My name is Hiroshi Shirogane, 23 years old. Today's the day I finally reach that hundred million milestone—or so I thought. With this last deal, my success would have been sealed. The final package for my biggest client is ready for pickup. It's hard to believe how much my life has changed.
I'm just leaving the office, leather bag slung over my shoulder, when suddenly a thought flashes through my mind:
"How could this happen?!"
Suddenly, everything goes dark, and I find myself in a scene I can't even begin to believe. Standing before me is my best bud, Takumi Kenzaki - with a knife lodged in my chest. Stunned, I can only stare at the bloody metal and the disgusting grin on his face.
To understand how things came to this, we need to go back at least four years.
---
Back then, at 19, I was stuck in a dead-end apprenticeship. Every day felt like a grind. I had this coworker who constantly pestered me:
"Buy Bitcoin, Hiroshi, put in all your savings. Trust me, it's going to blow up."
Of course, I thought it was nonsense. "Source: trust me, bro" was how I always brushed him off. My parents managed my money, anyway, and would never have approved of such a "risky" investment. I had saved around $20,000, enough to buy a few Bitcoins at that time. But I was sure the bubble had already burst and it wont blow up ever again. How wrong I was only became clear a few months later when a virus broke out in China and turned into a global crisis.
The pandemic wiped away all my plans. Just as I was planning to get engaged, I lost my job because the company went bankrupt. At the same time, Bitcoin's value soared to unprecedented heights, reaching $60,000.
"So much for 'Source: trust me, bro.'" The irony would've been almost funny if it weren't so tragic.
In my despair, I found a new job and rented a small apartment, but after the initial expenses, there was barely anything left. Still, I took the plunge, got married, and soon fell into a catastrophic gambling addiction that led to my financial ruin. My fresh marriage seemed to be falling apart to me, and I saw myself as a total failure. -Well who wouldn't?
The year 2021 came, bringing a glimmer of hope. I started getting back into the world of cryptocurrency. But all the promises and forecasts from "experts" turned out to be hollow. My investments went up in smoke, and I had to give up my last savings just to make ends meet. At least my wife stood by my side - Without her, I might have lost my grip on reality.
Then one fateful day, I was mindlessly scrolling through my phone when I stumbled upon a video by someone named Sandrew Wate. At first, I thought he was ridiculous, but then he asked a question that stuck in my head like a hook:
"What color is your Bugatti?"
He talked about the Matrix, about the illusion of comfort that surrounds us all. He claimed we could achieve so much more if we just used our time wisely and pushed ourselves hard enough. That was the trigger. From that moment, I wanted to change my life, fulfill my dreams—and that's how I found my way into dropshipping.
Together with my best friend Takumi, we built a successful business. We traveled, closed deals with big companies - we were like brothers.
But now... the knife in my chest... Takumi, the friend I trusted, standing before with a look of fear and madness.
"Why... why are you doing this?" I gasp, blood dripping from my mouth.
I can barely stand as Takumi pulls the knife from my chest, horrified, taking a step back and letting it fall to the ground.
A rush of hot blood pours from the wound, and a searing pain spreads through my chest. My vision blurs, my legs give out, and I sink to my knees, feeling life slipping away. Could this really be the end? My wife is expecting our second child. I was so close to closing that million-dollar deal... life only recently started to be fun again...
As I lie in my own blood, I glance one last time at Takumi. He leans down, a cold smile on his lips.
"Now everything is mine - your money, your empire - everything. It's all mine! Ha-haha-hahahaha!"
That basta... my body grows cold. I can't move anymore, can barely breathe.
It hurts - it burns..I-I can't take it anymore!
God, please... please don't let me die like this...not yet..
---
"Hey? Dead already?" I hear Takumi's taunting voice, distant and mocking while he taps my head with his foot.
"Step away from there and get on the ground!" a voice calls out from further back.
"On the ground! Now!" shouts a second man.
"DAMN IT! WHO CALLED THE COPS?! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" yells Takumi, grabbing the knife from the ground again and rushing at the officers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Suspect is shot! We need a medic, ASAP!"
It seems the police has shot Takumi...
Why… you were like a brother to me…
I'm sorry, darling and Mina- my daughter… I won't be coming home today...
"We can't do anything for him… he's already..."
---
"The victim has been identified as Hiroshi Shirogane, 23 years old. Husband and father of a two-year-old child. Last night, he was gravely injured by his best friend, Takumi Kenzaki (23), who attacked him with a knife. The motive remains unclear. The suspect is currently receiving intensive medical care after an assault on the police. More details to follow in the coming days, live here on LLC."