Ethan arrived at NovaForge earlier than usual the next morning.
The meeting with Apex Technologies Group was scheduled for ten o'clock, but Ethan had been awake since six.
He had spent most of the morning reviewing every piece of information NovaForge had collected about Apex, from its subsidiaries and investment activities to its technology divisions, executive structure, international partnerships, and known acquisitions.
The deeper he looked, the stranger the company became.
Apex was enormous.
Its estimated revenue was more than forty times NovaForge's current revenue, and its workforce was thousands of times larger than Ethan's current team.
It had offices across several countries, investments in software, hardware, communications, entertainment, financial technology, and research, and enough capital to acquire companies that NovaForge could not even afford to purchase buildings from.
Yet despite its enormous size, Apex had remained unusually quiet about NovaForge.
There had been no public acquisition attempt.
No aggressive investment offer.
No hostile announcement.
Instead, there had been surveillance.
Technology analysis.
The attempted NovaCore extraction.
And now a meeting.
Ethan closed the report.
"Interesting."
He opened the System.
[GAME DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM]
Founder: Ethan Cole
Company: NovaForge Interactive
Company Level: 2
Employees: 21 / 25
Revenue: $204,813
Cash: $167,920
Reputation: 44
Technology Level: 2.1
Corporate Stability: 97%
System Points: 6,000 SP
Genesis: 100%
Release Status: READY
Advanced AI Framework: 88%
NovaCore Engine: Operational
International Partnership: COMPLETE
Level 3 Progress:
Employees: 21 / 25
Revenue: $204,813 / $500,000
Reputation: 44 / 50
Successful Game Release: Pending
International Partnership: Complete
Ethan looked at the dashboard.
They were almost there.
Genesis needed to launch successfully.
NovaForge needed four more employees.
Revenue needed to increase.
Reputation needed another six points.
Then they could finally reach Level Three.
But today wasn't about Level Three.
Today was about Apex.
The Meeting
The Apex representatives arrived at exactly ten o'clock.
There were three of them.
The first was a middle-aged man named Richard Kane, the Senior Vice President of Strategic Technology.
The second was Laura Chen, Director of Corporate Development.
The third was a younger man named Marcus Reed, who Ethan immediately recognized as the company's technology analyst.
They entered the conference room calmly.
No dramatic introductions.
No unnecessary display of wealth.
No aggressive behavior.
That made Ethan more cautious.
Companies that wanted something usually tried to make their intentions obvious.
Apex was doing the opposite.
Richard extended his hand.
"Mr. Cole."
Ethan shook it.
"Mr. Kane."
"Thank you for meeting with us."
"You're welcome."
Everyone sat down.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Richard smiled.
"Congratulations on Genesis."
Ethan nodded.
"Thank you."
"We've been following its development."
Ethan didn't react.
"I imagine many companies have."
Richard smiled slightly.
"Not quite like us."
There it was.
The first warning.
Ethan leaned back.
"Why are you interested in NovaForge?"
Richard didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward Marcus.
Marcus opened a folder.
"NovaForge has developed three technologies that are significantly ahead of current industry expectations."
Ethan listened.
"ForgeKit."
"NovaCore."
"And your historical simulation architecture."
Ethan remained silent.
Marcus continued.
"Individually, each would be valuable."
He paused.
"Together, they're unusual."
Ethan finally spoke.
"Unusual how?"
Marcus looked directly at him.
"They shouldn't have been developed by a company your size."
The room became quiet.
Ethan had expected questions.
He had not expected that.
Richard leaned forward.
"That's why we're here."
The Offer
Laura placed a document on the table.
"We would like to propose a strategic partnership."
Ethan opened the document.
The numbers immediately caught his attention.
Apex was offering $5 million in funding.
In exchange, Apex wanted a minority stake in NovaForge, preferred access to future NovaForge technologies, and strategic cooperation between the two companies.
Ethan read the document carefully.
It was surprisingly generous.
Too generous.
He looked up.
"What's the catch?"
Richard smiled.
"There isn't one."
Ethan shook his head.
"There is always a catch."
Richard laughed.
"You're more cautious than most founders."
"I've survived this long by being cautious."
Richard nodded.
