The video call with Liam ended, leaving Ethan and Leo sitting in a stunned, energized silence in the park.
The revelation that player potentials were dynamic, tied to the chaotic, unpredictable real world, was a paradigm shift.
It made the game infinitely more complex and a thousand times more exciting.
"A lottery ticket that's about to be drawn," Leo repeated, his eyes wide with the sheer thrill of it all. "We have an inside man. This changes everything."
Ethan looked from his phone, with Liam's smiling face still on the screen, to the sky, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The corporate statements, the 'Safe Mode' updates, the scary, unsubstantiated news articles... it was all just noise.
"You know what?" Ethan said, a newfound clarity in his voice.
"Forget it."
"Forget what?" Leo asked, confused.
