MODERN GODS

Emma Smith peered out the window this rainy afternoon. The noise of the falling raindrops soothed her mind. She held a cup of fragrant coffee close to her face. She inhaled the aroma and took small sips.

The laptop on her desk blinked:

Kintaro: Hey Emma, a rumor is going that a big game might hit the market very soon.

Emma Smith: Yea, I saw that pixel game, a great tribute to the vintage games *SarcasticClap*.

Emma Smith: Imagine playing pixels in fucking 2067.

Kintaro: I didn’t mean that! Listen, representatives of Virtual Future were seen together with representatives of the local Trust Xing Hao.

Emma: Aren’t they suing each other? They are not mixing well.

Emma was quite pessimistic about the frozen state of the gaming world for the past few years.

Kintaro: The big news is that a certain luxurious plane landed at the Beijing International Airport last night.

Kintaro: Emma, Siddhartha arrived in Beijing and immediately got into an escort car with respectable figures from Virtual Future and Trust Xing Hao….

Emma: WTF? Why would those powerhouses suddenly crash into each other?

Emma: Weren’t Siddhartha’s people dead busy with the Planets Invasion VR? Do you know how rare it is for him to travel by plane in recent years?

Kintaro: It has emerged that some of the Trust's most talented staff members have been "gradually transferred" over the last few years. Over time, these moves did not cause much controversy. Now though everyone is speculating about a large-scale project.

Emma: Isn’t your cousin working for Trust Xing Hao, just what is going on in China right now?

Kintaro: Sis Fu is indeed an employee of Trust Xing Hao. However, her role is to support projects that are not new. She says that many of the employees are shocked.

Emma: I have to post an article on my blog and at BritishLevelUp for that. There may already be some material on the subject, but I will still be among the first authors in the West.

Kintaro: I assumed you would say so. By the way, will you be coming to China this year? We would be glad to have you as our guest again! :)

Emma was fully focused on all hypotheses that popped in her head. The very fact that those giants were meeting was top news.

She answered Xuan Da's questions succinctly. Emma was grateful to him and his cousin Fu Lian for their wonderful hospitality while staying in China a year ago.

Her fingers were dancing over the keyboard and her heart was pounding.

“It's damn time for something big, please let it be something that would amaze everyone in the industry!”

Beijing, China.

In Chaoyang district, Beijing the cold March night was still reminiscent of winter. The streets were crowded with people, most of them wearing jackets and coats.

Street food was traditional for Beijing. At one corner with culinary delights, a mustache westerner was eating steamed buns. Heel clicking could be heard and a chubby young lady passed the food stall. She had bitterly rejected the idea of ordering. From her direction came a lively little girl bouncing around her father and smilingly telling him about her day at school. They walked past a pair of teenagers, who were looking for someone in the crowd and enthusiastically discussing their plans for the night.

A giant screen on a building caught the attention of the crowd reporting for the arrival of the mysterious billionaire Siddhartha. Several students commented on the scenes fervently. An elderly lady did not pay attention to the report because she stepped badly and dropped her shopping bag. An African student wearing glasses came to her aid. Dressed in white aprons, the corner stall cooks continued to sell food throughout the night. Thousands of people passed near that corner tonight, all kinds of people one could imagine.

This was just one insignificant piece of Beijing. Life was bustling over because of all those people running through the veins of this colossal urban organism. Although the air quality was better than usual, many wore a white pollution mask. Some walked with determination, others stopped at every attraction along the way. A universal rhythm of voices, footsteps, music from commercials and else was formed.

However, these details could not be seen from the top of the Xing Hao Tower. Only the colossal buildings stood out at this height. Although Christmas was long overdue, every skyscraper building glowed like a Christmas tree. They were Engineering achievements designed to bring man closer to heaven. That was an old fantasy of the man.

A slim men with gray hair and a tanned face stood at one window. He wasn't excited about the splendid Christmas trees. All his life he had been watching them; dreaming about them, fighting for them, fighting with them and against them. Although most were works of art and engineering brilliance, in essence, he found them cold, cruel.

He was trying to distinguish the tiny people down there. They were of interest to him. He was inspired by their stubborn marching in this massive city.

He was thinking about their goals. He imagined them. Their beating hearts, their minds set on the adventure called life. Their lungs, eager to take the invaluable breaths of oxygen from the polluted air. Each was unique from the others.

''Darsha, did you walked energetically like that? Did you had your dreams and hopes swimming in your mind, desperately trying to unveil them to the world? Did you… did you thought about your father, who was imprisoned by his blind greed in his own Christmas tree-like skyscraper back in Mumbai?"

Knocking. Permission. A thin, elegant man at the door.

"Mr. Siddhartha, the kind host, and our CEO Mr. Hao invites you to the conference room."

5 minutes later. Spacious conference room. Three leading technological powerhouses.

The CEO of Trust Xing Hao, Wu Hao. The President of Virtual Future, Matilda Kenneth The founder of Siddhartha Technology and Artificial Intelligence Research - Siddhartha Bhardwaj.

Let's attempt to briefly reveal these modern gods.

Wu Hao was 67 years old. He was an energetic, slightly rounded gentleman with a pleasant, full voice.

Wu has witnessed the boom in the Chinese economy since the beginning of the 21st century. He has established himself as a leader in software and hardware development in China. He was number 1 worldwide when it came to income from video games.