"Fair enough."
Ethan continued reading.
Then he found it.
Technology Cooperation Rights.
The wording was broad.
Far too broad.
It could potentially give Apex access to future NovaForge technology beyond what Ethan intended.
Ethan closed the document.
"No."
Richard looked surprised.
"You haven't heard the full proposal."
"I've read enough."
"You would receive five million dollars."
"And potentially give up control over technologies that could become worth far more."
Richard leaned back.
"You're assuming NovaForge will become that valuable."
Ethan smiled.
"I intend to make sure it does."
For the first time, Richard's expression became serious.
"I believe you."
That answer caught Ethan off guard.
Richard continued.
"That's exactly why we're interested."
The Question
Ethan folded his hands.
"Let me ask you something."
Richard nodded.
"Go ahead."
"Why did you try to access NovaCore?"
The room became completely silent.
Laura looked at Richard.
Marcus stopped moving.
Richard finally answered.
"We didn't."
Ethan stared at him.
"Your infrastructure was used."
"We're aware."
"You knew?"
"We discovered the intrusion shortly after it happened."
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"Then why didn't you contact us?"
Richard looked uncomfortable for the first time.
"Because we weren't the ones controlling the attack."
Ethan leaned forward.
"Who was?"
Richard didn't answer.
Ethan waited.
Finally, Richard said:
"We don't know."
Ethan stared at him.
That was not the answer he expected.
"Then why are you here?"
Richard looked directly at Ethan.
"Because we think you might be dealing with the same thing we are."
The room became silent again.
Ethan's heart beat slightly faster.
"The unknown technology."
Richard's expression changed.
"You know about it."
Ethan didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Richard understood.
"So you have seen it."
Ethan remained silent.
Richard looked toward Marcus.
Marcus opened another file.
A photograph appeared on the screen.
It showed a piece of technology.
Ethan immediately recognized something.
Not the exact design.
Not the hardware.
Not the architecture.
But the underlying pattern.
The same impossible efficiency.
The same unfamiliar processing structure.
The same feeling that the technology belonged decades beyond the current era.
Ethan stared at the image.
The System activated.
[UNKNOWN TECHNOLOGY SIGNATURE]
Match Detected
Previous Signature: 7%
Current Match: 82%
Technology Classification: UNKNOWN
Estimated Technology Level: FAR ABOVE CURRENT INDUSTRY STANDARD
Origin: UNKNOWN
Known Organization: NONE
Connection to Apex: CONFIRMED
Ethan's expression changed.
Apex wasn't the creator.
But Apex had encountered the technology.
Richard noticed Ethan's reaction.
"You recognize it."
Ethan slowly looked at him.
"I've seen something similar."
Richard nodded.
"We thought you might have."
The Real Problem
Richard closed the image.
"We discovered this technology three years ago."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"Three years?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
Richard hesitated.
"That's complicated."
Ethan smiled.
"Try me."
Richard leaned forward.
"We found it inside a private research project belonging to a company that officially doesn't exist."
Ethan's expression hardened.
"What company?"
Richard shook his head.
"We don't know."
"Then how do you know about it?"
"Because someone tried to sell us part of it."
Ethan stared at him.
"Who?"
Richard shook his head again.
"We never identified them."
Ethan leaned back.
Suddenly, everything began connecting.
The unknown technology.
The strange observer.
The surveillance.
Apex.
Helix.
NovaCore.
None of them were isolated events.
They were pieces of something much larger.
Ethan asked the question that had been bothering him since the System first appeared.
"Why NovaForge?"
Richard looked at him.
"We don't know."
Ethan frowned.
"You've been watching us."
"Yes."
"For months."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Richard took a slow breath.
"Because your technology resembles theirs."
Ethan's expression became serious.
"Whose?"
Richard looked directly at him.
"The people who gave us the technology."
A Dangerous Similarity
Ethan didn't speak for several seconds.
The System remained active.
Then another notification appeared.
[CRITICAL INFORMATION DETECTED]
Unknown Technology Comparison
Apex-Observed Technology: 100% reference
NovaCore: 11% structural similarity
Unknown External Signature: 84% structural similarity
Assessment:
NovaCore is not the source technology.
