Arc 1: The Wealth Momentum (2016)Part I: The Zero-Sum Game
Chapter 7 — Goes On a Buying Spree
The first rule of engineering:
If a system works under stress, it wasn't an accident.
It was designed that way.
Vikram Choudhary did not sleep that night.
Not because he was excited.
Not because he was greedy.
But because his brain refused to shut down.
The blue holographic panel hovered patiently at the edge of his vision, like a loyal instrument panel in a cockpit. It didn't intrude. It didn't demand attention. It simply existed—waiting for input.
₹ BALANCE: ₹6,942.00
LEVEL: 1
BLINK RATE: ₹2.00 / Blink
REBATE BASE: 100%
Numbers.
Clean. Logical. Honest.
Unlike people.
Vikram lay on his bed in the old Dadar villa, staring at the ceiling fan rotating with a tired squeak. The same fan he'd stared at during college holidays. During job rejections. During nights when ambition felt heavier than sleep.
This time—
He wasn't staring in defeat.
He was calculating.
Why Technology?
By 6:30 a.m., Vikram had already arrived at a decision.
If the system truly rewarded spending—
Then the next test couldn't be street food.
It had to be something significant.
Something modern.
Something aspirational.
Something the old Vikram would never buy without weeks of hesitation.
Technology.
Because technology wasn't just consumption.
It was leverage.
An engineer without tools was just another unemployed graduate.
An engineer with the best tools—
Was a threat.
Apple Store, High Street Phoenix Mall
The mall was already alive by the time Vikram reached Lower Parel.
Glass. Steel. Escalators. Air-conditioning so cold it erased the memory of Mumbai heat.
This was a different ecosystem.
Here, money spoke softly—but it spoke fluently.
The Apple reseller store gleamed like a shrine.
White walls. Polished tables. Devices displayed like artifacts.
Vikram paused at the entrance.
Old instincts flared.
Do I belong here?
What if they judge me?
What if I look out of place?
The blue panel didn't react.
It didn't reassure him.
It didn't mock him.
It simply existed.
Vikram straightened his shoulders.
And walked in.
The Salesman's Eyes
The salesman saw him immediately.
Not because Vikram looked rich.
But because he didn't.
Faded jeans. Old sneakers. A plain shirt without branding.
The look of a man browsing, not buying.
The salesman approached with professional politeness—thinly stretched.
"Sir, can I help you?" he asked.
"Yes," Vikram said calmly. "I want the iPhone 7."
A pause.
Subtle. But there.
"Which variant, sir?" the salesman asked.
"128 GB. Matte Black."
Another pause.
"And?"
"And a MacBook Pro," Vikram added. "Latest one."
That did it.
The salesman blinked.
Once.
Then smiled wider.
"Yes sir. Of course, sir."
Vikram almost laughed.
Status, he realized, was a fragile illusion.
The Numbers
The devices were placed on the table.
iPhone 7 — ₹60,000
MacBook Pro — ₹1,40,000
Total: ₹2,00,000
Two lakhs.
In 2016, that was more than six months of Vikram's salary.
His fingers hovered near his wallet.
For the first time since the system appeared—
He felt hesitation.
Not fear of losing money.
Fear of discovering something irreversible.
What if the system doesn't like big purchases?
What if there's a cap?
What if it punishes greed?
He exhaled slowly.
"No assumptions," he murmured. "Only data."
The Payment
He handed over his debit card.
The POS machine beeped.
"Please enter your PIN, sir."
Vikram did.
The machine processed.
Approved.
The moment the transaction completed—
The blue panel exploded.
Not violently.
But expansively.
New layers unfolded.
New animations bloomed like circuitry coming alive.
HIGH-VALUE TRANSACTION DETECTED
CATEGORY: MODERNIZATION / PRODUCTIVITY
AMOUNT: ₹2,00,000.00
EVALUATING USER INTENT…
Vikram's heart rate spiked.
This was new.
The system had never evaluated intent before.
The salesman packed the devices carefully, oblivious to the silent war happening inches from Vikram's retina.
Then—
A sound Vikram had never heard before.
Not a ting.
Something deeper.
Richer.
Like a slot machine rolling.
Trrrr—trrr—trrr—
The blue panel flashed gold.
