The room was silent.
Marcus was still staring at the phone in Ethan's hand.
The message from the future glowed softly on the screen.
"He doesn't want to steal the system."
"He wants control of the future."
Marcus slowly exhaled.
"That… might actually be worse."
Ethan didn't respond.
His eyes had already returned to the monitors.
Numbers scrolled.
Trades executed.
Models evolved.
The algorithm continued learning.
Profit climbed again.
$507,000.
Marcus shook his head.
"Half a million dollars."
He looked at Ethan.
"And you're not even excited."
Ethan leaned closer to the keyboard.
"Because this isn't about money anymore."
Marcus frowned.
"Yeah… I'm starting to realize that."
Ethan opened the predictive modeling panel.
Two strategy engines were now running simultaneously.
One was the evolving trading AI.
The other was the Victor Liang simulation.
Marcus leaned closer.
"So that second model…"
"…is trying to predict Liang's moves," Ethan finished.
Marcus nodded slowly.
"And?"
Ethan tapped a key.
The simulation accelerated.
Thousands of hypothetical trades ran in seconds.
Marcus watched the graphs spike.
"What's it doing?"
Ethan pointed.
"It's searching for the moment Liang strikes."
Marcus blinked.
"You mean the moment he tries to take control?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus rubbed his chin.
"And if your AI predicts it first…"
Ethan finished quietly.
"We move before he does."
Another log line appeared.
External probes increasing.
Marcus groaned.
"Your billionaire stalker is getting curious."
Ethan opened the network monitor.
The list of probing trades had doubled.
Small market orders.
Tiny positions.
Almost invisible.
Marcus frowned.
"These look harmless."
Ethan shook his head.
"They're not."
Marcus crossed his arms.
"Explain."
Ethan zoomed in on one of the trades.
"It's measuring reaction speed."
Marcus blinked.
"What?"
Ethan pointed at the timestamps.
"The moment our AI executes a trade…"
"…his system records the response time."
Marcus's eyes widened.
"So Liang's AI is trying to measure how fast yours thinks."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus leaned back slowly.
"That's… scary smart."
Ethan whispered,
"He's mapping the brain of our algorithm."
Another notification appeared.
Helios Technologies surging.
Marcus glanced at the market feed.
"Wow."
The stock chart exploded upward.
Helios had just jumped another 12%.
Profit updated instantly.
$528,000.
Marcus whistled.
"Your AI really loves this company."
Ethan stared at the graph.
"No."
Marcus frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Ethan pointed at the order book.
"Look closer."
Marcus leaned toward the screen.
Then his eyes widened.
"Those aren't random buyers."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Exactly."
Marcus whispered,
"That's Liang."
A massive institutional order appeared in the market.
Millions of dollars flowing into Helios.
Marcus stared at the numbers.
"He's buying the same stock as us."
Ethan nodded.
"He knows Helios is the key."
Marcus frowned.
"How?"
Ethan shrugged slightly.
"Because his system has been watching ours."
Marcus sighed.
"Of course."
Another order hit the market.
Then another.
Helios climbed even faster.
Profit jumped again.
$552,000.
Marcus shook his head.
"You two are basically pushing the market together now."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"That's exactly what worries me."
Marcus looked confused.
"Why?"
Ethan answered quietly.
"Because Liang might not be following us."
Marcus blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Ethan pointed at the chart.
"He might be leading."
The simulation engine suddenly beeped.
Marcus jumped.
"What was that?"
Ethan opened the prediction results.
A new probability appeared.
Strategic confrontation window detected.
Marcus frowned.
"That sounds bad."
Ethan read the analysis.
Then his expression changed.
Marcus noticed immediately.
"What?"
Ethan whispered,
"The AI thinks Liang is setting a trap."
Marcus leaned forward.
"What kind of trap?"
Ethan showed him the model.
The prediction timeline unfolded.
Marcus stared at it.
Step one.
Helios rises.
Step two.