However, NovaCore shares architectural principles with the unknown technology.
Probability of Independent Development: 62%
Probability of Related Development: 38%
Ethan stared at the numbers.
Thirty-eight percent.
Not enough to prove a connection.
But too high to ignore.
Richard looked at him.
"What did you build, Mr. Cole?"
Ethan smiled.
"A game engine."
Richard laughed quietly.
"That's not what I mean."
Ethan didn't answer.
The Deal Ethan Actually Wanted
After nearly two hours of discussion, Ethan finally understood what Apex wanted.
They weren't simply trying to buy NovaForge.
They wanted to determine whether NovaForge had somehow reproduced technology similar to something they had encountered years earlier.
That made the situation much more complicated.
Ethan finally spoke.
"I'll agree to cooperate."
Richard looked surprised.
"But not financially."
Laura frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"No investment."
Richard listened.
"I don't want Apex owning part of NovaForge."
Richard nodded slowly.
"Then what do you want?"
Ethan smiled.
"Information."
Richard looked at him.
"What information?"
"Everything you know about the unknown technology."
Silence.
Ethan continued.
"In exchange, NovaForge can share public research results, market information, and non-sensitive technological findings."
Richard thought about it.
"You're asking for classified corporate intelligence."
"I'm asking for information about the technology that may have already targeted my company."
Richard looked at Laura.
Then Marcus.
Finally, he turned back to Ethan.
"I'll need authorization."
"Then get authorization."
Richard smiled.
"You're difficult to negotiate with."
"I've been told that before."
The Agreement
A preliminary agreement was reached.
Apex would not acquire shares in NovaForge.
NovaForge would not give Apex access to NovaCore.
No source code would be exchanged.
No proprietary technology would be transferred.
Instead, both companies would establish a limited intelligence-sharing agreement concerning the unknown technology.
It wasn't a partnership.
Not yet.
But it was something.
As Richard stood to leave, he stopped.
"There is one more thing."
Ethan looked at him.
"What?"
Richard lowered his voice.
"If you receive another message from the people behind this technology, don't respond."
Ethan's expression became serious.
"Why?"
Richard looked toward the door.
"Because we did."
He paused.
"And we regretted it."
Then he left.
Ethan remained standing in the conference room.
For the first time, the threat felt real in a way that corporate competition never had.
This wasn't about market share.
It wasn't about money.
Someone possessed technology far beyond the year 2000.
Someone had been watching NovaForge.
And Apex had already encountered them.
Level Three
That evening, Ethan returned to his office.
The System appeared.
[CORPORATE EVENT COMPLETE]
Apex Strategic Meeting
Outcome: Information-Sharing Agreement
NovaForge Ownership: Unchanged
NovaCore Access: Protected
International Relations: +4
Corporate Reputation: +3
Threat Awareness: Significantly Increased
Then another notification appeared.
[COMPANY LEVEL REQUIREMENT UPDATE]
Employees: 21 / 25
Revenue: $204,813 / $500,000
Reputation: 47 / 50
Successful Game Release: Pending
International Partnership: Complete
Ethan smiled.
Only three reputation points remained.
Genesis was ready.
NovaForge was stronger than ever.
And the information from Apex could potentially change everything.
But before Ethan could close the System, another notification appeared.
[NEW QUEST]
The Unknown Technology
Objective: Determine the origin of the advanced technology.
Secondary Objective: Determine its connection to NovaForge.
Secondary Objective: Determine why the technology is appearing in the year 2000.
Reward: Unknown
Failure Condition: Unknown
Threat Level: UNKNOWN
Ethan stared at the quest.
Then a final line appeared.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
This investigation may reveal information concerning the origin of the Game Development System.
Ethan stopped breathing for a moment.
The System had never mentioned its own origin before.
Not once.
He slowly leaned back in his chair.
For months, he had treated the System as the greatest advantage of his second life.
Now, for the first time, he wondered whether it was also part of the mystery.
Maybe the System had not simply appeared because Ethan had been reborn.
Maybe there was a reason.
Maybe someone had placed it there.
And if that was true, then the question Ethan had been avoiding since the beginning finally had to be asked.
Who gave him the System?