The next day, Nova had to disintegrate Aron’s computer in order for him to log off and start preparing himself for her meeting with Sarah.
In terms of the overall simulation time, she had been playing the game with Aron for over four and a half days, giving him enough time for Aron to immerse himself in the game and nearly forget about his meeting with Sarah.
“Thanks,” Aron said as he passed through the gate and logged off the VR to begin preparing himself for his meeting.
After completing his preparations within half an hour, Aron departed from the house. He found Donald having already arranged the transportation for his journey to the company.
Nova had informed Donald about Aron’s visit using Aron’s phone, ensuring that everything was ready for his arrival.
“Good morning,” Aron greeted Donald as he stepped into the car through the door that Donald had courteously opened for him.
“Good morning, sir,” Donald greeted in response, immediately closing the door behind Aron.
Donald joined Aron in the car and used his walkie-talkie to communicate with the occupants of the other vehicle. “We are moving,” he relayed through the radio.
“Yes, sir,” came the swift response, and without delay, the three-car convoy set off.
……
“Welcome,” Sarah greeted Aron with a warm hug as he stepped out of the car in the underground parking of the company building.
“Thank you. It seems like security has been significantly heightened,” Aron remarked, noticing the extensive security measures in place as they arrived and entered the underground parking area.
“Yes, there have been several instances where people were caught attempting to enter the building unauthorized. Another reason for the increased security is to ensure your safety during your visit,” Sara explained.
“I see” Aron replied as he and Sarah made their way towards the waiting elevator.
Upon entering the elevator, Sarah pressed the button corresponding to the floor where her office was located. The elevator began its ascent, and during the ride, they engaged in casual conversation to pass the time. They intentionally avoided discussing anything of a serious nature while inside the elevator.
“Would you like any beverages?” Sarah inquired as they stepped out of the elevator.
“I’ll have mango juice,” Aron replied after a brief pause to consider his choice.
“One coffee for me, and a mango juice for Mr. Aron, please,” Sarah instructed her secretary as they passed by, heading into her office.
“Yes, Miss,” her secretary acknowledged before leaving to fulfill the drink order from the cafeteria.
Once inside her office, they took their seats and engaged in light conversation while waiting for the secretary to bring their beverages. They wanted to ensure an uninterrupted discussion, so they chose to wait until they had their drinks in hand.
“I’ve been curious about this for quite some time, but why aren’t we constructing our own company headquarters?” Sarah inquired.
“We do have plans to build one, but not at the moment. If we were to proceed with the construction now, it would be a waste of time, considering that we haven’t finalized the decision to keep the headquarters in America,” Aron explained the reasoning behind their current approach.
“Are you suggesting that we might ultimately change the country where the company is registered?” Sarah asked, taken aback by the unexpected response.
“Yes, why does that surprise you?” Aron questioned.
“But why would we do that?” Sarah asked, seeking further clarification.
“As you know, we anticipate receiving another FISA order demanding the handover of GAIA OS’s source code under the pretext of national security in the near future.
Currently, the only thing preventing them from doing so is the public’s focus on the Snowden incident, They are concerned about the potential negative public reaction if they force us to surrender the source code of an operating system used by over 2 billion people worldwide.
Therefore, they are biding their time, waiting for the public’s attention to shift before they make their move,” Aron revealed.
“That’s true. We have been preparing to fight against it with the help of our lawyer,” Sarah nodded, acknowledging the truth of Aron’s statement. She had been dealing with frequent requests and subtle threats from various three-letter agencies.
“In that case, why should we establish our headquarters in a country that consistently seeks to claim everything we build?” Aron posed the question, illustrating his reservations about locating the headquarters in a country that perpetually posed such challenges.
“Mh… That does make sense,” Sarah nodded in agreement with Aron’s explanation.
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
They granted permission for the secretary to enter, and she entered the office carrying the requested drinks on plates.
After handing over the drinks, she swiftly departed, leaving Aron and Sarah alone to resume their meeting.
After savoring their drinks and finishing them, Aron suggested, “Let’s move to your computer so that I can show you the game.”
They promptly made their way to the computer, and Sarah, after unlocking it, handed it over to Aron.
Aron dragged a chair beside Sarah and positioned himself next to her. He accessed the company server using the computer and, after entering a lengthy password, successfully opened the secured folder. He proceeded to install the game on the computer.
“That was quick,” Sarah remarked, impressed by the fact that the game had been installed within a mere thirty seconds.
“The initial size of the game is approximately 160 MB,” Aron explained, clarifying the reason for the quick installation.
Upon hearing this, Sarah cast a curious side-eye towards Aron, wondering about the nature of a game that took him months to create yet had a size comparable to a regular app.
However, she chose not to voice her thoughts and simply shifted her attention back to the computer.
Aron handed back control of the computer to her.
She launched the game, and to her amazement, it loaded and started within a few seconds, thanks to her computer being equipped with the latest technology.
“Wow!” Sarah exclaimed, surprised by the speed.
Aron remained silent as Sarah immersed herself in trying out the game, intending to explain its intricacies once she had experienced it firsthand.
After approximately thirty minutes of gameplay, Sarah couldn’t contain her excitement and exclaimed, “This is going to be a massive hit!”
“I know, I know. Just calm down,” Aron replied, soothing Sarah’s enthusiasm.
“How is it possible for a game of such small size to offer such a vast range of features?” Sarah asked in astonishment.
Despite its compact size, the game boasted incredibly detailed and stunning graphics, mesmerizing music, and an otherworldly story. It seemed as though every aspect had been meticulously crafted by a computer with an eerie understanding of human preferences, resulting in an addictive experience for anyone who played the game.
“The size of the game is small because it doesn’t include the full story upon download,” Aron explained, shedding some light on the reason, though not revealing all the details.
“Then, do users have to continuously download updates in order to continue playing the game?” Sarah inquired, expressing her concern about potential drawbacks if players were required to constantly update the game.
“You’re partially right, but not entirely,” Aron replied, causing Sarah’s expression to change multiple times.
“How does it work then?” Sarah pressed for further clarification.
“In order to play the game, it is necessary for users’ devices to have the GAIA OS as their operating system,” Aron explained.
“Does it involve the OS’s virtual assistant?” Sarah queried.
“Yes, the updates will be handled by the device’s virtual assistant. This means that the virtual assistant will continuously download and remove certain elements from the game while ensuring that the game size remains under 250 MB,” Aron elaborated.
“Wouldn’t that make the game consume a significant amount of internet data, leading to a decrease in the number of players?” Sarah voiced her concern.