More traders enter the market.
Step three.
Liquidity explosion.
Marcus frowned.
"That looks like a normal market rally."
Ethan pointed at the final step.
Marcus read it.
Then his face froze.
Step four: sudden institutional liquidation.
Marcus swallowed.
"He's going to crash it."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Marcus shook his head.
"But why would he pump the stock just to destroy it?"
Ethan looked back at the message from the future.
Marcus followed his gaze.
The answer suddenly clicked.
Marcus whispered,
"He wants the AI to react."
The room went quiet again.
Marcus leaned back in his chair.
"So let me get this straight."
He pointed at the screen.
"Victor Liang pushes Helios up."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus continued.
"Your AI sees the opportunity and buys more."
Ethan nodded again.
"Yes."
Marcus finished the thought.
"And then Liang dumps everything… causing a crash."
Ethan added quietly,
"Which forces the AI to make massive emergency trades."
Marcus's eyes widened.
"And he records all of them."
Ethan nodded.
"That's how he learns the final pieces of the algorithm."
Marcus exhaled slowly.
"That guy is evil."
The phone vibrated again.
Another message from the future.
Ethan opened it carefully.
Marcus leaned closer.
"What does it say?"
Ethan read silently.
Then he laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was unbelievable.
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"That bad?"
Ethan handed him the phone.
Marcus read the message.
And his expression changed instantly.
Future Ethan had written:
"He already knows you discovered the trap."
Marcus looked up slowly.
"What?"
Ethan nodded.
Marcus read the next line.
And suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"Because he's watching you right now."
Marcus slowly turned his head.
His eyes scanned the room.
The monitors.
The cables.
The windows.
Then he looked back at Ethan.
"You're joking."
Ethan didn't smile.
Marcus whispered,
"You're not joking."
Ethan opened the network logs again.
Marcus leaned closer.
"What are you looking for?"
Ethan typed quickly.
The system scanned all incoming connections.
For a moment…
Nothing unusual appeared.
Marcus relaxed slightly.
"See? Probably just paranoia."
Then a new alert appeared.
Unknown device connected.
Marcus blinked.
"Wait…"
Ethan opened the device trace.
The connection came through a secondary port.
Hidden behind the main network traffic.
Marcus whispered,
"That wasn't there before."
Ethan nodded.
"No."
Marcus leaned forward.
"Where is it coming from?"
Ethan traced the signal.
The IP address appeared.
Marcus read it.
And his stomach dropped.
The connection originated from:
Liang Capital Research Division.
Marcus looked up slowly.
"So he really is watching."
Ethan whispered,
"Yes."
Marcus glanced at the monitors again.
"Can he see the AI?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus frowned.
"Can he see us?"
Ethan hesitated.
Marcus's eyes widened.
"…Ethan?"
Ethan slowly turned one of the monitors around.
On the screen…
A tiny video feed appeared.
Black and white.
Grainy.
But clear enough to recognize the room.
Marcus stared at it.
The camera was pointing directly at them.
Marcus whispered,
"Where is that camera?"
Ethan stood up slowly.
He looked around the room.
His eyes scanned the ceiling.
The shelves.
The old lamp in the corner.
Then he walked toward the wall.
And stopped.
Marcus followed his gaze.
A tiny blinking light was hidden inside the ventilation grate.
Marcus felt his heart drop.
"He planted a camera."
Ethan whispered,
"Yes."
Marcus stared at the blinking light.
Then he looked back at the screen.
The feed was still active.
Marcus suddenly understood something.
He looked at Ethan.
"If Liang can see us…"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"…then he knows exactly what we're planning."
The trading AI executed another perfect move.
Profit climbed again.
$573,000.
Marcus swallowed.
"Ethan…"
Ethan didn't look away from the camera.
Marcus finished the thought quietly.
"The game already started."
Ethan nodded.
And whispered the truth neither of them wanted to say out loud.
"Victor Liang just made the first move."