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"This is my favorite toy," Beckett said with a grin.
The man had nerves of steel. He slammed his hand down on the copper bell, and the shrill ringing instantly echoed through the entire ship.
Raphael didn't move.
He simply walked forward step by step until he stood right in front of Beckett, looking down at him.
Beckett's smile froze.
"You… why aren't you running?"
Raphael raised his hand. The Force formed invisible ropes that wrapped around Beckett's throat.
"Because I don't need to run."
Beckett's face turned purple. His hands clawed desperately at his neck, but he couldn't break free from the invisible grip.
His legs kicked wildly, knocking over the chair, the desk, and the cabinet behind him.
Raphael tightened his fingers.
At that exact moment, Beckett's hand suddenly darted to his waist, pulled out a small pistol, and aimed it at Raphael.
Raphael's eyes turned cold.
His steel sword flashed out of its sheath and drove straight through Beckett's chest.
Blood sprayed across the sea chart on the wall.
Beckett's eyes bulged. A wet gurgling sound escaped his throat. The pistol slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.
Raphael pulled the sword free and watched Beckett's body slide down to the ground.
The moment Beckett died—
BOOM!
A deafening crash came from outside the window.
Raphael turned his head. In the distance, lightning cracked across the sky. Thunder rolled. A sudden gale whipped up.
Black clouds boiled like storm-tossed water, swallowing the moon and stars in seconds.
A storm.
A massive storm was bearing down on the harbor.
Raphael paused for a second.
He wasn't sure if this was coincidence or if Beckett's death had triggered something.
Either way, it was a perfect opportunity.
He spun around, burst out of the cabin, and moved like a shadow across the chaotic deck.
The sailors were terrified by the sudden storm, running in every direction. No one noticed him.
Raphael leaped off the ship, slipped into the sea, and swam toward the Dutch flagship.
The deputy governor of the Dutch East India Company — another commodore — was standing on deck, staring at the approaching storm in stunned silence.
He never heard the wind behind him.
A strong hand clamped around his throat and dragged him into the shadows.
"Not a sound," Raphael whispered in his ear. "Or I'll kill you."
The commodore nodded frantically.
Raphael used him as a shield and swam back toward shore.
By the time they reached the beach, the storm was almost on top of them.
Gale-force winds howled. Towering waves crashed onto the sand. Rain poured down in sheets.
Raphael marched the commodore straight toward the Anglo-Dutch army.
The two thousand soldiers were in total chaos — some trying to find shelter, some trying to get back to the ships, others simply dropping to their knees to pray.
"Everyone stop!"
Raphael's voice, amplified by the Force, cut through the roar of the storm.
All heads turned. They saw him holding the commodore hostage, standing on a large rock.
"Order your men to surrender!" Raphael told the commodore.
The man's face was deathly pale, lips trembling.
"S-surrender…"
The thousand Dutch musketeers hesitated for a moment, then slowly lowered their weapons.
Raphael turned to the British soldiers.
He unhooked a cloth bag from his waist and tossed it to the ground.
The bag rolled a few times and opened. A severed head tumbled out.
Lord Beckett.
In the moonlight, the pale face stared up at them, eyes still open.
The British soldiers sucked in a collective breath.
"Your commander is dead," Raphael's voice rang out over the storm. "Surrender, or die."
A young British soldier stared at the head, face turning red with rage. He suddenly raised his musket.
BANG!
The gunshot rang out. The bullet flew toward Raphael.
Raphael raised his hand. The Force barrier bloomed in front of him. The bullet hung in mid-air for a second, then dropped harmlessly to the sand.
The soldier froze.
Raphael jumped down from the rock and walked toward him step by step.
The soldier tried to run, but his legs wouldn't move. Raphael reached him, sword flashing.
A head flew into the air. Blood sprayed.
The surrounding British soldiers stumbled backward in terror.
Raphael stood in the pouring rain, soaked to the bone, blood dripping from his sword.
"Anyone else?"
No one moved.
After a moment, a middle-aged officer stepped forward. His uniform bore the insignia of a colonel. His face was pale, but he forced himself to stand in front of Raphael.
"I… I order surrender."
Raphael looked at him.
"Your name?"
"William Grant, Colonel of the British East India Company Army."
Raphael nodded.
"Tell your men to drop their weapons and move over there."
Grant turned around and shouted the order.
The two thousand British musketeers silently laid down their arms and formed a column in the rain, marching to the designated area.
The storm grew fiercer. Waves were already crashing onto the beach.
Raphael had the prisoners marched back to the settlement. He also sent men to check on the warships at sea.
But the storm was too violent. No one dared get close.
"Leave them," Raphael said. "Let them ride it out."
---
Three days later, the storm passed.
The sea was littered with floating debris — broken planks, bodies, torn sails. Of the sixty-two warships, fewer than ten were still afloat.
