# Chapter 7 — The Stark Key
---
When Krist stepped into his parents' room, memories hit him like a storm.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
His vision blurred as tears slowly rolled down his face.
The room still looked exactly the same.
Nothing had changed.
The bed.
The shelves.
The faint scent of his mother's perfume still lingering in the air.
Even after all this time, the room remained spotless thanks to the automated cleaning bot his parents had built years ago.
Krist slowly walked toward the bed and sat down heavily.
Silence filled the room.
Painful silence.
After sitting there for several minutes, he finally forced himself to calm down.
Then he stood up.
If there was truly a way into the Stark database…
It had to be here.
---
Krist began searching the room carefully.
The drawers.
The closet.
The shelves.
Every hidden compartment he knew.
But after nearly an hour of searching—
Nothing.
Frustrated, Krist sat down on the floor and leaned against the bed.
Then—
His eyes suddenly caught something.
His father's company badge.
It still hung neatly from one of Grayson Stark's office suits inside the closet.
Krist frowned slightly.
Then slowly stood up.
The moment he picked up the badge, a memory surfaced in his mind.
His eyes widened slightly.
Without hesitation, he rushed out of the room and entered the next one.
Inside were three inactive cleaning bots resting in their charging pods.
Krist activated one immediately.
"Clean the mess in my parents' room."
The robot powered on instantly.
Then Krist sprinted downstairs toward the kitchen.
When he reached the center of the kitchen, he shoved the dining table aside before pulling away the carpet beneath it.
Underneath—
A hidden metal box was embedded into the floor.
Krist stared at it silently.
For over a year, he had tried countless ways to open it.
Passwords.
Codes.
Forced entry.
Nothing worked.
But this time…
Things were different.
Krist slowly examined both the box and the badge together.
Then he noticed it.
A small slot hidden within the design engraved on top of the box.
A slot perfectly shaped for the badge.
Krist's heartbeat quickened.
Slowly—
He inserted the badge.
A dim green light flashed across the surface.
ACCESS VERIFIED.
CLICK.
The box unlocked.
Krist immediately opened it.
Inside were several neatly arranged documents.
A smaller black case.
And multiple videotapes.
Krist quickly grabbed the papers first.
The moment he started reading—
His breathing stopped.
It was his father's will.
Krist's eyes widened.
He hurriedly searched through the remaining files.
The deeper he looked, the more shocked he became.
Bank accounts.
Passwords.
Ownership documents.
Hidden companies.
Private Stark Industries assets.
Some of the businesses listed there were companies he had never even heard about before.
Every secret connected to the Stark family empire was hidden inside this box.
For the first time since his parents died—
Krist genuinely smiled.
Not a fake smile.
Not an angry smile.
A real one.
Then his eyes landed on the smaller black case.
Attached to it was one final videotape.
Krist detached the tape and opened the case.
Inside rested a sleek black drive alongside a dark silver debit card.
Then he noticed the final folder beneath everything else.
VANE INDUSTRIES.
Krist froze.
Wasn't Vane Industries the same company involved in the leaked project years ago?
His expression darkened immediately.
Slowly, he arranged everything back into the box except:
* the drive,
* the videotape,
* and the Vane Industries folder.
Then he carried them all into the living room.
---
A few minutes later, the tape began playing on his laptop.
The screen flickered.
Then—
His parents appeared.
Smiling warmly at the camera.
Krist immediately froze.
Grayson leaned closer toward the screen.
"If you're watching this," he said with a grin, "then it means your mother and I failed to make it back before your birthday."
Keilani rolled her eyes.
"Your father still thinks he's funny."
Then she smiled softly.
"But don't worry. We already prepared your birthday present."
She pointed toward the small black case.
"The drive inside belongs to you now."
Grayson's expression became serious.
"That drive is the newest version of the Stark Key."
"It currently exists in the hands of only two people."
"Me and your mother."
He pointed directly at the screen.
"And now… you."
Krist stared silently at the drive resting beside him.
The atmosphere in the video suddenly became heavier.
"That key can access the Stark systems," Grayson continued. "But it can also destroy them."
"So be careful how you use it."
Keilani leaned closer.
"And try not to cause trouble for us."
The video ended.
Silence filled the room.
Krist slowly picked up the drive and examined it carefully.
