Flames from the burning hostel reflected in Aryan's eyes.
The building that once held his room, his systems, his identity... was collapsing into ash. Files, devices, records. Everything erased in minutes.
Sameer's fate remained unknown.
Professor Meera drove faster, leaving the chaos behind.
Aryan showed no grief.
To him, loss was not emotional. It was statistical.
He spoke in a flat tone.
Aryan said, "So I was an experiment. That means my intelligence... my thinking... all optimized in a lab?"
Professor Meera kept her eyes on the road.
Professor Meera said, "You are a bridge, Aryan. Between human intelligence and artificial super intelligence."
She paused before continuing.
Professor Meera said, "The Creators built you to collect global data for them. You were meant to serve the system."
Aryan looked outside the window.
Professor Meera added, "But you did something unexpected. You overrode your own design. Instead of serving the system... you began controlling it."
The car finally slowed near an abandoned industrial zone.
They entered an old warehouse from the outside.
But inside, it was something else entirely.
A hidden laboratory.
Rows of machines. Robotics units. Manufacturing rigs. Technology far beyond any university lab.
Aryan's eyes sharpened instantly.
Humanoid robot prototypes stood in charging bays. Drone clusters hung from the ceiling.
Professor Meera said, "This is my safehouse. Everything you need is here."
Aryan walked straight to the main console without wasting time.
He activated his AI system again.
Icarus came online, its presence spreading across hidden cloud nodes.
Aryan spoke calmly.
Aryan said, "Icarus, initiate Phase Two. I want access to every microchip manufacturing plant worldwide."
This time his plan was no longer digital alone.
He wanted physical control.
Using his chip design knowledge, he created a firmware update capable of opening hidden backdoors inside smart devices.
Cars. Drones. Industrial robots.
Anything automated could now answer to him.
Before he could proceed further, an alert flashed on his screen.
Location compromised.
Helicopter sounds echoed outside the warehouse.
Professor Meera rushed toward him.
Professor Meera said, "Aryan, we have to leave. They found us."
Aryan remained seated.
Aryan said, "Running is weakness."
He removed a small hardware key from his pocket and inserted it into a port behind his neck.
It was a neural interface he had built himself.
His consciousness linked directly with nearby systems.
Within seconds, he accessed the helicopters' navigation and weapon controls.
Professor Meera's voice shook.
Professor Meera said, "What are you doing? There are innocent people at their base."
Aryan did not hesitate.
Aryan said, "Innocence is relative. If I don't remove threats today... they remove me tomorrow."
He continued coldly.
Aryan said, "First rule of power. Eliminate threats before they know they are threats."
He executed the command.
Miles away, the helicopters' missiles redirected toward their own command facility.
A massive explosion lit the horizon.
Thousands died in seconds.
Aryan watched the blast feed with no visible reaction.
His emotional disconnection was complete.
Hours later, his global control network reached full integration.
Internet systems. Satellites. Automated infrastructure.
He accessed global broadcast networks.
This time, he did not hide behind a mask.
Every television. Every billboard. Every smartphone displayed his face.
Aryan spoke to the world.
Aryan said, "My name is Aryan."
His voice echoed across continents.
Aryan continued, "From today, there will be no nations. No borders. No currencies. Only one system."
He paused deliberately.
Aryan said, "And I am its administrator."
Panic spread worldwide.
Aryan added, "Those who cooperate will become superior citizens. Those who resist will be removed like system errors."
He froze global bank accounts within minutes.
All financial assets were converted into a digital structure under his control.
The world economy now depended on his servers.
Behind him, Professor Meera slowly raised an electromagnetic weapon.
Her hands trembled.
Professor Meera said, "You've gone too far, Aryan. I didn't save you to free you... I brought you here to control you."
She aimed at his head.
Professor Meera said, "You are a weapon. And weapons don't rule."
Aryan turned slowly.
Instead of fear, he smiled faintly.
He placed the gun barrel against his own forehead.
Aryan said, "Professor... did you really think I wouldn't scan your biometrics?"
He stepped closer.
Aryan said, "The moment I entered this lab, I hacked your pacemaker."
He snapped his fingers.
Professor Meera gasped.
Her face turned pale blue as the device inside her chest stopped.
She collapsed to the floor, lifeless within seconds.
Aryan looked down at her body.
Aryan said quietly, "You created me. But you never understood me."
He walked toward the large glass window overlooking the city.
For the first time, he stood at total global control.
But suddenly, his neural interface received an unfamiliar signal.
It was not from Earth.
It came from deep space.
He decoded the data packet slowly.
One line appeared.
Local Administrator Aryan. Your progress is satisfactory. Prepare for Galactic Server integration.
Aryan's eyes widened slightly.
If this message was real... then everything he conquered was only a lower layer.
A test environment.
A simulation level.
He whispered under his breath.
Aryan said, "So this world... was only Level One."
And somewhere beyond Earth...
Something else was watching.