The rest had either sunk or been torn apart by the gale.
Raphael stood on the beach, looking at the wreckage.
Elizabeth walked up beside him.
"What now?"
Raphael turned and started walking back.
"Have the men count what's left. At least we got another ten warships for free."
Back at the settlement, Raphael walked into his room and collapsed onto the bed.
He hadn't felt this tired in a long time.
Months of constant preparation had worn him down. His body could handle it, but his mind was exhausted.
The main problem was that he still didn't have any truly trustworthy inner circle. Even Elizabeth and the others only followed him because of the supernatural things he could do. If the situation escalated further…
Raphael wasn't sure they wouldn't betray him.
After all, the Force wasn't omnipotent.
At the end of the day, he still didn't dare purchase the Sith Force abilities. They would give him much stronger mind control, but they also carried the very real risk of falling to the dark side.
Raphael had no intention of ever becoming a world-destroying, anti-human lunatic.
Exhaustion finally pulled him under.
---
He didn't know how long he slept.
When Raphael suddenly opened his eyes, sunlight was leaking through the curtains and falling across the bed.
White walls.
The low hum of the air conditioner.
The faint sound of car horns in the distance.
Raphael stared blankly at the ceiling.
He slowly sat up and looked down at his hands.
Clean. No calluses. No scars. Skin still fair, with none of the dark tan or roughness from months at sea.
He was back.
Raphael threw off the covers, walked barefoot into the bathroom.
The man in the mirror looked a little pale, but his eyes were clear.
He turned on the faucet, splashed cold water on his face once, twice, three times.
Then he dried off, picked up his phone.
The screen showed the date and time — April 17, 2002, 7:23 a.m.
Less than ten hours had passed since he fell asleep.
But in that dream world, nearly two years had gone by.
Raphael took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and went downstairs for breakfast.
The restaurant wasn't crowded. Paul Walker was already sitting in the corner with a cup of coffee. When he saw Raphael, he waved him over.
Raphael carried his tray over and sat across from him.
"You're up early," Paul said.
"Couldn't sleep."
Paul studied him.
"You look rough. Bad night?"
Raphael nodded.
"Had a really long dream."
Paul smiled.
"What about? Tell me."
Raphael thought for a second, unsure how to even begin.
He couldn't exactly say, "I dreamed I went to another world, built a base in Singapore, killed Lord Beckett, and stole dozens of Dutch warships."
"Just a mess," he said. "I forgot most of it when I woke up."
Paul didn't press. He just nodded.
They finished breakfast and headed to the set together.
Today's scenes were the Miami street chase — they'd be filming all day.
Director Rob Cohen was behind the monitors giving directions. The stunt team adjusted positions over and over. Raphael and Paul sat in the cars for more than a dozen takes until the sky turned dark and they finally wrapped.
Back at the hotel, Raphael showered and lay on the bed. He picked up his phone.
There was a text from Ari.
[Reminder: screen test in LA next Monday. Flight booked for Saturday night. Rest Sunday, test Monday morning. I already cleared it with Neal.]
Raphael replied with "OK" and set the phone aside.
Next Monday.
Three days left.
He lay down and closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn't come.
He was having trouble sleeping.
Raphael sat up, summoned the panel, and checked how much those insanely expensive "good things" had accumulated.
[Raphael Lee (Li Rui): Constitution 1.9, Spirit 2.5]
[Skills: … (No new additions)]
[Current Debt: $12,000,000]
[Next Starring Release: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (Wrapped, releasing August 16, 2002)]
[Debt Deadline: $1,000,000 before Episode II release; remaining $11,000,000 before third starring film]
Raphael scanned it quickly, then scrolled down.
[Host has entered a new movie world: The Matrix series]
[Updating purchasable items…]
[The Matrix World – Available Items —]
1. Matrix System (Virtual Reality Technology)
[Matrix System]
Price: $500,000,000,000
Description: Complete framework for building a fully immersive virtual world indistinguishable from reality. Supports unlimited simultaneous users, each with complete sensory experience. Requires energy system to maintain operation.
Limitations: Requires powerful computing hardware; initial construction consumes massive amounts of energy.
2. Brain-Computer Interface & Consciousness Technology
[Brain-Computer Interface]
Price: $50,000,000,000
Description: Neural interface implantable at the base of the skull for direct brain-to-computer connection. Supports consciousness upload, download, and storage. Required equipment for accessing the Matrix.
Limitations: Requires surgical implantation; risk of rejection.
[Consciousness Upload & Download Technology]
Price: $30,000,000,000
Description: Complete solution for digitizing human consciousness. Allows full upload of human consciousness into the Matrix or download of digital consciousness into a new biological host. Theoretically enables "immortality."
Warning: Original body dies upon upload. Downloading into a new host may cause personality drift.
[Memory Editing & Implantation Module]
…