[Real World · Capital Hospital, Dragon Kingdom · Terminal Illness Intensive Care Ward]
The ward was filled with the disinfectant smell that never faded.
Long Xingchi lay on the hospital bed, a thick needle embedded in the back of his bony hand. His gaze passed over the IV bottle and settled on an entertainment report playing on the holographic TV mounted on the wall. "Rockstar has announced that the holographic version of GTA10, due to a complete overhaul of its underlying framework, is expected to be delayed until 2050..."
A bitter smile tugged at Long Xingchi's lips.
"Looks like I won't live to see the day I can rob banks in Los Santos again."
He suffered from an extremely rare genetic collapse disease. Every organ in his body was failing at an irreversible rate. As a hardcore gaming enthusiast, his greatest lifelong wish had been to play a truly holographic GTA10 and run wild in that free world.
Unfortunately, his body could barely withstand even the most basic holographic immersion pod.
Half a month ago, he had signed a confidentiality agreement and a liability waiver, volunteering for the "Hepa Agent Clinical Trial" led by the Dragon Kingdom's Titan Engineering Bureau. It was a [Hepa Type I] agent formulated using "Hepa Civilization technology" brought out from the game!
One final gamble!
The agent's effects were miraculous.
Just yesterday, he had watched the old man in the neighboring bed—who had been issued a critical condition notice because of severe cirrhosis—complete his discharge procedures with a rosy complexion after three days of injections. The old man could even do several forceful pull-ups.
Yet the miracle had avoided Long Xingchi alone.
Hepa Type I had miraculous effects on ordinary cellular damage, but it did nothing for a genetic collapse condition like his! Worse still,