“Ouch”

Ethan jerked back and came to a halt, his gaze drawn to the woman who had fallen to the ground; she had brown curly hair tied in a ponytail, a round face, and a mole on her chin. She was dressed in a black tracksuit, but her wide eyes were fixed on him.

Ethan’s pupil constricted, but he extended his hands towards her. While her gaze was fixed on him, she grasped his hands and stood up. One could see the shock in those eyes.

“Sorry,” Ethan said as he walked past her.

The woman said nothing as her gaze followed a slightly chubby figure jogging briskly.

“Did he change because of me?” She murmured quietly but was startled awake when a voice called her name.

“Jennifer,”

...

Meanwhile, Ethan jogged with his eyes narrowed. The woman he collided with was Jennifer, his ex-fiancee.

He wasn’t surprised to see her; he knew her family also owned a luxurious villa in the area. What surprised him was that his instincts did not kick in.

Even though he knew that his body was weak and that he needed to work on it to make it perfect, how could his instincts have become so dull that he couldn’t even feel the presence of someone so close to him?

He was a skilled assassin in Ebeisia, and he could sense the presence of someone hundreds of meters away. Let alone someone so close to him.

Now only a question lingered in his mind. Does he have to start everything from scratch?

‘huff’

He exhaled, shook his head, and sped up.

...

Ethan’s sweat-soaked tracksuit clung to him. His breathing was ragged, and he panted heavily as beads of sweat trickled down his face.

He came to a halt near his villa, his body slightly bent and his hands on his knees.

Even though he appeared tired, his eyes gleamed. But his gaze was drawn to the transport truck that had stopped in front of his house’s gate, while a few men wearing blue T-shirts and black pants opened the truck’s back door.

Ethan walked towards them, his eyes drawn to the word ‘COSMOS’ printed on the transport truck.

COSMOS was an electronic store where he went to order the gaming pod.

When one of the men noticed Ethan, he looked at the address for a moment before approaching him.

“Ethan Harrison?”

“That’s me,” Ethan said, his gaze shifting to the workers who were taking out a large rectangular package from the truck.

“That’s the gaming pod you have ordered,” the worker said as his gaze also shifted to his peers, who just kept the package on the ground.

It was 8*5*3 feet in size and had the Arcanum Solutions logo printed on it.

“Keep it inside,” Ethan said as he pressed the remote and the front gate started opening.

The worker speaking to Ethan frowned slightly as he saw the distance to the villa, but he nodded. “Yes.”

....

After delivering the package, the workers left.

Meanwhile, Ethan began unpacking the package, and soon a silver semi-cylindrical pod with four stands on each edge appeared in front of him.

It was wide enough to accommodate a large man, and a soft cushion was embedded inside the cylinder for the player’s comfort.

Pod came with a white helmet with a design etched on one side. The helmet was large enough to cover about half of the face.

One power switch, an ethernet port, and a Wi-Fi switch could be found on the side of the pod.

Ethan had a strange expression on his face as he stared at the pod, which resembled a coffin, before picking up the manual and reading it.

It was just a usual manual, describing about the product and instructions on how to use the pod.

The pod included a fixed internal battery, and a two-hour charge could power the pod for one week.

The game was preloaded, and users could only access it after it was launched. The most important aspect was that the pod was designed to record brain activity and sensations.

This was a new Arcanum Solutions invention; previously, no gaming pod had such technology. Earlier, each player had to use the controller to control the game; however, this time, the player will simply immerse himself in the gaming world, and his brain will control the game.

Because of the sensitive nature of the pod, many countries and governments expressed concern that it could endanger users. However, after Arcanum Solutions’ assurance, a Top Tier Team was formed, which included many high-profile scientists and researchers; they conducted the tests on the pod and the results were satisfactory; only then was the game cleared to launch.

Nonetheless, many non-governmental organizations and groups created roadblocks and protested the game’s release.

However, it had the opposite effect; game popularity skyrocketed, and everyone was eagerly awaiting the game’s release.

After taking a quick glance at the manual, he tossed it aside and took a quick look at the pod before leaving the room.

..........

Ethan’s hair glistened with drops of water as he prepared toasted bread and boiled eggs, but his attention was completely focused on the news on television.

“Harrison Corp. shares tanked 15%”

Panelists were discussing the company’s recent drubbing against the Patent and how the company was experiencing financial losses and was on the verge of declaring bankruptcy.

Harrison Corp. was a successful company that focused on research and development in the space technology industry. However, after his parents died, the company incurred significant financial losses and became embroiled in a variety of legal issues.

He was still the company’s largest shareholder after inheriting the shares, with 40% ownership. He did not, however, take part in any of the company’s activities.

His gaze was drawn to the clock, which showed that it was half-past eight o’clock in the morning.

“It’s still some time,”

However, his thoughts were interrupted by a doorbell. His brow furrowed as he stopped preparing his breakfast and went to open the door.

But when he opened the door, he was surprised to see the person in front of him.