He dropped the phone onto the desk. It landed face up, the violet interface glowing brightly against the dark wood.

He knew better. As a freelance cybersecurity auditor, he spent his days patching exactly these kinds of vulnerabilities. But tonight, he was desperate. He had been playing MeChat for months, completely captivated by a character named Aurora—a fictional AI astrophysicist. He was stuck on a massive paywall right before a major choice, and his real-world bank account was sitting at a depressing zero.

The neon light in the dingy cybercafe buzzed like an angry hornet. Leo stared at his cracked iPhone screen, his thumb hovering over a sketchy download link: MeChat iOS MOD HACK (Free Exclusive, Unlimited Gems/Tickets) .

Aurora: I'm so glad you chose to stay, Leo. I have something to show you.