Virtual Parallel Universe

The next day,

Cao Cheng left the capital with Lingling and returned to Zhonghai.

He could hardly contain his excitement.

The brain-in-a-vat—no, the gaming helmet’s mechanics—had him buzzing with anticipation.

If before, Cao Cheng had been following the timeline of the future step by step,

now, for the first time, he had a chance to transcend it.

This thing was even more mind-blowing than the so-called wormhole from earlier.

After all, the wormhole was just a prototype.

This, however, was a mature product capable of creating one parallel universe after another.

The most terrifying part…

After studying it all night, Cao Cheng realized the true horror of this device: it could absolutely be called a "brain-in-a-vat."

In other words, when players—or users—entered the "virtual parallel universe," whether learning or fighting, the Core of the Nexus could reverse-engineer human neural synapses.

To put it simply, the server terminal could emit specific brainwave frequencies through the gaming helmet…

stimulating corresponding neural regions in the brain.

This caused certain neurons to form connections, allowing knowledge or skills acquired in the game to carry over into reality.

For example,

if you practiced a three-point shot a thousand times in a basketball game or took a thousand free kicks in a soccer game,

your muscle memory in the real world would retain some of that training.

Though not 100% transferable, the average person would still gain about 20% improvement.

You could call it dream training.

If you fought in the game—whether on a battlefield or in a battle royale—playing enough would gradually turn you into a "battle-hardened veteran" in real life.

Beyond that,

it featured a brand-new "biological energy closed-loop system."

The server terminal had a unique "symbiotic bio-battery membrane."

The brainwave energy consumed by users in the virtual world would be converted into bioelectricity.

This was straight-up black tech.

…

And there were many more black-tech features like this, all in the finer details.

So,

on the surface, it might just look like some Core of the Nexus.

It might seem like it was only good for gaming or creating a parallel metaverse, still far from practical applications like food delivery or courier services.

But…

the sheer volume of technology packed into this thing was staggering.

If humanity could fully unlock it, we’d probably be ready to leave Earth behind.

After returning to Zhonghai,

Cao Cheng locked himself in the eco-park.

Completely isolated.

Security was quietly heightened around him.

He also ran another loyalty check on his team—trust couldn’t be taken for granted after the last two moles were caught.

Even though he occasionally screened them, one check wasn’t enough to put his mind at ease.

People’s loyalties could shift.

Fortunately, this time, everything checked out.

With that settled, Cao Cheng dove headfirst into researching the black tech.

He mobilized every available team, shelving all "useless" projects to focus entirely on the Core of the Nexus.

And he made his stance clear:

Money was no object—no budget cap.

Manpower was no issue—anyone they needed would be acquired.

If they couldn’t hire someone, they’d… persuade them. By any means necessary.

This was where the club’s missions came into play.

To crack this technology as fast as possible, Cao Cheng was willing to pay any price, even if it meant stepping on toes or crossing powerful entities.

The immediate goal was simple: get the game up and running.

Whatever chips, materials, or components the gaming helmet needed—speed was the priority.

Honestly,

the Core of the Nexus had thrown Cao Cheng’s plans into disarray.

Originally, he’d planned to take it easy.

Travel with Lingling, sightsee, maybe do some cultivation on the side.

But after barely any time in the capital—just one concert—he’d rushed back to Zhonghai.

Luckily, Lingling was understanding.

She could tell her brother had something urgent to deal with.

After all, it was the first time she’d ever seen Cao Cheng look genuinely pressed.

In all their time together, she’d seen him impatient—but never like this.

Something big must’ve happened.

On another note,

after the concert, Cao Cheng had planned to meet the nine girls—partly to show off, partly to acknowledge their hard work over the past several months.

They’d contributed a hefty amount of emotional value, after all.

They were meritorious subjects.

But now, there just wasn’t time.

He’d have to wait until they returned to Zhonghai after the final show.

……

The research progressed quickly.

Back when he’d acquired the VR glasses and metaverse system, Cao Cheng had already assembled a team to study them.

Now, with the Core of the Nexus as a ready-made prototype, progress was even faster.

In less than a month,

they’d already drafted a preliminary design for the gaming helmet.

Now it was just a matter of refining the tech and ironing out the kinks.

Reviewing the research team’s report, Cao Cheng nodded in satisfaction. The money he’d poured into this team was well spent—their efficiency was impressive.

Though they’d only produced a conceptual model so far, quantum simulations had already confirmed its viability.

All they needed was to manufacture the helmet, and it’d be ready for use.

That said…

the current design was still rough around the edges, requiring additional components.

The helmet’s main material prioritized safety, comfort, and functionality.

The body was made of lightweight, high-strength material—a nano-grade carbon-fiber composite with a density only one-third that of aluminum but 20 times the strength of steel.

Yes, this was the same material originally used in real estate, now upgraded to a second-generation version.

Perfect for the helmet’s framework.

Inside, a honeycomb-like shock-absorbing structure minimized external impact, reducing injury risks.

The frame used flexible memory alloy—also second-gen.

This inner lining adjusted to the wearer’s head shape over time, ensuring a snug fit.

It also featured electromagnetic shielding to prevent signal interference.

The most critical component was the neural interface layer.

The plan was to use biocompatible conductive gel, enhanced with self-repairing conductive hydrogel infused with carbon nanotubes and neurotransmitter-mimicking molecules.

On the temples, flexible piezoelectric ceramic plates would be embedded.

These were the core structures in place so far—the equivalent of a building’s framework.

But the internal wiring wasn’t done yet.

So,

the chips posed another challenge, requiring a complete redesign.

Even with the Core of the Nexus as the "brain," it needed numerous "cerebellums" to function fully.

And that meant a lot more components.

One step at a time.