Chapter 122: Chapter 122: The Launch Event – Part 3 (Starr VR Debut)

AURORA CONVENTION CENTER – 8:45 PM

The fifteen-minute break had energized the crowd rather than calming them. Everyone was talking. Debating. Processing what they’d just witnessed. Tech journalists were filing stories in real-time. Scientists in the audience were already downloading the Simulator on their devices.

Marcus Webb was doing a live commentary for his stream. “We’ve been here for over two hours and Starr Technologies hasn’t stopped delivering. The Simulator alone would be the story of the year and decades to come. But according to the schedule, we’re only halfway through. What else could they possibly have in store for—”

The lights dimmed again.

Cassia walked back onto the stage. The audience immediately quieted.

“Thank you for your patience,” she said. “I hope you’ve had time to process what we’ve shown you. The Simulator is powerful. The AR BCI is transformative. But now…” She paused for effect. “Now I want to show you something that most people thought was impossible. Something that exists in science fiction but not reality.”

The holographic display behind her changed. A sleek helmet appeared—elegant curves, matte black finish, subtle blue lighting accents.

“This is the Starr VR Full-Dive Headset.”

Murmurs rippled through the hall.

“Virtual reality has existed for decades,” Cassia continued. “But it’s always been limited. Headsets that show you images. Controllers that track your hands. Audio that plays in your ears. It’s immersive, yes, but you always know you’re wearing equipment. You always know you’re not really there.”

She walked closer to the audience. “What if I told you we’ve created true full-dive VR? Not just visual immersion. Complete sensory immersion. A virtual reality that feels as real as the physical world. Where you can see, hear, touch, smell, taste—where every sense is engaged. Where you forget you’re in a simulation because your brain genuinely believes you’re somewhere else.”

Skeptical sounds from the crowd.

A man shouted, “That’s not possible! You’d need direct neural interfaces. Brain surgery!”

Cassia smiled. “You’d think so. But remember—you just saw brain-computer interfaces that work through your skin. No surgery. No implants. The Starr VR uses the same core technology, just more advanced.”

She gestured to the side of the stage. “To demonstrate, I’ve invited five prominent gamers to experience full-dive VR live. Please welcome Jason ’Apex’ Chen, Maria ’Velocity’ Santos, Dmitri ’Phantom’ Volkov, Aisha ’Zenith’ Osman, and Tyler ’Nexus’ Park!”

Five people walked onto the stage. They ranged from early twenties to mid-thirties. All were known in gaming communities—streamers, tournament players, content creators with hundreds of millions of followers.

Jason Chen had 200 million subscribers on his gaming channel. He waved to the audience, grinning. “I have to admit, when Starr Technologies invited me here, I thought it was a scam. Then I looked at who else was coming and figured even if it’s a scam, it’s a well-organized one.”

The audience laughed.

“But after seeing what we’ve seen tonight?” Jason shook his head. “I’m a believer. Show me this VR.”

Five recliner chairs had been set up on stage. Comfortable, ergonomic, with built-in restraints—not for restriction but for safety, to prevent users from moving around while immersed.

Staff members in Starr Technologies uniforms appeared, each carrying a VR headset.

“Please, everyone take a seat,” Cassia said.

The gamers settled into the recliners. The staff helped them get comfortable.

“Before we begin,” Cassia said, addressing both the gamers and the audience, “let me explain how the Starr VR works. You’ve seen the AR BCI—it reads your neural activity and translates thoughts into commands. The VR headset does something similar but far more complex.”

She pulled up a diagram on the holographic display. A brain with highlighted regions. Neural pathways lighting up.

“First, calibration. The headset needs to map your individual neural patterns. Everyone’s brain is slightly different. The way your neurons fire when you see the color red might be different from someone else. So we give you a simple task—look at images, listen to sounds, touch textures—and the system records how your brain responds. This takes five to ten minutes.”

On stage, the staff were placing the headsets on the gamers. Sleek devices that covered their eyes and wrapped around their heads. Much less bulky than traditional VR headsets.

“Once calibration is complete,” Cassia continued, “the system can do something remarkable. It induces deep sleep.”

A woman in the front row stood up. “You’re putting them to sleep? How is that safe?”

