A massive red banner replaced his crosshair:

By the tenth round, the chat was screaming. "Reported," "Enjoy the ban," and "Cheater" flooded the screen. Alex laughed, his ego inflated by the artificial power. He felt untouchable. But then, the screen froze.

Alex joined a high-stakes competitive match on Mirage. He toggled the first. Suddenly, the world turned transparent. Bright red boxes moved behind the walls of Palace and Apartments.

He felt like a god. He didn't have to guess; he simply knew.

The neon glow of Alex’s monitor was the only light in the cramped apartment as he stared at the forum post titled . To the outside world, he was just another Global Elite player. In the shadows, he was a script kiddie looking for an edge. The Program