Willy’s feelings for Abigail were complicated. Although they were siblings, he felt a deep gratitude toward her. He was grateful that during the years he’d been missing, Abigail had been there, bringing his parents the happiness of raising a child.
“Alright, little sis, get back inside and pick out something you like to wear. Mom, Dad, and I will be waiting in the car to take you to dinner,” Willy said.
“Got it! Mom, Dad, Willy—wait for me!”
With her three roommates and Eleanor carrying her things, Abigail headed back to her dorm. Willy could still hear her excitedly telling her friends as she walked away, “Did you see that? My brother’s the real deal—a bona fide rich kid! I wasn’t exaggerating! I’ll join you guys after dinner, and we’ll open all of these one by one. Anything that doesn’t fit me, it’s all yours.”
Her friends squealed with excitement. “No
“The light’s reflecting off something on that stone wall near the shore! There’s no way anything natural down here would reflect light like that,” Willy thought to himself. "It has to be something important."With a powerful stroke, he sped through the water, closing the thirty-meter gap in just a few seconds. On a rocky wall near the base of the mountain, he spotted an opening in the stone, shaped in a way that looked... strangely familiar.He compared it to the book he’d won at the auction, the one that had refused to open. The book's unusual shape seemed to match the slot exactly.Excited, Willy retrieved the book from his system space. As it touched the water, green symbols began to glow across its surface.“Incredible!” he muttered.Holding the book against the stone’s opening, Willy carefully slotted it into place. As soon as it clicked in, the massive stone slab began to shift, sliding slowly t
Willy carefully took down the narrow box, dust blanketing its surface. As he opened it, he found two ancient swords lying inside. The swords were heavily rusted but impressive; one broad and one slim, perhaps crafted for a man and a woman, respectively.He placed both swords in his system space and looked around one last time at the now-empty room. Whatever treasures had been hidden here, they were now his, and he felt a strange sense of accomplishment.Stepping out and closing the iron door, the system suddenly chimed: “Ding! Host, it’s recommended to destroy this location to avoid further discovery.”“Are you serious, system? Don’t tell me you want me to headbutt the place again!”“No, Host. In recognition of your achievement, the system is rewarding you with one spatial bomb! Please check your inventory.”Willy inspected the small, box-like bomb that had appeared, complete with settings for r
**Chapter“Violet, you’re not at the office?” Peyton asked over the phone as she exited the building.“No, I’m out scouting locations and coordinating with contractors. Willy’s setting up for his environmental project, so I’m handling site contracts and construction. Did you finish your onboarding?”“Yeah, I went up to your floor looking for you, but you weren’t there.”“Looking for me? Please, Peyton, I think we both know you were hoping to run into someone else. I know where your thoughts are!”“What? You know nothing! Bye!” Peyton snapped, quickly hanging up, her face heating with both excitement and anxiety.---**At the Morgen Residence**“Eleanor, could you contact a jewelry craftsman for me? I’d like them to create something with my materials and design.”“What sort of piece, young master? Made o
“Alright, I’ll go home tonight and talk to my parents, then I’ll confirm with you. Is that okay?”“Willy, this can’t be discussed with anyone. For this month, you’ll need to stay at the Special Forces camp.” Giant reminded him.“Living there? Strict rules, huh?”“Of course, this is no joke! But we really hope you’ll agree to train them. Also, I’ve been curious: who taught you your skills?”Willy shot a grin at Rose. “Oh, Rose, don’t look at me like that! I’m taken, you know. Let’s eat!”The group laughed, clinking glasses and enjoying lunch together. They’d get back to business later.After lunch, Black Wolf went back to relay Willy’s response to their leader. With a nod, the leader approved. “Willy, as long as you’re not breaking any laws or compromising NVMD, your request shouldn’t be an issue.&rdq
Back in his office, Violet quickly approached Willy. “Did you… what happened to her?”“I told her to get lost. Want to see her? She’s probably not far, you can chase her down.”“Oh, please! Why would I want to see your ex?”“Violet, promise me this: don’t bring her up again. She’s my biggest regret, and you’re the only one I want in my life—always have been, and always will be.” Willy’s sudden sincerity caught Violet off guard.Logan, sensing the moment, shook his head and slipped out of the office.“Oh no! Logan saw that! How am I supposed to face him now?”“Easy—just look him in the eyes!” Willy laughed. “Now, Violet, come here; there’s something important we need to discuss.” He led her over to the couch, taking her hand.“Violet, the day after tomorrow, I need to leave for a month. It&rsq
As the car continued down the road, the training grounds for regular soldiers came into view on both sides.“Willy, those are just the standard squads. The special ops teams are stationed further in,” Rose explained.“Oh, so for this training, how do you decide which soldiers join your teams? And how many are you planning to recruit?” Willy asked.“Good question. By the end of the training, we’ll each select the two most capable individuals from our 60-member squads, totaling ten recruits. Then, we’ll shuffle these ten into two-person teams, and each of us will handle one team’s assessment.”“What will their assessment involve?”“It’s pretty straightforward. We give them a mission, observe their skills, composure, marksmanship, and how they handle high-stress situations. If they pass, they’ll officially join the elite ranks. The new recruits will shado
“Willy, how much strength did you actually use?” Rose quietly asked with a smirk.“I barely used any strength. If I had, do you think Jaybird would still be standing? We’re teammates, after all; I couldn’t exactly go full force.”Rose clicked her tongue, exchanging a look with Giant and Jaybird as they all took in a new perspective on Willy.Hearing Willy’s words, Jaybird’s dark skin reddened with embarrassment. In front of the trainees, he felt like he’d lost big time.“Did everyone see the fight just now?” Black Wolf called out to the trainees.The group stayed silent, as the fight had happened so fast. They’d seen Jaybird make the first move, but then suddenly he was back in his original spot. Then both men just
The speed memory drill was tough. Many trainees pushed through, but some were ready to give up. Willy kept a close eye on everyone, ensuring they stayed focused.At dinner, Willy joined Rose, Big Mountain, and the others.“So, what’s on the training agenda today, Willy?” Rose asked, curious.“We started with resilience and memory work today. Both are foundational, but it seems I underestimated some of these guys,” Willy replied with a smirk. “Some of them already wanted to quit after just a morning run.”“Resilience, huh? I would’ve thought you’d start with physical conditioning,” Big Mountain said, intrigued.“That’s coming, but if they can’t overcome obstacles mentally, there’s no point in having physical strength,” Willy replied. “The group already got a taste of it; I had them run barefoot on the beach. By the third lap, some were already ready