The city glittered beneath the night sky like a sea of distant stars.
From the rooftop of the Valenrique Arms headquarters, Adrian Valenrique stared silently at the skyline. Manila stretched endlessly beyond the glass towers—an empire of lights, steel, and ambition. The same city that had once bowed to the power of the Valenrique family.
And the same city that had just witnessed Adrian lose everything.
A cold wind swept across the rooftop, tugging at his dark coat.
Ten years.
Ten years he had dedicated to the company. Ten years of sleepless nights designing weapons, refining prototypes, studying every flaw in modern firearms.
Ten years of loyalty.
Yet all of it had been taken away in a single afternoon.
Adrian's gaze drifted to the towering sign across the building:
VALENRIQUE ARMS CORPORATION
Once, that name had been his future.
Now it belonged to someone else.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
Slow. Confident. Mocking.
Adrian didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Still brooding up here?"
The voice carried a casual arrogance that made Adrian's jaw tighten.
Marcus Valenrique.
His cousin.
The man who had just stolen his life.
Adrian finally turned.
Marcus leaned casually against the rooftop door, dressed in an expensive suit that probably cost more than Adrian's yearly salary.
Behind Marcus stood two company security guards.
Marcus clapped slowly.
"Well," Marcus said with a grin, "that board meeting today was quite the spectacle."
Adrian said nothing.
Marcus continued.
"Honestly, cousin, I didn't expect you to fall apart so easily."
The memory of the afternoon meeting burned fresh in Adrian's mind.
The boardroom.
The executives.
The humiliation.
Marcus had stood proudly at the head of the table, presenting a revolutionary new firearm design.
A modular handgun capable of unmatched accuracy and durability.
The board had been stunned.
They called it the future of modern firearms.
But Adrian had known the truth.
That weapon design was his.
He had spent two years developing it.
Two years.
Marcus had stolen the blueprints and presented them as his own.
And when Adrian tried to speak—
Marcus had already prepared evidence.
Fake development reports.
Fabricated documents.
Witness statements.
By the time Adrian realized what was happening, the board had already made its decision.
They accused Adrian of attempting to sabotage Marcus's work.
They accused him of professional misconduct.
They accused him of betraying the company.
The final verdict came swiftly.
Adrian Valenrique was expelled from Valenrique Arms.
His name erased from the company he helped build.
Marcus pushed himself off the doorframe and walked closer.
"You should have seen your face when the board voted."
He chuckled.
"It was priceless."
Adrian's voice finally broke the silence.
"You stole my designs."
Marcus shrugged.
"Does it matter?"
Adrian's fists clenched.
"You know they were mine."
Marcus's smile widened.
"But the board believes they were mine."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"That's what power is, cousin."
Marcus tapped Adrian's chest lightly.
"Not who created something."
"Who controls the narrative."
For the first time that night, anger flickered in Adrian's eyes.
Marcus noticed and laughed.
"Don't look at me like that."
He glanced at the city below.
"You were always too naive, Adrian."
Marcus leaned against the rooftop railing.
"You believed hard work was enough."
"You believed loyalty mattered."
Marcus shook his head.
"In this world, only power matters."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Marcus spoke again.
"Anyway, the board asked me to inform you."
"You're officially banned from entering Valenrique property."
The words hung in the air.
Adrian felt strangely calm.
Almost numb.
After a moment, he asked quietly,
"Why?"
Marcus tilted his head.
"What?"
"Why go this far?"
Marcus stared at him for a few seconds.
Then he laughed.
"Because you were in the way."
The answer was simple.
Brutally simple.
Marcus continued,
"You're the genius of the family."
"The golden heir."
"Everyone expected you to inherit the company."
Marcus's eyes darkened slightly.
"I couldn't allow that."
He spread his arms.
"So I took the future that should have been yours."
Adrian's chest felt hollow.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The missing documents.
The sudden accusations.
The prepared evidence.
Marcus had been planning this for months.
Maybe years.
Marcus checked his watch.
"Well, I've wasted enough time here."
He turned toward the door.
But before leaving, he glanced back.
"Oh, one more thing."
Marcus smiled.
"You should watch the news tomorrow."
"Valenrique Arms is announcing a new weapons division."
He paused.
"Using my revolutionary pistol design."
The rooftop door opened.
Marcus stepped inside.
The guards followed.
And just like that, Adrian was alone again.
The city lights shimmered below.
Adrian slowly walked toward the railing.
His life was over.
His career destroyed.
His reputation ruined.
The weapon designs he spent years perfecting were no longer his.
Even if he tried to rebuild his career, Marcus would crush him.
Adrian rested his hands on the cold metal railing.
The wind howled softly.
So this was how everything ended.
Footsteps echoed behind him again.
Adrian frowned.
He thought Marcus had already left.
He turned—
Two men in black suits stepped onto the rooftop.
