However, this was the first time it had been classified as a national project. Although the technology used was not mature, it was somewhat different from what was available elsewhere and belonged to the medical school's confidential research, so it could not be made public.

Ethan Grant finished reading the document and signed his name.

A little over a month later, the topic “Ethan Grant has passed away” shot to the top of the trending searches, and all the fans were in tears.

The young man was like a shooting star, dazzling countless people’s youth. Especially since it was only four months after the finals, the hype was still there, and the grief-stricken fans nearly flooded the plaza with their tears. It took several days for the topic to die down.

The departed are gone, and the living must go on.

People with e-sports talent came in wave after wave, and the shooting star that was “Ethan Grant” was gradually forgotten, until four years later when the game underwent a major update. The veteran captain Brian Clark was interviewed about the game’s changes, and in the middle of the conversation, he mentioned the Sealer class and calmly said, “After Ethan Grant, there have been no more Sealers in Dream Tour.”

New fans didn’t understand, but the old fans felt it deeply and went to cry over Captain Grant once again.

After its brief brilliance, “Ethan Grant” faded into silence once more. Year after year passed, and it had been thirty years since his passing. Every year, someone in the scene retires, and this year, among those retiring was a heavyweight legend—the captain of team NXK, Chris Foster.

From age 18 to 25, in nearly eight years of his professional career, Chris Foster won five national championships and four world championships. Although the first national championship was won as a rookie riding the team’s coattails, all the others were hard-earned victories he led the team to. His popularity in the league was second to none.

This year, he won both the national season championship and the world championship, retiring at the peak of his glory. Fans had long known he would retire, and while reluctant, they all sent him their heartfelt blessings.

Chris Foster stood on stage with a smile and announced, “As of today, I am officially retiring. Thank you all for your unwavering support over the years.”

It’s a tradition in the Dream Tour League not to say goodbye upon retirement, and Captain Foster certainly didn’t break the rule.

He smiled slightly, “On the wall of shattered starlight and flowing radiance, I have no regrets coming to Dream Tour in this life.”

This scene quickly spread across the internet. Another month later, the game’s official team dropped a bombshell: the Dream Tour holographic version was about to enter beta testing, and if all went well, it would soon officially launch.

This was the world’s first holographic online game, and gamers went wild.

Not only young people, but many middle-aged and elderly folks were also interested in checking it out, including some players who had retired long ago. They had a chat group and were discussing forming a “Sunset Red” guild in the game. Someone from the old Qingtao team suddenly sighed, “If only Captain Grant were still here.”

Everyone agreed, “Yeah, that’s true.”

The person being missed was at that moment completely unconscious, deeply submerged in darkness.

Time lost all meaning—no day or night, no sense of duration—nothing could disturb him.

No one knew how much time had passed when that dead-silent consciousness suddenly gave a faint twitch, and he vaguely heard a sound.

At first, it was very soft, then gradually grew louder, surging toward him in waves like the sea.

“Ethan Grant!”

“Ethan Grant!”

“Ethan Grant!”

Suddenly, his vision cleared. He saw golden lights soaring, crowds screaming—the most vivid scene from his memories. At that moment, a voice pierced in like a celestial being from beyond.

“…Brain activity has reached the standard line, he can wake up! He can wake up!”

Ethan Grant’s consciousness followed that voice, rising from the dark depths of the sea, breaking through the surface.

—The once-invincible first Sealer of Dream Tour opened his eyes.

Chapter 02

After being unfrozen, although he looked well-preserved, the actual effect was much less impressive.

Ethan Grant could only move his eyes and had no sensation of his body at all. This state lasted for more than a week before he gradually regained control over his body.

He was the first known case to successfully awaken. The research team treated him with extreme caution, nervously observing him for two months before daring to move him out of the sterile ward.

During those two months, Ethan Grant was mostly in a stupor. On the rare occasions he was awake, he saw his family—his older sister Emily Grant was also in research, his older brother David Grant was now the director of a top-tier hospital, and his father Ryan Grant, over eighty years old, had astonishingly not yet retired.

Emily Grant told him that in recent years, medicine had advanced rapidly. Anti-aging inhibitors had been developed, raising the national average life expectancy from 76 back then to 112 now. Ryan Grant started the inhibitors late, so he missed the golden window for injections, but since he was a doctor himself, paid attention to health, liked to exercise, and the drugs kept improving, as long as he stayed healthy, he’d surely surpass 120.

Ethan Grant recalled how energetic his old man looked, and his anxious heart eased a little. He let out a hoarse “Mm” from his throat, feeling the familiar drowsiness wash over him.

Thank goodness, he thought.

His family was still here.

He couldn’t stay in the sterile ward for long. Emily Grant tucked him in and left.

Ryan Grant had long since transferred out of the research institute, and now Emily Grant worked there. She had been promoted to vice president four years ago and was currently in charge of other projects. By the time Ethan Grant was moved to a regular ward, she had just finished her work.

After two months of recuperation, Ethan Grant finally shook off his muddled state, and his cancer had been cured.

Although he was still thin, the look of impending death had disappeared from his face, his spirits had improved greatly, and he began to pay more attention to his family members.