Then he remembered: the USB.

No Microsoft account recovery options (university security policies). No admin backdoor. Just a lock screen mocking him with 10 PM deadlines.

Three months ago, his friend Priya had insisted he create a “password reset disk” on a spare USB. “You’ll thank me when your brain betrays you,” she’d said. He’d scoffed but followed the steps: Then he’d thrown the USB into a drawer and forgotten it.

At 3:00 AM, he woke up, unlocked his laptop… or tried to. His fingers danced over the keyboard, but Windows 11 rejected his PIN. Then his password. Then his fingerprint.