Chapter 68: Planning For The Future

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Planning For The FutureRichard sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, fingers loosely gripping the jade seal. It wasn’t heavy—physically—but mentally? It weighed like a thousand bricks.

He turned it in his hand. Smooth. Cold. Carved like something important. Supposedly was. "Royal seal," Maria said. Royalty. Right.

He stared at it like it might blink.

"I don’t even like politics," he muttered, dropping the seal on the nightstand with a dull clack.

His eyes drifted toward the drawer. He didn’t want to, but he opened it anyway. Inside, the crystal glowed faintly—soft pulses like a heartbeat. The one from earlier. Still humming. Still holding... something.

He picked it up, held it in his palm.

Nothing happened.

No visions. No flashbacks. No pyramids this time.

Just him. In his room. Trying not to drown in the idea that his bloodline might be tied to a centuries-old responsibility.

He shook his head. "Yeah, no. Not thinking about this right now."

The crystal went back in the drawer. He slammed it shut and stood.



"Right. Focus. We’ve got a POI1 to track."

He walked to the office next door. Sparse. Clean. Monitors lining the walls, dark glass reflecting his tired face back at him. He sat, cracked his fingers, booted up the main console.

"Lina," he said, voice hoarse. "What’s the latest on codename McKnight?"

Her voice came through immediately. Calm. Not too robotic, just enough to remind you she wasn’t human.

"Sir, I’ve found seven profiles across NSA, FBI, CIA and Department of Defense databases matching the physical parameters you gave—but no confirmed aliases as McKnight."

The screen lit up. Seven headshots, dossiers. Mostly men in uniform. All looking vaguely interchangeable. Tough. Detached.

"I’ve analyzed their comms. Three of them were operationally active during the mansion assault, based on hijacked encrypted networks."

Richard leaned closer, scanning each face.

"Five of the seven entered the Philippines seven days after your public statement. Three-day spread, two-day intervals. Two arrived off-record—illegal entry. Four already left the country three days post-attack."

Richard blinked. "So... that’s a fake-out."

"Yes, sir. A diversionary tactic."

He tapped the side of the keyboard, then pointed at the three remaining profiles.

"Run me through these." S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Robin Johnson. African-American. US Air Force Academy. Top graduate. Served seven years in US Airforce, including several tours aboard USS Nimitz."

Click.

"Fernando Juarez. Mexican. United States Ranger. Served in Iraq, five tours."

Click.

"Randy Brenson. White. Former U.S. Ranger. Five tours. Transferred to U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Disappeared four years ago."

Richard’s eyes narrowed. "Disappeared?"

"Yes, sir. No active deployment records. No discharge. Classified seal. Presumed shadow ops."

He leaned back. "Lina... USASOC is Delta Force, right?"

"Correct. Tier One. Black operations."

He whistled. "Oh shit. Delta?"

Brenson’s face stayed on the screen. Brown hair. Sharp nose. Ice-cold stare. Definitely not a face you forget in a crowd.

"This guy’s our ghost."

"Running full scan across local CCTV networks and digital footprints now."

Ten seconds passed. Then the screen flickered. Dozens of snapshots loaded up—security cams, blurry traffic stills, phone pings.

"Profile matched. Alias: Mark Liviey Artoza. He’s been moving across Iligan and Cagayan for the past week. Patterns suggest evasive travel. He’s also registered activity on a Filipino dating app—linked to a Facebook account."

Richard raised a brow. "Seriously? This guy’s got a Tinder profile?"

"No. Facebook Dating, sir."

"Still."

"Possibly a cover. Used to justify frequent movement and maintain a civilian profile."

He tapped his fingers on the desk. Thinking.

"Lina, can you get into his Facebook?"

"Affirmative. Facebook’s data center is accessible. If he connects again, I can piggyback through his phone’s network."

"Won’t he be using a burner?"

"Likely. But if he slips up just once, we can trace him. Link logs. Cross-pattern behavior. I’ll watch for anomalies."

Richard leaned back again, staring at the ceiling for a long second.

"Let’s see if love makes him stupid."

Lina didn’t reply.

Richard exhaled, deep. The weight wasn’t gone—but for now, it was pushed into a corner of his mind.

He went back to his bedroom.

Richard lay sprawled on his bed, phone abandoned, eyes half-lidded, ceiling fan humming lazily overhead. Just a minute of rest, that was all he wanted.

Then a soft chime echoed in his head. The System.

He sighed, rolled onto his side, and opened the interface.