Not company security.
These men looked different.
Professional.
Cold.
One of them raised a pistol.
Adrian's eyes widened.
"You—"
The gun fired.
A deafening crack split the night.
Pain exploded through Adrian's chest.
He staggered backward.
Blood spread across his shirt.
The city lights blurred.
The second man stepped closer.
"Target confirmed."
The first man spoke calmly.
"Make it look like suicide."
Adrian collapsed against the railing.
His vision dimmed.
So that was it.
Marcus hadn't just wanted to destroy him.
He wanted him dead.
Adrian felt his strength fading.
His body slipped toward the edge.
His last thought echoed bitterly in his mind.
If I had power…
None of this would have happened.
The world went dark.
—
Adrian's eyes snapped open.
His lungs sucked in air violently.
He sat upright.
His heart pounded.
Cold sweat covered his body.
For several seconds, he simply stared ahead.
Then he noticed something strange.
The room.
Small.
Messy.
Stacks of engineering textbooks scattered across a desk.
A laptop.
A cheap bed.
This wasn't the rooftop.
This wasn't the headquarters.
This was—
Adrian froze.
His eyes slowly scanned the room.
Recognition struck like lightning.
"This…?"
His voice trembled.
"This is my dorm room."
He swung his legs off the bed and rushed toward the desk.
The calendar on the wall came into view.
Adrian's breathing stopped.
September 3rd
Ten years ago.
His hands trembled.
"No…"
He grabbed the phone on the desk.
The date confirmed it.
Ten years.
Ten years before his death.
Adrian's mind reeled.
He staggered back and collapsed into the chair.
Had he gone insane?
Was this some kind of hallucination?
But the room felt real.
Too real.
Memories flooded his mind.
The betrayal.
Marcus.
The gunshot.
His death.
Adrian gripped the edge of the desk.
"I'm… alive?"
Before he could process the situation—
A soft chime echoed inside his head.
A translucent blue interface appeared before his eyes.
Adrian froze.
Words formed in glowing letters.
Weapon Design System Activated
Adrian stared in shock.
New text appeared.
Host confirmed: Adrian Valenrique
Initializing weapon development interface
A series of data panels appeared.
Weapon schematics.
Ballistic statistics.
Engineering models far beyond modern technology.
Adrian's breathing slowed.
His eyes narrowed.
A second notification appeared.
First Objective: Design a weapon superior to modern firearms
Reward: Unlock advanced weapon blueprint database
Silence filled the room.
Adrian slowly leaned back in his chair.
His mind raced.
Regression.
A mysterious system.
A second chance.
And suddenly—
Adrian began to laugh.
Not loudly.
Not hysterically.
Just a quiet, cold laugh.
He looked at the glowing system screen.
In his previous life, he had trusted people.
Family.
Colleagues.
Executives.
That mistake had cost him everything.
But this time…
Things would be different.
Adrian's gaze hardened.
If Marcus wanted the company—
He could keep it.
Because Adrian had just been given something far more powerful.
The knowledge to design the world's most advanced weapons.
Adrian's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Marcus…"
His voice was calm.
Almost amused.
"You can have the company."
He looked at the weapon schematics again.
"But this time…"
Adrian's eyes gleamed with dangerous determination.
"I'll build something much bigger."
The blue interface hovered silently in front of Adrian.
It didn't flicker like a hallucination.It didn't disappear when he blinked.
It remained there—steady, cold, and unmistakably real.
Adrian slowly stood up from the chair.
His mind raced as he reached out toward the glowing screen.
His fingers passed through the projection, yet the interface reacted instantly.
Lines of data shifted.
New panels opened.
Detailed schematics appeared across the display.
Adrian's eyes widened.
These weren't ordinary diagrams.
They were weapon designs.
Hundreds of them.
No—thousands.
Each schematic contained incredibly detailed engineering data.
Ballistic trajectories.
Material compositions.
Structural stress analysis.
Internal firing mechanisms.
Every single detail was far beyond the level of modern firearm manufacturing.
Adrian leaned closer to the screen.
"This… isn't possible."
One particular blueprint caught his attention.
A modular handgun design.
The system highlighted the weapon automatically.
Prototype: Modular Combat Pistol — Model A1
Adrian's pupils shrank.
This weapon…
He recognized it.
In his previous life, he had spent two years developing a similar concept.
But the design before him was far more advanced.
The recoil control system was refined.
The barrel alignment mechanism was improved.
Even the material composition suggested a lightweight alloy that modern manufacturers had not yet perfected.
Adrian's breathing slowed.
The implications were staggering.
If these designs were real…
Then the Weapon Design System wasn't just providing ideas.
It was providing future technology.
Adrian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
In his previous life, Valenrique Arms had dominated the Southeast Asian firearms market for decades.
