Leo had tried everything. Compatibility mode. Disabling driver signature enforcement. Even a desperate voodoo ritual involving a rubber duck and a stress ball. Nothing worked.

Leo Martinez was not a religious man. He was a systems administrator, which meant he believed in three things: redundant backups, error logs, and the quiet, creeping dread of a Friday afternoon update.

It was December 23rd, 10:47 PM. The office of Hartwell & Co. Logistics was a ghost town of cubicles and humming servers. But Leo sat frozen in his chair, staring at a single workstation—the "Master Dispatch Terminal"—which glowed a sickly, unblinking blue.