By the second hour, Kenji had reached Rank 3. He noticed something strange. The "Infinite Floor" option had appeared in the construction menu. He clicked it.
He opened the text file. It contained only one line: The customers don't like to be left in the dark. File: Mega.Mall.Story.v2.22.zip ...
He reached for the power button, but his hand stopped. On the screen, the "Infinite Floor" was still building itself, layer by layer, deeper into the black code. By the second hour, Kenji had reached Rank 3
He scrolled down. The customers on Floor -1 weren't shopping. They were standing in a circle around the fountain he had placed. They weren't moving. No speech bubbles, no "Heart" points, just silence. Suddenly, his webcam light flickered on. He clicked it
The lights in his apartment plunged into darkness. The only thing illuminating the room was the glow of the monitor, where the Mega Mall was now overflowing with thousands of silent, pixelated people, all staring back at him.