By the time Leo realized the "Free Download" was actually a high-stakes trade, his screen flickered and died. The last thing he saw wasn't the skyline of his dream city, but a simple text file that appeared on his desktop:
: Programs that use your hardware to mine cryptocurrency, slowing your PC to a crawl. Citystate II Free Download
Then came the "Internal Errors." Pop-ups appeared on his desktop—not from the game, but from his browser. His saved passwords were being exported. His digital city was thriving, but his real-world identity was being dismantled, brick by brick. By the time Leo realized the "Free Download"