The sound wasn't the hollow plastic tick of a modern keyboard. It was a heavy, thud-like sound, akin to a heavy book being dropped on a floor.

: Because it forces the processor to redraw the display, refreshing actually consumes a small amount of CPU cycles that could be used elsewhere.

In Windows, the "refresh" function is a long-standing utility used to update the graphical display of folders, the desktop, or web pages. While modern Windows versions (10 and 11) usually automate this process, knowing the manual shortcuts is essential for resolving visual glitches or forced updates. Primary Refresh Shortcuts Depending on your current task, use these keys to trigger a refresh: 10 sites Shortcut Keys for Laptop: Ultimate A–Z List to Work Faster - ASUS Apr 21, 2023 —

Elias’s stomach dropped. He checked his pocket. The remote was there. But his phone was gone.

He saw a crowd of people marching down the street. They moved in perfect unison, like a school of fish. They didn't look human; they looked like Non-Playable Characters (NPCs). They were smiling blank stares, walking toward a destination that the pathfinding algorithm had dictated.