In a world where innovation is stifled by profit, power, and control, a quiet teenager receives something impossible: a system from the far future, sent back to alter the course of human history. With each contribution to humanity’s progress, he earns Store Points—currency that grants him access to forbidden knowledge from a civilization millions of years ahead.

But knowledge alone is not enough.

Bound by secrecy, hunted by forces who benefit from stagnation, and armed with nothing but his intellect and anonymity, Leon must navigate a web of shadows—constructing technology, manipulating perception, and building an invisible empire brick by brick.

He is not a hero. He is not a savior.

He is a variable the future refused to leave to chance.

And the clock is ticking.

Catalyst: Iron Resolution was no longer just a niche indie game—it had become the internet's latest obsession. On Twitter, clips of Kai and Speed reacting to the unexpected realism had gone viral. One in particular—where Kai shouted "THIS NPC IS SMARTER THAN HALF THE LOBBY!"—hit a million views in under six hours.


Leon scrolled through the chaos, watching it unfold.


"A new AI-powered military sim is blowing up online—here's why it might be the future of gaming." – Polygon


"How did a no-name publisher release the most realistic shooter of the decade for five bucks?" – IGN


"Indie Dev Shocks the Industry With Game That Learns From You." – Vice Gaming


TikToks stitched together gameplay moments with shocked reactions from gamers and streamers alike. Reddit threads dissected the behavior of enemy soldiers and civilian NPCs. People were reporting different outcomes to the same missions—entirely shaped by how they treated characters.


He refreshed the game analytics dashboard.


Top Trending on Steam, Itch.io, and Reddit Gaming


His inbox—his public-facing dev alias, that is—was flooded with interview requests, collaboration offers, and questions from stunned industry veterans. One email, marked urgent, was from a major European publisher:


"We'd like to inquire about licensing your AI middleware for enterprise applications. Your work is… generations ahead. Call us."


SYSTEM: HIGH-VISIBILITY ALERT. Surveillance Probability: Moderate. Maintain OPSEC. Continue to disguise internal systems.


They just didn't know what they were looking at.


For now, the game was a shield and a sword—a way to earn SP and influence perception, while diverting attention from the true purpose of the tech beneath.


But even Leon could see the cracks forming.


Once something shifts culture, it becomes unpredictable.


Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Newsfeeds and Faultlines: