Emergency Meeting

—  Rise Online Headquarters of the Hónghé Group, Los Angeles. —

Charles Richards was nervous. He was the lead developer of the world's most popular game, Rise Online, a VRMMORPG with millions of players worldwide. He was about to pitch his new expansion idea to the executives of Hónghé Group, the Chinese giant that had bought his company two years ago.

He walked into the conference room at Rise Online's Los Angeles headquarters accompanied by his secretary, Hollie Rees, a blonde, blue-eyed woman who was always supportive and dedicated to his work.