Getting a Technology System in Modern Day

Chapter 867  UPDATE II

"Due to the diversity of worlds and the broad range of participants, everyone could find something they enjoyed, making SFGS the dominant force in pop culture and entertainment. Each story runs until it reaches a satisfying conclusion, at which point the impact of each real human participant is calculated. Their final reward is determined by multiplying a base sum by their impact score.

The highest payout to date went to Sony Hayas, who achieved an unprecedented impact score of 300,000. With a base reward of 10,000 END, his total earnings reached a staggering 3 billion END. He accomplished this feat by managing to slay a dragon that was deemed nearly impossible to kill, a creature that had terrorized its world, using humans as its servants.

'I'm sure you're wondering where that kind of money comes from, especially since weekly episodes are free for everyone to watch,' the narrator said, pausing for a moment to let the audience ponder the question. Most immediately thought of ads, the primary monetization method for pre-Empire social media companies."

Not long after posing the question, the narrator continued, providing the long-awaited answer.

"That is because there are multiple viewing tiers beyond the free tier, each offering different privileges. The highest tiers allow viewers to monitor all real players in the world live, observing their every move without the condensed, cinematic-style editing of the broadcast versions. These edited versions omit certain parts to maintain a coherent narrative. Lower tiers provide fewer privileges, ranging from the ability to follow a single character to the completely free tier. With over sixteen billion users on the platform, even the free tier has emerged as a significant revenue stream. Corporations sponsor the platform, seamlessly embedding their real-world product into these simulated worlds, allowing the GAIA technologies to offer life-changing rewards to top participants."

As the narrator concluded this explanation, a murmur of discussion spread throughout the room, with many questioning whether they had misheard something.

"Did the narrator say sixteen billion? Or six billion?" Ramsey turned to Kate and Amir, seeking confirmation.

"I heard the same thing," Kate replied. "Either it’s a mistake, or the empire has absorbed a new civilization, probably the one hinted at in the introduction when they mentioned an interstellar war."

She reasoned that such an increase, more than doubling the empire's previous population of eight billion, would be impossible without either integrating an entirely new civilization or resorting to mass cloning, which would present extreme logistical challenges.

"I’m sure we’ll get answers soon, but for now, let’s focus on the explanation," Amir reminded them, shifting their attention back to the screen to avoid missing any crucial details.

As Kate and Amir refocused on the screen, they realized they had already missed part of the explanation.

"… about the damage the rapid passage of time would have on participants, but you don’t have to worry about that. Before logging off, they undergo a process called the normalization procedure. This completely reverses all negative effects of their extended experience, including the psychological and physiological impacts of accelerated time. By the time they reintegrate, it’s as if the two years or more they spent in another world were merely a vivid dream. Their memories and experiences remain, but none of the trauma or disorientation lingers, allowing them to resume their lives as if they had never left."

A wave of hushed conversation rippled through the audience. The concept of spending years in brutal, emotionally intense environments and then walking away unscathed felt almost surreal. Some wondered about the ethical implications, while others marveled at the sheer technological advancement that made such a thing possible.

The narrator, sensing the weight of the discussion, smoothly transitioned.

"This is where we will conclude our discussion on this topic. Of course, if you wish to delve deeper, you can request for this subject to be included in your personal immersive summaries. For now, let’s move on to the next major event that took place while you were away."

A brief pause followed, allowing the audience a moment to process everything. Unlike the citizens of the empire, who had lived through these changes over time, those present were experiencing over a decade’s worth of transformation condensed into a single session. A short break to catch their breath was necessary.

Then, the narrator resumed with a statement that instantly commanded everyone's full attention.

"I’m sure many of you noticed my mention of the number of people accessing the SFGS at different tiers and wondered if you misheard or if I made a mistake. Neither is the case. At present, the empire's population stands at twenty billion imperial citizens, all of whom are human."

A stunned silence fell over the room.

“You gotta be kidding me” Amir’s muttered disbelief echoed the unspoken thoughts of everyone in the room. Whispers of speculation spread rapidly of how it was possible? A twelve-billion-person increase in population would make sense if the empire had absorbed another civilization, but the narrator had explicitly stated that all of them were human. That single fact shattered their most logical explanation before it could even take root.

As if anticipating their confusion, the narrator continued, “This increase was not the result of natural birth rates, nor was it due to cloning. Instead, it was caused by an accident during one of the TSF exploration fleet’s missions.”

The moment those words were spoken, the screen shifted to display a fleet of ships in deep space. The camera panned toward the largest vessel, its hull gleaming under distant starlight. Massive letters spelled out its name across the side of the mothership:

[TSF PROXIMA]

A sudden hush fell over the audience. Their eyes locked onto the screen with unwavering focus.

There was no doubt about it, this fleet was at the heart of whatever had happened.

The weight of anticipation in the room was palpable. Everyone was desperate to understand: What kind of accident could possibly result in the sudden existence of more than twelve billion new humans?

For a few, one possibility began forming in their minds. Did this fleet too encounter a similar kind of material that could create people? It was a wild theory, but it was the only explanation they could fathom with their currently limited knowledge.

And so, with bated breath, they waited for the answer.