The giant screen above the electronics shop flickered as the news broadcast continued.
Behind the reporter, the unfinished Riverside Tower creaked in the night wind.
Metal beams groaned.
Construction lights swung slightly.
Emergency vehicles surrounded the entire block.
Police officers were already pushing pedestrians away from the area.
Liya stared at the screen.
"In loop twenty… the tower collapsed at 9:27 PM."
Ethan checked his phone.
9:14 PM.
Thirteen minutes left.
"Good to know," he said calmly.
"You're way too relaxed about this."
"Relaxed? No."
He folded his arms.
"Curious."
She looked at him like he had lost his mind.
"That building collapse killed dozens of people in that loop."
"Then we should probably watch what happens this time."
"You want to WATCH?"
"We said we wouldn't interfere."
Liya clenched her fists.
"That rule only applied if people weren't going to die!"
Ethan looked back at the screen.
Workers were still evacuating the construction site.
Police sirens echoed through the city.
The building itself leaned slightly as engineers shouted instructions through megaphones.
Something inside the structure shifted again.
A deep metallic groan echoed through the microphone.
Ethan spoke quietly.
"Look carefully."
"What?"
"Everyone is already leaving."
Liya blinked.
The police were forcing the last pedestrians away from the block.
Construction workers hurried out through emergency exits.
Even the reporter was stepping back.
It looked like the entire area was being cleared.
"Maybe this time…"
"…the disaster won't kill anyone," Ethan finished.
Liya slowly realized what he meant.
The collapse might still happen.
But the timeline had shifted enough for people to escape first.
She exhaled slightly.
"That's… better."
Ethan nodded.
"But it also proves something."
"What?"
"Fate still wants the collapse."
He pointed at the screen.
"Even when we do nothing…"
"…the event still happens."
The steel structure groaned again on the broadcast.
Dust fell from the upper levels of the tower.
Liya felt the tension growing in her chest.
"What if the collapse still targets you somehow?"
Ethan smiled slightly.
"That would be impressive from across the city."
The news camera suddenly shook as a loud metallic crack echoed through the construction site.
The reporter turned quickly.
"Wait— something just shifted in the upper support frame!"
Liya grabbed Ethan's sleeve.
"That's it."
Ethan checked the time.
9:26 PM.
One minute.
Everyone in the market had stopped to watch the screen.
The camera zoomed out.
The top floors of the unfinished tower tilted slightly.
Steel beams twisted under enormous pressure.
A loud cracking sound ripped through the air.
The reporter shouted.
"The building is starting to—"
Then the entire structure gave way.
With a thunderous roar…
The upper half of Riverside Tower collapsed.
Steel and concrete crashed down through the lower floors.
Dust exploded into the air like a storm cloud.
The ground shook even from miles away.
People in the night market gasped as the screen filled with smoke and debris.
Emergency sirens grew louder.
The reporter's camera struggled to focus through the massive cloud of dust.
But one thing was clear.
The collapse had already happened.
Ethan checked the time again.
9:27 PM.
Exactly the same moment as loop twenty.
But this time…
The streets around the tower were empty.
No pedestrians.
No victims.
Just debris and emergency crews.
Liya exhaled slowly.
"…No one died."
Ethan nodded.
"So fate kept the event…"
"…but removed the casualties."
She stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
He looked back at the screen thoughtfully.
"It means the universe is adjusting."
"To what?"
Ethan turned toward her.
"To us."
The dust cloud still rose above the city skyline.
But something inside the loop had clearly shifted.
The disaster still happened.
Yet the consequences had changed.
Which meant the story was moving somewhere new.
Liya looked at the distant smoke rising above the buildings.
Then back at Ethan.
"So what happens next?"
Ethan slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"Well…"
"…we still have two and a half hours before midnight."
And fate had not made its final move yet. ⏳