And then the lights flickered.
Click.
The AIO cooler lit up. The motherboard’s Q-Code display flickered through numbers: 00 (CPU init), 55 (Memory), A2 (Storage), and finally… (System ready). asus ez flash 3 utility v03.00 update
And my cat? He now has his own dedicated power strip. With a lock.
I usually ignore BIOS updates. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right? But the patch notes mentioned “Improved USB stability for high-polling-rate mice.” As a competitive gamer who just dropped $150 on a 8,000 Hz mouse, that was my kryptonite. And then the lights flickered
I inserted the USB drive. The tool whirred to life, scanning the drive with a satisfying progress bar. “File signature verified.” Good. “Reading file.” Great.
Whoosh.
Silence. Darkness. The smell of ozone and regret.