Morning, July 19th, 2128.
Ethan opened his eyes.
The steady, quiet feeling from last night—that sense of having finally forced fate back into his own hands—still pulsed faintly in his chest.
He didn't get up right away.
He just stared at the ceiling, at that small patch of gray-white being lit up by the morning light.
This was the second day after his rebirth.
And the first real day of his new life.
He swung his legs off the bed. The carpet under his bare feet was a little cool.
Everything that had happened yesterday was still as sharp as if it had just happened:
The divorce.
The life-rewrite checklist.
The eight-hundred-million lottery numbers.
The ark-warehouse's first expansion.
His first "rule-breaking test" causing a ripple in the news.
Version 1.0 of the Warehouse Rules.
Version 1.0 of the Doomsday Supply List.
Version 1.0 of his Combat Power Plan…
He walked to the window and watched as the city was slowly washed in sunlight.
"Starting today," he thought,
"I'm going to hunt for future generals."
Not a "team" in the normal corporate sense.
But the people who, ten years from now, would stand at the very front when humanity fought the demons; when the eight human city-states went to war; when the awakening system fully matured—the ones who would sit at the peak of human combat power.
In his previous life, when his soul drifted at the very end, he'd seen too many scenes burned into his mind:
Blizzards and hellfire crashing into each other.
Metal flowing like dragons and serpents.
Gravity tearing open the earth.
Humans leaping into the sky with their bare bodies.
Demons roaring as they poured out of spatial rifts.
The eight city-states tearing at each other's throats for resources and the right to survive.
The strong stood like battle standards against ruined skylines.
Those images became his final regret as his soul shattered—
Because back then, he was just a helpless ghost who couldn't do anything for humanity.
This time, he wanted to gather every last one of those people under his banner.
"Twelve Star Guardians…" he murmured.
That was the name he'd written down for the first time last night.
The core command tier of the twelve legions he would build in the future.
And right now, those people were probably—
Still in college.
Still working as entry-level employees.
Still delivering food.
Still gaming in dingy apartments.
Still crouched under cars doing repairs.
Still silently gritting their teeth through life.
Still completely unaware that they'd one day become the absolute top of humanity.
In his last life, he'd seen them after they awakened. He'd watched them fight demons.
He remembered their names.
He remembered their faces.
He remembered how they died.
"This time, I'm not letting you die," he said softly.
"This time, you're mine."
After washing up, he stood in front of the mirror and stared at his twenty-eight-year-old face.
In his previous life, even his own name had felt like a curse—like his entire existence was meant to be one long unresolved regret.
This life, that version of him was already dead.
He wasn't just changing plans.
He was burying an entire life.
Not to sound cool.
But to make things clean.
To tell fate:
Everything you owed me—I'm taking back. With interest.
Even the name that once chained me down is staying in the past.
He put on his watch, picked up his phone, and left the room.
The taxi pulled away from the hotel.
The city, just before the midday rush, was still quiet.
The road surface looked like it had been wiped down by the morning light.
He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.
In his mind, he pulled up a file he'd sorted in the warehouse last night.
It wasn't paper—it was a vast mental map:
[Twelve Star Guardians · Candidate List (Prototype)]
A dozen faces flashed through his mind:
Stubborn ones.
Calm ones.
People who could break deadlocks.
Born fighters.
Awakening monsters.
The kind of powerhouses who could change an entire battlefield alone…
Some died to demons.
Some died in city-state wars.
Some were stabbed in the back.
Some were crushed under the weight of resources and politics.
Some shone briefly and brilliantly—yet were never treated kindly by fate.
"This time, I'm reaching out first. Starting today."
He would move ahead of everyone else and pull every person capable of bending the world's trajectory into his camp.
Not by tricking them.
Not by forcing them.
But by giving them what they actually needed.
"The human heart," he thought,
"is the greatest power of all."
This life, he was going to hold that power in his own hand.
The taxi rolled off the main road and into the financial district.
Ten minutes later, just as Ethan stepped out near his building, his phone buzzed.
[Reminder: Today 9:30 AM – Visitor: Summer]
His footsteps paused.
