"To think they dared to conduct experiments without even owning the core program, and even dreamed of using it to unify the world. Isn't this just the Infinite Tsukuyomi? Their thought process is truly baffling."
Initially, Daniel had thought Mobius's plan was somewhat impressive. However, after learning the specifics of their so-called "consciousness overlay" progress from the Mobius CEO, Daniel looked at the CEO and the scientists involved in the project as if they were fools.
The consciousness overlay plan, even if successful, would hardly achieve true immortality. Not even Orochimaru could achieve that, let alone the people at Mobius. The main issue was the compatibility of souls—or, in Mobius's terms, the synchronization of brainwaves. Only when brainwaves resonated could their desired outcome be achieved.
Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation technique required him to change bodies approximately every three years due to this very issue. Of course, Orochimaru was working on improving this through his Cursed Seal technique, which gradually altered the host's body to extend the duration of each reincarnation.
If Mobius's plan succeeded, even if it didn't grant true immortality, it would still allow people to extend their lives significantly. This would undoubtedly attract countless individuals desperate to cling to life. With such technology, Mobius could easily become a top-tier power.
However, it was more likely that other major powers would swoop in and take over, as the potential profits were too great to let Mobius monopolize them. Even in the Resident Evil movies, the global chaos caused by the T-virus wasn't solely the work of Umbrella Corporation. It involved the cooperation of high-ranking officials from various countries.
But all of this was predicated on Mobius's plan succeeding. In reality, based on the information Daniel had gathered, the core of the plan wasn't even under Mobius's control. Despite this, they had the audacity to proceed with their experiments. Their confidence was even greater than Kozuki Oden's.
The core of Mobius's plan was a device called STEM, which could convert brainwaves into a virtual reality environment. In essence, it was similar to modern virtual reality games, but with a key difference: while Daniel's virtual reality games relied on software, Mobius's system relied on a human brain—specifically, the brain of the person who had developed the STEM device.
Through this brain, people could enter a virtual reality environment. It was astonishing how foolish Mobius had been. Instead of treating the creator of STEM with respect and cooperation, they had demanded the program from him. When he refused, they killed him in an attempt to extract the STEM manufacturing method from his brain.
This decision backfired spectacularly. The creator, instead of dying, had uploaded his consciousness into the system, much like Arnim Zola from HYDRA or Kayaba Akihiko from Sword Art Online. Once inside the virtual reality environment created by his brain, he had complete control, much like Kayaba's Seed program. Anyone who entered his virtual world was at his mercy.
Despite this, Mobius refused to give up. They continued sending people into the virtual world, eventually using their own researchers to suppress the creator's program and gain partial control over the virtual environment.
At this point, they should have focused on obtaining full administrative control. Instead, the Mobius board of directors seemed to have lost their minds and decided to move forward with the next phase of their plan: bringing large numbers of people into the virtual world to create a perfect society free from war, famine, and disease.
This was essentially a carbon copy of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Initially, the plan proceeded smoothly. Mobius targeted homeless individuals and those living in poverty, offering them a chance to live in a seemingly perfect virtual world. For those at the bottom of society, the allure was irresistible. It was similar to Obito Uchiha's Infinite Tsukuyomi—some people would willingly choose a life of blissful ignorance over one of hardship.
The concept of the Brain in a Vat was terrifying, but not everyone thought about such things. It was like the ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi's famous question: "Was Zhuangzi dreaming he was a butterfly, or is the butterfly dreaming it is Zhuangzi?" Who could say for sure?
At first, Mobius's actions didn't attract much attention, as they targeted marginalized individuals and operated under the guise of legitimate testing. However, as Mobius grew impatient with the slow progress, they developed a program to pull more people into the virtual world using soundwaves. The sound Daniel had heard at the psychiatric hospital was part of this program. Many residents of Elk Grove had become Mobius's test subjects, which was why Daniel had felt something was off when he arrived.
What Mobius hadn't anticipated was Daniel's sudden appearance. Unaffected by their soundwave device, Daniel infiltrated their headquarters and took control of everything.
"Using a human brain to create a virtual reality world is truly remarkable. No wonder they were able to breach the OASIS game. Their idea is quite impressive."
Initially, Daniel had assumed Mobius's virtual reality technology was similar to his own. However, after a closer examination, he realized there was a fundamental difference. While Daniel's system relied on hardware, Mobius's system relied on human brains. Most people only use a small fraction of their brain's potential, but Mobius's STEM device connected multiple brains, allowing the virtual world to expand as more people joined.
Moreover, the realism of this virtual world far surpassed that of Daniel's OASIS game or any other VR system. It was almost indistinguishable from reality—a true second world.
