Prisoners of VR

"Sir Karthik, I understand your situation, but even you cannot barge into a DOVA Agent's recuperating ward." The Hospital Director smiled wryly, "It is a breach of safety and our hospital itself would take a hit."

"Then, what am I supposed to do? My son is dying as we speak." Rohit's father, Karthik sported a vexed expression, "I was stopped and questioned by ten people before I could even reach you. I'm becoming mad in anger."

"I don't wish to do this, but since you have donated a lot to my hospital's charity, I'll try my best." Saying so, the Director pressed a button as a doctor entered. Pointing at the doctor, the Director said, "This is the doctor that is in charge of the DOVA Agent. You can pass the message through him. Of course, please maintain the necessary decorum."

"I understand your frustration, but your goal is to make him save your son, right? So, please endure until that happens. Don't try to force his hand."

"I understand, my son's life is at stake here." Karthik calmed himself as he held the doctor's hands, "Doctor, my son is a hardworking child. He has been working hard to become a doctor in the future. Please tell the DOVA Agent that I'm begging him. I have money, that's all I have. Whatever he needs, I'm ready to pay the price. My son is all I need."

He hurriedly projected a screen through Augmented Reality and displayed a couple of pictures, "Look here, doctor. This was when he rescued a rabbit from danger. He was awarded by his school. He was only eight years old then. See this, he noticed and admitted a lone grandmother from our neighbourhood when she suffered a heart attack. This was two months ago..."

Karthik went on for a couple of minutes, desperate to show his son's contributing nature toward society.

The doctor patiently saw the pictures and observed clearly well how desperate Karthik was. He would be lying if he wasn't moved as he stared at the desperate father seriously, "Please forward me everything you've shown. I'll show them to the DOVA Agent and do everything in my power to convince him to save you."

"Thank you, thank you very much, doctor." Karthik collapsed to the ground and broke into tears, thanking him nonstop.

The doctor received a notification, prompting him that Rahu had woken up. He stared at Karthik and said, "The DOVA Agent has woken up. I'll get going now."

He nodded at Karthik, "Please have faith in me."

The doctor soon arrived at the entrance to the ward where Rahu had been admitted. He stared at Deepika remaining guard at the entrance, stating in relief, "I can't feel that terrifying sensation anymore, thank goodness."

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"I'm sorry for the trouble we caused." Deepika bowed slightly.

"It's fine, none of the patients were affected." The doctor waved his hands in a hurry as he entered the ward.

Rahu was seated on his bed, eyes closed, exhibiting a serene atmosphere that naturally calmed others. Even the doctor relaxed subconsciously. The faint trembling in his body that was influenced by the memories of the killing intent from before vanished.

"Sir Rahu, how are you feeling?" He asked immediately.

"Tired, my body aches, and my head hurts." Rahu said in exhaustion, "But I'm feeling better than before."

He stared at his left hand and clenched it into a fist. Deepika only notified the doctor now, but Rahu had woken up an hour ago. Using that time, he rehabilitated himself in Virtual Reality. That meant ten hours in his Virtual Space.

Ten hours was enough time to recover control over his arm, especially since he was experienced in the field. The arm still wasn't as good as before facing Manav, but after a couple of nights of rest, it should recover to an optimal state.

"That's good to hear," The doctor nodded, "You can get discharged in the morning if no other issue arises. That's what your secretary requested."

"I'm fine with that." Rahu nodded and then stared at the hesitant expression of the doctor, "Do you have anything else to say to me, doctor? You look like you want to ask something."

"It's a request, sir." The doctor put on a respectful tone, "The son of one of our benefactors has been announced brain dead. He has an uVR Earth though. Therefore, the father hopes you can at least jolt his brain through the memory backed up in his uVR Earth."

"He's an exemplary citizen..." The doctor was just about to talk more about Rohit when Rahu raised his hands and motioned him to stop.

"Is he on life support?" Rahu asked, frowning upon seeing the doctor nod, "What he attached to it on time?"

"Unfortunately, we were late. He has experienced multiple organ failures already." The doctor shook his head, "He has a day at most, I'm afraid."

"Where is he admitted?" Rahu asked next, "Send me all the data collected on him."

"Yes," The doctor transferred all the data regarding Rohit to Rahu.

Upon seeing that it was Rohit, Rahu subtly frowned, 'It seems being rich opens all sorts of paths, as usual. Such an irony that they're asking me to save someone that I killed.'