BONUS CONDITION MET
MULTIPLIER ACTIVATED: 3x
REBATE: ₹6,00,000.00 CREDITED
₹ BALANCE: ₹8,60,942.00
Vikram stopped breathing.
Money Appears
Not refunded.
Appeared.
He had spent ₹2,00,000.
And gained ₹6,00,000.
Net profit: ₹4,00,000.
From shopping.
From buying things.
For a moment—
The world tilted.
The air-conditioning hummed.
People walked past.
The salesman smiled and handed him the bag.
"Thank you for shopping with us, sir."
Vikram nodded mechanically.
His legs carried him out of the store.
Into the mall corridor.
Where he leaned against a glass railing and finally—
Laughed.
Not loudly.
Not crazily.
Just a short, disbelieving exhale.
"This…" he whispered. "This is absurd."
The First Multiplier
His engineer's mind snapped back into control almost instantly.
Absurdity was just unexplained logic.
And unexplained logic demanded analysis.
He focused on the panel.
BONUS LOG:
Reason: Productive Asset Acquisition
Confidence Index: Rising
User Modernization Score: Increased
"So it's not random," Vikram muttered.
The system liked progress.
It liked spending that upgraded him.
That moved him forward.
Street food confirmed survival.
Technology confirmed growth.
The multiplier wasn't generosity.
It was incentive.
Testing the Aftermath
Vikram walked into a café inside the mall.
Ordered a coffee. ₹250.
Paid.
The system responded normally.
100% REBATE APPLIED
No multiplier.
Good.
It wasn't broken.
It wasn't stuck.
Multipliers were earned.
Back Home: Unboxing Reality
Back in his room, Vikram placed the boxes on his desk.
Carefully.
Reverently.
The iPhone box opened with that signature Apple resistance.
The MacBook followed.
Aluminum. Precision. Perfection.
He powered them on.
As the Apple logo glowed—
The blue panel reacted again.
EQUIPMENT SYNC COMPLETE
PRODUCTIVITY POTENTIAL: HIGH
Vikram's lips twitched.
"Even my laptop is part of the system now," he said.
For the first time—
He felt something close to excitement.
Not for the money.
For the possibilities.
The Emotional Shift
Earlier that week—
Kareena had called him unstable.
Unambitious.
A man without direction.
Now—
He sat at a desk worth more than his monthly salary.
With devices that symbolized the future.
Paid for by a system that defied economics.
And yet—
He didn't feel superior.
He felt… awake.
The laziness that had defined him wasn't gone.
But it was being repurposed.
Why struggle unnecessarily—
When efficiency existed?
Calling Goolu
Vikram dialed Gurpreet's number.
"Bro," Goolu said immediately. "You alive?"
"Yes," Vikram replied. "Question."
"Haan?"
"If someone suddenly had… let's say… unlimited money."
A pause.
Then laughter.
"Bhai, pehle toh neend se uth."
Vikram smiled.
"I'm serious."
"Then buy an iPhone," Goolu said. "That's how you know you've made it."
Vikram looked at the box on his desk.
"I already did."
Silence.
"Wait—what?"
"Nothing," Vikram said calmly. "Just… testing something."
He hung up.
Some truths weren't ready to be shared.
A Dangerous Thought
As night fell, Vikram sat by the window.
Mumbai glittered below.
Thousands of lights.
Thousands of lives.
All constrained by numbers.
And here he was—
Printing money by participating in the economy.
"If I keep doing this…" he murmured.
The blue panel pulsed faintly.
SUGGESTION:
Increased Spending → Increased Rewards
The system wasn't subtle.
It wasn't moral.
It wasn't cautious.
It was an engine.
And Vikram had just turned the key.
The Chapter's End
He closed the MacBook.
Placed the iPhone beside it.
And lay back on his bed.
Tomorrow—
He would push further.
Bigger purchases.
Bigger tests.
Because one thing was now clear:
The system didn't want him to save.
It wanted him to move.
SYSTEM LOG:
First Multiplier Bonus Acquired.
User Confidence: +12%.
Trajectory Updated: ACCELERATION MODE.
The Zero-Sum Game was collapsing.
And Vikram Choudhary—
The lazy engineer—
Was learning how to profit from its ruins.