The market opened at exactly 9:30 a.m.
Ethan was already awake.
He hadn't slept much.
The glowing numbers on his laptop screen had haunted him all night.
Helios Technologies.
Yesterday it had closed at $0.91.
Today would decide everything.
He refreshed the trading page again.
The clock ticked down.
09:29:55
His heart beat faster.
Five seconds.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
The market opened.
For a split second nothing happened.
Then the numbers began to move.
$0.93
$0.96
$1.02
Ethan sat up straight in his chair.
"Wait… what?"
The price had just crossed one dollar.
That alone was a psychological barrier. Many traders ignored penny stocks under a dollar — but once they crossed that line, attention exploded.
His trading platform started lighting up with alerts.
Volume spike detected.
Unusual activity detected.
Ethan quickly opened the market forum threads.
The posts were pouring in.
"Helios just broke $1!"
"Why is this thing moving???"
"Is there news???"
"Someone knows something."
Ethan leaned closer to the screen.
Someone knows something.
He almost laughed.
Yeah, he thought.
Someone does.
And that someone was him.
The price jumped again.
$1.07
$1.12
$1.18
Ethan's trading account recalculated automatically.
His total position value climbed rapidly.
$60,000…
$63,000…
$67,000…
His breathing slowed.
He opened the calculator tab.
60,000 shares × $1.18
$70,800.
Ethan blinked.
Three days ago he had been celebrating turning $214 into $49,000.
Now his account had just crossed seventy thousand dollars.
The gain notification appeared on screen.
Daily Profit: +$10,284
Ethan stared at the number.
Ten thousand dollars.
Overnight.
He leaned back slowly.
"This is insane…"
Most people worked months for that kind of money.
He had made it while sleeping.
But the market wasn't finished.
Helios kept climbing.
$1.25
The trading forums were exploding now.
"Holy crap!"
"Short squeeze!"
"Helios is running!"
"Load up before it hits $2!"
Ethan watched the price chart form a sharp green staircase.
The explosion had started.
But something felt… strange.
This wasn't Friday yet.
The future message had been clear.
It explodes Friday.
Today was only Wednesday.
Which meant this might only be the beginning.
Ethan's fingers hovered over the sell button.
He could lock in the profit right now.
Seventy thousand dollars.
That was already life-changing.
No student should have that kind of money.
But then he remembered the other message.
Future Ethan:Be careful. This trade will make enemies.
Ethan glanced at the mysterious phone sitting quietly on his desk.
Its screen was dark.
Silent.
Waiting.
He slowly pulled his hand away from the keyboard.
"No," he murmured.
"If this is the explosion…"
"I want to see the full blast."
Two hours later, the price hit $1.36.
Ethan's account balance climbed again.
$81,600.
He shook his head in disbelief.
Helios had officially turned into a market rocket.
Financial news sites were starting to pick it up.
"Unknown Renewable Energy Stock Surges 70% in Two Days."
"Helios Technologies Suddenly Gains Massive Investor Interest."
But one article caught Ethan's attention.
"Large Anonymous Buyer Behind Helios Accumulation."
Ethan frowned.
Large buyer?
He clicked the article.
The analyst explained that someone had purchased a massive amount of shares early — before the rally began.
Exactly the move Ethan had made.
His stomach tightened.
Was someone tracing the trade?
Before he could think further—
His mysterious phone vibrated.
Ethan froze.
Slowly, he picked it up.
A message appeared on the glowing screen.
Future Ethan:
Good.
You're ahead of schedule.
Ethan's eyebrows rose.
Ahead of schedule?
Another line appeared.
But things are changing faster now.
The typing paused.
Then one more message appeared.
And this one made Ethan's blood run cold.
Someone else has noticed Helios early.
Ethan's eyes widened.
Someone else?
Before he could process the message—
Another line appeared.
And this person is far more dangerous than the market.
Ethan's heart pounded.
The phone vibrated again.
But this time it wasn't the future phone.
It was his normal phone.
Incoming call.
Unknown number.
Ethan stared at the screen.
The phone kept ringing.
And ringing.
Finally, he answered.
"…Hello?"
A calm voice replied on the other end.
"Mr. Ethan Carter."
Ethan froze.
He had never given his name publicly in the market.
"How did you—"
The man chuckled softly.
"You made a very interesting trade this week."
Ethan's pulse spiked.
The voice continued.
"And people like me…"
"…are very curious about interesting traders."
The line went silent for a moment.
Then the man spoke again.
"My name is Victor Liang."
Ethan's stomach dropped.
The billionaire investor.
Victor Liang.
And suddenly Ethan understood something terrifying.
The game had just changed.