First Blood

Ethan sat at his tiny apartment's kitchen table, eyes glued to his laptop screen. The market had just opened, and his AI had identified a golden opportunity: a pharmaceutical company, Genex Biotech, was about to release its quarterly earnings. The AI predicted a 9% surge—before any analysts had even hinted at it.

He took a deep breath and placed his first trade: $2,000 on Genex Biotech call options.

Then, he waited.

Three Hours Later

Ethan's hands trembled as he refreshed the screen.

Genex Biotech's stock had skyrocketed.

+9.3% in three hours.

His $2,000 had turned into $5,600.

He let out a shaky laugh. It worked.

He had just made more money in a morning than he usually did in a month.

And this was just the beginning.

Scaling Up

Ethan wasn't reckless. He didn't go all-in right away. Instead, he reinvested carefully, making calculated trades every day, testing the AI's limits.

Week 1: $5,600 → $12,000

Week 2: $12,000 → $30,000

Week 3: $30,000 → $75,000

By the end of the month, his brokerage account showed $210,000.

That number didn't feel real. He refreshed the page. It was still there.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He had spent years struggling, working overtime for pennies, and now—now he had made six figures in a month.

He could quit. Walk away from Greg, from the soul-sucking job, from everything.

But something told him he was just getting started.

Unwanted Attention

The next day, Ethan walked into the office for what he decided would be his final time. He wasn't going to tell Greg—he'd quit in style. Maybe hack into the office speakers and blast Take This Job and Shove It on his way out.

But as he logged into his workstation, something odd happened.

ACCESS DENIED.

A cold wave of fear rushed through him.

Then, a message popped up on his screen.

"Meet me in the basement parking garage. Now. Alone."

Ethan's pulse spiked.

Someone knew.