The next day, Hiro took me to the place where he works using the Equatorial Hyperloop, a state-of-the-art transportational technology that uses pressurized tubes to transport manned ferry-sized capsules in great distances in only a short amount of time.
Basically, if someone from Paris were to use it to get to Las Vegas, it would only take him at least twelve hours of travel.
That was how crucial the Equatorial Hyperloop is in today's society. Because of this, transport around the planet was near instantaneous as it wouldn't even take two days to circumnavigate the world.
We have just arrived in the New California station and about to take the bus.
The time was six o'clock in the morning.
Both of us didn't get even a small amount of sleep that night. We spent the night talking and playing some arcade games at the entertainment section of our ride.
Our eyebags were very visible. Hiro's, in particular, looks like it's about to burst out.
Busking on the streets on a day like this is like having a concert in a town with a population of a hundred and expecting for the audience to reach a thousand.
It was that non-profitable, so I thought it was the perfect time for my best friend to make good with his promise.
But I have just question.
[How can I play
I asked Hiro.
[It's a secret. You'll know it when you se- I mean, experience it!]
He said proudly.
Today was a particularly surreal day.
The usual city sounds, the sound of cars zooming around, the sound of starships undergoing light speed, the sound of people walking on the streets, it seems that every sound and ambience was being kept to a minimum.
Only a few people were walking on the streets. The trains were still running, but they're operating under capacity.
It's as if the entire city has become a ghost town, except for the occasional buzzing of drones passing by our heads every minute to advertise the game's release.
But I know the reason for this happening.
It was today, March 24, that the Valin Megacorporation will finally release their game to the public.
I think it's the second VRMMORPG game released since the infamous
I never played any of these games, but I have played a countless amount of single player VR games when I was a pro gamer, and they were certainly worth the hype.
Virtual reality is scary.
It simulates a world so detailed and intricate that you will be convinced it's real.
They can simulate stimulus from each senses. In fact, if you want to, you can spend the rest of the day eating your favorite food inside virtual reality. However, in the real world, you will be starving.
I wonder how virtual reality would feel for a blind person like me.
I'm nervous, and yet excited at the same time.
[Ah, we're here.]
We disembarked the bus.
Unlike the other districts, this part of the city was really noisy.
Strange.
Loud voices and footsteps of people were coming from every direction.
The air has also a distinct smell to it, a smell same as the smell of newly refurbished computer parts.
[Where are we?]
I asked, swinging my cane in front of me.
[The Obelisk. The headquarters of Valin Megacorporation.]
Hiro replied.
I remember hearing this on the news.
The Obelisk. It's a super-tall skyscraper, and yet it doesn't look like an average building.
It looks more like a vertically overstretched pyramid.
If somebody were to view it on space, it would look like a long spike protruding from the ground.
There's a space pad at the very top that makes interplanetary travel from inside the offices much more easier.
[That's cool. Any chance a civilian like me can enter?]
Hiro chuckled at my question.
[Did you forget? I'm the vice president. I could even take you to the CEO's Office if you want to.]
[Awesome! As expected of Hiro Haneda!]
The feeling of cold air hugged my skin as soon as we entered the premises. We boarded the elevator, which immediately zoomed upwards way too fast.
It took at least 3 minutes before the elevator came still.
I could only presume we're at the upper floors by now, since I could feel my body weight become much lighter, and the gravity much weaker.
[Floor 824. Please disembark now.]
A female robotic voice from the speaker said.
After a few minutes of walking in a hallway, Hiro led me to a warm room which I can only presume was his office
[It's not much, but this is my office.]
[Feels cozy.]
Hiro sighed happily.
[Make yourself at home, Clay.]
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
[What is it?]
Hiro answered.
[Mr. Haneda, CEO Adkins has just issued a summons for all of the staff. We will convene at the CEO's office effective immediately.]
[Sure. I'll join you in a minue.]
Hiro replied, then he turned to me.
[Well then, there's been a slight change of plans. Shall we go?]
[Eh, can I go too?]
I asked.
[Of course!]
I'm getting pretty excited now.
[I-If you insist.]
We spent the next ten minutes walking around the premises.
Seriously, this building alone feels like a city on its own, with large sections stacked on top of each other.
You could even fit a million people in here in times of crisis.
Hiro led me inside a huge air-conditioned room that was full of idle chatter. The sound of computers humming and the clanging of keyboards were also abundant.
I could hear footsteps wandering about in a hurry.
Sounds like this is the main headquarters.
From a distance, I could hear the loud voice of a woman coming out from the speaker.
[Zeta, what's the status in the African Sector?]
[Power is restored to 100%. Two hundred thousand players are on standby.]
[Good, keep it that way. Alpha, what's the overall status.]
[Yes, Miss Carrol. As of this moment, 4 out of 5 servers are hot. About 14 billion VEX GEARS are on standby and awaiting for game activation.]
[Good.]
I felt Hiro holding my cane as I followed his steps.
[Hiro. Glad you're safe. I knew you could do it.]
The voice from the speakers said, only that she wasn't on the speakers anymore. She has come face-to-face with us.
I recognized the voice.
