Marcus read the message again.
Then a third time.
His eyes slowly lifted from the phone to Ethan.
"Victor Liang?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
The name hung in the room like a storm cloud.
Marcus rubbed his temples.
"Okay… let me get this straight."
He pointed at the phone.
"Your future self just warned you that if you don't shut down your AI tonight… a billionaire investor somehow takes control of it tomorrow."
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
"That's what it says."
Marcus stared at him.
"That doesn't even make sense."
Ethan's eyes moved back to the monitors.
"Actually…"
Marcus waited.
"…it might."
The algorithm continued running.
Markets moved.
Trades executed.
Profit climbed.
$452,000.
Marcus noticed Ethan wasn't looking at the numbers anymore.
"What are you thinking?"
Ethan opened the network activity panel.
A long list of connections appeared.
Data feeds.
Market exchanges.
Financial APIs.
Marcus frowned.
"Is something wrong?"
Ethan pointed at one connection.
Marcus squinted.
"Helios financial data?"
Ethan shook his head.
"No."
He zoomed in.
Marcus leaned closer.
"Private server connection?"
Ethan whispered,
"Exactly."
Marcus looked confused.
"So?"
Ethan clicked deeper.
The system traced the connection route.
The IP address resolved.
Marcus read the result slowly.
"Liang Capital…?"
He looked up.
"Wait."
Marcus blinked several times.
"You're telling me Victor Liang's company is connected to your system?"
Ethan nodded.
"Looks like it."
Marcus stood up.
"How?!"
Ethan shook his head.
"I didn't give them access."
Marcus pointed at the screen.
"Then how is their server talking to your algorithm?"
Ethan opened another log file.
The answer appeared immediately.
External observation detected.
Marcus frowned.
"That sounds creepy."
Ethan continued scrolling.
Another line appeared.
Behavioral pattern analysis active.
Marcus looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
Ethan explained quietly.
"It means someone has been watching the algorithm."
Marcus blinked.
"Watching… how?"
Ethan pointed at the logs.
"They're analyzing its trades."
Marcus slowly understood.
"Wait."
He pointed at the monitor.
"Are you saying Victor Liang built a system to study your AI?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus leaned back in disbelief.
"That guy is trying to reverse engineer your trading system."
The algorithm executed another perfect trade.
Helios surged again.
$467,000.
Marcus shook his head.
"This is insane."
But Ethan wasn't watching the profit anymore.
He opened a new log.
Marcus leaned closer.
"What now?"
Ethan pointed at a new pattern.
Marcus squinted.
"Small trades?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus frowned.
"What about them?"
Ethan whispered,
"They're probes."
Marcus blinked.
"Probes?"
Ethan nodded again.
"Victor Liang's system is testing the algorithm."
Marcus looked confused.
"Testing what?"
Ethan explained.
"It places small trades to see how our AI reacts."
Marcus's eyes widened.
"So it's learning from you."
Ethan nodded.
"Exactly."
Marcus ran his hands through his hair.
"That's actually terrifying."
Ethan didn't disagree.
Marcus pointed at the screen.
"So the more your AI trades…"
"…the more Liang's system learns," Ethan finished.
Marcus sat back down slowly.
"And eventually…"
Ethan finished the sentence quietly.
"…it figures out how to control the market the same way."
Marcus stared at the monitors.
"So your future self wasn't warning about the AI itself."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"No."
Marcus whispered,
"He was warning about Victor Liang."
The mysterious terminal flickered again.
Text appeared.
External competitor intelligence increasing.
Marcus groaned.
"Even the ghost computer agrees."
Ethan typed quickly.
Probability Victor Liang gains system control?
The response appeared seconds later.
Current probability: 63%.
Marcus pointed at the screen.
"Sixty-three percent?!"
Ethan nodded.
"That's already high."
Marcus frowned.
"What happens when it reaches one hundred?"
Ethan answered quietly.
"Then Liang's system fully understands ours."
Marcus swallowed.
"And then what?"
Ethan looked back at the message from the future.
Then he repeated the warning.
"He takes control."
Marcus crossed his arms.
"I don't like this guy."
Ethan smiled faintly.
"You've never met him."
Marcus shrugged.
"I already don't trust him."
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
"Victor Liang built half his fortune predicting market crashes."
Marcus frowned.
"That sounds familiar."
Ethan nodded.
"Because that's exactly what this AI does."
Marcus's eyes widened.
"Wait…"
Ethan continued.
"If Liang gets this technology…"
Marcus finished the thought.
"He could manipulate global markets."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The profit counter updated again.
$480,000.
Marcus stared at the number.
"You're almost at half a million."
Ethan didn't respond.
Marcus pointed at the monitors.
"You could walk away right now."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Marcus frowned.
"But if you stop the system…"
"…Liang stops learning," Ethan finished.
Marcus blinked.
"That's good."
Ethan shook his head.
"Not completely."
Marcus looked confused.
"Why?"
Ethan opened another log.
Marcus leaned forward.
"What's that?"
Ethan pointed at a new process running on the system.
Marcus read the label.
Counter-strategy generation.
Marcus blinked.
"Your AI noticed him."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus looked impressed.
"So it's fighting back."
Ethan hesitated.
"Maybe."
Marcus frowned.
"What do you mean maybe?"
Ethan pointed at the code.
"It's not just defending itself."
Marcus leaned closer.
"What else is it doing?"
Ethan whispered,
"It's studying Liang's system too."
Marcus sat back slowly.
"Oh."
The algorithm executed three rapid trades.
Perfect entries.
Perfect exits.
$495,000.
Marcus laughed nervously.
"Five hundred thousand is coming fast."
But Ethan was staring at something else.
The system map had changed again.
Marcus noticed it.
"Why are there two strategy models now?"
Ethan pointed.
"One is our AI."
Marcus nodded.
"What's the other?"
Ethan answered quietly.
"The model predicting Victor Liang."
Marcus blinked.
"Your algorithm is building a simulation of him?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus leaned back.
"That's… actually genius."
Ethan wasn't smiling.
Because the system log printed another message.
Strategic confrontation predicted.
Marcus frowned.
"What confrontation?"
Ethan looked at the message from the future again.
The warning echoed in his head.
Victor Liang will take control tomorrow.
Marcus crossed his arms.
"So now what?"
Ethan stared at the keyboard.
Two options.
Shut down the system.
Or let it evolve.
Marcus spoke quietly.
"If you turn it off… Liang loses access."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus continued.
"But if you leave it running…"
Ethan finished the thought.
"The AI might beat him."
Marcus looked at him.
"That's a huge gamble."
Ethan whispered,
"I know."
The phone vibrated again.
Another message from the future appeared.
Short.
Urgent.
Ethan opened it.
Marcus watched his face carefully.
Then Ethan slowly handed him the phone.
Marcus read the message.
And immediately felt a chill.
The message said:
"You're wrong about Victor Liang."
Marcus looked up.
"What does that mean?"
Ethan pointed to the second line.
Marcus read it out loud.
And the room fell silent.
"He doesn't want to steal the system."
Marcus swallowed.
"Then what does he want?"
Ethan answered quietly.
"Control of the future."