Summer.
The name dropped into the air like a bead of water, sending ripples through a lot of memories buried deep:
Her hand, giving him hot water during the Great Freeze.
That torn cotton jacket she'd thrown over him in a blizzard.
The last half of a compressed biscuit she'd split with him when food was scarce.
Her dying whisper: "Ethan… you have to live…"
In his previous life, she knew him.
But he knew almost nothing about her past. Only that she was the eldest daughter of the Su family.
This time, he knew her.
But in this timeline, she shouldn't know him at all.
It was like fate had folded their memories in reverse.
"This time, I won't miss you," he thought.
"This time, I'll put you where I can actually protect you."
Ethan told himself that in this life, he was going to be the one shielding her.
Outside the company building, the plaza was bright.
Sunlight bounced off steel and glass, shattered into shards of light on people's shoulders as they walked past.
When Ethan got out of the cab, he saw her from a distance—and his heart gave the slightest jolt.
She was standing in front of the glass doors.
Summer.
White blouse. Light blue pleated skirt. Light makeup. Sharp, straight posture.
No deliberately icy aura, but a natural distance all the same—
Like someone who didn't quite belong in an ordinary weekday morning crowd.
His steps slowed without him noticing.
Summer lowered her head, checking something on her phone—probably the visitor schedule reminder.
Then she lifted her head. Their eyes met.
For a moment, his heartbeat stalled.
There was nothing like "recognition" in her gaze.
Of course there wasn't.
In the last life, she'd met him in the apocalypse, not like this.
But her first reaction…
Wasn't coldness.
Wasn't a frown.
Wasn't random wariness.
It was a tiny, almost subconscious flicker of surprise.
As if something inside her had been quietly nudged by—
Another kind of instinct.
He pulled himself together, smoothing his expression, and walked up.
"Miss Summer?"
Summer blinked once, then nodded.
"You're… Ethan?" she asked.
"I am," he said with a small smile. "Ethan."
Her brows moved the slightest bit, like she was fitting his face to the data she'd read on paper.
"Nice to meet you," she said.
Nice to meet you—for the first time in this life.
For him, it was the second time.
For her, it was the beginning.
Ethan, of course, didn't let any of that show.
He simply stepped to the side politely.
"Please, come in."
As he passed her, a faint scent of gardenia brushed past him.
His heart gave a small, quiet skip.
Not desire.
Not infatuation.
But a feeling like—
The timeline finally clicking back into place.
This was what rebirth meant.
Inside the company, he led her to the meeting room.
Along the way, employees kept sneaking glances at her.
Her presence was like sunlight on water—wherever she walked, people's eyes would follow.
She wasn't stunning in some loud, vulgar way.
She wasn't a made-up social media beauty either.
She was the kind of beauty that was clean, poised, and quietly striking.
Like winter sunlight—not blinding, but something people instinctively wanted to be near.
In the meeting room, he poured her a glass of water.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Her voice wasn't coy or fake.
Just polite, with a light veil of distance.
Ethan took a seat opposite her, tone calm.
"Miss Summer, you were the one who asked to see me," he said. "I'll be direct—I'm not good at small talk. Let's go straight to the point."
Summer's lips curved.
"You really are as straightforward as your profile suggests," she said. "I'm here on behalf of Qingyuan Group to discuss acquiring your company."
Qingyuan Group was a name that had shaken the province in recent years, built from scratch by Summer herself.
Rumor had it the group was backed by the most powerful Su family in the province—and that Summer was the Su family's future heir.
The light in the meeting room was soft.
Sunlight came in through the floor-to-ceiling windows and fell across the edge of the table, making the stack of documents glow pale white.
Summer flipped open a folder. Her fingers were long, her movements neat and precise.
"Ethan," she said, her voice clear,
"Our group is very optimistic about the AI commercial project you're leading. Penetration in smart business over the next three years will grow at an exponential rate. We'd like to acquire and fold your team into our system."
Her tone was gentle, but carried the assurance of someone used to holding the reins.
Ethan listened without interrupting.
Summer went on, "This is our offer. A mix of cash and equity. The project stays. You stay on as lead. The whole team stays."
