Arc 1: The Wealth Momentum (2016)Part I: The Zero-Sum Game
Chapter 5 — Skepticism and Testing
Engineers didn't believe in miracles.
They believed in repeatability.
Vikram Choudhary sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlocked, staring at the empty wall ahead of him.
The blue holographic panel hovered calmly in his vision, unbothered by his silence.
The numbers kept increasing.
₹ BALANCE: ₹5,612.00
Ting.
₹5,614.00
Vikram exhaled slowly.
"Okay," he said, voice steady but eyes sharp. "Enough excitement. Enough shock."
He straightened his back.
"Now we test."
Phase One: Establishing Control Variables
The first rule of experimentation was simple: control everything you can.
Vikram stood up and walked to the small study table near the window. He pulled out an old spiral notebook—the kind he used during college—and a pen with barely any ink left.
He sat down.
"Time," he muttered, glancing at the wall clock. "06:42 AM."
He wrote it down.
Then, deliberately, he closed his eyes.
Five seconds.
Opened them.
No blink reward.
He nodded.
"So it's not eye closure," he said. "Blink specifically."
He blinked once.
Ting.
Blink Detected… +₹2
He wrote that down too.
Phase Two: Stress Testing the Blink Mechanism
"Let's see if you break," Vikram said quietly.
He set a timer on his phone for 10 minutes.
Placed it face-down.
Sat upright.
And began blinking.
Rapidly.
Not spasmodic—but controlled.
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
Ting. Ting. Ting. Ting.
The sound became rhythmic. Almost musical.
The log window on the panel scrolled continuously:
Blink Detected… +₹2
Blink Detected… +₹2
Blink Detected… +₹2
After one minute, his eyes watered.
"Still counts," he murmured.
After three minutes, his eyelids burned.
Still—
Ting.
After five minutes, his vision blurred slightly.
Still—
Ting.
At minute seven, he slowed down, switching to a steady pace.
His engineering mind ran numbers in parallel.
Average blink rate: ~45 blinks per minute under conscious effort.
At 10 minutes: ~450 blinks.
Expected gain: ₹900.
The timer beeped.
Vikram stopped.
Silence returned.
He checked the panel.
₹ BALANCE: ₹6,514.00
He checked his notebook.
Starting balance: ₹5,612.00
Expected: ₹6,512.00
Actual: ₹6,514.00
He blinked once unconsciously.
Ting.
₹6,516.00
Vikram laughed.
Not loud.
Not manic.
Just a quiet, disbelieving exhale.
"It scales linearly," he said. "No diminishing returns."
The system remained silent.
It had nothing to prove.
Phase Three: External Verification
Hallucinations couldn't interact with reality.
That was the rule.
If the money existed outside his head—
Then this wasn't neurological damage.
This was something else.
Vikram grabbed his phone.
Opened his banking app.
His thumb hovered for a second.
"What if it doesn't match?" he whispered.
He logged in.
The loading circle spun.
Then—
₹6,516.00
Exact.
To the rupee.
His stomach dropped.
"This…" he breathed. "This is syncing."
He refreshed.
Still there.
He blinked.
Ting.
Refreshed again.
₹6,518.00
His fingers trembled.
"No delay," he muttered. "Instant settlement."
He leaned back in his chair.
Bank servers.
Payment gateways.
None of it questioned the source.
As far as the financial system was concerned—
This money had always existed.
The First Ethical Question
Vikram stared at the ceiling.
"Is this legal?" he asked no one.
The system didn't answer.
"How would anyone even trace it?" he continued. "No transaction trail. No employer. No sender."
The thought should have thrilled him.
Instead, it unsettled him.
Unlimited liquidity without accountability was not freedom.
It was power.
And power always demanded a price—if not now, then later.
He shook his head.
"One step at a time," he told himself.
First, confirmation.
Then conclusions.
Calling the Variables: Goolu and Eizi
By eight-thirty, Vikram was dressed and outside, walking toward the small Irani café near the station.
The panel floated with him, unobtrusive but present.
₹6,732.00
₹6,734.00
Blinking had become dangerous.
He spotted Gurpreet—Goolu first.
Loud shirt. Louder laugh. Already on his second chai.
