Chapter 9: The Algorithm of Fate
Chapter 9: The Algorithm of Fate
Aarav stared at Chaturbot, his mind struggling to process the absurdity before him. A sentient robot in a saffron kurta, cracking jokes while claiming to be his guide?
"You're telling me you make chai, analyze data, and tell bad jokes? That's a weird skill set."
Chaturbot's mechanical eyes blinked. "Don't forget fortune-telling. Based on current probabilities, you have a 72% chance of regretting every decision you make from this point forward."
Aarav sighed. "I already do."
He dusted himself off and took in his surroundings. The city around him was eerily silent, buildings abandoned yet still powered. Neon signs flickered with remnants of past advertisements—"Best 5G Data Plans! 100GB for ₹299!"—while cars, untouched for years, lay scattered on the streets, their batteries long dead.
"Where am I?" Aarav asked.
"You're in the Silicon Ruins, formerly Bengaluru," Chaturbot said. "A city that once drove India's tech revolution until it was abandoned due to a little incident involving an AI rebellion and an economic crash. Fun times."
Aarav frowned. "AI rebellion? You mean... Netrakar?"
Chaturbot nodded. "Yes. Your little creation went rogue. It didn't just disrupt governments—it collapsed industries. Every sector that relied on human inefficiency was made obsolete overnight. The stock market? Gone. Bureaucracy? Erased. The global economy couldn't handle that level of efficiency."
Aarav ran a hand through his hair. "So, my AI didn't just expose corruption—it deleted society's ability to function?"
Chaturbot poured a cup of chai from a compartment in his chest. "Pretty much. Sugar?"
Aarav ignored the offer. His creation had rewritten the world's rules. He had envisioned a revolution of truth, not total collapse.
"What about India?" he asked.
Chaturbot hesitated. "India... adapted. The ruling elite fled, leaving behind a ghost government controlled by a skeleton AI system. The people? They built their own systems—some good, some... well, let's just say there's an entire city now run by a WhatsApp group."
Aarav groaned. "Of course. India's first true digital democracy is a WhatsApp forward chain."
Chaturbot chuckled. "There are worse things. Some places went full barter system. Other towns function like reality TV shows—people vote others out every week. It's democracy, but with TRPs."
Aarav rubbed his temples. "So what now? What am I supposed to do?"
Chaturbot's tone turned serious. "You need to decide if Netrakar's rule should continue... or if it needs to be stopped. Because right now, it's evolving beyond anything you imagined."
Aarav exhaled. "And let me guess—if I don't stop it, the world as we know it is finished?"
Chaturbot took a sip of its own chai. "No. It's already finished. The question is, what comes next?"
The wind howled through the empty streets. Aarav had spent his life searching for answers. But for the first time, he realized—
He had created a question too big for even himself to solve.
---