Carrol Adkins. The CEO of Valin Megacorporation.
[Yes, Miss Carrol. But I would appreciate it even more if you don't order your own vice president to be the undercover agent in foiling the terrorist attack.]
Hiro pouted like a little kid.
Carrol laughed loudly, like a dwarf drunk on whiskey. I never thought that this was her inner vibe. She was always formal in TV interviews after all.
[Hahahaha! I knew that if it's you, Hiro, then it has a 100% chance of victory!]
[Please, don't treat me as some sort of superhuman.]
The two of them laughed like two old friends. I was quite envious.
[Miss Carrol. This is Clay Crassius, an old friend of mine.]
I reached out my hand.
[Nice to meet you, Miss Carrol.]
Expecting a formal handshake, I instead got a hard grip, a fist bump and a really tight hug. From Carrol Adkins herself.
[Wha-?]
[You're..CLAY. CRASSIUS!?!? The only human being that Hiro has acknowledged to be better than him!?!?!]
Carrol exclaimed. If I could see her, I bet her eyes were opened wide and her jaw agape.
Hiro, what sort of things have you been telling your boss!
I made a mental facepalm.
[Um… I-I'm not sure what Hiro's been telling you, but yes I am Clay Crassius, an old friend of his.]
[It's a pleasure to finally meet you! So you're him, huh… the person Hiro always talks about and worships.]
[M-miss Carrol!? That's too much!]
Hiro butted in, embarrased.
[That's a joke. Ha ha. For starters, why don't you bring Clay around for a tour?]
[Geez, Miss Carrol. I was going to do that even if you don't order me!]
Hiro said like a whining little kid. He's the same as usual. An airhead most of the time.
We spent about thirty minutes talking casually.
I learned a lot about Miss Carrol, how she came to be the CEO of Valin Megacorporation and how she brought the company to even bigger success by investing into game development.
Apparently, she was like me too. A gamer, but poor in studies. Her parents were furious with her, expecting her to take business administration instead of game development.
However, our similiarities diverged at that point.
Carrol realized that her parents were only thinking what's best for her, so she had a change of heart and did what her parents wished.
She graduated college on top of the class and soon began to venture the world for a job.
Well, she didn't go down in details about the hardships she's faced before she was initially hired by the Valin Megacorp as a secretary, and then rising up from the ranks to be the CEO of a huge company.
But I could say that she has led an extremely remarkable life.
She's turning forty a few months from now. I was surprised when hearing her age, because she has always got this youthful vibe from her.
For someone who's about to carve their names in the annals of history, she's impressively young.
After the casual talk, Carrol told us.
[Well then, Clay Crassius. If you don't mind, I'm going to take a leave now. It's going to be busy for us staff from this moment on, so have fun!]
Carrol shakes my hand. I did the same. Then we parted our ways.
[She's an interesting boss.]
I said to Hiro.
[She indeed is. Look at what she has made, and yet she's still down to earth and being herself.]
I could feel an aura of admiration coming out from Hiro.
[Well, then. Shall we go?]
[Sure.]
*********
After Hiro toured me and explained every single little thing about Valin Megacorp's history, logistics and everything, we retreated back into his office.
I touched my Braille watch.
The time was 9:50 in the morning.
Hiro was taking something out from his storage room.
It was something intricate. Then he proceeded to hook it into a computer.
[Well then, Clay. Here's a VEX GEAR. It's already booted on, so just put it on directly. Before you do, make sure you take care of all your personal necessities. Your body will be completely catatonic during the dive, so you don't want to wake up with drenched pants.]
[All right. But how about you? Where's your VEX GEAR?]
[We have our own VEX GEARS back at the control room. We're going to be game moderators, so we need to make sure that the activation is a success.]
[I see.]
This is it. I'm finally playing a game for the first time in five years.
I told Hiro.
[I'm quite excited, though I don't know if I would appreciate it like other people do, with me being blind after all.]
Hiro let out a laugh.
[Telling you more would only spoil the fun. Well then, I'll catch up with you in a few moments. Have fun playing, Clay! I'll see you soon.]
I heard the sound of Hiro's footsteps receding away. I didn't make something of it, but there was something about it that was tugging at my subconscious, a very disturbing thought.
The thought that this would be the last time I'll see Hiro ever again. Or maybe the world for that matter.
I suddenly remember this very ancient anime series about VR gaming where thousands of users become trapped in a game by its psycho creator.
Hopefully, it doesn't happen to me.
I followed Hiro's advice. After taking care of everything, I lied down on Hiro's sofa. I positioned the VEX GEAR on my back. It was surprisingly light and very comfy. It fit on the curves on my back so fine.
[This is it.]
The time was 9:59 AM. In about a minute, all players from all across the galaxy will simultaneously 'dive' into another world. As for me, I'm still not quite sure of what I'm expecting. There was a mixed feeling of excitement, fear and sadness in my heart.
With my condition, I don't even know if I can even enjoy the game.
As the seconds ticked away, the alarm of my watch went off. It was now 10:00 AM.
At the same time, I felt a very potent zap of electricity course through my spine all the way up to my head, then I immediately lost consciousness.