[NOTIFICATION]

Game: "World War II: Frontlines"

Downloads: 17.3 Million

SP Gained: 173,494.52

Downloads × 0.01 SP = 173,494.52 SP

His eyes widened.

"Wait—what?! A Hundred Thou—?!"

He blinked at the numbers again.

"That’s... that’s a lot of SP." He sat up. "Okay, okay... I knew the game blew up, but damn, this is... satisfying."

He rubbed the back of his neck. A greedy thought started to bubble.

"Hey, uh, why’s it only 0.01 SP per download anyway? Not that I’m complaining, but—y’know—curious."

[Answer:]

The first decimal = 0. Minimal direct societal impact.

The second decimal = 0 Product built on existing technology mediums, lowering base impact yield.

"Huh." He scratched his chin. "So... low impact, low yield. Makes sense... I guess."

He paused, mulling something over.

"But what if... say... I license the Vector Core to someone else, and they make their own game using it? Do I still get SP?"

[Yes. Formula becomes: Downloads × 0.001 SP.]

He raised a brow.

"So I get crumbs."

[Correct. You’re welcome.]

Richard chuckled and leaned back.

"Still... crumbs from a million people are still a lot of crumbs."

[Yes. That is how tycoons are made.]

He snorted. "Don’t tempt me."

A beat.

"Alright, next question. What about Phoenix AI? If I go full corporate and commercialize that—what kind of SP would I get?"

[Cannot determine.]SP is calculated by current-event impact.

Richard groaned. "Of course. Play coy, why don’t you."

[You’re welcome again.]

He rolled his eyes. "I’ll just buy low-tier tech and sell those instead. Quick flips."

[System Level: 2]

[Technology Capacity: 10]

[Used Slots: 3]

"Wait, only ten? Seriously? How do I upgrade that?"

[Increase INT stat to 200 or collect 10 Knowledge Crystals.]

"Crystals again..." He opened his drawer and took out the one he got from Maria.

"This one?"

[Yes.]

[Absorbing Knowledge Crystal...]

The crystal shimmered, then dissolved into glimmering particles, flowing into his palm like warm static.

[Knowledge Crystals: 1/10]

Richard stared at his hand. "I feel like I just got scammed. Also there are historical events stored inside those crystals, I think you can’t just take it."

[ Do not worry. Knowledge and Recorded Events are saved on the database. You can produce a physical copy if you want. ]



Richard crossed his arms. "Okay, That’s convenient. I’ll have a way to show it to others, rather than just speculation and believing the words of one man."

He then opened his stat menu to distract himself.

[Stat Points Remaining: 130]

STR: 43

CON: 100

AGI: 44

PER: 44

VIT: 44

INT: 100

"Let’s try bumping INT by one."

[INT: 101 | Stat Points Remaining: 120]

"Wait—what?" He leaned in. "Ten points per upgrade now?! That’s highway robbery! Previously it was just 1 stat point per upgrade!"

No reply.

He crossed his arms. "Alright, serious question. What happens if I max out PER to 100? Last time I hit CON, it hurt. Like, hospital and morphine hurt. INT nearly killed me—and I awakened this weird... psionic thing, which, yeah, okay, was kinda cool."

[Note: Stat upgrades are not game-like. Nanobots rewrite genetic code. Pain is real.]

[Also, it was your fault.]

[You kept going all the way. Which makes you either bold or stupid. Possibly both.]

Richard groaned. "Okay, okay, stop gaslighting me, damn."

[Acknowledged. Still your fault.]

"Anyway," he grumbled. "Doesn’t answer my question."

[Upgrading PER to 100 modifies your optic nerves. You’ll perceive frequencies outside the human visual range.]

"Let me guess." He narrowed his eyes at the air. "That’s a fancy way of saying I’ll see ghosts?"

[Yes. Apparitions, ambient energy signatures, spiritual forms exceeding 7.83 Hz.]

His mouth hung open a little. "You’re not joking?"

[Would you like to find out?]

[Upgrade PER to 100? Stat Points Required: 56. Status: Fulfilled.]

He instinctively recoiled. "Hell no! I’m not ready to see Slenderman in the corner of my room at 3 a.m."

A pause.

[I have a recommended skill for that fear.]

[Skill: Pain Dampening]

Description: Passively reduces physical pain perception. You’ll still take damage—just won’t care as much.

[Price: 10,000 SP]

[SP Balance: 373,494.62]

"Huh..." He tapped his chin. "A little expensive, but... tempting."

Another pause.

He looked around the room like ghosts were already lining up to say hi.

