April 15, 2034 | 10:40 AM | Finistère, France

  On a remote island in the middle of the far-off sea—the location of a massive military technology research institute.

  Whoosh—!

  A hypersonic missile soared through the atmosphere, leaving a long white trail before curving down at a terrifying speed. Suddenly, a second missile was fired to intercept it. However, the result was a failure. It missed the target by a wide margin, forcing the scientists on the island to rush back to their processing screens to recalculate the targeting formulas, their hearts pounding.

  11:30 AM The test began again... and the conclusion remained the same: another failed attempt. Yet, within those failures, the accuracy of the impact began to inch closer to the target, bit by bit.

  1:40 PM The second missile continued to follow an incorrect orbit, unable to successfully stop the first one. Despite repeated failures, the scientists continued to push forward with their testing frantically, following the orders they had received. They didn't have to worry about how each launch burned through massive resources and budgets...

  8:20 PM

  Thud... thud... thud...

  The steady, heavy footsteps of a former commissioned officer echoed through the silent hallways. He headed straight toward the deepest section of the advanced weapons research institute.

  “Mr. Jake!” Edward Kirk, a young researcher with a nerdy appearance, ran breathlessly toward the giant man who radiated an aura of pressure from every pore. “Work has progressed by over eighty percent, sir! But our warehouse resources are...” Edward lowered his voice, his face turning pale. “Uh... they’re completely empty.”

  “Go check the warehouse again,” Jake Stratos, the owner of a giant arms manufacturing empire in Europe, spoke in a flat yet powerful voice. He was a brawny, towering man with a weathered face that projected an air of dictatorship. His sharp, steel-grey eyes looked through those around him as if they were merely figures in an account.

  Edward frowned in confusion. He had seen with his own eyes that the weapons and fuel had been moved out until the warehouse was empty this morning. But he dutifully opened his tablet to check the CCTV footage, only to find a sight that made his eyes nearly bulge out... the supplies were still there, fully stocked as if they had never been moved an inch!

  “W-what in the world...” Edward stood there, stunned.

  “Finish the test. Squander those supplies as you please,” Jake patted Edward’s shoulder lightly, as if reminding him that the reality he saw was nothing to worry about, before walking away toward a luxury lounge to wait for the results calmly.

  ***

  4 hours later...

  “Mr. Jake!” Edward burst in with extreme excitement. “Success! We’ve obtained the perfect and most accurate calculation formula!”

  “Have you recorded that formula into the black device?” Jake asked while sipping his coffee, not even looking up.

  “It's done, sir.”

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  “Good...”

  Upon saying that, Jake raised his hand and snapped his fingers loudly.

  Snap!

  The atmosphere around them distorted and blurred before dissolving. The luxury lounge and the mysterious research island vanished in an instant. All that remained was a clean, white rectangular hall lined with hundreds of high-tech reclining chairs, along with over a hundred scientists wearing headband-like devices on their heads.

  Gasp!

  Everyone jolted awake at the same time in confusion, having been suddenly disconnected from the system. They were still bewildered because the feeling of just having led the research institute to success was so 'real' that it was indistinguishable from reality. All of this was the power of the brainwave computer working in sync with mild anesthesia, making the scientists believe they were testing weapons in the real world so they wouldn't suspect the results.

  Jake rose from his chair, scanning the panicked scientists with his sharp gaze before ordering the soldiers to take them to be briefed on the situation at a new location. As for himself, he walked straight to the adjacent secret meeting room, where over thirty influential figures from the European Security Union were watching through a giant screen.

  Inside the meeting room, Jake sat at the head of the table with absolute authority. He picked up a radio communicator and issued a short command: “Begin the real test using the latest formula.”

  ***

  3 hours later...

  On the giant screen, a stunning reality appeared. A hypersonic missile soared into the sky before intercepting a simulated nuclear warhead with millisecond precision! This real test used very few resources and happened only once after having 'rehearsed' in the virtual world until it crystallized into a flawless calculation formula.

  The politicians and military leaders sat there, stunned. What mankind would have spent a decade researching and squandered a massive budget on had been condensed into just two days in Saito’s virtual world... This was the technology that would tear up traditional military textbooks and reshape the face of world superpowers in an instant.

  Rustle! Roland Von Beegen, an elderly man with thick glasses and a senior member of the Union, picked up a dark-covered document titled ‘GREM.’ He read it while looking at Jake with trembling eyes. “Memory Deciphering, combat rehearsal, weapon efficiency testing... but you said this thing was just a 'gaming device'?”

  “Yes,” Jake replied with a calm and cold demeanor. “It will be sold as an entertainment device to people worldwide.”

  “The document states that you can customize the realism settings as desired... correct?” Roland asked hesitantly. “Then, what if we want to ask you to 'reserve' this memory deciphering and high-level scientific realism exclusively for our scientists or our military?”

  “That depends on how much you are willing to pay... and whether you can accept our 'secret agreement',” Jake remarked with a subtle, meaningful hint.

  Every security leader in the room turned to look at one another in tension before turning back to the man who held the upper hand over them all.

  “Then... state your numbers.”

  ***

  At that same moment, far away from the tension in Europe...

  Saito sat in his private lounge, enjoying a drink in total relaxation. A notification chimed on his phone. It was a message from Jake Stratos.

  He opened the file—a scanned copy of the secret agreement, signed and fully authorized by the European Security Union. Every term, every demand, and every exorbitant figure had been agreed upon without exception.

  A triumphant, satisfied smile spread across Saito’s face as he stared at the document on his screen. With this, he now possessed an impenetrable shield—one that even the world’s greatest powers would not dare to touch. All that remained was to wait for the moment to crush this rotten society until it vanished from the earth.

  But before that... he had to lure them into a state of utter intoxication within this false paradise. He would let them indulge until they were completely blinded so that when everything finally crumbled, it would shatter so thoroughly that not a single piece could be salvaged.

  Saito thought as he looked up at the massive TV screen showcasing a concert of famous pop idols. The flashy lights and mindless screams reflected in his cold, indifferent eyes...