Her eyes lifted to his.
"This is our sincerity."
It was a very generous acquisition proposal.
Ethan didn't even need to read it twice.
He just raised his eyes and asked calmly:
"Why you?"
Summer paused.
Ethan closed the folder lightly.
"For this kind of deal," he said, "your group could've sent an investment director. A senior manager would've been enough to talk numbers."
His tone was mild, but it made the air go still for a second.
"But you came personally. Booked the meeting in advance. Arrived exactly on time."
Summer was quiet for two seconds.
She realized this man was sharper than she'd anticipated.
So she dropped the extra layers.
"Because I've read your full project dossier," she said.
"And…" She paused. "Your team evaluations. Your risk control logic. Your predictions for the industry."
"Qingyuan wants the project." Her gaze met his.
"But personally, I think you're more valuable than the project."
It was the first time Summer had said, face-to-face, that she was interested in him—professionally.
Ethan only smiled faintly.
"You're interested in me," he said. "You want to understand me. That's why you came yourself."
Summer couldn't refute it.
This was their first real collision.
Not flirtation.
Not lingering glances.
But a clash of perspectives and scale.
She suddenly realized—he wasn't as "young" as his age suggested.
Those eyes… were far too calm.
She steadied her breathing and slid back into the business rhythm.
"Yes. Ethan, you're not ordinary. That's why I hope you'll stay on. We provide the platform. You run the project. It's a win-win."
But Ethan shook his head.
His voice was light, like he'd been thinking about this for a long time.
"Thank you, Miss Summer. You can have the company. I believe that under your control, or with whoever you appoint, the work I've done so far won't go to waste."
"But I won't be staying."
Summer's brows drew slightly together.
"Can I ask why?" she said.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, his voice as steady as stone.
"Because I've been thinking about the same thing," he said. "If I keep running this company, there's nothing it can give me in the next year that I actually want."
"A year?" she repeated.
"Yes. Something in my life changed recently. This upcoming year is critical for me."
"If you'd made this offer before that change," he went on, "I probably wouldn't have sold a single share. Back then, this project was all I had."
He glanced at the skyline outside the window.
"But now, that's no longer the case. My life changed, and I made a bit of money on the side."
"This company," he tapped the table lightly,
"can only make me an 'excellent founder'."
He turned back, eyes steady.
"But what I'm going to do next… doesn't need the label of founder."
Summer didn't know what had happened to him.
But for the first time, she felt a strange, almost indescribable tremor inside.
This man didn't sound like he was talking about career planning.
He sounded like he was talking about—
Fate.
She pressed that feeling down and asked:
"Then what do you want to do?"
"Something freer," he said. "Something that lets me control my future better—investment."
"I built this company from the ground up. The project is on track. The outlook is strong. It fits perfectly with your group's expansion."
Summer nodded.
"I agree," she said. "Personally, I think it's very valuable."
"Then let's keep it simple." Ethan's tone was almost casual.
"Take the original valuation, cut it by twenty percent. Fifty million. I'll sell everything."
Summer blinked.
"Down… twenty percent?" she said. "You're voluntarily lowering your own price?"
"Yes."
Ethan's voice remained calm.
"This company is like my child. I want it to end up in the right hands."
"And like I said, I've recently made some extra money. Ten million more or less doesn't mean much to me anymore."
"I'd rather the company land with someone like you."
He added, "You can have your team dig as deep as they like—don't worry. The company is clean. The team is stable. It can take any level of due diligence."
Summer's lashes trembled slightly.
This man was too clear-headed.
So clear-headed that it was impossible to treat him like a typical startup founder.
And suddenly, she realized something even more dangerous—
She was starting to get interested in him.
Not as a man.
But as a person worth betting on.
She looked at him for two long seconds.
"Ethan," she said quietly,
"do you realize?"
"Self-awareness and perspective like yours… are rare."
"Because I'm from the future," he said in his head.
Out loud, he only replied:
"Because I know what I want."
In the end, it was Ethan who controlled the rhythm of the acquisition.
Summer suddenly closed the folder.
"I'll deliver your terms personally," she said.
