Chapter 121: Rebirth of the Tool Man in a Pampered Protagonist Novel

The theme for the fourth round of the competition was “Entertainment.” Given the foundation laid by the earlier use of holographic technology in the mental relaxation device, when people heard that the Huaguo team’s entry for the fourth round was a holographic game, they felt nothing but excitement and amazement, without the previous skepticism.

Was it really the kind of holographic game they were imagining? Not just an empty slogan?

“Yes, our holographic game this time is entirely based on the holographic technology used in the mental relaxation device, but the two are fundamentally different…”

The fourth-round entry was different from the previous ones. Since it was a large-scale, multiplayer online holographic game, the true experience would naturally be better with more people involved. So Fang Ziyang and his team were more than happy to ride the wave of excitement and hype up their entry to draw in the crowd.

Although both the holographic game and the mental relaxation device used holographic technology, they were indeed fundamentally different. The latter’s primary function was to soothe and treat nervous fatigue, with the holographic technology adding an element of fun to the treatment. However, the time spent in the holographic world was highly restricted.

The holographic game, on the other hand, was a true game. The audience could fully immerse themselves in the holographic world as a second life.

As soon as this news broke, people went wild again. No one had expected that the Huaguo team had come so thoroughly prepared, presenting something in each round that left everyone astounded.

“Damn, really, at this point, I don’t even know what words to use to describe my feelings. This is so thrilling, isn’t it?”

“After their previous performances, I expected the Huaguo team to bring out something extraordinary next, but this still exceeded my expectations…”

“No, actually, when I first saw the mental relaxation device, I was already thinking that if Huaguo’s holographic technology had reached that level, there might be a holographic game later on. And now there really is!”

“Regretting not getting a ticket to be in the audience!”

“Regret not getting a ticket, count me in!”

“I regret it so much I could scream my ID number!”

Both online and in-person audiences were completely overwhelmed by this unexpected delight.

When the fourth round officially began the next day, it was no surprise that the Huaguo team’s exhibition area was instantly swamped with people. Within ten minutes of the competition starting, long lines had already formed, leaving the surrounding teams envious.

This was just too overwhelming! It felt like they were only there to serve as a backdrop in this competition!

Even the highly realistic simulation pets presented by the M team paled in comparison for the moment.

It’s not that the other teams’ entries were bad; it’s just that in the face of the allure of holographic gaming, very few things could compare.

…

The M team was also left in the dust.

All the members’ faces were grim to the extreme.

They had been so confident before the competition, but now they felt equally crushed—utterly crushed.

“If we had known it would be like this, we should have just brought the stuff we originally prepared. At least we wouldn’t be dealing with so many problems now…”

Someone couldn’t help but mutter quietly.

However, in the pin-drop silence of the room, the voice wasn’t quiet at all. Everyone present heard it clearly.

No one spoke for a moment, but most of them actually agreed with the sentiment.

The products they brought this time weren’t their own creations; they were all items that had been intercepted and repurposed after the James family and some high-level officials had collaborated. As a result, they didn’t fully understand the technology behind these products.

Now that problems were arising and Mr. Moore’s technicians hadn’t shown up, they were struggling to fix things.

And when they looked at the Huaguo team’s products…

They realized that maybe they should have just brought their original research products. Even if they couldn’t win, at least they wouldn’t be making fools of themselves. Now, they had advanced only because of the biased decisions of the judges from their own countries, which didn’t feel fair or honorable.

Although every country had its own ambitions and everyone wanted to win, for most of these technicians, earning honors through underhanded means brought a sense of shame and insecurity.

“I’m going to check out if their holographic game is really that impressive. A holographic game isn’t something you can just make by having holographic technology!”

Some of them couldn’t accept the idea that someone who had been so far behind them had suddenly caught up.

“Yeah, we should see for ourselves.”

“To really know if it’s good, it takes someone with technical expertise like us.”

“Let’s go together. I refuse to believe it…”

With someone taking the lead, others quickly chimed in.

Finally, the M team members decided to take turns going over to the Huaguo team’s area to experience the game firsthand, whether out of disbelief or curiosity.

They figured that to know your enemy and yourself is the key to a hundred victories. Even if they lost, they wanted to understand exactly why.

So, in groups of threes and fours, they took turns heading to the Huaguo team’s area.

But when they returned after trying out the game, not a single one of them could find anything more to say. The game’s holographic technology had reached a highly refined level, with its storylines, logic, and real-life-quality graphics, not to mention the tactile sensations… Everything was flawless.