“Excellent question,” Cassia said calmly. “The headset uses precisely calibrated electromagnetic pulses—completely safe, non-invasive—that trigger your brain’s natural sleep mechanisms. It’s the same process your brain goes through every night, just accelerated. Within about thirty seconds, you’re in REM sleep. The dreaming state.”

“Why sleep?” someone else asked.

“Because dreams are your brain creating simulated reality. When you dream, your brain generates images, sounds, sensations—a complete virtual world. The VR system hijacks that process. Instead of random and weird dreams, the AI takes control of your dream space. It becomes the director of your dream. The VR world is rendered on your computer, processed by the AI algorithms, and transmitted directly to your brain as if it were a dream you’re experiencing.”

The gamers on stage were going through calibration now. Their monitors showed the tasks—geometric shapes appearing, sounds playing, texture patterns. Brain activity graphs scrolled past.

Dr. Sully, still on stage from the earlier demonstration, raised her hand. “Mrs. Starr, are you telling me this induces actual REM sleep? What about the physical dangers? If someone’s asleep for hours, what about their body?”

“The system monitors vitals constantly,” Rene’s voice came through the speakers. “Heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, brain activity—everything. If anything goes outside safe parameters, the system wakes the user immediately. Additionally, the recliners are designed for extended use. They maintain proper posture, prevent pressure sores, and include catheter options for sessions longer than four hours.”

“How long can someone stay in VR?” Dr. Zhao asked.

“Safely? Up to 16 hours continuously. Though we recommend breaks. The experience is so immersive that users lose track of time. Many testers didn’t want to leave.”

Maria Santos, one of the gamers, spoke up. “I’m getting prompts on my display. It’s asking me to visualize different scenarios. Remember specific memories. This is wild.”

“That’s the calibration process,” Cassia explained. “Mapping how your brain encodes experiences.”

On the main screen, split into five sections, the audience could see what each gamer was seeing through their headset display. Currently just calibration interfaces. Progress bars ticking upward.

Tyler Park’s section showed: Calibration: 87% complete

Then: Calibration: 95% complete

Finally: Calibration: 100% complete. Preparing sleep induction. Please relax and close your eyes.

“Oh man,” Tyler eagerly said. “This is really happening. I’m about to—”

His voice cut off. His body relaxed completely in the recliner.

One by one, the other gamers went silent. Their bodies went slack. Deep, steady breathing.

“They’re asleep,” Cassia confirmed. “In REM state. The VR world is loading now. What they experience from this point forward will be transmitted to the main screen so you can see what they’re seeing.”

The audience watched, mesmerized.

The five screen sections went black. Then:

Light.

The gamers opened their eyes—their virtual eyes—in a vast, ethereal space.

They were floating in an infinite white void. No ground. No sky. Just endless luminous space.

“Whoa,” Jason’s voice came through, clear and amazed. “I can feel this. I can actually feel like I’m floating. The sensation is perfect.”

Maria was looking at her hands—her virtual hands. Flexing her fingers. “This is… I can feel my hands moving. The weight of them. The texture of my skin. How is this possible?”

“Welcome to the Starting World,” a calm AI voice said as it materialized into the world in a human form. The gamers’ personal AI assistants. “This is your calibration lobby. A space where your imagination is the only limit. Before we proceed to the main VR world, let’s verify all sensory systems are functioning correctly. Try moving around.”

Dmitri thought about moving forward. He shot through the white space like a rocket.

“Holy shit!” he yelled. “I’m flying! This is actual flight! I can feel the motion!”

The other gamers started experimenting. Aisha spun in circles, laughing. Tyler was doing loops and barrel rolls.

“Try creating something,” the AI suggested. “Imagine an object. Will it into existence.”

Jason concentrated. A massive glowing sword appeared in his hand. “No way. NO WAY. This is just like—”

He swung the sword. It moved with perfect weight and momentum. He could feel the grip, the balance, the way it cut through the air.

Maria imagined wings. Huge, luminous wings sprouted from her back. She felt them. Moved them. Started flying with powerful strokes.

The audience was losing their minds.

“They’re experiencing actual physical sensations,” Marcus Webb narrated into his camera. “This isn’t just visual. They’re feeling everything.”

Tyler grinned. “If we can create anything… let me try something.”

He put his hands together. Focused. His hands began glowing with blue energy.

“KAMEHAMEHA!” Tyler shouted, thrusting his hands forward.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep