242 Ridiculous Theory
In November 1994, Joanne Kathleen submitted her manuscript to Ruki Bookstore. Prior to Ruki Bookstore's establishment in the UK, her manuscript had been rejected by several other publishers. This time, Joanne felt a sense of worry as she approached Ruki Bookstore, uncertain about whether they would accept her work.
Upon entering the bookstore, Joanne faced the female manager, who appeared to be Asian, possibly Japanese due to her accent. The manager meticulously scrutinized Joanne's manuscripts.
"Wow, this is truly interesting," the Japanese woman exclaimed. "From these scripts alone, I can tell that it's wonderful."
"Really?" Joanne was pleasantly surprised by the manager's reaction, feeling relieved that her work had been well-received. However, unbeknownst to Joanne, the Japanese woman had received instructions from the higher-ups not to reject any books related to magic unless they were exceptionally poor.
The Japanese woman found herself perplexed about the situation, not fully understanding the reasons behind it. However, it was Shin who had orchestrated these instructions.
This directive wasn't exclusive to her; managers in the UK had also received identical instructions. Shin had specifically established several bookstores in the UK with the hope of discovering the author of the renowned work from his previous life, "Harry Potter."
Despite the financial risks and the decline in sales for his publishing company due to the policy of not rejecting any books related to magic and fantasy unless they were exceptionally poor, Shin believed it was worthwhile. Most of these books sold modestly, but with Shin's current financial strength, he felt confident in managing the situation.
The Japanese woman, engrossed in reading the Harry Potter manuscript, found the story captivating and willingly accepted it.
During the discussion of the contract and royalties, Joanne was pleased with Ruki Bookstore, as they offered more favorable terms compared to other publishers.
Despite her disapproval of the terms offered by other book publishers, the majority rejected her manuscript.
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On November 12, 1994, KS1 and video games made their debut in the USA market. Excited console gamers flocked to KiShin stores and other distributors in malls.
Console gamers gradually purchased KS1 and video games, including popular titles like Resident Evil, KiShin All-Stars Racing!, and Mortal Kombat. Within a few days, these games resonated in the console gaming communities.
Particularly, Resident Evil (RE1) sparked discussions among gamers, prompting them to delve deeper into the game's story and gameplay. The CD cover directed them to the KiShin website's discussion forum for Resident Evil.
Upon visiting the website, they found a plethora of discussions in the 'Resident Evil' community, primarily in Japanese. When Americans selected their country as the USA, the discussions switched to English. Although the English discussions were still limited compared to the Japanese ones, Americans were beginning to explore the website and its communities.
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Andrea, a young woman who had just played Resident Evil, sat in front of her family computer. She registered on the KiShin website and searched for the Resident Evil community in the forum. Upon reaching the Resident Evil community, she noticed a few discussions had already been posted.
She chose the most popular post with dozens of likes, authored by a user named 'IAmJohnnyCage.' The post's title intrigued her: "What if Resident Evil was an inspiration for real life?"
"Inspiration for real life? What's this supposed to mean?" Andrea couldn't help but wonder. Having recently played the Resident Evil game, the image of the zombie turning its head lingered in her memory.
As Andrea read the post, she realized it was a theory suggesting that Resident Evil mirrored real-world events. In just a few days of the Resident Evil game's presence in the USA, there was already a theory circulating about its potential real-world connections.
"I just finished playing Resident Evil, and I must say it was such a good experience. Before diving into that, I'd like to share my opinion in this first post of mine on how the T-Virus and the events in Resident Evil might actually be inspired by real-life events...
First of all, I'm not claiming absolute correctness for this theory, acknowledging that the events in Resident Evil are entirely fictional. My theory proposes that the game's events could be based on real-world occurrences.
For instance, the Tyrant Virus in the game is portrayed as a creation of the nefarious pharmaceutical company, Umbrella Corporation, seemingly developed for biowarfare purposes.
Though I may not possess extensive knowledge in biology, it's conceivable that there could be a real-world pharmaceutical company engaging in unethical practices—conducting experiments on viruses, bacteria, or cells. Such a corporation might parallel the fictional Umbrella Company, exhibiting a disregard for human life and prioritizing profit over public safety.
As we're aware, KiShin has expanded its business into various sectors, including games, toys, films, cable channels, and even phones. It's indeed a rapidly growing company, suggesting they might be privy to societal secrets unbeknownst to the common folk.
Imagine if KiShin uncovers an unethical pharmaceutical company conducting experiments on biological weapons for the government. The virus they're experimenting with could have effects similar to the T-Virus in the game Resident Evil. Being an upright company, KiShin might have decided to alert the public through their new game.
It just struck me that the setting of the Resident Evil game resembles a suburban area in the USA. This implies that the mentioned pharmaceutical company might be conducting its experiments in an unassuming location within the United States.
I reached this conclusion due to the potential existence of a T-Virus in reality. We need to be cautious, and the disturbing fact that certain pharmaceutical companies are overcharging for drugs, prioritizing profits over humanity, is deeply unsettling."
As Andrea reads the post, a chill runs down her spine. At 16, the thought of a Resident Evil scenario being plausible shakes her to the core. With her right hand on the mouse, she feels it gradually turning cold.
"I must warn my family about this," Andrea mutters, trembling.
