Justin slowly looked across the empty warehouse.
For the first time since founding Hammer Industries, he felt completely powerless.
Years of work had disappeared overnight.
He took a deep breath before speaking.
"Cancel every shipment."
"We have nothing left to deliver."
"Yes, sir."
"And contact the Department of Defense."
"They need to hear this from us before they hear it from someone else."
The managers immediately left to carry out his orders.
Justin remained standing where he was.
A few minutes later, several FBI agents entered the building.
One of them walked over.
"Mr. Hammer?"
Justin nodded.
"I'm Special Agent Collins."
"We'll be taking over the investigation."
Justin folded his arms.
"Then tell me how someone emptied my entire company without leaving a single trace."
The agent looked around the warehouse.
"I wish I had an answer."
"We've never seen anything like this."
He knelt down and examined the floor.
"There are no footprints."
"No tire marks."
"No signs of forced entry."
He stood up again.
"It almost looks as if everything disappeared."
Justin let out a cold laugh.
"That's exactly what everyone keeps telling me."
Another agent approached with a folder.
"Sir."
"We've finished interviewing the night security staff."
"And?"
"They all reported a normal night."
"No alarms."
"No suspicious people."
"No unusual vehicles."
"Nothing."
Justin closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"This wasn't an ordinary robbery."
The FBI agent nodded.
"We agree."
"Whoever did this had abilities or technology far beyond anything we've encountered."
Justin immediately looked at him.
"You think this is some kind of experimental military operation?"
The agent shook his head.
"We don't know."
"But we're informing higher authorities."
"If this wasn't done by a foreign government..."
He paused.
"...then someone with extremely advanced technology is operating inside the United States."
Justin remained silent.
That possibility was even worse.
If someone possessed technology capable of making an entire company's assets disappear overnight, then no corporation would be safe.
No military base would be safe either.
The agent closed his notebook.
"We'll keep you informed if we discover anything."
Justin nodded absentmindedly.
After the agents left, he walked back into his office.
The room was almost empty.
Even the computer on his desk had vanished.
He slowly sat down in his chair.
After several minutes of silence, he picked up the phone.
"Get me every scientist we still have."
"I don't care where they are."
"If Hammer Industries is going to survive..."
"We're going to have to start from nothing again."
On the other side of the city, Zayden had already returned to his mansion.
He placed the magical storage crate on one of the workbenches in his underground workshop.
After opening it, he looked at the enormous pocket dimension inside.
Rows of military vehicles stretched into the distance.
Thousands of weapons were neatly organized on shelves.
Manufacturing equipment filled several large sections.
Prototype drones, robotic systems, computers, and research machines occupied another area.
"It looks even bigger than I expected."
He walked through the workshop inside the pocket dimension.
Everything had been sorted automatically according to its type.
"This saves me a lot of time."
He picked up one of Hammer Industries' prototype drones.
His arm transformed into Upgrade.
Within seconds, the drone had been completely analyzed.
Its design, software, hardware, and manufacturing process were all copied into his memory.
"Not bad."
"But it can be improved."
He looked across the mountain of technology filling the storage space.
"For the next few months, I won't have to worry about running out of materials."
Satisfied, he closed the crate.
He glanced at the clock on the wall.
"There are still a few hours before school."
"I should get some sleep first."
"But only after taking care of this," Zayden muttered as he looked at the enchanted crate.
He raised the Elder Wand and cast an Apparition spell.
A moment later, he appeared in a quiet public park.
It was late at night, and the park was completely empty.
In the center of the park was a large lake.
Zayden walked to the edge of the water and gently placed the crate on the surface.
With another wave of the Elder Wand, the crate slowly sank beneath the water until it disappeared into the depths of the lake.
The concealment enchantments ensured that no one would notice it, even if they swam directly above it.
Watching the crate disappear beneath the surface, Zayden let out a quiet sigh.
"I just hope the magic remains after the Dumbledore Template disappears."
If the enchantments stayed active, then he had successfully created one of the most valuable tools he could ever possess.
If they disappeared, he would have to find another solution.
There was no way to know until the template expired.
With that thought, he Apparated back to his mansion.
After taking a quick shower, he lay down on his bed.
Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep.
The next morning, Zayden slowly opened his eyes.
He immediately felt the connection to the Dumbledore Template disappear.
"The twenty-four hours are up."
Without wasting any time, he got out of bed and hurried to the underground basement.
He held his breath as he looked around.
The moment he saw the enormous expanded space beneath the mansion, a smile spread across his face.
"It worked."
The Spatial Extension Charm was still active.
Before going to sleep, he had also cast the same enchantment on his basement, greatly expanding the underground space.
"I can't believe it... the magic remained."
He let out a sigh of relief.
"If the enchantments here are still working, then the crate at the lake should still be enchanted as well."
That was the best news he could have asked for.
It meant that magical enchantments created with the template did not disappear after the template expired.
They became permanent unless someone removed them.
"That's huge."
He smiled to himself.
"This means every future magic template could leave behind permanent creations."
After calming himself down, Zayden closed his eyes and activated his Random Super Gacha.
Inside his mind, the familiar roulette wheel began spinning.