The screen flickered. The usual Capcom logo didn't appear. Instead, a small, stark window materialized in the center of his monitor.

Leo ran back to his PC. The error was still there, but now it had a new button:

He flipped the disc over. The front art—Leon Kennedy aiming his handgun—was fading. In seconds, it became a gray disc with only the words:

He dropped the phone. Outside his window, the city looked… simplified. Cars on the street were moving in perfect loops, like NPCs on a track. People walked in straight lines, stopping only to turn in place, their faces blank. A woman stood at the bus stop, endlessly tapping her watch, her mouth moving but no sound coming out.

For one beautiful second, the Resident Evil 4 title screen appeared. The haunting guitar chords echoed through his empty room. He smiled.

Leo frowned. Steam was running. He could see it minimized in the taskbar, its green icon glowing softly. He closed the error, launched again. Same message. He restarted Steam. Same message. He rebooted his PC. Same message.