Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 5: Uncanny Parallels

I'm not one for conspiracies, but seriously, I'm starting to think they made this thing with some next-level alien tech. How else do you explain how ridiculously real everything is? We're talking about venturing into virtual reality, right—uncharted waters! You'd expect a few hiccups, but nope, none here.

Zenith Corporation really knocked it out of the park. I can practically smell the grass, feel the dirt under my feet, and hell, I swear I can feel the wind on my face. It's too damn real, like I've fallen down a rabbit hole or something. Zenith's on a whole new level with this one.]

A female medical receptionist gracefully shifted her focus away from the monitor mounted on the wall as an elderly couple approached the front desk.

Her son had fallen under the spell of a captivating new video game, incessantly urging her to invest a considerable sum in acquiring the elusive Nexusphere.

While the device was well above her pay grade, she was still curious to learn what the hype was all about since her son seldomly asked her for anything.

Though, the idea of a virtual realm similar to the real world stirred conflicting emotions. Wasn't that a whole new level of being a Tablet Kid?

Dismissing the horrid notion, she metaphorically donned her work mask and turned her attention to the slowly approaching guests.

"Hello, how can I assist you today?"

"Hi," Diana began, glancing at her husband with a warm smile. "We're here to see Daisuke Williams. He got admitted last night."

"Mr. Williams," the receptionist drawled as she entered the surname into the system to retrieve his information. "Daisuke Williams, correct?"

"Yes, that's right," Dale confirmed. "He's been working for us for a couple of years now. He's become somewhat of a grandson to us."

"Poor thing," Diana's eyebrows wrinkled in distress. "I hope he's feeling a lot better now."

"Um," the receptionist met the hopeful gazes of the Robinsons with regret in their eyes. "I'm sorry to say, but Mr. Williams insisted and was discharged from the hospital earlier this morning."

The news landed like a heavy blow on the Robinsons, leaving them both shocked and appalled. Dale's response came with a tinge of accusation, "Are you serious?"

Diana, her expression etched with grief, asked with concern, "Is it safe for him to be moving around already?"

"Ideally, he should be in bed for a few weeks," the clerk clarified ruefully. "But, unless he has a mental illness or presumed to be a danger to himself or others, we can't forcefully keep him here."

Diana turned to her husband, seeking guidance in this unexpected turn of events. "Dear, what should we do?"

Dale's fingers tightened around an envelope containing a blank check and paperwork transferring ownership of their business. His reassurance came with a sweet and gentle tone as he cupped the side of her face, "Don't worry, Honey. I'm sure he'll drop by the store once he's able. Our grandson is a tough and responsible kid."

***

Daisuke was in a state of stunned silence.

While his virtual mother held him aloft and regarded him worrisomely, concerned that her newborn baby was as stiff as a board, his quivering eyes were busy appraising the dark and dilapidated world around him. Even if a dystopian spin was implemented, it was becoming worryingly clear that this wasn't the «Character Creation Screen».

...Then where am I? This... can't be inside the game, can it?

Observing his stubby hands and feet, he pondered whether his current predicament was a carefully orchestrated special event as Zenith was notorious for being fanatics when it came to the pursuit of realism.

"In what world," he imagined the head of development declaring with dramatic flair, passionately clutching his chest, "is a human being given an adult form at the moment of inception? An unrealistic one, that's what!"

As Daisuke surveyed his surroundings, however, that notion seemed to drift farther away from possibility, dragging his emotions along into the depths of despair.

The dim glow of a virtual moon filtered through a broken window, sparsely illuminating a small, squalid bedroom seamlessly blending with the adjoining bathroom.

Tattered posters and eerie cracks adorned the walls, while the few timeworn pieces of furniture scattered across the space bore the unmistakable marks of years of neglect.

Tilting his head, Daisuke gazed past the rough, uneven floorboards and through the crooked front door. The distant chatter and bleak hum of the slums, now his new home, faintly reached his ears. His lips quivered as he processed the harsh reality of his surroundings.

Since the fateful day his parents passed away, life seemed relentless in its pursuit of his misfortune. Wave after wave of bad luck came crashing down all around him, leaving no room for respite. The latest investment was supposed to be his salvation—a foolproof plan to break free from the clutches of his unlucky streak.

However, fate had other plans, and now he found himself in a virtual prison for his recent crime, more wretched than the life he sought to escape. It was a punishment for daring to dream of a better life.

Daisuke felt his stomach tighten, his heart shattering into fragments as the tragic reality unfolded around him. His round, pale face suddenly crumpled, and then he started wailing.

Through his bitter tears, he could see his virtual mother heave a warm smile of relief. Her beauty and radiance were in stark contrast to the gloom of the background, and she cradled him in her arms, an almost palpable aura of maternal loving and care washing over him, lulling the newborn into a deep sleep.