Then he remembered.
He had seen his parents use devices like this many times before.
Without hesitation, he plugged it into his laptop.
IDENTIFY USER.
Krist blinked slightly.
"Heir of the Stark family," he answered.
VERIFY IDENTITY.
Krist placed his finger onto the scanner.
ACCESS GRANTED.
The Stark Key activated instantly.
Within seconds, the drive bypassed his phone security effortlessly.
Krist stared at the screen in disbelief.
"That easily?"
His face darkened.
"My cybersecurity seriously sucks…"
Then he tried accessing the Stark Institution database again.
This time—
The security collapsed instantly.
But after entering, Krist realized something frustrating.
Most of the information available to him was basic student-level access.
Nothing important.
Then he finally understood.
His parents had placed restrictions on the key.
To access deeper files—
He would need direct connection to the institution's central server.
Krist leaned back slowly.
"So I need access to the server room…"
When he finally looked away from the screen, sunlight was already shining through the windows.
Morning had arrived.
---
Krist entered the kitchen silently.
Then he walked toward the refrigerator.
But instead of opening it—
He pushed the entire fridge sideways.
Hidden behind it was a compartment inside the wall.
Krist reached inside and pulled out a handgun.
CLICK.
He checked the weapon calmly before placing it inside a backpack.
Then he returned to the living room and pulled down a portrait hanging on the wall.
Another hidden compartment revealed itself.
Inside were three electric batons.
Krist added them to the bag too.
Then he headed upstairs again.
Inside his parents' room, the cleaning bot had almost completely restored everything back to normal.
Krist walked toward one of the desks and opened a drawer.
Inside—
Eight different vehicle keys rested neatly in place.
He picked one.
Then headed downstairs again.
---
A hidden side door led him into the mansion garage.
Luxury vehicles filled the massive underground space.
Sports cars.
Armored SUVs.
Military-grade vans.
Most were custom-made Stark Corporation vehicles unavailable to the public.
Krist walked toward a black van and unlocked it remotely.
He entered.
Started the engine.
Observed the dashboard silently for several seconds.
Then shut it off.
Perfect.
Just as he stepped back into the living room—
His phone started ringing.
Harrison.
Krist answered immediately.
"You said you found another way into the Stark system," Harrison said excitedly. "When are we starting?"
Krist frowned slightly.
"When did I say that?"
"Yesterday at my house."
Krist suddenly remembered.
"We need help from the inside…"
"Oh."
Krist nodded slightly.
"Well, we still do."
Then casually—
"I already hacked the database though."
Silence.
"…You WHAT?!"
Harrison nearly screamed through the phone.
"I'll be there in ten minutes!"
The call ended immediately.
Krist stared at the phone blankly before sighing.
Then he turned on music and started cooking breakfast.
A lot of breakfast.
Enough for nearly ten people.
Once he finished, he arranged everything neatly on a food cart before walking toward the glass table in the living room.
After pressing a hidden button beneath it—
A holographic interface appeared.
Krist granted access permissions to:
* Harrison,
* Luna,
* and Maya.
Then the interface disappeared.
Krist pushed the food cart outside through the back door.
Behind the mansion stood a small storage building filled with neatly stacked boxes.
In the center sat one massive container overflowing with tools, books, and random equipment.
Krist grabbed its lower edge and pulled.
Small wheels unfolded beneath it.
He pushed the container aside.
Underneath—
Hidden stairs descended underground.
Krist pulled the food cart down with him.
At the bottom was another enormous hall.
But unlike the room above—
This place looked like a prison.
Transparent reinforced cells lined both sides of the underground chamber.
Inside one cell, seven men sat together.
Some played cards.
Others played chess.
The moment they saw Krist—
The entire hall became silent.
Krist calmly pushed plates of food through a slot beneath the glass.
Then he continued walking deeper underground.
Toward the final cell.
Unlike the others—
This one was completely sealed in darkness.
Krist opened a small hatch.
Light flooded inside instantly.
The prisoner covered their eyes painfully.
It was the assassin from the previous night.
No.
Not just him.
Every single assassin sent after Krist over the past year had disappeared into this underground prison.
And nobody outside knew they were alive.
Krist smiled faintly while staring into the darkness.
"I hope you like it here," he said calmly.
"Because you're staying until I get the answers I want."