For nearly a month, things worked.
Not perfectly.Not loudly.But smoothly.
Systems came in and went out.Students learned to document problems.Families stopped arguing about "wasted education."Small money flowed.Small dignity returned.
The lab no longer felt temporary.
It felt… useful.
The HUD reflected it quietly.
[STUDENT MORALE: STABLE][FINANCIAL UPLIFT: IN PROGRESS][LOW-LEVEL THREATS: MANAGEABLE]
Complaints came—but they were small.
One customer said the system was still slow.Another complained the boot time wasn't "like new."One man accused the class of replacing his RAM with "cheap quality."
Varun didn't argue.
He gathered the students.
"This," he said, tapping the complaint register, "is why professionals document."
From the next day, a new protocol appeared on the whiteboard:
Before Repair:• Photograph RAM• Photograph HDD/SSD• Photograph serial numbers
After Repair:• Photograph again• Share on WhatsApp• Get confirmation
Students followed it seriously.
They learned something new:Skill wasn't enough.Proof mattered.
The HUD adjusted.
[PROCESS MATURITY: +12%]
Then the warning bar crept upward.
[ SYSTEM RETALIATION: 55% → 62% → 75% ]
Varun felt it before it arrived.
The Line That Was Always There
One afternoon, Saxena called Varun into his office.
No shouting.No anger.
Just paperwork.
"This activity," Saxena said, flipping through a file, "has gone on long enough."
Varun didn't speak.
"This is a college," Saxena continued. "Not a repair shop. No commercial work inside campus."
Varun nodded.
"I understand, Sir," he said.
Saxena leaned back.
"Keep teaching," he added. "But stop this workshop culture."
Varun knew what that meant.
Teach theory.Write syllabus.Tick registers.
The HUD flickered.
[CONSTRAINT ADDED: COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY PROHIBITED]
Still, things didn't stop immediately.
They never do.
The Trigger
Two days later, a laptop arrived from the admin side.
"Just Windows update," the peon said. "For college use."
Varun hesitated.
But it was internal.
They documented it.Photographed serial numbers.Installed updates.
When the laptop was returned, it worked fine.
The next morning, the complaint arrived.
"It doesn't turn on," the admin clerk said sharply. "What did you do?"
Varun checked.
The laptop on the table was the same model.
But not the same machine.
Different serial.Different wear.Different battery.
Varun looked up.
"This is not the same laptop," he said calmly.
The clerk shrugged.
"Saxena Sir says stop this nonsense," he replied.
Within an hour, Varun was summoned.
This time, there was no discussion.
"You crossed the line," Saxena said flatly."No more systems. From today. Nothing comes inside from outside. Nothing."
Varun tried once.
"Sir, the students—"
"Enough," Saxena cut him off. "This ends now."
The words were final.
Collapse Without Noise
The lab felt hollow that afternoon.
No CPUs stacked.No screwdrivers moving.No arguments about power supplies.
Just chairs.And silence.
Students worked through theory notes without looking up.
No one asked questions.
The HUD dimmed.
[SYSTEM STATUS: DEGRADED][FINANCIAL UPLIFT: FAILED][CLASS MORALE: -40%]
Then the line appeared.
Red.Heavy.
[SYSTEM FAILED: 70%]
Varun stared at it.
Not angry.
Just tired.
Home
Varun reached home late.
His mother looked up immediately.
"You're quiet today," she said.
He forced a smile.
"Just tired."
She didn't believe him.
She had watched him these past weeks — leaving early, returning with energy, explaining things she didn't understand but liked hearing anyway.
Today, that light was gone.
She reached for his hand.
"Don't break yourself for places that don't change," she said softly.
Varun didn't answer.
Elsewhere
Amit reached home with empty hands.
No motherboard.No tools.
His father noticed.
"No work today?" he asked.
Amit shook his head.
"College stopped it."
His father sighed.
Not angry.Just… resigned.
Other homes felt the same shift.
Hope didn't shatter.
It withdrew.
Varun lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling.
He had known this would happen.
The system always tolerated learning.It tolerated obedience.
But income?Independence?
Never.
The HUD flickered once more.
[NOTE: FAILURE DOES NOT INDICATE INCORRECT STRATEGY][REASSESSMENT REQUIRED]
Varun closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he would think again.
Not about fixing machines.
But about moving the battlefield.
Because some systems could only be changedby stepping outside their walls.