Chapter 1: starting some things new

At the Max Hospital,

A beautiful female doctor, who many male doctors and patients had dreamed of, was now talking to a middle-aged man.

Though the man's actual age was forty-five, he looked like he was in his thirties. He had a clean-cut hairstyle, a short beard, and was wearing a neat outfit.

The guys surrounding these two had eyes filled with envy toward this man. They were all trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Doctor, Mike has been in the hospital for more than a week. Why is he not getting any better? His wounds are all gone, aren't they? So why can't he walk yet?" the man anxiously asked.

"Mister William, you first need to understand that, for physical therapy, an external wound is not the major concern. It's the internal one that—"

"Internal wound? Does that mean his internal organs are damaged? If that's the case, how long will it take for him to recover?" William inquired with great care.

"No, I mean his spirit. Mike himself is not willing to recover. He doesn't even want to perform physical therapy. If he isn't willing, the medical treatment won't be effective." The doctor replied with regret.

William fully understood the reason why Mike had no will to recover. He was in a car accident, His father and mother had died, while Mike survived after numerous operations, but complications still remained.

The cause of the accident was his father's drowsiness while driving. The victims still had to be compensated. Nevertheless, their insurance had expired without renewal so the insurance company claimed it wasn't their responsibility.

Although William was not directly involved, he had known Mike ever since he was a child and saw him as his own son. Because of his relationship with his father, he decided to help by paying the medical fees and looking after Mike since that incident.

"So he should at least perform physical therapy, huh?" William murmured and let out a sigh.

"He doesn't even need to have serious physical therapy.

"He doesn't have to have serious physical therapy? What do you mean?"

"First off, have you heard of a brain scanner?" the doctor asked with a smile.

"I have. I even have one at home. It's a device that gives us access to the virtual system directly via brainwave while we're sleeping, isn't it? 

"That's the one. Our hospital has the policy to use brain scanners for treating patients who have mental damage rather than physical. The patients will get access to beautiful and relaxing scenes such as mountains, rivers, waterfalls, or the sea to calm their mind."

"That sounds good. Then why hasn't the hospital used this method on Sila yet? Is it because I need to buy one myself? If so, I have no problem with that. Please just tell me the expenses. I will pay," proposed William.

The Doctor hurriedly waved her hand. "It's not about expenses. I have already told Mike about it, but he has declined."

"Is that so...?"

William felt very hopeless.

'Wait."Doctor, I have a plan. I will contact you later with more information. Please pardon me as I leave. I will be back soon."

Rashane ran off as enthusiastic as a kid.

"Y-Yes."

The doctor was a bit confused.

William hurriedly left the hospital, so he didn't get to hear the upcoming words of despondency from the female orthopedist.

"Hahh... He already left. It's regretful that I got to talk only about the patient... A handsome widower with decent age. He is exactly my type."

***

Three hours later, the door of room 3 was opened.

A man in a patient outfit was lying down on the bed. His messy light brown hair was being blown by the wind from the windows. His body was a little malnourished but still looked decently muscular. His deep green eyes looked vacantly through the windows until the sound of the door made him turn his head to look at two familiar figures.

"Hello, Uncle William."

"Hi, Mike, How are you? Feeling any better?" asked William while putting the box he carried onto the floor.

"So-so, uncle"

William lightly nodded, "I bought something for you today." He then started to unpack the box.

"You don't need to. Just paying for my medical fees has made me wonder how I can ever repay your kindness already."

"If you truly want to repay my kindness then get better. Nevertheless, you don't need to be so concerned. I think of you as my own son."

"Thank you, uncle."

The box was finally opened. Inside was one of the recently released brain scanners. This was the result of William consulting with the doctor; she had told him that the hospital's brain scanners had fewer functions and were shared with the other patients. When William told her his plan, she had suggested he buy a personal one instead.

"What is it?" Mike curiously asked.

holographic virtual gaming helmet that can 100% simulate reality in novels. The first part looked like a hairband with an electronic monitor on the front of it. This part was called a brain-scanning device. The user had to wear this part to use the brain scanner. The other part was the central processing unit called a brain-wave controller. It looked kind of like a laptop, but its functions were much more complex and versatile.

Despite these two parts being with wireless, they still had to be within a ten meters radius to be effective.

"Holographic virtual gaming helmet," said William, "And it's the most recent one."

Mike could guess William's intention. He released a sigh.

"Thank you, uncle William. But I've already told the doctor that I won't—"

"Just listen to me first, Mike I have something to tell you. If you listen to all this and still don't want to use it, I will then accept your decision and won't bring this topic up again."

Mike stayed silent after hearing this. So William took it as a sign to continue.

"This Holographic virtual gaming helmet is set up to access a game called Desmond Online which is very popular right now. My son is also playing it. In this game, users will get to experience a virtual reality world. Pain, hunger, taste, smell, and emotion will all seem real."

William paused for a moment as if he was hesitant to tell Mike the next sentence.

But finally, he sighed and continued.

"Mike, what do you think about... ermm... debt collectors?"

Suddenly, William changed the topic.

Almost at the exact same time as William had ended his sentence, Mike's eyes were filled with vengeance. His hands squeezed heavily on the bed's edge.

Furthermore, once you get items in the game, all items obtained could be sold for money.

The room fell into silence. Then, a reply could be heard from Mike's mouth.

"How quickly can this device be operated?"

This reply made William and the doctor feel happy and worried at the same time. Both of them felt happy that Mike was finally willing to use the device. Meanwhile, they were also fully aware that the reason for him using the device was not a good one.

'Hopefully, nothing bad will happen,' thought William.