"You'll have an answer soon…"
Then she added, "Ethan, can I ask you a personal question?"
"Go ahead."
"You talk like someone who's walked away from an entire life," she said. "Why?"
The question came out of nowhere.
But he didn't dodge it.
"Because the last version of my life," he said softly,
"isn't worth carrying forward."
She blinked.
"You mean…?"
"The last chapter," he corrected himself smoothly. "I went through too many things that weren't fair. From now on, I want every day to be steady. So I'm changing what I answer to, and what I live for."
Summer nodded lightly.
She understood.
But she didn't know that she had only understood the layer he was willing to show her.
The real line—
"I changed my name because my last life was a mess"—
stayed in his heart.
The meeting ended.
When they stepped out of the conference room, the hallway was still busy.
But for some reason, Ethan felt like the light was brighter than when he'd walked in.
The elevator doors opened.
Summer stepped in, hesitated for the slightest moment, then looked back at him.
"I'll get you that answer as soon as I can," she said.
"I'll be waiting," he replied.
His tone was even, but there was a quiet steadiness in it—
the kind of strength that inexplicably put people at ease.
The doors slid shut.
Her clear face blurred in the reflection on the metal, then was sliced away as the doors met—like a page of fate being gently turned.
Ethan turned around.
He'd barely reached his office door when someone knocked.
"Ethan, he's here," his assistant said.
"Let him in," Ethan replied.
The door opened.
A young man stepped in, a little stiff, clearly nervous.
Mason.
Twenty-six.
Tall and skinny.
Calm eyes.
Plain office shirt.
At first glance, completely unremarkable.
The kind of person who'd vanish instantly into any office crowd.
But Ethan knew—
In the last life, this quiet, awkward, always-working-late, barely-noticed young man…
Ten years into the apocalypse—
Had been the "Nameless One" who held the broken northern defense line alone during the fourth major demon assault.
He had no name in the records.
No official file.
No one knew who he was.
In the battle footage, his body was torn apart, bones shattered.
Yet he never took a single step back against the swarm.
After that day, they never found even half a complete bone.
Ethan had only seen that fight near the very end, when his soul was drifting.
The footage had frozen his blood.
Humanity didn't lack heroes.
Heroes simply never got names.
This time, Ethan was going to give Mason one.
An identity.
A chance to live.
"Mason," Ethan called.
"Y-yes, sir," Mason stammered, standing ramrod straight.
He was obviously terrified.
"Relax," Ethan said, gesturing for him to sit. "You know why I asked for you?"
Mason hesitated.
"I… I don't," he said. "Did I mess up something in the project?"
Ethan smiled.
"No."
He looked at Mason, gaze steady—
and it felt like that gaze cut straight past all of Mason's outer shell.
"You have a younger brother," Ethan said. "Twelve this year, right?"
Mason jerked his head up, eyes wide.
"How do you—"
"Nephrotic syndrome," Ethan went on calmly. "Two hospitalizations in the last three months."
Mason's fingers trembled.
"You work all that overtime to pay for his meds," Ethan said.
"And the days you're late? You're taking him in for tests."
Mason froze.
His breathing went uneven.
Nobody knew that.
Nobody.
He never talked about it.
Never asked for help.
Never complained.
He just quietly ground his time and life down between the office and the hospital.
He'd always believed the world would never notice the struggle of a "small person" like him.
Until now.
Ethan watched him, his tone still quiet.
"Starting today," he said, "you're on double salary."
Mason's eyes went red.
"Sir, I—"
"Don't rush." Ethan lifted a hand, cutting the air like a knife.
"There's more."
Mason's breath stopped for a second.
"I'll cover your brother's medical bills," Ethan said.
"Until he recovers."
Mason shot to his feet, staring at him in disbelief.
"Why would you help me?" he blurted. "We—we're just…"
Ethan held his gaze.
"Because I appreciate you."
Mason stared, lost.
"In other people's eyes, you're an ordinary employee," Ethan said.
"But I know you have something in you—"
"Give you something to protect, and you'll hold the line with your life."
Mason's throat closed up. It felt like a thousand pounds had dropped into his chest.