Wu has been investing heavily in Africa, particularly in construction and real estate. His companies have been partly behind the continent's impressive industrial and infrastructural development. He had purchased vast African lands that had been converted into farmlands for China's needs. Chinese investments in Africa have been popular in general since the early 21st century for both economic and political benefits.

The name of Wu Hao was extremely authoritative in Africa, not only for its tremendous investment but also for its honesty and transparency in the business.

In the early 2040s, several Chinese and American investors began to lend dubious loans to countries and companies in Africa. They aimed to transform whole entities into economical slaves. The UN strongly condemned the investors but found no legal way to punish them. America ignored the problem for political reasons. The ongoing debates of EU countries have led to some conclusions about future legislation to protect EU countries against such a scenario. Again, nothing useful for Africa.

The young and daring back then Wu Hao was relentless to clear the name of the genuine investors and to continue his father's good relations with African people. It was the aggressive policies of business figures such as Wu Hao that isolated these vile lenders and bad practices.

A little later, Wu Hao was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics.

Matilda Kenneth was 51 years old. She had a domineering aura, but a modest, still beautiful and warm face. The only daughter of media and social network owner Sharon Abraham and pharmacy magnate Joshua Kenneth.

Her mother died while Matilda was still in high school, so she had to adapt and prepare to assist her father early.

Matilda took full control of the family's empire from him at the age of 37. The widower, 72 years old at that time, couldn't manage the burden anymore and retired. At that point, Matilda was already a proven business lady and was well received by shareholders and investors.

With her mother dead and retired father, Matilda took not a single step back, no matter the responsibilities.

She was an expert at talent recruiting. Matilda would often describe her experienced staff members as her Second family. Matilda surrounded herself with trusted and capable employees and with them she controlled every asset of the family fortune.

Virtual technologies and development, Media and Social networks, Healthcare and Pharmaceutical industry. Matilda was juggling with the different businesses left by her parents.

She was particularly proud of the position as a President of Virtual Future, the American giant in virtual technology. Matilda was a fan of the products offering realistic virtual experiences since her childhood.

The respect for that lady by her relatives, staff members, and even competitors was immense.

Siddhartha Bhardwaj was 58 years old. He was climbing the business world for years. Striving to be the greatest.

His modest Indian heritage he turned rapidly into an empire on the field of electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, renewable energy. His later successful cooperation with investors from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar further increased his growth to the point that business magazines would write of potential global dependencies to him.

Siddhartha's astonishing financial growth was a result of incredible achievements. Affordable mini electric vehicles with accomplished autopilot, the most significant breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence, improved effectiveness of renewable energy, precisely in solar energy.

His influence felt scary to the West, and even to China.

Eventually, his unstoppable expansion ceased after an accident. He lost his beloved daughter.

Her picture was his moral support in many hardships while she was still alive. Later though, nothing but pictures were left of her.

Siddhartha reevaluated his life priorities. He adjusted to what understood as the ultimate truth. Take nothing for granted, share time with loved ones, make of every day your last one.

Siddhartha dropped big projects, he sold some businesses. He left a few reliable and easy to manage companies. He now spent time with his wife and little son every day. He would not commit to distant international travels.

He reinvested a tremendous amount of money from the sold businesses into artificial intelligence development. It was his joy to bring out authentic sense and emotions, understanding, and to some extent, forgiveness.

"Ms. Matilda, Mr. Siddhartha, your trustworthy subordinates, I greet all of you." Wu Hao addressed the guests. "We've all been waiting for this meeting for years. Today, I'm pleased to be your host."

"From my assistant, I would often hear endless praise for the exceptional performance of your software and hardware experts, dear Wu." Matilda cut the honorifics. "Trust Xing Hao lives to its standards as the unmatched leader in the field of gaming development. "

"And my most brilliant developers are in awe of your outstanding virtual technology." Sincerely replied Wu. "I myself felt chills of the level of complexity and realism a virtual world can offer."

Matilda chuckled. "I am convinced that our friend, Siddhartha and his employees also amazed everyone involved in the project."

"If not 'shocked' even," Wu confirmed with a sigh.

"Each party contributed exceptionally to the creation of Brave New World." The last modern god finally spoke. "From my side, there are a few final touches left, nothing challenging though."

"We will gladly delay a bit. Brave New World requires your magic to exist like an external ecosystem, filled with uncomparable artificial intelligence," Wu said.

"This project is by far the most ambitious professional… no, personal challenge for me." Matilda's eyes were shining. "It made me consider the unthinkable. I dreamt about a second world, as naive as that may sound."

"Matilda, you named the project suitably. The aim is indeed to be that second world. And would the magic of technology ever allow more, that would undoubtedly be both dangerous and brave." Siddhartha had a dreamy face.

"We are back at that portal into parallel world discussion, aren't we?" Wu Hao giggled. "Or should we just unlock the existing world to our fantasies?" His eyebrows went up.

Matilda sighed. Siddhartha seemed to think deeply about something.

"I will not ask how you, my dear friend Siddhartha, turned code lines into a living life form. I would also not ask how you, my lovely girl Matilda, built another world accessible to our minds," Wu spoke with inspiration.

"We spoke so much through the years and we discovered so much. I wish everyone could have a taste of Brave New World."

"Consider our PR as a top tier." Siddhartha complimented Matilda.

"Brave New World's brilliance needs no advertisement, but I will respect the protocol and I will give my best." She added with confidence.

“It’s decided then!”