Chapter 72: Virtual Technology

As soon as the helicopter entered the northern suburbs, another helicopter approached from the opposite direction. Through the window, Zhu Lan saw the people aboard and shook his head helplessly.

Soon, both helicopters landed on an open field north of Fantasy Technology. From the other helicopter, Luo Guoqiang and Qin Min stepped down.

"Commander Luo, Teacher!" Zhu Lan greeted them, smiling and extending his hand.

"Hmph!" Luo Guoqiang glanced at Zhu Lan coldly, ignoring his outstretched hand.

Zhu Lan awkwardly rubbed his nose and looked at his teacher, Qin Min. Qin Min merely gave him a resigned look without saying anything.

"Zhu Lan, can you give me a proper explanation?" Luo Guoqiang demanded angrily as they sat down, his eyes fixed on Zhu Lan.

"Explain? About what?" Zhu Lan feigned ignorance, pretending not to understand what Luo Guoqiang was referring to.

"Playing dumb, are you? How long do you plan to keep this up? Do you realize that if I hadn’t intervened, you’d already be standing before a military tribunal?" Luo Guoqiang scolded him furiously.

Zhu Lan rubbed his nose again and shook his head helplessly. Indeed, because of the gene serum incident, the state had assigned him a fictitious military rank—traceable, but holding no real authority. Zhu Lan understood this perfectly and had never taken it seriously.

"Zhu Lan, you’d better come clean! Even if it’s just a prototype, manufacturing missiles crosses the military’s bottom line!" Qin Min advised in a gentler tone.

Zhu Lan sighed. "Commander Luo, Teacher Qin, come with me. I’ll show you something."

"Something? What is it?" Luo Guoqiang frowned at this diversion.

"You'll understand once you see it," Zhu Lan replied, leading the two out of the office toward a new building at the back—the recently completed biological laboratory where the externally publicized gene optimization solution was being developed.

This building was protected around the clock by a rotation of sixteen security guards and equipped with the most advanced security systems. Moreover, Red Queen had control over all aspects of Fantasy Technology. One could say this biological building was the safest place there.

Internally and externally, the company designated this building as Building Six.

After passing through multiple security checks, Zhu Lan brought Luo Guoqiang and Qin Min to the fourth floor—the most mysterious location in the building, known to fewer than ten people.

"What’s this?" Qin Min frowned, peering through the large glass window at the equipment inside.

The entire fourth floor was devoted to a single set of apparatus, with only four people present. Among them was Wei Jianwen.

With Zhu Lan’s promise, Wei Jianwen had already joined Fantasy Technology. After Kong Yan’s appearance, Zhu Lan had Wei Jianwen’s background re-examined and, upon confirming his abilities, transferred him to this crucial experiment. His wife had also been placed in the company’s finance department, and any remaining issues were resolved with a simple call from Zhu Lan.

"What is this?" Luo Guoqiang, unversed in this field, had no idea what he was looking at.

"Zhu Lan, you never cease to amaze me! I didn’t expect you to have reached this stage already," Qin Min said, raising his head and looking at Zhu Lan approvingly.

Zhu Lan merely smiled in response.

Luo Guoqiang was lost, glancing at Qin Min for clarification.

"Zhu Lan, why don’t you explain your research to our esteemed Commander Luo?"

"You remember the gene serum, don’t you, Commander Luo?"

"Of course. Your teacher personally approached me about it back then," Luo Guoqiang confirmed.

"In truth, the gene serum is just a byproduct—a small part—of the experiments here."

Luo Guoqiang frowned deeply.

"Not just the gene serum—even the current gene optimization solution, quantum communication technology, the soon-to-be-launched quantum satellites, the model robots, and even the model fighter jet you came to ask about—they’re all only ancillary products surrounding what’s in there."

"What?" Luo Guoqiang was stunned. The gene serum alone had advanced national research by at least twenty years, and both quantum communication and model robots were technologies that China couldn’t hope to develop in the short term. Now Zhu Lan was telling him these were mere byproducts of the project on the fourth floor. Luo Guoqiang could hardly believe it.

"Zhu Lan is right. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I could hardly have imagined all those breakthroughs were only side products," Qin Min agreed.

"Then what exactly is it? Enough riddles!"

"It’s a micro-brainwave transmission device—in simpler terms, it’s virtual technology."

"Virtual technology?" Luo Guoqiang stared incredulously at Zhu Lan, then at Qin Min.

Qin Min nodded in affirmation.

"It’s a component of virtual technology. While the research isn’t complete, this is what we’re working on."

"Still in development? Everything is always still in development with you! The gene serum, quantum communication, model robots, and now even virtual technology!" Luo Guoqiang complained in frustration.

"You think virtual technology can be developed so easily?" Zhu Lan shot him a look and began walking away.

"If I’m not mistaken, when you first approached me, you were really just looking for funding to continue your research, weren’t you?" Qin Min said with a sigh as he sat down.

Zhu Lan grinned, nodding. "Exactly! Virtual technology has always been my focus, but research in this field is so expensive. I was reluctant to release immature technologies and attract predators, so I had no choice but to offer up a few things in hopes of securing funding. I never imagined things would evolve to this point."

Qin Min shook his head, resigned.

"I still don’t understand. What’s the connection between virtual technology and the gene serum?"

"Commander Luo, have you ever reviewed any information on virtual technology?"

Luo Guoqiang nodded.

"Virtual technology has many applications; the most famous is probably virtual gaming."

"And what does that have to do with the gene serum?" Luo Guoqiang pressed.

"Many companies worldwide are already offering mature virtual technology. All we need to do is develop our own. In the future, virtual games will be accessed through gaming helmets and pods. The pod allows for extended game time, but the key to this extension is the nutrient solution."

"So you mean the gene serum is actually a nutrient fluid?" Luo Guoqiang asked skeptically.

Zhu Lan nodded. "I know what you’re wondering. In theory, without a major breakthrough, virtual technology can’t be fully realized for at least a hundred years. By then, humanity will likely have made substantial advances in other fields, most notably space. If China’s Heavenly Palace project is completed, it will be a significant step forward for both our nation and the world."

"At that point, humans will have to adapt to new environments. Nutrient solutions that simply provide sustenance can be easily copied by any company. But what if the nutrient fluid can enhance the body?"

At this, even if Luo Guoqiang didn’t fully grasp it, he understood enough.

"So that’s it. No wonder you caught on so quickly, Qin Min."

Qin Min shook his head. "Though my background is in biology, my expertise doesn’t lie here. It’s just that some of my friends abroad are experts in this field, so I’ve heard a thing or two."

Many people think of virtual technology as mechanical, but its greatest breakthroughs are in biology. Its most significant application is immersing a person’s consciousness in a virtual world—where anything can be created and death within the simulation has no real-world consequences. That’s why virtual technology is considered one of the four great technologies of the next century.

Transmitting human thought into a virtual world involves brainwave translation, which is primarily a biological challenge.

"So the gene serum is for the nutrient solution. What about quantum communication?"

"Quantum communication exists so that, in the future, virtual games can be transmitted seamlessly and instantaneously worldwide. Current communication methods simply can’t keep up, so a new generation is needed—hence, quantum communication."

"That makes sense. Now, tell me about that model. The military district is in chaos over it!"

At this, Zhu Lan paused, offering an embarrassed smile. "Actually..."

"Actually what?"

"The model was only made to extract material samples."

"Extract material samples? What materials?"

"Game assets."

"You—" Luo Guoqiang finally realized, pointing at Zhu Lan, too angry to speak.

"How could you be so reckless?" Even Qin Min had to chide him. A model fighter jet is one thing, but arming it with real missiles is quite another.

"I had no choice. When the higher-ups targeted Fantasy Technology, and I heard someone planned to take me alive, I had no one to trust. Who else could I rely on but myself?" Zhu Lan laid it out plainly.

Luo Guoqiang fell silent, shaking his head in resignation. It was true; certain people at the top had set their sights on Fantasy Technology while the military watched from the sidelines. If anyone had made a move against the company then, Luo Guoqiang would not have authorized a military response—he couldn’t be sure if it was an order from above. Sometimes, politics can be that absurd.

"But you can’t just manufacture missiles! You know that’s absolutely forbidden by military regulations. You… you…" Luo Guoqiang was at a loss for words. Zhu Lan was indeed at fault—a grave one—but so was Luo Guoqiang, who had to shoulder part of the blame for earlier misjudgments.

(To be continued.)