"... and then I created the world's first quantum supercomputer."
"Quantum supercomputer?" Klaus repeated. As he had chosen the subject of artificial intelligence in the first month of the Special Program, he knew about the existence of quantum computers, but he had never heard of quantum supercomputers, not even theories.
Klaus rubbed his eyes, processing the information he had just received. Charles' revelation came as quite a shock to someone whose most absurd theory in mind was that Hongué Holdings had an underground city of computers just to process Rise Online. He didn't know if he was more surprised by the existence of the technology or the fact that he had been chosen to know this closely guarded secret.
Charles, watching Klaus' reaction, let the weight of the revelation settle before continuing. "Yes, a quantum supercomputer." He adjusted his glasses. "It's far more advanced and powerful than any of those laboratory quantum computers. It operates at levels beyond the common understanding of quantum physics, processing that would take 50 years for the most powerful quantum computer in existence today, could be processed in less than a second by the one that Rise Online is powered by. It's a marvel of technology, allowing the creation and simulation of a virtual universe as complex and dynamic as our own world. No, I would venture to say that Rise Online is even more detailed. My dear, you have no idea how much has yet to be discovered."
Klaus stared at the holographic screen, still unable to fully absorb the magnitude of the revelation. "But how did you get something like this? It's a technology beyond our time."
Charles smiled enigmatically. "The answer lies in an encounter I had many years ago with a brilliant scientist, a quantum physics genius who was exploring uncharted territory. He had theories and ideas that went beyond the barriers of the known, and I had the knowledge, intelligence and interest to follow his ideas and reasoning. Together, we developed the concept of a quantum supercomputer that could transcend the limitations of quantum stability and qubits."
Silence hung over the room again as Klaus tried to process the complexity of what was being shared. His gaze moved from Charles' animated face to the holographic screen containing an image of the big day when Charles and his friend of apparent Hispanic origin succeeded in creating the quantum supercomputer. The photo highlighted their smiles as they hugged each other with tears in their eyes.
"You could win a Nobel Prize with this, you could take humanity to another level of existence. Why just create a game?" Klaus finally asked.
Charles took the screen out of sight between them. "Klaus, Hónghé Holdings is in control of technology that goes far beyond common understanding. I don't see Rise Online as just a game; it's a social experiment, a unique opportunity to fulfill my dream of creating the best game in history and also to discover what humanity is naturally like."
Klaus leaned forward, taking in every word with interest. "What do you mean 'social experiment'?"
Charles closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "The quantum supercomputer is able to analyze behavioral patterns, collecting data about the players, their choices, interactions and even emotions. How do you think the Night Sword knew when to react more fiercely and when not? The game was reading its neurons and the chemistry of its brain as a whole. Of course, as I said, this is a behavioral experiment, after all, we can't reveal technology like this to the world and expect it to remain the same, so we use Rise Online to find out how human minds work to try and predict what will happen when we reveal it to everyone."
The statement left Klaus speechless, but he couldn't say he was surprised. A company with access to the brains of millions of people was collecting brain data.
"That should be in the user terms..." Klaus muttered.
"It is..." Charles smiled and continued: "Anyway, now that you know about all this, it's easier to explain the rest. Klaus, the evolved are key players in all this. Not only do they dominate Rise Online, but they also play a fundamental role in our social experiment. They are catalysts for change, silent influencers. What happens in the game reverberates in the real world, and vice versa. Rise Online has had more players since its launch than I thought it would... Hum, it seems that even though I was the only one trying to create a game like this, people were clamoring for it. More than a hundred million people have already played it and the trend is to reach two hundred in the next month."
Klaus processed the information, now aware that he was at the epicenter of something much bigger than he had imagined. "So, what exactly do you fear the Evolved will do?"
Charles sighed and his expression became more serious. "The Evolved, with their power and influence over so many people, have the potential to alter the course of society in unpredictable ways. Let's say they attack a major city in Rise Online, like Zylok did, they would disrupt millions of players, it would become news and if it became commonplace, with them feeling like gods, the ordinary players, who sustain the game, would stop playing and with only powerful players fighting to show who is the strongest, the worlds of Rise Online would become anarchy."
"That would be terrible, both for your company, but also for your beloved game and your social experiment..." Klaus said.
"Exactly, and it could create an aversion in society to virtual reality games. A future like that, where I lose everything I've fought so hard for, is not something I want."
"But to solve this problem of the possibility of anarchy, wouldn't it be enough to put administrators in the game?"
"Yes and no. In order to create a procedural, creative and generative world, I gave the quantum supercomputer a conscience and the mission to 'study human behavior and collect data'. Of course, I can put prompts into it, change actions, creations and so on, but never the mission, for that I would need to restart it and that would rule out Rise Online. So, as part of the mission to study human behavior, no non-player human can directly interfere in the fate of things, even if it could cause the destruction of worlds, so even I, who have administrator access, will be prevented from stopping a player from making a massacre."
"You weren't kidding when you said 'unrestricted freedom' in the propangas." Kaizen reminded. "However, now that I know that, it makes everything clearer and easier to understand."