As for why they had breached the OASIS game, it was part of Mobius's ambition to dominate the world. By controlling OASIS, they could use it as a stepping stone to expand their own virtual world and eventually pull the entire global population into it, achieving their version of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The Mobius CEO had even justified this plan as being for the greater good, claiming that moving humanity into the virtual world would reduce resource consumption and eliminate wars and conflicts. As for real-world issues like alien threats, Mobius would handle them. In essence, it was the same old power grab dressed up as altruism.
"You're all PhD holders, right? Building your ideal world on the brain of... let me see... Ruben Victoriano? A certain blue-haired idiot would be thrilled to see you, because she's finally found people dumber than herself."
"What do you know? This is for the sake of the world!" one of the researchers shouted passionately. However, his words were cut short by a gunshot.
"I've heard enough of this excuse. Can't you come up with something new?" Daniel was thoroughly disgusted by people who claimed to be saving the world while only seeking power. Since he had encountered them, he saw no reason not to clean house.
With a series of gunshots, all the researchers in the lab fell to the ground.
"Ruben Victoriano... He and Obito would have been great friends."
The entire STEM system had been developed by Ruben Victoriano, whose sole goal was to reunite with his sister, who had died in a fire. In reality, his sister was gone, but Ruben hoped to recreate her through the memories stored in his brain.
Interestingly, Ruben hadn't shown any exceptional talent in this area during his childhood. It was only after his sister's death that he unlocked his potential. Of course, Mobius had played a significant role in this. Even a genius needed funding and test subjects to succeed, and Ruben's family, while wealthy, couldn't provide the resources needed for such a project.
"Now, who should I call to clean up this mess? Tony Stark, I guess."
While it was easy to eliminate Mobius's top executives, dealing with the test subjects they had captured was a more complicated matter. The local police were unreliable, as Elk Grove's law enforcement was essentially under Mobius's control. Phil Coulson would have been a good choice, but Daniel decided against involving S.H.I.E.L.D., as Nick Fury couldn't be trusted.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. took over, they would likely cover up the truth to avoid causing public panic. Tony Stark, on the other hand, would expose everything.
As expected, once Tony learned the details, he immediately went public with the information. The Jurassic Park incident was quickly overshadowed as public attention shifted to Mobius's atrocities. The company, which had been involved in the medical field, faced intense scrutiny, and other medical companies were also called into question. The government was forced to launch investigations.
With the medical industry embroiled in scandal after scandal, stock prices plummeted, and countless companies went bankrupt.
"That guy seems a bit off."
Mobius's downfall was inevitable. After such a massive scandal, the once-prominent company was doomed. Daniel had no interest in salvaging it. Unlike Umbrella Corporation, which had valuable bioweapons, Mobius's "brain in a vat" technology was essentially useless.
Before calling Tony, Daniel had Red Queen delete all data related to the consciousness overlay project. Without this information, no one would be foolish enough to take over Mobius's mess. Anyone interested in virtual reality technology could simply turn to OASIS.
Among the people Daniel rescued, one individual stood out: a man diagnosed with mental illness. His brainwaves were said to match Ruben's, making him Mobius's trump card against Ruben. Mobius had planned to use this man to wrest control of the virtual world from Ruben.
However, Daniel's intervention had thrown a wrench into their plans.
"Whatever. He's just a mentally ill person, and a cowardly one at that. He's no Joker. It doesn't matter."
Daniel quickly dismissed the man from his thoughts. After all, this wasn't Gotham City, and even if the man were dangerous, he posed no threat to Daniel or the Avengers.
What Daniel didn't realize was that the reason he had noticed the man was due to a mismatch between the man's body and soul. In reality, the man's soul had already been replaced by Ruben's. Mobius's efforts to find someone with matching brainwaves had backfired, allowing Ruben to return to the world of the living.
Under normal circumstances, consciousness overlay would have been extremely difficult. However, Ruben's consciousness was exceptionally strong, while the mentally ill man's consciousness was weak. Combined with their synchronized brainwaves, a series of coincidences had led to a form of soul possession.
"You've reached the Transcendence Realm?"
In the world of Qin's Moon, in the city of Xianyang, Xiao Meng looked at Daniel, who was flying on a sword, with disbelief. Despite her usual calm demeanor, she couldn't hide her astonishment.
"Not quite." In terms of power, Daniel wasn't far from the Transcendence Realm. However, the Transcendence Realm wasn't just about strength—it also involved lifespan. Even in the world of Chinese Paladin, this was a rare achievement.
(End of Chapter)
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