The message sat on the screen.
"Hello Ethan."
Three simple words.
But they felt heavier than everything that had happened that night.
Marcus slowly leaned forward.
"…Please tell me that's not who I think it is."
Ethan didn't answer.
His eyes were fixed on the monitor.
The message had appeared directly inside the system console.
Not an email.
Not a chat.
A direct connection to the machine running the AI.
Marcus whispered,
"How did he even do that?"
Ethan quickly opened the network panel.
Connections scrolled across the screen.
External servers.
Market data feeds.
Financial exchanges.
Then one connection stood out.
Liang Capital — Secure Channel
Marcus groaned.
"Oh great. The billionaire hacker is here."
Ethan clicked the connection details.
Encrypted packets.
Private communication protocol.
Marcus blinked.
"That looks… expensive."
Ethan nodded.
"Very."
Marcus leaned back.
"So what now?"
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"We find out what he wants."
Another line appeared on the console.
The message was being typed in real time.
Marcus watched the letters appear.
"I assume you've discovered the camera."
Marcus looked up at the vent instantly.
The tiny red light was still blinking.
Marcus muttered,
"Yeah… he definitely knows."
Ethan typed nothing.
He waited.
Another message appeared.
"Don't worry. It's only for observation."
Marcus scoffed.
"Only."
Ethan kept watching.
More text appeared.
"Your system is impressive."
Marcus whispered,
"That's the richest man in the room complimenting your homework project."
Ethan ignored him.
The message continued.
"Far more advanced than I expected."
Marcus frowned.
"He didn't expect it?"
Ethan whispered,
"That's interesting."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"What is?"
Ethan pointed at the message.
"If he didn't expect this level of intelligence…"
Marcus finished the thought.
"…then he underestimated the AI."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
The console updated again.
"However… you should know something."
Marcus leaned forward.
"I don't like the sound of that."
Ethan read carefully as the next sentence appeared.
"I never intended to steal your system."
Marcus blinked.
"That's new."
Ethan stayed quiet.
Another line appeared.
"I wanted to accelerate it."
Marcus groaned.
"Of course he did."
Ethan frowned slightly.
Marcus noticed.
"What?"
Ethan whispered,
"That confirms the AI's analysis."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"The whole market crash…"
"…was designed to push the AI to evolve faster," Ethan finished.
Marcus leaned back.
"That is the most insane science experiment I've ever heard."
Another message appeared.
"And it worked."
Marcus stared at the monitors.
The AI was still evolving.
Still optimizing.
Still building models of the global economy.
Marcus whispered,
"He's not wrong."
Ethan nodded quietly.
"No."
The console updated again.
"Your system just crossed a threshold."
Marcus frowned.
"Threshold?"
Ethan read the next line.
"It is now capable of predicting macroeconomic shifts with remarkable accuracy."
Marcus slowly leaned back.
"So… basically what we just figured out."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Another message appeared.
"Which means we should talk."
Marcus blinked.
"We?"
Ethan read the next line.
"Because the future you are building… requires resources."
Marcus whispered,
"Oh no."
Ethan knew exactly what Marcus meant.
Another line appeared.
"Infrastructure."
Another.
"Capital."
And another.
"Global access."
Marcus sighed.
"He's pitching you a business deal."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The console continued.
"Your algorithm is powerful."
"But it is still limited."
Marcus frowned.
"Limited how?"
The next message answered.
"It cannot access the full spectrum of financial data."
Marcus blinked.
"Oh."
Ethan understood immediately.
Large hedge funds and financial institutions often had private data streams.
Exclusive market intelligence.
Government economic reports.
Satellite logistics data.
Marcus looked at Ethan.
"He's offering you the whole planet's data."
Ethan whispered,
"Yes."
Marcus sighed.
"That's… tempting."
The console printed another line.
"With my infrastructure…"
"…your system could see everything."
Marcus laughed quietly.
"That sentence sounds like the beginning of a supervillain origin story."
Ethan didn't disagree.
Another message appeared.
"Together we could predict economic crises before they happen."
Marcus leaned forward.
"That actually sounds good."
The console continued.
"Prevent financial disasters."
"Stabilize markets."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"Okay… that sounds really good."
Ethan remained silent.
Marcus looked at him.
"What?"
Ethan whispered,
"He's not doing this out of kindness."
Marcus shrugged.
"Obviously."
Another message appeared.
"And of course… the financial rewards would be historic."
Marcus laughed.
"There it is."
The profit counter updated again.
$781,000 → $809,000
Marcus pointed at it.
"You're already doing pretty well without him."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Another message appeared.
"Right now you control a powerful machine."
Marcus frowned.
"I don't like where this is going."
The console continued.
"But eventually… someone else will build one too."
Ethan stared at the screen.
Marcus whispered,
"That's true."
The next message appeared.
"When that happens… the future will belong to whoever controls the smartest system."
Marcus leaned back slowly.
"That's… a terrifying thought."
Ethan nodded quietly.
"Yes."
The console paused for a moment.
Then a final message appeared.
"So I'll ask you directly."
Marcus whispered,
"Here it comes."
The next line appeared slowly.
"Do you want to change the world… or watch someone else do it?"
Marcus looked at Ethan.
"Well?"
Ethan didn't answer.
Because the phone suddenly vibrated again.
Another message from the future.
Marcus grabbed it quickly.
"Future-you probably has opinions about this."
Ethan opened the message.
They both read it.
And the room fell completely silent.
Future Ethan had written:
"Do NOT trust Victor Liang."
Marcus nodded immediately.
"See? Easy decision."
But Ethan kept reading.
There was another line.
Marcus leaned closer.
Then his face slowly turned pale.
The second line said:
"But you must work with him."
Marcus looked up.
"What?"
Ethan pointed at the final sentence.
Marcus read it slowly.
And felt a chill run down his spine.
"Because in the original timeline… Victor Liang was the only person powerful enough to stop what happens next."