“Infraction: Unsafe start. You have accumulated 1 penalty point. Accumulate 8, and you will be expelled from the program. No refunds.”

Felix took the license. It felt heavier than he expected.

Outside the facility, his real car — a rusty, perfectly normal Opel — waited. He sat in the driver’s seat. His left leg didn’t tremble. His hands were steady.

On his 100th hour, he found himself back in virtual Berlin, same rainy street, same parked Golf. The echo was gone. Instead, Dina’s voice echoed: “Final test: Drive from Alexanderplatz to your childhood home — the one you left in anger. You have one attempt.”

When he arrived, the house was a simple digital model. But standing in the doorway was a younger version of himself — 18, furious, fists clenched.

Felix should have been alarmed. Instead, he was fascinated. Hour 72. A neon-lit night course in a fictional city called “Neustadt.” The road rules were normal, but the atmosphere was wrong — too quiet, no other cars, just an endless four-lane avenue with flickering streetlamps. His dashboard clock read 03:33.