The "virus removal" job was done.
His mother's phone was clean.
His reward was fifty rupees and a trip to buy coriander from the market.
Nothing glorious. Just normal.
Vicky tied the small dhaniya packet to his cycle handle and headed home.
Halfway there, he heard shouting near Sharma Aunty's house.
He stopped.
Bhairav—the large street dog everyone avoided—had cornered the chicken Vicky had accidentally summoned. The bird was pressed against the wall, panicking. Sharma Aunty leaned over her balcony, swinging a broom.
"Jaa! Jaa, kutte! Chhod de mere murge ko!"
Bhairav didn't budge. He growled, jaws open, ready to strike.
Vicky froze.
He couldn't let the dog kill the chicken he'd brought into existence. The thought alone felt wrong.
He acted before thinking.
"OYE! BHAIRAV!"
The dog turned.
Their eyes met.
Not a good plan.
Bhairav abandoned the chicken and started toward Vicky.
The chicken bolted immediately and disappeared into an open sewer grate.
"…Perfect," Vicky muttered.
Bhairav lunged.
Vicky pushed down on the pedals. The cycle jerked forward. The dog followed, barking with full intent.
He needed something—anything.
He fumbled for his phone while cycling. No time to load a new game. His thumb hit Minecraft, the last open app.
The world loaded.
His inventory appeared.
Dirt.
Cobblestone.
Pickaxe.
Then one item stood out.
Eggs. A full stack.
He didn't think.
He pressed an egg.
Cold pulse.
He pulled.
A real egg appeared in his palm.
He threw it.
The egg missed and burst against the wall. Yolk everywhere.
Bhairav paused, confused, then growled deeper.
Vicky grabbed another egg. And another. He kept pulling, the cold sensation hitting him in short bursts as he cycled unevenly.
One egg hit the dog's snout with a sharp splat.
Another smacked his side.
Another hit the ground and made the dog slip.
Bhairav shook his head, bewildered.
Vicky felt a brief surge of confidence. He pulled one more egg and threw it with everything he had.
It flew straight—
Clean arc—
Perfect impact—
—onto Pandey Uncle's forehead.
Pandey Uncle had stepped out at the exact wrong moment. Egg yolk dripped down his glasses and ran across his bald scalp. A shard of shell sat neatly on his nose.
The street went silent.
Even Bhairav stopped.
Pandey Uncle slowly wiped his face and stared at Vicky.
"Vicky Kumar," he said quietly. "Teri Maa… kya kar rahi hai tu?"
Vicky's mind went blank.
"…Science project," he said.
He pedaled away instantly, leaving the scene behind—dog, uncle, and one lost chicken.
By the time he reached home, his chest hurt from the sprint.
His mother called from the kitchen, "Beta, dhaniya laaye?"
He looked at his empty hands. The packet was long gone.
He shut the door, leaned against it, and slid to the floor.
The operation was a complete disaster.
He'd accomplished nothing.
And he'd discovered his current powers were barely enough to annoy a street dog.
He needed a plan.
And better tools.
Eggs weren't going to cut it.