A female employee had walked straight through him. She passed from behind without noticing, her shoulder phasing through Umang's chest like he wasn't there. Umang jumped back instinctively, eyes wide, hands patting his own body as if checking for holes.
His shout echoed in his own ears—but no one else heard a thing. The lobby remained calm, conversations continuing uninterrupted.
Ether Clone turned to him, face calm beneath the mask.
"She can't see you. I used my power. You are invisible and untouchable right now. We are inside the Free Fire headquarters."
Umang blinked rapidly, still patting his chest. His mind had briefly screamed I'm a ghost, but the explanation sank in. He exhaled, shoulders dropping.
"So it's your doing… sorry, Sir Heart. I just—suddenly everything shifted, and then she walked through me like I was air."
He shook his head, muttering to himself.
"Crossing thousands of kilometers from India to Seneria in a blink… if it's Sir Heart, nothing should surprise me anymore."
He looked around carefully now, taking in the lobby: employees chatting in small groups, some laughing, others scrolling phones, a few playing games on their own devices. The headquarters had grown massively since Free Fire's rise—glass walls, open-plan desks, a massive logo projected on the ceiling. It was modern, sleek, buzzing with quiet energy even with servers down.
Ether Clone spoke again, voice low.
Just as he was looking around, the Ether Clone spoke softly, voice cutting through Umang's thoughts like a calm blade.
"Let's go. Meet the CEO. His name is Fory Li, right?"
Umang blinked—and the lobby began to fade.
The colors blurred, the chatter dimmed, the floor under his feet dissolved into mist. He felt a gentle pull, like being drawn through warm water. His stomach flipped once, then settled.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a different room.
A large meeting room—long glass table, modern chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows showing a city skyline he didn't recognize. The atmosphere was tense, heavy with argument. At the head of the table sat Fory Li, the CEO—Umang recognized him instantly from news clips and interviews. Mid-forties, sharp suit, tired eyes. Around him sat a dozen senior directors and executives, voices overlapping in frustration.
They were talking about Sir Heart.
About the new owner.
Umang side-eyed the Ether Clone, who stood beside him—completely still, listening with quiet focus. No one in the room could see or hear them. The shield held perfectly.
Umang tuned in.
Fory Li leaned forward, rubbing his temples.
"So tell me—how do we handle this? Complaints are flooding in. Players are furious. YouTubers are making protest videos. They want the game back online. What do we say? The previous owners gave direct orders: servers stay down until the new owner says otherwise. And we don't even know who the new owner is. We can't contact him. So right now… we're in charge. Any ideas?"
A man on the left—smiling, relaxed—shrugged.
"We don't have to do anything. Just stay as we are. If problems pile up later, it's the owner's fault. We're following orders."
The man opposite him—sharp-featured, impatient—cut in immediately.
"We can't do that. It's not just the owner's problem. We're responsible for the game, for the company. We need a real plan. Why not announce a server issue? Say our teams are fixing it, it'll take time?"
The smiling man's face twisted into irritation.
"That's a weak excuse. No one will buy it. Players will get angrier. I still say we wait."
A woman who had been silent until now spoke up, voice firm.
"You two stop. Let's just announce an upgrade. People love upgrades. It buys us time."
The man at the right end of the table shook his head.
"But we don't have material for a real upgrade. If it's lame, we get more hate. That won't work."
The arguments spiraled. Voices rose, overlapped, circled the same points for nearly half an hour—wait, announce maintenance, blame the owner, fake an upgrade, do nothing. No one agreed. Tension thickened the air.
Then a single cough cut through everything.
Fory Li.
All eyes turned to him.
He leaned back, voice tired but authoritative.
"So… do we have a final answer? Or should we sit here arguing all day?"
Silence fell.
No one spoke.
Fory Li sighed, rubbing his eyes.
He waited a full minute, but the room remained silent—no one offered a single idea.
Then he spoke, voice heavy with exhaustion.
"Meeting adjourned. We'll reconvene tomorrow. I want answers then."
He pushed back his chair and stood.
That was when he noticed them.
Two unknown figures standing quietly in the corner near the door.
His heart stuttered.
He hadn't seen them enter. No one had. The door was closed. Security was outside. The room had been locked since the meeting began.