It all started when Zeke got hungry.
He opened what he thought was a new meal app called "MOBGRUB", which promised "fast delivery, spicy options, and full control of your assets."
"Assets" being a weird way to say burritos, but whatever.
Zeke clicked "Join Now" and authorized the app with his usual login—same one he used for his sock purchase and definitely not the one connected to a shadow network of off-grid servers and black-market crypto wallets.
...
Across the city, deep inside the rusted heart of the underground, a terminal lit up.
[ALERT: New Overboss Registered.]
Name: ZΞKΞ.EXE
Status: ACTIVE
Initiate: Blood Oath Protocol [Y/N]?
The system auto-confirmed with a confused "Y."
...
Zeke, meanwhile, was wondering why the "order confirmation" included a suspicious line:
"Your first shipment of loyalty enforcers is en route."
"Must be the name of a spicy meat dish," he mumbled.
...
Twenty minutes later, a black armored van screeched to a halt outside his hideout. Five heavily tattooed individuals in matching leather coats burst in and dropped to one knee.
"Boss Zeke," the leader said, head bowed. "The Syndicate awaits your orders."
Zeke blinked.
"…Do you guys deliver tacos?"
...
Tess walked in mid-scene, stared at the kneeling criminals, then back at Zeke.
"What. Did. You. Do."
"I think I ordered food."
"You ordered a crime syndicate."
Zeke checked his holo-tab again. "...Oh. There was a dropdown. 'Burritos' or 'Arms Trafficking.' I thought that was a joke."
...
As CEO (Criminal Executive Overlord) of MOBGRUB, Zeke was now in charge of:
Three smuggling routes
A private militia
A fleet of hoverbikes
A money laundering ramen shop
And one genetically modified ferret named "Sir Stab-a-Lot"
Nyx piped up cheerfully:
"Your quarterly blood tribute is due in seven days. Shall I schedule a team meeting?"
"Why is that a sentence I need in my life?!"
...
In classic Zeke fashion, he tried to quit.
But quitting required going to The Boardroom, a literal underground arena where CEOs battle for control using knives, dance-offs, or corporate buzzwords.
Zeke challenged the current VP of Organized Arson to a game of PowerPoint Combat.
He won.
Mostly because his slides crashed the system with a rainbow seizure effect and the words "SYNERGY.exe" in 144pt neon font.
...
The rest of the Syndicate was impressed.
"He's insane."
"He's a genius."
"He's too unpredictable to kill!"
They made him permanent CEO by unanimous vote.
...
Tess sighed, sipping a synthetic cola. "You really are the most dangerous idiot in the city."
Zeke spun around in his new hover-chair. "Does this mean I get free snacks?"