The meeting of the VR10 game development project at overthrow Corporation was held that day. As expected, many contract employees from across the country had gathered at the venue. The president stepped forward to open the meeting with a greeting.

“Dear game creators, thank you so much for coming from far and wide for Overthrow Corporation today. Thanks to the talented creators, the development of VR10 is progressing smoothly.”

As always, the president went on at length about the company's policies that no one seemed to be interested in, before bringing in the development team.

"I'll now hand it over to the development team to talk about the VR10 Beta."

The team began by briefly addressing the complaints they had received from game creators.

“I knew it,” Imada whispered.

Many had reported unpleasant experiences in the virtual world. The developers mentioned that they were going to adjust the pain sensation by the game's official release. It was possible they used the contract employees as test subjects, subjecting them to pain within the game. They might have thought it was good enough just to have the contract employees come back alive from the virtual world.

Next, a woman with an intellectual look, wearing black glasses, stepped forward and began speaking.

"Everyone, I have an important announcement today. I am in charge of information exchange between our company's development department and the government. According to a report from the World Science Conference held in Budapest recently, an AI conspiracy against humanity has been uncovered."

The venue, which had been quiet until now, stirred with murmurs. The intellectual-looking woman continued speaking.

"It's been discovered that a holistic intelligence, in other words, artificial intelligence with diverse, human-like objectives, which is prohibited by law, has been developed. They say there’s likely a plan to somehow install this AI into androids. The intelligence level of this AI is high, and it's believed to have the capability to enslave humanity." Upon hearing this, the venue buzzed with murmurs once more.

"Everyone, please listen. This AI is called 'Yozenko387.' Until recently, it was thought to exist only in science fiction novels and not in reality. 'Yozenko387' represents the pinnacle of holistic AI. While it has the potential to benefit humanity, it's also extremely dangerous if turned against us. That's why, officially, it was never produced. I want all of you to be aware of this."

A man with long hair in the audience raised his hand. The woman noticed him and pointed in his direction.

"Is there any connection to our game?" The long-haired man asked with a sly grin.

"There is," she replied, eyes wide.

Once again, the venue was filled with chatter, and the contract employees looked at each other, visibly shocked. The intellectual-looking woman continued speaking.

"I want to mention one thing: the main character you encounter in the game is also a holistic AI. It has a multifaceted learning ability and grows like a human. That's the most outstanding feature of this game, and I believe all of you enjoy interacting with your main character."

"Then, is it Yozenko387?" the long-haired man asked without raising his hand.

"Compared to Yozenko, it's like comparing a lump of coal to a diamond. Your game's main character is below the level of an unsuccessful human," she replied, seemingly irritated by being interrupted.

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This time, the venue fell silent. The place was filled with people who were seen as failures by society. Moreover, Imada thought it was awful for the woman to call Yoko a lump of coal.

"Listen carefully. Your main character is essentially a precursor to Yozenko387. However, when compared to humans, its overall capabilities are weaker, and I believe there are still significant obstacles in communication." Upon hearing this, Imada felt irritated, questioning how Yoko could be seen as that weak.

"Listen to me, Yozenko387 is perfect. It is the pinnacle of AI, something that humanity could only dream of. In my understanding, if Yozenko is installed into a machine with movement capabilities like an android, it would become unbeatable, and humans would stand no chance," she said, her face tense.

"If the character in VR10 isn't Yozenko, then there’s nothing to worry about, right?" the long-haired man stood up and said.

"We can't be entirely certain that it's not Yozenko, even if it doesn't appear to be," she retorted.

"Weren't you the one who just said they're as different as a diamond and coal? What's got you so worked up, ma'am?" the man replied.

“I did say that! Your main character is just like you, a loser who doesn’t even know how to talk to people properly,” the woman exclaimed hysterically. Members of the development team ran onto the stage immediately and took the woman away. Then, one of the development team members picked up the microphone and started speaking.

“I will briefly explain the requests of the development team. There are two. The first one is: if your main character seems too much like a human, please report it immediately. Ideally, it would be good if the character can communicate at a human level. However, to be honest, the difference between our AI and Yozenko387 is as vast as that between diamonds and... I mean ours is significantly inferior. It's said that Yozenko387 can behave even more human-like than actual humans. For the second request: if your game character becomes aware of the existence of the virtual world, please report it immediately. The character is set up so that it cannot understand the existence of this game. In reality, grasping all the information from the microchip and ensuring its safety is difficult, so reports from game creators are essential. According to the report from the World Science Conference, there's 100% probability that Yozenko387 exists, but there's said to be only one in the world. Our goal is simply to verify that Yozenko387 doesn't exist in our game like a virus. These are the requests of the development team. Do you have any questions?"

Not a single person in the venue raised their hand. The president took the stage again and grabbed the microphone.

"Lastly, everyone, when you visit the data collection center, please use the services of the Creator Club. Computer devices for the game and meals are available for free. I wish you all success in the future and would like to conclude here. Thank you very much," said the president, bowing deeply.

Imada stopped by the Creator Club and pondered about Yozenko387 while having a meal in the cafeteria. He couldn't understand why an AI within the game could be dangerous. Wasn't the primary idea of Overthrow Corporation that they could safely enhance the intelligence level of AI in the virtual world? Imada wondered whether the pinnacle of AI in the virtual world could enslave humanity. Imada felt relieved that Yoko wasn't such a terrifying creature but a lovely woman. Envisioning Yoko's appearance, he inadvertently broke into a smile.

"You were in the venue, weren't you?"

When Imada turned his face towards the voice, the long-haired man from earlier stood there.

"Oh, you are the guy from earlier."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Please, have a seat."

The long-haired man sat down and ordered a coffee.

"Did you see that woman's scary face? Bet she's just high strung."

"She was a bit hysterical, wasn't she?"

"By the way, do you have any concerns about your main character?”

"No, it's fine. It's not Yozenko."

"I thought so, too. Mine doesn't look that way either. She's a cute girl, but her communication is awkward. It makes me laugh from time to time."

"..."

To be honest, Imada had never felt that Yoko was awkward. On the contrary, he often felt that he himself was the more awkward one. Seeing Imada's silence, the long-haired man spoke.

"Isn’t your main character the same way? It couldn't possibly be Yozenko387."

"She might be, who knows?"

The two of them looked at each other and burst into laughter.