But he couldn't reveal that, for it would bring a lot of headaches, especially from the media. Instead, Rahu put on a concerned look and spoke, "Has he been in Virtual Reality for too long?"

"I'm afraid that's so," The doctor nodded, "We've received similar cases in the past. When the patient remains in Virtual Reality for an unbearably long duration, their brain begins to deteriorate. Eventually, they wind up in such states."

'Of course, that was my intention. I damaged his brain in such a way that the reports state the cause of damage is overuse of Virtual Reality.' Rahu thought as he sighed, "Then there's nothing much I can do here. Yes, there exists a backup in the uVR Earth, but it's only useful if the patient was attached to life support immediately."

"I use the stimuli to cause signals to go from the brain to the various organs and make them travel their respective paths, just like how they would in the individual's daily life. It's like booting a human body manually." He continued, "For this to work, all organs must be functional."

"Even then, it's not guaranteed." This part was completely the truth. Rahu had indeed saved such people before. But all of them were attached to life support at the earliest. As a result, their organs hadn't deteriorated due to a lack of signals from the brain.

"But sir, can you please try it?" The doctor asked, "The patient's father has practically begged everyone in our hospital. He's ready to pay any price."

"Is that so?" Rahu motioned with his hand, "Bring him in then. I need to speak to him."

A few seconds later, Karthik rushed inside the ward, of course, not before being pinned to the floor by Deepika once. She had only let go when Rahu indicated that it was alright for her to allow his entry.

With a face beaming in joy, Karthik bowed in gratitude, "I thank you, sir, for your kindness."

"You needn't," Rahu glared at Karthik, "The method you're hoping indeed exists, but the success rate for even someone that was given immediate life support has been less than thirty percent. Your son's situation is way worse."

"So, I hope you don't expect a miracle from me."

"T-Then..." Karthik despaired.

"I will still give my best." Rahu nodded, "But first, I'm not at a state where I can move around yet. I should get discharged by morning but your son's situation would have deteriorated further by then."

"Please, I'll do anything." Karthik grabbed Rahu by the leg, an absolute display of respect in their region, begging, "Please save my son."

"Then, there's only one option." He stared at the doctor, "Can he be transferred here?"

"Yes," The doctor nodded and made preparations immediately, stating once he had contacted the relevant hospital, "Rohit will be brought here in thirty minutes."

Thirty minutes later, Rohit was rushed into Rahu's ward, affixed to life support.

Rahu got up and approached Rohit, using Induced Reality to inspect the latter's condition, 'Good, Dark Room has destroyed his mind completely.'

He had no qualms about killing someone. Only if the target was an honest to good citizen would the guilt drown him completely. But against a scum, he had zero hesitations in claiming a life.

In the past thirty minutes, Rahu deeply investigated Karthik, finding out that Karthik was indeed a decent citizen. He had asshole tendencies, but nothing that intended to destroy another's life like Rohit.

Rahu did feel bad that Karthik was suffering because of his actions, but that how what life was. Even if a scum was punished, the decent people related to the scum would still suffer.

Induced Reality-Synchronised Brainwave!

The Liger appeared within Rohit's Virtual Space. It observed the place while Rahu actuated Rohit's uVR Earth and extracted the backup data, using it to send a signal through the brain.

In a monitor, Rohit's brain was projected, displaying zero brain activity. At Rahu's trigger, an electrical impulse flashed through Rohit's brain from his uVR Earth, but there was no follow-up response.

Rahu triggered another organ, causing the signal to flow into the brain and to the destination organ through it. There was a flash on the monitor before everything dulled once again.

Karthik stared at the monitor with hope, wishing that it would light up fully, as an active brain should. It would mean there was hope even if it lit up partially.

Since he was at it, Rahu decided to give an honest effort. If he succeeded, he would attain valuable experience data. Moreover, he could always kill Rohit at a later date. After all, even if he succeeds now, it would take years before Rohit would be able to function as a living being.

Rahu continued to send sparks through Rohit's brain. All the signals consisted of electrical data; they were Rohit's memories. The uVR Earth converted them into brain impulses and injected them back into the neural network, inducing a false reality that the brain was still functional.

Rahu kept up with the process for more than an hour, sighing as he collapsed on the bed in exhaustion, "If only he had been given life support a bit earlier."

"No..." Karthik collapsed to the floor lifelessly. His wife, Anita-that had arrived accompanying Rohit-bawled in despair, fainting as a result. She was emotionally hurt to the extent she suffered from a heart attack and had to be rushed to the Intensive Care Unit.

Rahu muttered in disappointment, "I couldn't save him."