But even the company's most advanced weapons were nowhere near the level of the designs now floating before him.
A new notification appeared.
Weapon Design System — Beginner Level
Available Technology Tier: Tier 1 (Advanced Firearms)
Next Unlock Requirement: 1 Successful Weapon Deployment
Adrian read the message carefully.
"Deployment…"
His mind immediately interpreted the meaning.
The system didn't simply want him to design weapons.
It wanted those weapons used.
Adrian leaned back slightly, crossing his arms.
"So the system evolves based on influence."
The more his weapons spread across the world…
The more advanced technology the system would unlock.
Adrian's gaze hardened.
That meant one thing.
He needed customers.
Real customers.
Not laboratory prototypes.
Not corporate testing programs.
Actual people who would buy and use his weapons.
Adrian slowly closed his eyes.
In his previous life, Valenrique Arms had relied heavily on government contracts.
Military tenders.
Police equipment deals.
Private security companies.
The legal market.
But Adrian also knew something most corporate executives preferred to ignore.
The legal market was only half of the global weapons economy.
The other half existed in shadows.
The underground market.
Black market arms dealers.
Private mercenary groups.
Rebel organizations.
Smuggling networks.
These groups didn't care about regulations.
They only cared about performance.
If a weapon gave them an advantage, they would pay any price.
Adrian opened his eyes again.
The system screen reflected faintly in his pupils.
"That's where the real money is."
More importantly…
That was where his influence could grow the fastest.
Adrian stood up and walked toward the window.
The city outside was still dark.
Neon lights flickered across distant skyscrapers.
Cars crawled through the midnight streets below.
Millions of people slept peacefully.
Unaware that wars were already being planned somewhere in the world.
Wars that would require weapons.
Adrian placed his hands in his pockets.
For a moment, memories of his previous life surfaced again.
The boardroom humiliation.
Marcus's mocking smile.
The gunshot on the rooftop.
The betrayal.
His jaw tightened slightly.
In the past, Adrian had believed in something foolish.
Fairness.
Hard work.
Loyalty.
He had believed that if he created something valuable, people would recognize it.
He had believed family meant trust.
He had believed the world rewarded talent.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
How naive.
Marcus had shown him the truth.
Power wasn't given.
Power was taken.
Adrian turned away from the window.
His gaze returned to the glowing system interface.
The modular pistol blueprint still floated in the center of the screen.
The system displayed estimated performance statistics.
Accuracy: +35% compared to modern pistols
Recoil stability: +42% improvement
Durability: +60% lifespan
Adrian felt a faint thrill run through him.
This weapon alone could revolutionize the firearms industry.
If Valenrique Arms had possessed this design ten years ago, the company could have dominated the global market.
But this time…
Adrian had no intention of handing his work to anyone.
The Valenrique family had already proven they didn't deserve it.
Adrian opened the blueprint's detail panel.
Manufacturing requirements appeared instantly.
Component materials.
Machining precision levels.
Assembly procedures.
To his surprise, the system had even simplified the process.
Many parts could be built using relatively common equipment.
Adrian nodded slowly.
"So it's possible…"
Even with limited resources.
Even without a corporation behind him.
He could still build this weapon.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Adrian moved to the desk and opened his laptop.
His fingers began typing rapidly.
Search results filled the screen.
Gun components.
Machining tools.
Local suppliers.
Shooting ranges.
Adrian analyzed each result with the focus of a professional engineer.
If he wanted to build the prototype, he would need:
Precision machining tools.
Metal alloys.
Testing facilities.
A discreet location.
His dorm room obviously wouldn't work.
Adrian leaned back in his chair again.
His eyes drifted back toward the system screen.
A faint smile slowly formed.
In his previous life, he had spent years trying to climb the corporate ladder.
Trying to earn the board's approval.
Trying to inherit the company legitimately.
All of that effort…
Completely unnecessary.
The world had changed.
Adrian Valenrique no longer needed a company.
He no longer needed investors.
He didn't even need permission.
He had the system.
And with it…
He had the knowledge to build weapons the world had never seen.
Adrian closed the laptop.
The room fell silent again.
The system interface dimmed slightly as if waiting for his next command.
Adrian spoke quietly.
"Show me the full blueprint."
The screen responded instantly.
A massive holographic schematic unfolded before him.
Hundreds of components rotated slowly in three-dimensional space.
Every spring.
Every screw.
Every mechanical joint.
It was beautiful.
Not just as a weapon.
But as a piece of engineering.
Adrian studied it for several minutes.
Then he whispered something to himself.
"This time…"
His voice was calm.
Cold.
Resolute.
"I won't let anyone take what's mine."
The city lights outside flickered faintly through the window.
Far away, somewhere in the darkness…
The first ripple of a future empire had just begun.
And Adrian Valenrique was about to become the man who controlled it.
One weapon at a time.