Marcus Hale stared at the email on his cheap laptop until the words stopped registering.
"We regret to inform you that your position has been terminated effective immediately."
He didn't move. Didn't breathe. Didn't even blink. He just sat there in the dim light of his cramped San Antonio apartment, feeling the weight of those words crush whatever hope he had left.
Fired. Just like that.
He wasn't surprised. HorizonTech had been trying to push him out for months. He was the broke kid in a department full of people who had degrees, savings, and cars that didn't sound like a dying lawnmower. He was always borrowing a charger, always packing the same sandwich, always refusing lunch invites because he couldn't afford to spend ten dollars.
People noticed. People joked.
"Careful, Marcus might ask you for gas money."
"Bro's so broke he counts other people's paychecks."
He laughed it off every time. What else could he do? Fight back? Complain? He couldn't risk losing the little he had.
Now even that was gone.
Marcus leaned back in his creaking chair and stared at the ceiling. The buzzing AC unit rattled in the window, struggling against the Texas heat. He checked his bank app again even though he already knew.
Balance: **$42.17.**
Not enough for groceries. Not enough for gas. Not enough for anything.
His mom's medical bills were still in his messages. His little sister had asked if he could help with her college applications. He told her he would try.
Now he had nothing to try with.
Marcus grabbed his keys. He needed air before he drowned in the pressure building in his chest.
San Antonio evenings were warm and humming with distant traffic. Marcus walked past the gas station—where his Tacoma currently sat on empty—and past the corner store he used to stop at before every dollar mattered. He walked until the noise faded and the sidewalks emptied.
He sat on a park bench under a flickering streetlamp and stared at his cracked phone screen. Should he tell his mom? Not tonight. She already worried too much.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Why can't something just go right?"
The streetlamp buzzed. The air trembled. And then everything around him seemed to freeze.
His phone lit up on its own.
SYSTEM INITIALIZING…
BUSINESS ACQUISITION PROTOCOL ONLINE
HOST USER: MARCUS HALE
Marcus blinked. "What…?"
The screen filled with shifting charts, market graphs, numbers, company valuations—information he'd never seen before.
Then the phone lifted slightly from his hand.
Floated.
Glowed.
A voice echoed directly in his mind.
[Welcome, Marcus Hale.]
[Your financial condition is classified as: CRITICAL.]
[Your potential is classified as: UNTAPPED.]
[Your environment is classified as: HOSTILE.]
Marcus jerked back. "Who's talking?!"
[I am the Business Acquisition System.]
[Your path to power begins now.]
His heart pounded. This couldn't be real. This was something out of a story, not real life. Not his life.
"What do you want from me?"
[Your survival.]
[And your rise.]
A new blue window appeared in front of his eyes.
MISSION 1 — Acquire Your First Business
Objective: Appraise and obtain a failing business within 48 hours
Reward:
• $25,000 Starting Capital
• Skill: Negotiation Lv.1
• Feature Unlock: Appraisal Mode
Penalty for Failure: System Lock for 30 days
Marcus stared at it. A business? Him? He didn't even have enough money for gas.
Before he could process it, another notification hit.
[Business Opportunity Detected.]
[Activate Appraisal Mode? Y/N]
His instinct said run. His desperation said stay.
"…Yes."
Appraisal Mode activated instantly.
A digital map overlaid his vision. A blinking red marker glowed two blocks away.
[Target: Lone Star Laundry Co.]
Status: Failing
Value: Underpriced
Risk: Low
Hidden Assets: Present
Projected Profit After Optimization: +$83,400
An $80,000 laundromat? That couldn't be real.
But the system glowed again.
[Your rise begins with small steps.]
[Go.]
Marcus walked toward the blinking marker, each step filled with adrenaline. His vision displayed repair costs, employee ratings, equipment lifespan—information no normal person should see.
He reached the laundromat. The neon sign flickered weakly. Half the washers were dead. The parking lot was empty.
Then the system pulsed.
[Warning: Threat Detected.]
A man stepped out from behind the building—mid-forties, clean suit, expensive watch. He was on the phone.
"Yeah. Owner's desperate. I'm picking this place up cheap. No competition."
Marcus froze.
Competition.
Money.
A real buyer.
He swallowed hard. He had nothing. No job. No capital. No chance.
But he thought of his mom. His sister. Their bills. Their struggles. The jokes. The humiliation.
Not anymore.
He stepped forward.
"I'm acquiring this business."
The man turned and looked him up and down, confused… then amused.
"You? Kid, you look like you can't afford detergent."
Marcus didn't flinch.
The system glowed behind him, invisible to everyone else.
[Negotiation Challenge Detected.]
[Activate: CEO Presence Lv.0 (Prototype)?]
Marcus inhaled.
"Yes."
The world sharpened.
And Marcus Hale—broke, fired, mocked—took his first step toward becoming something else entirely.
A future CEO.