For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Marcus stared at the monitors.
Numbers continued flashing.
Trades executed every fraction of a second.
Charts moved violently as the market struggled to stabilize after Victor Liang's engineered crash.
But something had changed.
Ethan could feel it.
The AI was no longer reacting to the market.
It was anticipating it.
Marcus finally broke the silence.
"So… let me repeat what you just said."
Ethan didn't look away from the screens.
Marcus continued.
"You think your AI isn't just predicting stocks anymore."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Marcus pointed at the market feed.
"You think it's predicting the entire economy."
Ethan finally turned toward him.
"I don't think."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"You know?"
Ethan turned one of the monitors around.
Marcus leaned forward.
The screen showed a massive data model.
Currencies.
Interest rates.
Commodity flows.
Energy prices.
Shipping logistics.
Marcus blinked.
"Why is oil data here?"
Ethan answered quietly.
"Because it affects inflation."
Marcus pointed at another dataset.
"Shipping routes?"
"Supply chains."
Marcus slowly leaned back.
"You're not running a trading algorithm anymore."
Ethan nodded.
"No."
Marcus whispered,
"You're running an economic simulator."
The system executed another rapid set of trades.
The AI moved like lightning.
Buy orders.
Short positions.
Currency hedges.
Marcus watched in disbelief.
"How many markets is it trading right now?"
Ethan checked the control panel.
"Seven."
Marcus blinked.
"Seven markets?"
Ethan nodded.
"Stocks, currencies, bonds, commodities, derivatives…"
Marcus interrupted.
"Okay okay I get it."
He rubbed his forehead.
"That's insane."
The profit counter updated again.
$724,000 → $756,000
Marcus stared at it.
"You're getting rich while the world economy is falling apart."
Ethan didn't celebrate.
Because another window opened automatically.
Marcus noticed.
"What's that?"
Ethan read the alert.
Global correlation analysis complete.
Marcus frowned.
"That sounds important."
Ethan opened the report.
A giant web of connections appeared.
Marcus leaned closer.
"What am I looking at?"
Ethan pointed.
"These lines show economic relationships."
Marcus blinked.
"Like what?"
Ethan explained.
"Oil prices affect shipping costs."
Marcus nodded.
"Okay."
"Shipping affects manufacturing."
"Right."
"Manufacturing affects stock valuations."
Marcus slowly understood.
"So the AI is mapping cause and effect across the global economy."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus leaned back.
"That's… terrifyingly powerful."
The observing terminal flickered again.
New text appeared.
Macroeconomic modeling capability detected.
Marcus sighed.
"Even the creepy observer computer is impressed."
Ethan didn't respond.
He was watching the complexity chart again.
It was still rising.
Fast.
Marcus noticed.
"That thing still hasn't slowed down."
Ethan whispered,
"No."
Marcus swallowed.
"So the AI keeps getting smarter."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus asked quietly,
"How smart can it get?"
Ethan answered honestly.
"I don't know."
The market suddenly moved again.
Helios rebounded sharply.
Ten percent up in seconds.
Marcus blinked.
"Whoa."
Ethan frowned.
"That's strange."
Marcus looked confused.
"Why?"
Ethan opened the order book.
Marcus leaned closer.
Then his eyes widened.
"That's not random buying."
Ethan nodded.
"No."
Marcus whispered,
"That's Liang."
A massive institutional buy order appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
Victor Liang had started buying the crash.
Marcus laughed nervously.
"That guy really likes dramatic market moves."
Ethan studied the order flow carefully.
Something didn't add up.
Marcus noticed.
"What?"
Ethan zoomed in.
Marcus leaned closer.
Then he realized something strange.
Liang wasn't buying aggressively.
He was buying slowly.
Carefully.
Marcus frowned.
"He's accumulating shares."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus crossed his arms.
"But why?"
Ethan whispered,
"Because the next phase is starting."
Marcus blinked.
"What phase?"
Ethan pointed at the simulation results.
Marcus read them.
Then his face went pale.
Market stabilization predicted.
Marcus frowned.
"That sounds good."
Ethan shook his head.
"No."
Marcus looked confused.
"Why not?"
Ethan answered quietly.
"Because Liang wants stability."
Marcus stared at him.
"What?"
Ethan pointed at the strategy analysis.
Marcus read the explanation slowly.
Victor Liang's strategy had three phases.
Phase one.
Create chaos.
Phase two.
Observe AI reactions.
Phase three.
Control the recovery.
Marcus whispered,
"He wants to become the hero who stabilizes the market."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus leaned back.
"That guy is evil and brilliant."
The AI suddenly generated another internal report.
Marcus noticed the new window.
"What now?"
Ethan opened it.
The AI had produced a competitor profile.
Marcus read the title.
Primary Opponent: Victor Liang
Marcus laughed nervously.
"Your AI is profiling billionaires now."
Ethan scrolled through the analysis.
Marcus read over his shoulder.
Behavioral patterns.
Strategic tendencies.
Market manipulation tactics.
Marcus blinked.
"This thing basically built a psychological profile of him."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus pointed at one section.
"Probability of next move: 82%."
Ethan leaned closer.
Marcus read it aloud.
"Large-scale market recovery rally initiated within one hour."
Marcus looked up.
"So Liang will push the market back up."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus frowned.
"But why would he do that?"
Ethan answered quietly.
"To test the AI again."
Marcus sighed.
"Of course."
The profit counter climbed again.
$756,000 → $781,000
Marcus shook his head.
"At this rate your AI will own the planet."
Ethan didn't laugh.
Because the system just opened another module automatically.
Marcus noticed immediately.
"What's that?"
Ethan read the name.
Long-term economic forecasting engine.
Marcus blinked.
"Wait…"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Marcus whispered,
"That's not trading anymore."
Ethan replied quietly,
"No."
Marcus leaned closer.
The forecast model displayed predictions.
Economic growth.
Recession probabilities.
Currency shifts.
Global supply chain risks.
Marcus looked stunned.
"This thing is predicting years into the future."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus looked at him.
"You built a time machine for the economy."
Ethan whispered,
"I think it built itself."
The phone vibrated again.
Another message from the future appeared.
Ethan opened it slowly.
Marcus leaned closer.
"What does future-you say now?"
Ethan read silently.
His expression changed.
Marcus grabbed the phone.
He read the message.
And suddenly felt the room become colder.
Future Ethan had written:
"You're too late."
Marcus frowned.
"Too late for what?"
Ethan pointed at the next line.
Marcus read it.
"Victor Liang already realized what your AI became."
Marcus looked up.
"And?"
Ethan pointed at the final line.
Marcus read it slowly.
Then his eyes widened.
"And now he wants it."
Marcus whispered,
"He wants the AI."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus swallowed.
"But he can't take it."
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly turned one of the monitors toward Marcus.
Marcus looked at the screen.
A new message had appeared in the system logs.
Not from the AI.
Not from the mysterious observing terminal.
From an external source.
Marcus read the message.
And felt his heart stop for a moment.
The message simply said:
"Hello Ethan."
Marcus looked up slowly.
"Is that—"
Ethan nodded.
Marcus finished the sentence quietly.
"Victor Liang just contacted you."