The only complaint they could make was that, for the sake of players’ health, the game had a daily login limit of no more than eight hours!

Lost.

This competition was a total loss for them.

Throughout the entire half-month exhibition period, the Huaguo team’s area undoubtedly saw the highest traffic, earning them a well-deserved first place.

Although the M team’s “ultra-realistic simulated pets” couldn’t match the allure of the holographic game, it still managed to attract a large audience later on. After all, the current technology for simulating real pets is quite limited, and the M team’s robotic pets were impressively realistic, far surpassing the current standards.

The level of realism was so high that, if you didn’t look too closely at the details, it almost felt like interacting with a real animal.

At this rate, the M team was a shoo-in for second place.

But what no one expected was that the M team’s product ran into trouble again!

“What? There’s been an injury incident involving the ultra-realistic simulated pets?”

When Moore received the call from the competition site, the blood vessels in his eyes were nearly popping out.

The voice on the other end was trembling,
“Yes, Master Moore, the ultra-realistic simulated pets have caused numerous injuries, though none of them are severe. However, it has caused a significant impact, and the audience’s reaction is very intense…

According to reports from the team members, it appears to be a program malfunction, and there’s also an issue with the material used in the product. They’re hoping you can quickly send over the R&D team; otherwise, it will be difficult to manage the situation.”

“Stall them for now; I’ll figure something out…”

Moore didn’t immediately agree but gave a brief instruction to stall for time.

After hanging up, Moore furiously threw his phone across the room.

Send the R&D team over? His lab’s key researchers had long since vanished; where was he supposed to find people to send?

Although the issues with “Healthy Motion” had some impact last time, they occurred near the end of the competition, so the problem didn’t seem too severe on the surface. Once handled properly, the impact wasn’t as significant as expected.

But this time with “Realistic Pets” was different.

Product-related injuries and product malfunctions are two completely different issues.

Even though the injuries were not severe, mostly just scares, it clearly indicated that the product had the potential to pose a safety hazard!

The audience can tolerate a product with subpar technology, a lack of innovation, or even a half-finished product like the hovercar. However, they absolutely cannot tolerate a product with safety risks.

Bringing a product to compete that doesn’t even meet basic safety standards is an utter disregard for the lives of the people—a completely unacceptable attitude!

After the incident, the audience at the scene immediately began to protest.

One middle-aged man was causing the biggest uproar. He was a single father who had brought his daughter on this trip to relax and have fun. Since his daughter had been frail since childhood, he was extremely cautious about her health. Despite being intrigued by the products at the Huaguo team’s exhibition, he was hesitant to let his daughter try them out. He was concerned about potential risks, such as the flying motion or neural stimulation in the holographic technology, fearing it might harm his daughter. He didn’t want to take any chances.

However, the realistic pets from the M team caught his attention. His daughter, due to her poor health, had few friends and couldn’t often go out and play. He had considered getting her a pet before but worried that a real animal might become aggressive and hurt her, or that it might carry parasites. After much thought, he had always decided against it. But now, the M team’s realistic pets seemed perfect—highly realistic, with intelligent programming, providing the experience of having a real pet without the risks of aggression or parasites.

But then…

The middle-aged man was horrified when the product malfunctioned, and the realistic pet suddenly went berserk. Although his daughter wasn’t physically hurt, she was so frightened that it took her a long time to recover, which deeply angered her father.

“How can you present a product that doesn’t even meet basic safety standards? This is absolutely unacceptable! You must give me an explanation!” the man shouted furiously at the live broadcast cameras.

Other frightened users also voiced their complaints, causing an uproar at the scene.

Viewers from various countries, watching the M team’s product malfunction yet again, were left in shock. Many couldn’t help but start posting comments:

“How can they present a product that doesn’t even address safety issues? This is outrageous…”

“Thank goodness none of the users had heart conditions or anything like that—this scare could have been deadly!”

“This is the second time now. The ‘Healthy Motion’ product also had issues before. Two incidents can’t just be a coincidence. If the technology isn’t ready, they really shouldn’t rush to showcase it—this is irresponsible.”

“I agree. While it’s understandable to want to win, the safety of the products should be the top priority…”

Since this competition was being live-streamed, any mishap became public instantly, making it impossible for the organizers to cover it up. They had to deal with the pressure of being scrutinized by viewers from around the world.

As the situation escalated, even the organizers, who might have wanted to protect the M team, couldn’t do so blatantly under such intense public scrutiny.

And just at this critical moment, a subpoena from the International Court pushed the already embattled M team and the James family into the global spotlight, making headlines in international news.

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