"Arre! Hero!" Goolu grinned. "Kal phone nahi uthaya. Zinda hai?"
"Barely," Vikram said, sitting down.
Imtiaaz—Eizi joined moments later, adjusting his glasses, scanning Vikram's face.
"Heard about Kareena," Eizi said carefully.
Vikram stiffened.
Goolu kicked Eizi under the table. "Chup, yaar."
Vikram waved it off. "Doesn't matter."
The panel flickered faintly.
[POSITIVE VIBRATION: -0.2%]
Vikram noticed.
Interesting.
Emotional penalties.
He filed it away.
Attempt One: Direct Revelation
"Listen," Vikram said, lowering his voice. "I need to ask you something weird."
Goolu grinned. "Tu hi weird hai. Bol."
Vikram took a breath.
"Can you see anything… blue? Like a screen?"
They stared at him.
Goolu leaned closer. "Bhai, tu theek hai na?"
Eizi frowned. "What kind of screen?"
Vikram pointed vaguely in front of his eyes. "Like… floating."
Goolu burst out laughing. "Flower pot ke saath free maal bhi gira lagta hai."
Eizi studied him. "Head injury hallucination," he said. "Classic."
The panel remained invisible to them.
Vikram nodded slowly.
Expected.
Still disappointing.
Attempt Two: Indirect Proof
"Okay," Vikram said. "Watch this."
He blinked deliberately.
Ting.
Neither reacted.
He opened his banking app and slid the phone across the table.
"Look at my balance."
Goolu squinted. "Six and half hazaar? Kal toh bola tha paanch ke aas-paas hai."
"Refresh," Vikram said.
Goolu did.
The number updated.
₹6,740.00
"Eh?" Goolu blinked. "Tu transfer kiya kya?"
"No," Vikram said calmly.
Eizi frowned harder. "Wait—do it again."
Vikram blinked.
Ting.
Refresh.
₹6,742.00
Silence fell.
Goolu's smile vanished.
"What the hell?" he whispered.
Eizi grabbed the phone. "This is real-time. No notification. No sender."
Vikram nodded. "That's what I'm saying."
Goolu looked around nervously. "Bhai, tu black money game mein toh nahi gaya na?"
"No," Vikram said. "I don't even know how."
The panel glowed faintly.
[POSITIVE VIBRATION: +0.5%]
Validation felt good.
Their Reactions
Eizi leaned back, arms crossed. "Either you're messing with us…"
"…or this is something big," Goolu finished.
Vikram met their eyes. "I'm not joking."
Goolu swallowed. "Tu kya plan hai phir?"
Vikram shook his head. "That's the thing."
He looked at the rising number.
₹6,768.00
"I don't know yet."
Eizi exhaled slowly. "Rule one," he said. "Don't tell anyone else."
Goolu nodded vigorously. "Bilkul nahi. Log pagal bolenge."
Vikram agreed.
The system didn't interrupt.
It didn't warn.
It simply observed.
Final Test: Spending and Rebate
Vikram stood up.
"Let's do one more thing," he said.
He walked to the counter.
Ordered three chais and bun maska.
Total: ₹90.
He paid.
The moment the transaction completed—
The log window lit up.
Transaction Detected: ₹90
Calculating Rebate…
Rebate Credited: ₹90
₹ BALANCE: ₹6,858.00
Goolu's jaw dropped.
Eizi whispered, "Zero-sum… no—positive-sum."
Vikram stared at the numbers.
Spent money.
Got it back.
Instantly.
He felt something stir in his chest.
Not greed.
Not ambition.
Possibility.
Conclusion of the Engineer
As they walked out of the café, Vikram slowed his pace.
The city felt different now.
Same noise.
Same crowd.
But the rules had changed.
He wasn't playing Mumbai's zero-sum game anymore.
He had stepped outside the equation.
He looked at the blue panel one more time.
Stable.
Silent.
Obedient.
And terrifying.
"This system doesn't make me rich," Vikram thought.
"It makes me inevitable."
The engineer in him smiled.
Testing phase complete.
Now—
Optimization would begin.
End of Chapter 5
An engineer doesn't worship miracles.
He dissects them—until they become tools.