Two weeks later, the second-generation Space Box sample was airlifted from Germany and delivered to Mei Yiqiu's laboratory.
Compared to the first-generation coffin-shaped box, the second-generation product is much smaller, and is very close to the popular virtual reality headsets on the market. However, it still needs to cover almost the entire head, including the nose and mouth, which may affect the gaming experience.
To make it look good, the designers probably referenced Marvel movies; the entire helmet has a very obvious metallic texture, somewhat like Iron Man, but in reality, it is very lightweight.
Mei Yiqiu held the helmet in his hand and played with it for a while, a smile on his face, seemingly very satisfied.
" The Germany ' workmanship is truly impeccable!" he said, handing the helmet to the person next to him.
These people are all core members of the Dream Guide project, and they have long passed the Lester Signature Test. If they were placed elsewhere, they would all be renowned scientists. Only Bian Ziyuan, a young man in his early twenties, stands out somewhat out of place among them.
However, the scientists did not look down on or distance themselves from him because of his youth; on the contrary, they treated him with great courtesy. When the helmet was passed to Bian Ziyuan, the icy coldness of it made him feel as if he had obtained a piece of frozen iron that had been dormant for thousands of years in some game.
He gently stroked the titanium alloy surface of the helmet and the soft, fluffy lining of some unknown material. You would never guess that this helmet concealed the most complex cutting-edge technology in the world today—when you wear it, you can create your own world.
Bian Ziyuan had already experienced the first-generation product, and lying in that coffin didn't feel good. He believed that no player would be willing to try that kind of gaming experience; the insecurity of having the coffin lid closed was indescribably uncomfortable.
This is much better now. If it could cover the head a little less, like leaving the mouth and nose exposed, it would be perfect.
"Give it a try," Mei Yiqiu said.
"Huh?" Bian Ziyuan was startled. "Me?"
"If it weren't for you, would you expect us old geezers to be the ones to try it out?" Mei Yiqiu put his pipe back in his mouth, but didn't light it, speaking with a smile.
Bian Ziyuan nodded and sat down on the experimental chair. During the internal testing phase, the use of the Space Box followed a fairly rigorous procedure. For example, the Space Box could not be used alone; at least one person had to accompany and supervise it. This was to prevent abnormal phenomena from occurring in the brain due to abnormal stimulation. In addition to the player's dream records being stored in the Dream Guide game's memory, the Space Box would also completely reflect a person's brainwave data onto the computer.
According to Professor Mei, this thing is not just a game prop, but also an advanced medical device. It is far superior to MRI scans in detecting any problems in the human brain.
Bian Ziyuan put the helmet on and reached down to touch a small dot on the back of his right head, below his ear. A bright light appeared before his eyes, like an IMAX screen in a movie theater. But Bian Ziyuan knew, of course, that this wasn't real; it was just a machine reading his eye and facial information to confirm his identity.
This wasn't his first time entering the Dream Guide game; his account information was already in the system, so he didn't need to enter his identity information like a new user.
The second-generation Space Box's identification process was significantly faster than the first generation, taking only a flash. Bian Ziyuan heard that the third-generation product would no longer rely on external human features for identification. During the design phase, scientists disagreed on whether to use genetic or consciousness recognition, ultimately deciding on a two-pronged approach.
Consciousness recognition is a unique function of the Space Box and a prerequisite for the Dream Guide game to determine whether a person has been invaded. The moment a player enters the Space Box and it is activated, there is a brief separation between the person's consciousness and body, known as the " Black Box " stage. At this time, the person's consciousness cannot find any memories and is restored to its most primordial consciousness, that is, the Primordial Consciousness Entity. The first reaction of each Primordial Consciousness Entity after entering the Black Box can be regarded as the basic characteristic of that consciousness. Recording this basic characteristic allows for the identification of different individual consciousnesses.
The third-generation Space Box will also include a built-in nanometer-level DNA verification device, so players will not feel anything when their DNA information is read. By identifying players through consciousness and genetic recognition, this will be the primary basis for determining whether an individual has been invaded.
The Black Box phase is extremely short, so short that it is imperceptible to humans; only quantum-level computers can capture the information within it. After the Black Box phase, the game data is converted into quantum droplet signals under high-frequency laser pulses to stimulate the brain's neural center, thereby simulating the real environment and human sensations.
At this point, the player's consciousness has returned, allowing them to access their memories normally and begin constructing their subconscious world, much like in a dream. Another significance of the game lies in the fact that each player becomes a lucid dreamer, capable of dreaming consciously and clearly remembering the content and feelings of their dreams upon waking.
Bian Ziyuan once envied Qingmu. After working in Mei Yiqiu's laboratory for a while, he gradually learned about Qingmu and other Awakened. They were born with lucid dreaming abilities, possessed powerful Mental Power, and could move freely in the dream world. Of course, some of these were just his speculations and had not been confirmed.
When he expressed interest, Mei Yiqiu said, "What's so special about that? With the Space Box, everyone can be a spiritual master."
After trying it a few times, Bian Ziyuan gradually understood Mei Yiqiu's words. In the Dream Guide game, he could truly control everything and create a world of his own. He believed that once the game was released, it would become a global phenomenon, and no one would be able to resist the temptation to become God.
Just imagine, in the midst of complete darkness and chaos, you say you want light, and there is light. You hold wind, rain, thunder, and lightning in your hands, tread on the stars and the sea, overturn rivers and seas, and shatter the heavens. Everything is just a thought away from you. How exhilarating that would be!
However, Bian Ziyuan knew that this game had a deeper meaning, which was the underlying rule of the game: even if you are God, you must obey.
When God expands his world to an unexpandable boundary, and when countless worlds of God collide, God becomes mortal, and players will once again become NPCs, and the world enters a new cycle.
Therefore, Bian Ziyuan never believed that humanity could break free from its own destiny, except for Mei Yiqiu.
He vaguely sensed that this gray-haired, sometimes amiable, sometimes irritable old professor did not belong to the NPC category—he was likely a protagonist, or one of the protagonists.