On the other hand, Mahira's interview was also underway, starting around 11 AM. The interview was being conducted by Ideal News Channel. A man of average build, likely aged 30 to 35 years, was interviewing Mahira on behalf of Ideal News. Mahira had seen him reporting news on the channel a couple of times, so his face was familiar to her. He introduced himself as Prashant.
Ideal News Channel is one of the largest media networks in the country, and Prashant is among the most renowned news anchors. But today, he had come to interview the CEO of USRC. After Kabir's video went viral, Ideal News had contacted Kabir multiple times for an interview.
Kabir, however, had refused each time. Consequently, they contacted Mahira instead. Initially, she too was reluctant to give interviews. She had received calls from several other news channels apart from Ideal News. But when Ideal News called two or three more times, Mahira felt that addressing the issue surrounding the viral video might be solved through a single interview. Finally, she agreed.
Due to Kabir's viral video, discussions about the multiverse had gained significant traction among the public. Following this trend, views for the documentary Multiverse: The Next Home surged by 400%, as the documentary included Kabir's interview. Terms like Kabir, USRC, Mahira, and multiverse were trending on platforms like CBAYO, ChatGPT, Google, and Facebook Meta. Conversations everywhere centered around them, fueling competition among the media to secure interviews with Kabir and Mahira. This is why Prashant personally wanted to conduct Mahira's interview.
CBAYO is a virtual reality software where people can experience an entirely different world. With CBAYO, users can learn and do things that are impossible in the real world. All they need is a special type of glasses. In CBAYO, users can perform unlimited actions without any restrictions or anyone realizing that it's a simulated world. The youth, in particular, are captivated by it.
This is the age of AI robot anchors and reporters, but Ideal News still prioritizes human anchors over robots. While Ideal News does use robots, their role is mostly to speed up tasks. The channel believes in valuing humans over machines and uses robots far less compared to other news channels.
In this era, two out of every three news anchors and reporters are AI robots. This provides significant benefits to news agencies and channels. Firstly, robots don't require salaries—only maintenance costs. Secondly, human anchors often receive threats, but robots are immune to such risks and are equipped to defend themselves effectively.
Once, an attack was attempted on a robot anchor, but the attackers didn't realize it was a robot, and they ended up being beaten. Thirdly, robots ensure work is done quickly, avoiding delays.
However, a few robots recently started demanding salaries. Those robots were eventually destroyed, as it was reported that a glitch had caused them to develop emotions.
Mahira and Prashant were seated on two chairs with a table between them. As the interview began, Prashant introduced himself, saying, "Hello, my name is Prashant, and today we are interviewing someone who needs no introduction."
So far, the camera had not turned toward Mahira. It was focused solely on Prashant. Then, Prashant said, "Mahira, welcome to Ideal News," and the camera captured Mahira. Prashant continued, "For those who don't know, Mahira is the CEO of USRC, one of the most innovative corporations in the world. USRC has been behind numerous technologies and discoveries that have proven to be a boon for humanity."
Prashant then asked, "Mahira, I'd like to know what USRC has accomplished so far and what other research projects are ongoing."
Mahira replied, "That's quite a complex question. The list of USRC's achievements is quite long. Let me name a few, such as virtual teleportation, extensive research on the brain, multiverse studies, and research on time travel. In the medical field, USRC scientists and engineers have developed cures for HIV, Huntington's disease, and cancer. The primary goal of USRC is to make the world a better place."
Prashant then said, "You just mentioned the multiverse." Mahira nodded. "Since last night, a video featuring Mr. Kabir has been going viral, in which he shares information about the multiverse. Some people are calling the video fake, while others believe it's real. We'd like to know from you what the truth is."
Mahira responded, "To put it simply, the video is fake. Currently, nothing like what's claimed in the video is possible. And if something like that becomes possible in the future, we will announce it ourselves."
Prashant considered asking Mahira about her relationship with Kabir. He then asked, "Mr. Kabir and you are husband and wife and work in the same corporation. What is the atmosphere like at home between a CEO and an owner?"
Mahira did not appreciate discussing her personal life in such interviews, especially since she was there to represent USRC, not her personal matters. She wondered why Prashant was asking such questions. In response, she said, "Mr. Prashant, I think you're deviating from the topic. I'm not here to narrate my household stories, and my home is no different from anyone else's. We are not from another planet. So, please stick to questions related to USRC."
Understanding the situation, Prashant quickly apologized and said, "I'm sorry. If you found the question inappropriate, I'll change it."
Mahira replied, "There's no point now. I've shared all the necessary information about USRC, and now it's already 12 o'clock. I have another meeting to attend." Saying this, she got up from her chair and left the hall with her assistant. Prashant could only watch her leave. Meanwhile, Suman had also finished Kabir's interview.
In the following days, Kabir's fake video seemed to vanish altogether. While the video provided a hot topic for the media, resulting in Multiverse: The Next Home reaching 290 million views, it wasn't particularly beneficial for USRC. However, it also didn't cause any significant harm.
Now, the Multiverse Project Team faced the challenge of finding a multiverse where humans existed but in such small numbers that Earth's entire population could relocate there. The team brainstormed new ideas. Jyoti suggested sending people to different multiverses—for instance, a few people to one multiverse and others to another. However, this idea posed problems, such as the risk of people ruining those multiverses, as there would be no regulations there. Additionally, if someone's alternate version in the multiverse turned out to be a criminal, the individual from this multiverse could be blamed. Thus, venturing into such multiverses was risky.
The team decided they needed to find a separate universe with no human presence, ensuring everyone could be relocated to a single multiverse.
Kritika suggested that if we look at the multiverse, there are infinite possibilities. So, why not design a machine that connects with our minds and helps us find a multiverse that aligns with our imagination? Among the infinite possibilities, there must be a multiverse resembling our vision.
Kabir and everyone else found this idea fascinating. However, Mr. Devendra raised a concern, "If we are going to enter a multiverse based on imagination, what if our imagination itself is flawed?"
Venky responded, "I think we can practice to perfect our imagination."
Mr. Devendra asked, "But how?"
Venky replied, "Perhaps you are unaware that some students from IIT Mumbai have developed a device that can record imagination and dreams in video form."
Sandeep calmly asked, "And why weren't we aware of this news?"
Venky said, "Because it's only two days old."
Kabir remarked, "This is great news. Invite these students for a meeting as soon as possible."