"Of course you've gotten hotter, but… it's like you're a different person. The old you was great, yet you never had this… I don't know how to put it—this growing steadiness, even a hint of something unfathomable."
That air of quiet assurance that could set people at ease—or inspire awe—while simply sitting there was something her formerly ordinary college-student brother had never possessed.
Steve's gaze deepened at her words.
He looked out at the bustling capital and said quietly,
"Perhaps. Stefanie, people change. Stand in a different place, carry more on your shoulders, and the things you think about naturally shift."
The transformation from an ordinary two-lives college kid into the hidden hand who commanded the resources of two worlds and held the power of life and death over countless beings was etched into his very bones.
Stefanie nodded, only half understanding.
"I guess. Bro, you got hold of a serum even I find unbelievable, and it works so well I"d never even heard of anything like it."
"Looks like the country really is undergoing huge changes out of ordinary people's sight."
Young as she was, she spent plenty of time online.
"I"ve seen the news—electricity prices crashing, gold being dumped. The internet's going crazy, though it's calmed down these past few days: just some low-key reports about electromagnetic-gun tests, desert reclamation, and a big medical breakthrough…"
At the word "calmed", the corner of Steve's mouth curled in a knowing, cold smile.
Calmed?
No—this was the lull before the storm.
"I doubt it's calmed at all," he murmured inwardly, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
'This is nothing but the hush while the old world's order is gathered for a killing blow.'
The sedan glided smoothly along the expressway toward downtown; inside, silence fell.
Leaning back, Steve seemed to watch the scenery while calculating the real purpose behind the gold dump—not just cashing out, but smashing dollar credibility.
Just then Stefanie, who had been quiet, never took her eyes off his face.
Sensing her gaze, Steve turned with gentle warmth.
"What is it? Staring at me the whole time?"
Stefanie bit her lip, hesitated, and in those once-clear eyes now shone a look that seemed to see through everything.
"Bro… it's like you know everything."
She drew a slow breath, voice low yet every word distinct.
"From moving mom, dad and me to the capital, to that miraculous serum, to the earth-shaking changes sweeping America—power prices, gold, the wave of re-opened factories…"
"Brother, I'm starting to wonder: did all of this come from you?"
In the driver's seat Fred, the ever-steady soldier, tightened his grip on the wheel.
Through the rear-view mirror he shot a shocked glance at the harmless-looking young girl.
He hadn't expected Stefanie's intuition to be so sharp—she had hit the truth head-on.
Facing her probing, stunned gaze, Steve neither denied nor explained.
He simply looked at her, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile that meant everything and nothing—no nod, no shake of the head.
But to Stefanie, that smile was answer enough.
It was her big brother's tacit admission.
Her mind reeled.
She had thought her brother had merely become an important national asset; never had she imagined he was the very eye of the storm, the chess-player using himself as a piece to push the nation—and the world—toward transformation.
She remembered a casual remark of his:
'The foundation for our family's next few dozen generations is already laid.'
At the time she'd taken it as a joke.
Now…
"More than a few dozen."
Stefanie murmured inwardly, gazing at this brother both familiar and alien, admiration nearly spilling from her eyes.
'This is… a legacy for ten thousand generations."
Since she had guessed, the clever girl asked not another question.
Some things are safest buried in silence.
She turned back to the window, watching the scenery flash past, only the tremor in her fingers betraying her inner turmoil.
Seeing she would press no further, Steve looked away, pulled out his phone, and casually scrolled international headlines.
The first urgent red-banner item that popped up made him pause.
**BREAKING! Russia's Parliament rushes through Foreign Power Infrastructure Security Act.
He tapped the article; its contents were almost laughable.
Foreign media reported that half an hour earlier Russia's parliament, citing national security, had unanimously passed the emergency bill.
The provisions were brutally tough:
One: a total ban on power equipment and resources from America, alleging the ultra-cheap electricity hides technical traps and malicious dumping.
Two: urging all allies to follow suit and form an Energy Security Alliance against America's power.
Three: immediate WTO litigation, accusing America of energy-price manipulation and demanding 200% punitive tariffs on related products.
At the same time international mainstream press went into overdrive.
CNN: "Beware! Cheapness is a trap! Experts say America's power-transmission tech hides backdoors; one button could fry our grid."
BBC: 'This is energy colonialism! We can't sell our children's freedom to save a few cents on electricity."
In a lavishly appointed conference room Russia's policymakers solemnly announced counter-measures.
'To preserve our great energy independence we will pour five hundred billion dollars into massive subsidies for domestic energy—we will never bow to the West.'
The bans had barely landed before foreign networks exploded—and the first to revolt were Russia's own corporate titans.
Oligarch as always responded:
"Rejecting cheap, stable power is strangling Russia's manufacturing; with today's energy costs, you're forcing us to move every last factory out."
Even better, several cash-strapped Russia's state government openly sang a different tune.
"For the welfare of our millions of residents we welcome any low-cost power investment; laws shouldn't sacrifice local survival."