Mark was walking to first period when his phone buzzed. A message from Becky Moonwell.
Nice ride, Mark. Saw you're back. Can we meet in the lab after lunch?
He read the message but didn't answer. These were the side effects of completed tasks, the backfiring the system hadn't warned him about. Becky Moonwell had developed an attachment to him that he hadn't planned for and didn't know how to handle.
He read her message again, and his mind shifted to Richard Moonwell. He'd done extensive research on Richard during the Becky task—the man's business empire, his investments, his failures. And one failure stood out like a beacon.
There was land not far from the city, just outside Mayvel, that Richard had tried to purchase six months ago. The owner valued it at $600,000, which the billionaire felt was grossly overpriced for undeveloped property with no immediate commercial value. Richard had walked away from the deal rather than overpay.
But Mark knew something Richard didn't. Or rather, Hugo knew. That land sat on top of a geological survey that suggested mineral deposits. Nothing confirmed, nothing public, but whispers in the right circles. In two years, that land would be worth millions when the mining companies came sniffing around.
Mark knew this was his opportunity. Flipping. Hugo had been brilliant at flipping properties and assets, buying low and selling high with perfect timing. The problem was he had less than forty-eight hours to pull off what usually took weeks, months or years.
Buy the land for $600,000. Sell it immediately for one million. Net $400,000 profit. Problem solved.
"That's a solid idea," the system voice chimed in like it had been reading his thoughts. "With sufficient capital, buying could be relatively easy. But given your time constraints, the real question is: who are you selling to?"
Exactly. That was the critical question. He needed a buyer lined up before he even made the purchase. Someone with liquid capital and a reason to overpay for land they didn't fully understand.
And Mark knew exactly who that someone was. Alex Sentara.
He just had to be clever enough to make Alex want to buy it, all while knowing that Alex was living an undercover life at Conbert. Rich kids hiding their wealth, pretending to be normal, trying to prove themselves without daddy's name attached.
Billionaire kids all had one thing in common: they desperately wanted to impress their parents by proving they were good at business. That they'd inherited the talent, not just the money. How could Mark make Alex aware of this land opportunity in a way that felt natural, like Alex had discovered it himself, creating a ready-made market?
Mr. Chen was his answer. Mark spotted him in the hallway, heading toward their classroom.
Mr. Chen was halfway through the door when Mark called out, "Sir—uh, Mr. Chen. Quick word?"
The economics teacher paused, turning back and immediately noticing how much Mark had changed in just a few days. The clothes, the confidence, the way he carried himself. "Make it fast, Lidorf. I've got a stampede of seniors waiting to be bored to death by supply and demand curves."
Mark jogged up to him, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Can you do me a simple favor?"
Mr. Chen squinted, suspicious but curious. "Mmm?"
"This is stupid, but there's a girl I'm trying to impress in class." Mark put on his best sheepish teenager expression.
"That is stupid," Mr. Chen said, but Mark could see the flicker of interest. The man had been in high school once, decades ago. He'd understand. And seeing Mark's transformation from invisible nerd to this, he'd probably believe it.
"I told her that there's land in Mayvel valued at one million, but in a few months it'll be worth three million. I just need you to mention it in class today. Like a fun economics example or whatever. She'll think I actually know what I'm talking about."
Mr. Chen blinked. "You're giving me teaching material now?"
Mark grinned and smoothly slipped a folded bill into the teacher's hand. "Just for your coffee, sir. Hundred bucks. I know you love your cappuccino more than grading papers."
The man looked at the crisp hundred-dollar bill, then back at Mark with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "This isn't a bribe, is it?"
"Of course not," Mark said, maintaining the innocent smile. "Just... an interesting idea worth sharing and a desperate nerd worth saving."
Mr. Chen sighed, pocketed the cash, and shook his head with a slight smile. "You know, I'm going to have to teach you how to actually talk to girls. This is pathetic. Sherry Braithwaite, right? I've seen you looking."
"That's my little secret, sir," Mark muttered as he followed Mr. Chen into the classroom.
The room was already filling with students. Alex was sitting with Henry in what would normally be Mark's seat in the back corner. Alex's usual seat was empty in the middle row, right near Sherry Braithwaite and her friends.
Perfect. Mark walked and dropped into Alex's empty chair. Close enough to Sherry to seem intentional, but not so close it looked desperate.
"Hey," he greeted Sherry casually as he settled in, pulling out his notebook like this was completely normal.
She turned, surprised to see him there instead of his usual back corner. "Hey... Mark." Her voice carried curiosity, maybe even interest.
The transformation was working. People noticed you differently when you looked like you mattered.
"All right, settle down, people," Mr. Chen called out, setting his coffee on the desk. "Before I ruin your day with economic theory that'll put most of you to sleep, here's something actually interesting for once."
The class quieted, more out of habit than actual interest.
"Heard about a piece of land just outside the city?" Mr. Chen leaned against his desk, the picture of casual authority. "Everyone thinks it's basically worthless. Undeveloped, no infrastructure, middle of nowhere. But there's rumors—and I'm talking serious rumors from people who know geology—that there's valuable mineral deposits running through it."
The classroom energy shifted immediately. Money always got attention.
"One million dollars right now," Mr. Chen continued, warming to the topic. "Could be worth three, four, maybe five million in a couple years when the mining companies figure it out and start bidding wars."
"Gold?" someone shouted from the back.
"Where exactly?" another voice called out.
Mr. Chen chuckled, clearly enjoying the engagement. "Not gold, but close enough. Rare earth minerals, the kind they need for electronics and batteries. And it's in Mayvel, just outside the city limits. If I had money lying around? I'd buy it before some rich investor does their homework and snatches it up."
He turned to the board, chalk already in hand, moving seamlessly into the actual lesson. "Now, this is what we call speculative investment, which brings us to today's topic—"
But the room was still buzzing. Students whispering, phones subtly coming out to google Mayvel land prices, the entrepreneurial spark lit in a dozen minds at once.
Exactly as Mark had planned. He didn't even have to look behind him. He could feel Alex Sentara's attention sharpening, that predatory focus rich kids got when they smelled opportunity. That little flicker of curiosity, the mental gears turning as Alex started calculating what it would mean to his grandfather if he pulled off a successful land flip on his own.
Hook set. Line ready. Now he just had to reel it in before the forty-eight-hour countdown ran out.
Mark pulled out his phone under the desk and typed quickly.
Hey, sorry. Crazy busy today. Can we meet tomorrow instead? Promise I'll explain everything.
He hit send to Becky.
The system notification pulsed quietly in his vision.
[TASK FOUR: Progress 15%]
[STRATEGY DETECTED: Land flip scheme initiated | ESTIMATED SUCCESS PROBABILITY: 64%]
[WARNING: Multiple variables remain uncontrolled]
Sixty-four percent. Not great odds, but better than zero. And it was the best plan he had given the time constraints.
Mr. Chen droned on about market elasticity while Mark's mind raced through the next steps. He needed to contact the land owner in Mayvel immediately. Needed to secure an option to buy at $600,000 or less. Needed to make sure Alex took the bait.
And he needed to do all of it in less than two days.