks stopped. "That should do it."

Through swollen eyes, Marcus saw Richard check his phone. "Yeah, boss. It's done... Still breathing, but give it ten minutes... Yeah, I'll make sure."

Richard pulled out a knife.

Marcus tried to move. Couldn't.

Richard crouched, grabbed Marcus's hair, yanked his head back. The blade caught the light.

"Nothing personal. Just business."

The blade descended

The world turned red.

A screen materialized, glowing letters burning into Marcus's vision:

[ANCESTRAL BLOOD SYSTEM ACTIVATED]

[HEIR IDENTIFIED: MARCUS CHEN]

[BLOODLINE VERIFICATION: CONFIRMED]

[SURVIVAL PROTOCOL INITIATED]

[WARNING: HOST LIFE SIGNATURE CRITICAL]

[FIRST MISSION: SURVIVE THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT]

[TIME REMAINING: 2 HOURS, 47 MINUTES]

Richard's knife was still coming down. Marcus's hand shot up caught Richard's wrist an inch from his throat.

Richard's eyes went wide. "What the..."

Marcus's grip tightened. Power flooded through him, ancient and hungry. The screen pulsed:

[EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: TEMPORARY BOOST]

[COST: 3 MONTHS LIFESPAN]

[DURATION: 30 SECONDS]

He twisted Richard's wrist. Bone snapped. Richard screamed. The knife clattered away.

Marcus stood. His body screamed with pain but for thirty seconds, he could move.

"Let go, you freak!" Richard swung his brass-knuckled fist.

Marcus caught it. With his last seconds of strength, he drove his knee into Richard's balls.

Richard went down hard.

The screen flashed:

[EMERGENCY BOOST DEPLETED]

[COST PAID: 3 MONTHS LIFESPAN]

[PROFESSIONAL ASSASSINS EN ROUTE]

[ARRIVAL: 2 HOURS, 46 MINUTES]

[SURVIVAL CHANCE: 0.3%]

Marcus leaned against the wall. Richard groaned on the ground.

The screen changed:

[TUTORIAL START]

[WELCOME TO THE ANCESTRAL BLOOD SYSTEM]

[ALL POWER REQUIRES SACRIFICE]

Three options appeared:

[OPTION A: SACRIFICE 2 YEARS LIFESPAN - $100,000]

[CORRUPTION: +8%]

[OPTION B: SACRIFICE SISTER'S MEMORY - $500,000]

[CORRUPTION: +15%]

[OPTION C: ENDURE 72 HOURS PAIN - $1,000,000]

[CORRUPTION: +25%]

[CORRUPTION = SOUL DAMAGE]

[AT 100%: DEMON BREAKS FREE, EVERYONE DIES]

This was insane. But Richard was getting up. In less than three hours, real killers would arrive.

Marcus had nothing left to lose.

"Option A."

[SACRIFICE ACCEPTED: 2 YEARS LIFESPAN]

Pain ripped through him not physical, something deeper. He saw flashes: birthdays that would never happen. Two years of future, converted to cash.

His phone buzzed.

DEPOSIT: $100,000.00

Holy shit. It was real.

[CORRUPTION: 8%]

[SHOP FOR SURVIVAL:]

[COMBAT INSTINCT LV1: $50,000]

[DANGER SENSE: $30,000]

[ENHANCED HEALING: $20,000]

Marcus selected all three. His balance dropped to $47.23.

[INSTALLING... THIS IS GONNA HURT]

His skull felt like it split. Information flooded in; fighting techniques, muscle memory, tactical awareness. His bones started knitting faster.

His danger sense kicked in.

Richard was pulling a backup gun.

Marcus moved. Grabbed Richard's wrist, twisted. Bone cracked.

The gun clattered down.

"You said I should've died with my family," Marcus said quietly. "You're right. Old Marcus died tonight."

He picked up a gun from Richard. Shot him in the knee.

The scream echoed.

"Tell Victor Kane the Chen heir is awake. Tell him I'm coming for everyone"

His danger sense shrieked.

The back door exploded open. Two men in dark suits, suppressed pistols already firing.

Professional killers. Two hours early.

[RUN, YOU DUMB FUCK]

Marcus ran.

Burst onto the street, danger sense screaming as rounds hissed past. He zigzagged between cars, combat instinct predicting angles.

[SACRIFICE 6 MONTHS FOR 3-MINUTE FUTURE SIGHT?]

"Yes!"

The world exploded into probability. He saw three minutes forward thousands of possible futures. Construction site ahead. 23% survival.

Better than nothing.

He ran, future sight guiding him. Jumped the fence, climbed scaffolding while bullets sparked behind him. Reached the roof, kept running, leaping between buildings.

Ten minutes later, he collapsed in an abandoned warehouse.

[MISSION COMPLETE]

[CORRUPTION: 5%]

[BAD NEWS: RICHARD WRIGHT IS DEAD]

[THE HITMEN KILLED HIM]

[GUESS WHO THEY'RE BLAMING?]

His phone buzzed. News alerts:

"Richard Wright Found Dead"

"Suspect: Marcus Chen"

"Manhunt Underway"

Elena's face filled the screen, crying for cameras. "My brother tried to help Marcus. And Marcus killed him. Please, someone stop him."

They weren't just divorcing him. They were making him a monster so nobody would ask questions when he disappeared.

[STATUS:]

[FUNDS: $47.23]

[CORRUPTION: 5%]

[ENEMIES: EVERYONE]

[ALLIES: NONE]

[GIVING UP YET?]

Marcus looked at his reflection. Blood-soaked. Face destroyed.

He looked like a corpse.

Perfect.

"I'm going to burn their whole world down," he said.

[EXCELLENT]

[NEW SACRIFICES AVAILABLE:]

[MOTHER'S VOICE - $250,000]

[ABILITY TO CRY - $100,000]

[YOUR HAPPINESS - $500,000]

His finger hovered over the screen.

Was revenge worth his mother's voice? Worth never crying? Worth happiness?

He thought of Elena laughing with Victor. Richard's brass knuckles. Forty-seven dead family members.

"All of them," Marcus whispered. "Every fucking one."

[SOME SHIT CAN'T BE UNDONE]

Marcus looked at his corpse-like reflection.

"Old me's already dead. Let's see what crawls out of the grave."

He selected every sacrifice.

The warehouse filled with red light as the blood system ripped pieces of his soul out.

Outside, sirens wailed.

And at the restaurant, Victor Kane kissed Elena Wright, completely unaware he'd just made the worst mistake of his life.

He'd left Marcus Chen breathing.

[CORRUPTION: 5% - 34%]