The numbers didn't lie.
Helios Technologies was no longer drifting quietly in the market.
By Wednesday morning, the price had climbed to $1.12.
Ethan stared at the screen, barely blinking.
Just a few days ago, it had been $0.78.
Now his 60,000 shares were worth over $67,000.
More than he had ever seen in his life.
And Friday hadn't even arrived yet.
Something big was coming.
He could feel it.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, the dim light of his laptop reflecting in his eyes.
Outside, rain drummed against the window of his small apartment.
But Ethan barely noticed.
His mind was racing.
Why Helios?
That was the real question.
Companies didn't suddenly explode for no reason.
There was always a trigger.
News.
A breakthrough.
A buyout.
Something.
Future Ethan hadn't explained anything.
Just:
Helios Technologies. Buy before Thursday.
That meant the answer had to exist somewhere.
Hidden.
Waiting.
Ethan opened another browser tab.
Then another.
And another.
Financial reports.
Investor forums.
Industry blogs.
Anything mentioning Helios.
Most of it was useless.
Old articles.
Failed projects.
Negative forecasts.
But after nearly an hour of digging…
Something strange appeared.
A discussion thread on a small tech forum.
The title was simple.
"Helios Might Be Sitting on Something Huge."
Ethan clicked it immediately.
The post was from an anonymous user.
The account had only posted twice.
That alone made Ethan suspicious.
He began reading.
User: PhotonSeeker
"I work in renewable research consulting.I can't reveal details, but word inside the industry is that Helios solved a major efficiency problem with their solar storage tech.
If true, it could double energy output for solar grids.
Big energy companies are already interested.
Announcement might happen soon."
Ethan felt his heartbeat quicken.
He kept reading.
"Most investors think Helios is dying.
But insiders know something big is coming.
If the news drops publicly… this stock could explode."
Ethan slowly leaned back.
"Holy…"
This was it.
The trigger.
Helios hadn't failed.
They had succeeded.
And no one knew yet.
Except a few insiders.
And…
Future Ethan.
Ethan opened another tab and searched deeper.
This time he wasn't looking at public news.
He searched patent filings.
And after several minutes…
He found it.
A recently submitted patent.
Helios Technologies — Solar Energy Storage Optimization System
Filed only two weeks ago.
Status: Pending Announcement
Ethan's pulse was racing now.
This wasn't speculation.
This was real.
If Helios had solved the storage efficiency problem, their technology would change the entire renewable industry.
Governments.
Energy giants.
Investors.
Everyone would rush in.
And when the announcement happened—
The stock wouldn't just rise.
It would detonate.
Ethan looked back at the market chart.
$1.18
It was climbing again.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Like pressure building inside a volcano.
Most traders still had no idea.
But a few…
A very small few…
Were starting to realize.
Ethan whispered to himself.
"Future me… you knew about this."
Of course he did.
Ten years in the future, this kind of breakthrough would be common knowledge.
But in the present?
It was worth millions.
Maybe billions.
And Ethan was sitting right in the middle of it.
Just then—
His mysterious phone vibrated.
Ethan grabbed it instantly.
The future message appeared.
Future Ethan:
Good.
You found the reason.
Ethan's eyes widened.
"So you were watching?"
Another message appeared.
You need to understand something.
Ethan leaned closer to the screen.
The next line appeared slowly.
Information is more valuable than money.
A pause.
Then the final message arrived.
And right now…
You're holding information worth millions.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
For the first time since this whole thing started…
He understood something important.
The phone wasn't just giving him predictions.
It was giving him knowledge before the world discovered it.
That kind of advantage could build fortunes.
Empires.
Entire industries.
But as Ethan stared at the glowing screen…
A final message appeared.
Short.
And chilling.
Just remember…
You're not the only one looking for it.
Across the city, inside a quiet office filled with trading screens…
The same Helios chart glowed on a massive monitor.
The mysterious man from earlier studied the data carefully.
Volume spikes.
Unusual purchases.
One in particular stood out.
60,000 shares.
Bought days before the movement began.
The man tapped the desk slowly.
"Someone else knows."
One of his analysts spoke nervously.
"Sir… the buyer is still untraceable."
The man's eyes narrowed.
"That's impossible."
Everything in the market could be tracked.
Everyone left a trail.
Everyone.
He leaned forward slightly.
"Find them."
His voice dropped.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
"Because whoever bought that position…"
"…just made themselves very interesting."
Back in his small apartment, Ethan refreshed the market again.
Helios Technologies — $1.24
The climb was accelerating.
And Friday was getting closer.
Ethan smiled faintly.
"Let's see how big this explosion really is."
But somewhere deep inside him…
A strange feeling lingered.
Because if information like this was worth millions…
Then knowing it too early…
Might be dangerous.
Very dangerous.