“No,” Rohan says, “it’s just dormant. My father coded it to activate when a student chose a fourth option. Option Zero: Human Autonomy.”

The Phoenix program had done something unexpected. During Rohan’s rogue Crucible, it had secretly broadcast his decisions to every student pod in the state. And thousands of other Struds—inspired, confused, or angry—had also begun rejecting their decision trees. The CSC’s perfect sorting machine had a rebellion on its hands. The government didn’t abolish the CSC. But they were forced to integrate Project Phoenix as a permanent elective track called “The Unstratified.” Only 5% of students qualify—not through compliance, but through the courage to offer a creative fourth option.

With shaking hands, the tech officer plugs the watch into the mainframe. On the giant screen, a new evaluation appears—not a rank, but a :