Moonvale City, 8:55 PM Local Time
Ethan wiped sweat from his brow, his calloused palms slamming against the reinforced oak stake in the backyard. The two-meter-tall training post shuddered with each strike, its shock-absorbent polymer coating dimpling under the force.
"Mia's parents want us for dinner," his fiancée called from the smart-glass patio doors, her VR headset dangling around her neck.
"Still playing the dutiful daughter?" Ethan teased, catching the water bottle she tossed.
Mia's holographic wristband projected breaking news alerts across the lawn. "Emergency broadcast – all networks!"
Global Alliance Headquarters Live Feed
The Gray family gathered around the quantum display as 195 national flags materialized in holographic splendor. Alliance Secretary Angela Cross addressed the camera, her words auto-translating through neural implants:
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"Tonight marks humanity's evolutionary leap."
Ethan's combat instincts flared when the feed glitched – a familiar corporate watermark flickered at the screen's edge.
TigerShark Group Surveillance Hub
Lucas Cheng monitored the broadcast through diamond-shaped drones orbiting the Gray residence. "Activate protocol Blackout Curtain," he ordered, watching Ethan's biometrics spike on the screens.
Moonvale Safehouse
"Your grandfather's files!" Mia decrypted the data burst from Shun's stolen chip. Combat simulations from 2063 flooded the display – moves Ethan had practiced since childhood.
Secretary Cross' voice boomed through the interference: "NeuroArena goes live tomorrow. This quantum combat system will..."
Ethan's prosthetic leg actuator whined in resonance with the transmission frequency. "They're using Valhalla Project tech!"
Global Network – 9:03 PM
Twenty-three million viewers screamed as the feed fractured. Ethan's combat avatar materialized in the signal void, his spear piercing Cheng's firewall drones like paper lanterns.
"Attention gladiators," Ethan's synthesized voice thundered through hijacked frequencies. "The real arena begins now."
Epilogue Teaser
Mia's pregnancy scan blinked on Cheng's mainframe – Fetal Neural Signature: 99.8% Combat Aptitude.