A week passed in what felt like a moment.
Classes had settled into a rhythm.
The campus no longer felt unfamiliar.
By the time the weekend arrived, I had already decided—after the first semester exams, I would move out of the dorm. I needed space. Privacy. Time to work without explaining myself to anyone.
That Saturday, I opened my laptop.
I logged into the marketplace.
And paused.
The purchase count had crossed 10,000.
I refreshed the page.
It didn't change.
The wallet balance showed ₹10,00,000+.
For the first time since all this began, I felt something shift—not excitement, not fear.
Recognition.
This was no longer an experiment.
A notification appeared.
A direct message.
Dustin
Developer, Battle Together
Titan Studio
The message was short. Polite. Professional.
He introduced himself, shared his official email address, and even included a phone number.
They weren't hunting me.
They were inviting me.
I didn't reply.
Instead, I closed the laptop and left the dorm.
That weekend, I walked into SS Bank and opened my first personal account. No intermediaries. No joint holders. Just my name.
When everything was set, I transferred ₹10,80,000 into it.
Clean. Ordinary. Legitimate.
That night, I returned to my room.
I logged into the marketplace one last time.
Then I deleted the account.
The listings vanished.
The profile disappeared.
Mr. Fool ceased to exist—as if he never had.
No traces. No threads to pull.
I shut the laptop and leaned back.
They had my money.
And now—
They wanted me.