Ultimate Revenge!

Ethan stood there, looking at the bustling street at night. Nothing would have seemed strange if it weren’t for the fact that these people were walking right through his body. !!! He screamed loudly, even throwing punches at the people around him, but no one paid him the slightest bit of attention. After all, his fists just went straight through them. Clearly, he was nothing more than a “phantom.” to put it bluntly, a “ghost.” But the most important question was, why was he here? And another thing, this was clearly a very familiar street, yet why were there several strange buildings that didn’t exist in his memory? Ethan tried to walk, only to realize that he could only stand in one spot. It was all far too bewildering. Just then, the outdoor TV screen was broadcasting the evening news. He didn’t hesitate to look up and was instantly horrified! September 23, 2044??? “What the hell is going on here?” Ethan screamed inside, but very quickly regained his composure and focused his thoughts. Could this be the concept of time travel he’d read about so often? At night, before going to sleep, it was clearly ten o’clock on September 23, 2025??? No wonder there were so many unfamiliar buildings on this all-too-familiar street, along with all sorts of cars and smartphones he’d never seen before. Now that he understood the situation around him, Ethan started questioning why he had been “sent” here. “T-th… thank y…ou…” A hoarse, broken voice suddenly rang out. Ethan looked down and realized he was “standing” on the body of a beggar. He quickly jumped aside, wanting to apologize, but his legs felt rooted to the man. He’d forgotten again, he was a “ghost” now, so what did it matter? But why was he “stuck” to this man? Observing more closely, Ethan realized that the man’s legs were amputated, and neither of his arms was intact. He was simply crawling along the street, a pitiful sight. But wait! Why did this man look so familiar? And every time the man moved, Ethan moved along with him. “Smells gross.” a little girl passing by uttered in disgust. “Just ignore it, he’s trash.” her parents not only failed to correct her but even chimed in with their own mockery. Ethan ignored them, focusing all his attention on the man’s face: “Wh… why… does he look so much like me?” Piecing his thoughts together, carefully observing his surroundings, and noticing how his own body automatically moved with every crawl the man made, Ethan began to believe that this was his future self. “Could my future really be this miserable?? Dad, Mom, my wife, and the Knight family, where are they??” Ethan wondered to himself. The “him” that crawled along the ground moved at a snail’s pace, drawing the pointing fingers and stares of many, mostly disgust, some mockery, and a little pity. Ethan became even more convinced this was him, for every time he received a coin, he would use that hoarse voice to express his gratitude. Even though it had changed so much, how could he not recognize his own voice? His mind reeled. How on earth had he fallen to this state? Ethan was unwilling to accept it. If he counted the “present” as 2024, he’d clearly never offended anyone, no drinking, smoking, gambling, drugs, or womanizing. He only had one wife, a true domineering CEO, and after four years of marriage, he hadn’t even held her hand. Ethan was a very filial person, and although the Knight family didn’t like him, he had never done anything to truly offend them. His parents weren’t wealthy but loved him dearly, and he had never let them down. As he frantically searched his memory, the news broadcast caught his attention: “Angel Corporation has won another major contract. As you know, Angel Corporation has consistently ranked number one in Asia for…” Ethan was shocked, not because the Knight family’s Era Corporation, his wife’s family’s business, was no longer number one. Times change, after all. What really stunned him was that the people appearing on the TV were Emily Knight, his adopted younger sister, and Olivia Lane, his wife Isabella Knight’s best friend. Even more shocking, the two of them were intimately holding the arm of a man he would recognize anywhere: “Damian Cole.” This was the man who had recently appeared on the scene and whom both his wife and her adopted younger sister had a very favorable impression of. Isabella had often left Ethan at home to spend time with this man. Despite four years of marriage, she had never respected Ethan, and they slept in separate rooms. Her family barely acknowledged his existence, treating him like a servant. But what on earth had happened in the future?? Did they really abandon him and let him fall to this state? And what about his parents? The more he thought about it, the more bitter he felt. He had sacrificed so much just to earn a little recognition from Isabella and her family, and he never expected this to be his fate. Ethan fell silent, if he had a physical body here, he would have wept like a child. Watching his “future self” crawl along the street like an old tortoise, enduring all manner of ridicule and humiliation, Ethan could only laugh at himself, struggling to keep his emotions from collapsing. He was determined to find out why he’d ended up in this pitiful state, he couldn’t waste this chance to travel into the future that fate had given him. Late into the night, after receiving yet another coin, his “future self” suddenly wailed through tears: “Finally, it’s enough.” “Enough for what?? You still want more?? Answer me!” Ethan shouted in helpless frustration. Regardless of being a “ghost.” he relentlessly questioned his future self about what had happened. Where were his parents? He looked like a clown, oblivious to the fact that his “future self” had crawled all the way to a shabby funeral home. His “future self” crawled up and knocked on the door, which was opened by an old man with a deeply weathered face. The old man paid no heed to his filthy appearance and held that fingerless hand, his voice full of sorrow: “Ethan, it’s been fifteen years, why must you put yourself through this?” “Mr. White, thank you, but this is both my last wish and the only thing I have left to do for them. I truly appreciate you, but this is something I must do.” his “future self” replied, his hoarse voice now steady and filled with resolve. The old man, whom he called Mr. White, gently lifted him up and led him to an altar that, though dilapidated, was kept extremely tidy. Ethan was stunned, staring at the altar as if petrified. There were memorial photos of his parents, the Knight family, and… Isabella!!! “At last, I’ve earned enough money for everyone. Dad, Mom… your unfilial son is here.” his future self, supported by Mr. White, knelt before the photos of his parents, his eyes red and brimming with tears. Then, moving on to the memorial photos of Isabella and her family: “Even though all of you were never kind to me in life, I never held it against you. This humble offering is all I have left to give.” “Isabella, I know I’m worthless, and you never loved me. But these are your parents, your brothers, your sisters. They all truly loved you, didn’t they? After all these years, I still don’t understand, what kind of spell did that Damian guy cast on you to ruin the entire Knight family like this? You abandoned your family… and me.” The voice of his “future self” was full of bitterness, helplessness, but above all, resentment. “Huh?? Isabella was the one who destroyed the Knight family?? But what about Emily, she’s still alive??” Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if he wanted to strangle his future self for answers. Right at that moment, Ethan suddenly felt a force pulling him away. Was he being dragged back to reality??? "NO, NO, WAIT!!! LET ME STAY, I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTHTTT!!! WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED?? DAD, MOM..." – Ethan roared madly. "NO" – Ethan jerked awake, drenched in sweat, looking around frantically and realizing he was in his own room. He hurriedly grabbed his phone to check, 5 AM, September 24, 2025. A nightmare? No, it was too real. The tight, suffocating pain in his chest made it hard to breathe; his head felt like it was about to explode, as if his brain was trying to leap out.