Ethan barely slept that night.
The message from the future phone kept replaying in his mind.
If it's Voltis…
And then nothing.
The signal had died before the sentence finished.
That silence was worse than any warning.
Ethan sat at his desk early the next morning, staring at his trading screen.
Two positions.
Helios Technologies — $1.96
Voltis Energy Systems — $0.62
Helios was still climbing.
Voltis… was slowly bleeding.
His stomach tightened.
Nearly all his money was tied up in those two companies.
If Voltis collapsed, the loss would be brutal.
But that wasn't the only thing bothering him.
Something about Helios didn't make sense.
Stocks didn't explode like this for no reason.
Not from $0.78 to almost $2 in days.
There had to be a trigger.
A secret.
And if Ethan could discover that secret before the public…
He might understand what was really happening.
He opened dozens of browser tabs.
Helios Technologies.
Investor reports.
Old press releases.
Research papers.
Buried forum discussions.
Most of the information was useless.
Complaints from investors.
Articles predicting bankruptcy.
Nothing explaining the sudden surge.
Then Ethan noticed something strange.
A technical research document from three years ago.
It had barely any downloads.
He clicked it.
The paper described a prototype solar battery hybrid system developed by Helios.
Ethan leaned closer to the screen.
The system combined high-efficiency solar panels with a new storage material capable of holding energy much longer than traditional lithium batteries.
His eyes narrowed.
Energy storage.
The exact sector mentioned in the future message.
But that wasn't the interesting part.
The research paper had one line that caught his attention.
"Initial results show storage capacity improvement of 240% compared to conventional systems."
Ethan blinked.
Two hundred and forty percent.
If that number was real…
It would revolutionize renewable energy.
Solar farms could store far more power.
Cities could rely on renewable grids without constant outages.
Energy companies would fight to control that technology.
But the paper ended abruptly.
No follow-up studies.
No official announcements.
Almost like the research had disappeared.
Ethan leaned back slowly.
"So what happened after this?"
He searched deeper.
Finally, buried in a forgotten forum thread, he found something.
An anonymous comment posted months ago.
"Helios didn't fail. Their prototype succeeded. They just ran out of funding before production."
Ethan's pulse quickened.
He kept reading.
"Rumor says a major government contract is coming. But they're keeping it quiet until the announcement."
Government contract.
Ethan's mind started connecting the dots.
If Helios had secretly perfected a breakthrough energy storage system…
And if a government agency was about to adopt it…
Then the company wouldn't just double.
It could explode ten times or more.
That would explain everything.
The sudden buying.
The rising volume.
Someone already knew.
Which meant powerful investors were quietly positioning themselves before the news became public.
And Ethan…
Had accidentally joined them.
His laptop pinged.
Helios price updated.
$2.07
Ethan exhaled slowly.
His original $46,800 investment was now worth far more.
The explosion was getting closer.
But now he understood something else.
Helios wasn't just a lucky prediction.
It was a technological revolution hiding in plain sight.
And if Voltis was connected to the same energy sector…
Then the future opportunity might be even bigger.
Ethan leaned forward.
"What are you planning, future me?"
Across the city…
Inside a sleek glass tower office…
Victor Liang stood beside a massive window overlooking the skyline.
One of his analysts spoke quietly.
"Helios trading volume has tripled again today."
Victor nodded slightly.
"Expected."
"However…" the analyst continued nervously, "there is still an unknown buyer holding sixty thousand shares."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"That student."
They still hadn't confirmed Ethan's identity.
But Victor knew someone had moved too early.
Someone who knew about Helios before the public.
And that meant only two possibilities.
Either they were incredibly lucky.
Or…
They knew the secret.
Victor smiled faintly.
"Find him."
The analyst hesitated.
"And when we do?"
Victor turned toward the window again.
"If he's smart, we make him an ally."
His voice became colder.
"And if he's not…"
"…we remove the problem."
Back in his apartment, Ethan stared at the glowing numbers on his laptop.
Helios kept rising.
Voltis remained quiet.
And the future phone…
Stayed completely silent.
For the first time since receiving it…
Ethan felt like he was walking alone into the unknown.
But one thing was clear now.
Helios wasn't just a lucky trade.
It was the beginning of something much bigger.
And somewhere out there…
Powerful people were starting to notice.
The game had officially begun.