"But from now on," Ethan went on, "you'll work for me alone."
"No official position. No org chart. No reporting into company systems."
Mason blinked.
"But… what about the teams I'm on, the projects—"
"This company…" Ethan looked out at the city through the window.
"Will probably be sold soon."
Mason's pupils shook.
"Will you come with me?" Ethan asked.
Three seconds.
Five.
Ten.
Mason suddenly dropped to his knees.
"Sir!" he choked. "I—Mason—am willing to work for you for the rest of my life! I'll do anything! I— I don't even know how—"
"Get up," Ethan said, pulling him up.
"We're standing side by side. Not above and below."
Mason's tears finally spilled over.
A tiny, powerless man, crushed for so long by life,
was being seen in this moment.
Right then, he swore silently—
This lifetime, he would live only for Ethan.
After Mason left, the office grew quiet again.
Ethan sat in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk.
He had just taken Mason under his wing.
The first of his Twelve Star Guardians was in place.
Deep in his mind, in that mental map, he rewrote a line:
[Taurus · Mason · Defensive Core · Future Awakening: Shield Wall / Heavy Armor]
Steady as an ox.
Bottles everything up.
Few words.
Honest.
Future Commander of the Bullshield Legion.
He was about to write the data for the second candidate—
When his phone buzzed.
A message from Summer.
[Your acquisition proposal has received initial board approval.
Personally, I think you deserve a much bigger stage.
We'll be acquiring your company.]
Ethan looked at the message and smiled faintly.
Summer had understood part of him.
But she didn't know that—
This meeting wasn't coincidence.
It was fate being yanked back onto the rails by his hand.
He replied with one line:
[Looking forward to working together.]
As his fingertip landed, he spoke silently in his heart:
—Summer, this time, I won't let you die.
He closed the chat and went back to his list.
[Twelve Star Guardians · Initial Roster (V1.0)]
Aries · Blaze (M)
Role: First assault spearhead
Core traits: Reckless, loyal
Combat style: Close-quarters burst damage
Taurus · Mason (M) (In Position)
Role: Defensive core
Core traits: Steady, silent
Combat style: Shield walls, heavy armor tank
Gemini · Liam & Leon (M/M, twins)
Role: Intelligence core
Core traits: Quick, cunning
Combat / operation style: Recon, intel, infiltration
Cancer · Iris (F)
Role: Public morale & rear-line management
Core traits: Gentle but unyielding
Combat / support style: Healing, coordination, command
Leo · Logan (M)
Role: Warlord-type frontline commander
Core traits: Kingly presence, suppressive force
Combat style: Battle-standard domain, leading armies
Virgo · Selene (F)
Role: Medical core
Core traits: Calm, precise
Combat / support style: Battlefield medicine, fine-tuned treatment
Libra · Silas (M)
Role: Strategic decision core
Core traits: Analytical, balanced
Combat / support style: Tactical abilities, overall situational judgment
Scorpio · Onyx (F, real name unknown)
Role: Assassin / spy
Core traits: Cold, ruthless, poisonous
Combat style: Assassination, invisibility, deep infiltration
Sagittarius · Raine (F)
Role: Long-range firepower core
Core traits: Wild, accurate
Combat style: Sniping, heavy-fire strikes
Capricorn · Quinn (F)
Role: Engineering & city-building core
Core traits: Obsessive builder, rigorous
Support style: City defense systems, infrastructure construction
Aquarius · Riven (M)
Role: Research core
Core traits: Eccentric, genius
Support style: Tech development, demon research
Pisces · Hope (F)
Role: Spiritual system core
Core traits: Gentle, quietly deranged
Combat / support style: Psychic link, spiritual perception
Each name represented a powerhouse who, in the last life, had been strong enough to shift the tide of battle for a city-state.
And each name… had died quietly at the end of the world.
This time, he would let them live.
He wrote the last line and stopped.
Gently, he closed the notebook in front of him.
Outside, the wind tugged at the curtains.
The city was still noisy.
Still oblivious.
But in this moment, he knew—
The curtain on the Twelve Star Guardians had quietly risen today.