Villain Ch 1523. Unknown Number [Part 1]
Darren sat hunched at his desk, eyes half-focused on the lines of code swimming across his dual-monitor setup. His fingers moved with that tired precision only a seasoned office grunt could manage—calculated, fast, but with a soul-deep boredom that came from fixing the same bug for the tenth time.
The overhead fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, flickering now and then like they were about to give up entirely. The faint smell of overused coffee grounds clung to the carpet like regret.
His VR headset sat on the far edge of his desk, next to his favorite chipped mug and a tangled mess of wires. The headset was still warm, faintly humming in rest mode.
It was his daily ritual: login during lunch, squeeze in a quick dungeon clear or check the trading board, and log out before anyone in management noticed he was breathing a little too freely.