"Yeah... Maybe I’ll wait till morning."

[Coward.]

"Oh, shut up."

He groaned, rubbing his face. "Open shop instead. I want to see what I can buy with high societal impact. We need something to plan for. If we ever go full production on tech manufacturing... well, it needs to be worthwhile."

[SYSTEM BLUEPRINT VAULT: DAILY LIFE SOLUTIONS]

Unlock schematics to construct devices that transform mundane routines into seamless experiences.

The menu opened, shimmering with options and glowing tags. Richard scrolled lazily, but his eyes sharpened when he read the first entry.

1. Blueprint: Personal Nutrient Synthesizer (PNS)

Blueprint Price: 180,000 SP

Total Component Blueprint SP: 70,000 SP

A kitchen revolution in a box. Say goodbye to cooking, meal prep, and dirty dishes. Pull nutrients from thin air (and cartridges) and get perfectly balanced meals.

"Hmm... kind of like a sci-fi Keurig. Not bad."

2. Blueprint: Automated Home Environment Manager (AHEM)

Blueprint Price: 250,000 SP

Total Component Blueprint SP: 170,000 SP

Climate control, air purification, lighting, cleaning, and security... basically a butler in a box with zero attitude. Fully adaptive. Smarter than your average roommate.

Richard’s brow arched. "Okay, this one’s cool. Feels like something rich suburban dads would murder to have in the future."

3. Blueprint: Personal Bio-Regenerative Sleeper Pod

Blueprint Price: 100,000 SP

Total Component Blueprint SP: 85,000 SP

Sleep like the dead, wake like a god. Recovery-focused pod for elite-level rest and physical regeneration. Also kind of looks like something Batman would nap in.

"Not bad, not bad..." Richard murmured, thinking of his sleepless coding marathons. "I might need this one."

4. Blueprint: Portable Spatial Organizer (PSO)

Blueprint Price: 95,000 SP

Total Component Blueprint SP: 78,000 SP

A device that compresses space to store your crap. No more backpacks or duffel bags. You can carry a wardrobe and a toolbox in your pocket. Probably magic. Technically not magic.

He grinned. "Now this... this is just stylish. I could smuggle a motorbike in my pocket."

5. Blueprint: Self-Cleaning Apparel Rejuvenator (SCAR)

Blueprint Price: 280,000 SP

Total Component Blueprint SP: 158,000 SP

Clothing cleaner and fabric life extender. Removes stains, odors, and sadness from your wardrobe. Keeps every shirt you own looking like it’s fresh off the rack. Great for lazy bachelors and fashionistas alike.

He snorted. "Okay, yeah. This one’s for people who don’t want to own washing machines."

6. Blueprint: Personal Tele-Presence Drone (P-TPD)

Blueprint Price: 140,000 SP

Total Component Blueprint SP: 105,000 SPA

flying bot that lets you attend a meeting, check on your dog, or annoy your friends across the globe. Think drone + webcam + Siri with wings.

Richard leaned back. "Okay, I could prank people with this. Or spy. Or attend funerals without pants. Definitely useful."

He sat up slowly, eyes still locked on the list.

"So let me get this straight," he muttered. "If I bought one of these, and we manufactured it for distribution... high societal utility means better SP returns, right?"

[Correct. High-impact technologies used in large-scale daily applications have greater SP-per-distribution ratios.]

He paused, calculating.

"I could corner the health market with the sleeper pod, or disrupt logistics with the PSO. Or—hold up. That apparel cleaner... think about third-world textile recycling. Sustainable fashion push. Urban capsule wardrobes..."

[You are currently experiencing: ’Visionary Industrialist Mode.’ Please remain seated.]



Richard ignored the sarcasm.

"How much would the total SP cost be for, say... the Personal Nutrient Synthesizer?" he asked.

[PNS Main Blueprint: 180,000 SP]

[Total Required Component Blueprints: 70,000 SP]

[Total Cost (if components unowned): 250,000 SP]

Richard eyed his balance.

[Available SP: 373,494.62]

He could technically afford it... and still have enough to buy the Pain Dampening skill afterward. He felt temptation curl around his mind like a cat’s tail.

Then again...

[Reminder: You can only store up to 10 technologies at System Level 2. You have used 3. You can unlock more slots by collecting Knowledge Crystals (1/10) or raising INT to 200.]

Richard grimaced. "Damn it. I need to be smarter or shinier."

Person Of Interest: a person being monitored, sought, or questioned in connection with a criminal investigation or security operation, especially as a potential suspect.