But this time, something was different. As the download finished, Elias’s second monitor—the one monitoring his own hardware—spiked into the red. His cooling fans roared to life, sounding like a jet engine taking off in his living room.

> You’ve spent three years cleaning up our 'trash.' We thought it was time we cleaned up ours.

He realized then that the "Latest" in the filename wasn't a version number. It was a countdown.

Elias reached for the power cable, but a sharp pop from the outlet sent a spark jumping to his sleeve. The smart lights in his room began to strobe. In the reflection of his darkening monitor, he saw the webcam’s tiny LED glow a steady, unblinking green.

The screen flickered. The "PaperScan" installer logo appeared, but instead of the professional blue UI, it was a deep, bleeding crimson. The icons on his desktop began to dissolve into static.