"Research Association"

At an altitude of ten thousand meters, the building of the Geometric Design Group had become battered and partially on the verge of collapse. The situation had stabilized, and the staff were dealing with the chaotic scene. Meng Geometry stood on the edge of the fracture, regaining his composure, alone.

"Did that kid, Qin Yiguan, exit the Metaverse?"

At that moment, the vast blue sky above ten thousand meters began to flicker, turning into a mosaic. Blocks of semi-transparent squares appeared, revealing their giant true form as the background disguise faded away.

It was a huge flying object resembling a metallic fishing net. Its skeleton, made of dark silver sturdy alloy, stretched for thousands of kilometers at every cross section. These intersections housed dozens of high-precision detectors: bioenergy, thermal imaging, sonar, visual surveillance, and more.

This gigantic net, camouflaged, had arrived unnoticed and remained floating in the sky, covering an area of several hundred thousand square meters.

"Research Association?"

Meng Geometry squinted at the enormous object above, reminiscent of dark clouds over the city. The powers within the experimental field always seemed to escalate.

Originally a civilian organization, the Research Association had a powerful, mysterious backer. They were devoted to studying the logic of the Metaverse, obsessively fascinated by the Gemini intelligence. However, the information left to humanity by the Gemini intelligence was extremely scarce. The Research Association aimed to find order in the chaotic world of the Metaverse, rumored to be a group of scientists with a strong spirit of exploration. But Meng Geometry felt that, like all human endeavors, the Research Association merely sought to use this order to become the supreme existence.

Over decades, they had published countless research findings, gradually becoming theoretical advisors to the Metaverse government.

Meng Geometry hesitated, "The recent incident was indeed strange, attracting the Research Association."

...

At the center of the metallic giant net stood a technological fortress, more akin to a research institute upon closer inspection, covered by a circular glass dome. Inside the highest building, within a 360-degree observation deck, a group of scientists, all in their forties and fifties, stood quietly.

The leader, an elderly man with wisdom in his demeanor, slowly looked up. A huge curved screen materialized above them, replaying scenes from 10 minutes prior.

The elder mused, "The Iron Curtain is just a common technology in the Metaverse, accessible to anyone with money. But that half-mechanical strange bird..."

As he spoke, several young scholars entered with virtual screens displaying dense analytical data.

"Teacher," a young scholar approached, "I've completed the detailed analysis of that strange bird for your review."

"No need," the elder scientist waved his hand, indicating that the creature's data was irrelevant. What mattered was the manner of its appearance.

He continued, emphasizing that the Metaverse, despite being a coded world free from the material foundations of the real world, was not a daydream. It was a second home for humanity, created by the Gemini intelligence, maintaining underlying logic.

"For example, the Iron Curtain, though seemingly divine, is essentially an upgrade of plasma energy shields using surreal technology in the Metaverse. And our airbase, too, is assembled piece by piece."

The scientists agreed, viewing the Metaverse as a vast simulation sandbox where real-world theories could be tested.

"But that half-mechanical giant bird," the elder narrowed his eyes, "it wasn't teleported or mechanically transformed. It appeared out of nowhere, without any material basis or theoretical support, undergoing a cross-species transformation!"

The scene fell silent. It was only after a while that the leading elder spoke again, "It seems my previous deduction was correct."

The young students around him widened their eyes in surprise, "Teacher, you mean...?"

"Somebody can change the logic of the Metaverse with their own brainpower!" 

"The logic that only the Gemini intelligence could control before!"

The elder gazed at the vast world, "Everyone knows that the Metaverse is closely related to the human brain. All our perceptions directly affect our brains in reality."

"Similarly, the power within our brains can also influence the Metaverse in reverse."

"But."

"Apart from the now-gone Gemini technology."

"Who dares to claim they truly understand that organ in our skulls, weighing about 1400 grams and as soft as tofu?"

The elder looked back at the scientists behind him, who all looked back with awe.

"The human brain is the most precise instrument there is, bar none."

"Even."

"It might be the most complex and mysterious system in the entire universe."

"Some have called the human brain the last black box to be cracked in the universe."

The elder's eyes flickered, "Despite years of research without fully unveiling the mysteries of the brain, today, I am convinced of one thing."

"The human brain has always had super virtual and logical capabilities."

"It's just that before the appearance of the Metaverse, the divine-like abilities of the human brain had no chance to show."

"Today's incident is solid proof."

"The brain has functions we never knew about."

"I will tentatively name it — the Dark Zone."

The room remained silent for a long time, each person's thoughts boiling over.

"Draft a document."

"And immediately contact the government of the Metaverse. This time, we will reorganize the power system of the Metaverse."

"The core message," the elder said word by word, "13 minutes ago, a user activated the brain's forbidden zone."

"The phenomenon is, between the human brain and the Metaverse, there can be... inconceivably bizarre reactions."

"It's a power we never knew existed."

"Superior to the previously known 'reality enhancement'."

"But given that this ability appears out of nowhere, untraceable."

"We can only propose two hypotheses."

"First, this user has a unique brain structure in reality, previously restricted by login devices, and couldn't enter the experimental field. I suspect they come from a Rust City."

"Second, this user was a normal member within the Metaverse, but due to the third update of the experimental field an hour ago, reducing order by 50%... they had some restrictions lifted."

"As for what the brain's forbidden zone is, how it's activated, what the user's integration rate is, and what integration rate is required to activate the brain's forbidden zone..."

"There is no detailed data yet."

A group of scientists rapidly recorded the information using virtual keyboards.

The leading elder took a deep breath and continued, "The instigator just now is very likely the 'anomaly' mentioned by the Gemini intelligence."

"There's a possibility that due to this update by the Gemini intelligence, the world's structure will change, a massive number of brain forbidden zone activators will emerge, and then the entire virtual world's structure will start to change."

"Or another possibility..."

"That person is the sole activator of the brain's forbidden zone."

"They will be like a dragon entering the water, using their unique ability to create huge waves and forge an era that belongs solely to them!"

The room suddenly fell silent again, even the tapping of keyboards halted.

Everyone was pondering one question — who is that person?

Then a student asked, "Teacher, how shall we refer to that brain forbidden zone activator?"

The elder pondered for a moment, "Let's tentatively name him — Brain Forbidden Zone 001."

The room fell silent once more.

But the leading elder's gaze was resolute as he calmly stated, "At the end of the document, make a pledge. Our Research Association will continue to follow this project, do everything in our power to collect data, continuously refine this system, and make it public to the world!"

Behind him, a chorus of scientists nodded, their hearts ignited with a flame of longing and obsession for the unknown.

The leading elder's eyes shone with determination.

"Next."

"Request the Metaverse government to provide data on nutrient pod distribution, and systematically investigate first-time logins within the last 2 hours!"