Three months later, the game was ready. They presented it to management as a rebranded commercial virtual metaverse project with artificial intelligence. Max Wong brought the first ten clients.
Finally, Dr. Grosskopf's team delivered the long-awaited profit. Management and investors were pleased with the project's initial commercial success.
Today marked their tenth—jokingly called "anniversary"—session. The players were particularly active, and the game unfolded dynamically. The team hadn't needed to interfere even once, merely observing the players and the game's progression. Surprisingly, all players emerged from the virtual world in stable psychological condition—except one—making Dr. Grosskopf's job easier.
In previous sessions, three players had experienced psychological disorientation upon exiting immersion. They couldn't tell if they were still in the game or back in reality, and had to be sent to a psychiatrist for rehabilitation.
***
Dr. Grosskopf entered a large, bright room on the Island. Two young women were lying on couches.
"How are you feeling? You can sit up."
The girls sat up.
"Where are we?" asked the dark-haired girl.
"Claudia, you're in a clinic in Zurich," replied the doctor.
"What kind of clinic? And why are we in a clinic?" asked the second girl.
"Lily, this is a clinic attached to a research center. You were undergoing treatment—you had a prolonged depression. And you, Claudia, had a nervous breakdown," answered Dr. Grosskopf calmly.
"How long have we been here? And please call me Cleo," said the dark-haired girl.
"Thirty days."
"That can't be!" the girls exclaimed in unison.
"Please take these vitamins—you need to complete the course," said Dr. Grosskopf, handing them clear glass bottles filled with golden round pills.
Cleo examined the shimmering pills in the bottle. "I don't think I had a nervous breakdown," she said.
Dr. Grosskopf ignored her comment and, glancing at Lily, added, "That's an unusual pendant you're wearing—very beautiful."
"It belonged to my mother," Lily said, unconsciously touching the pendant.
"When will we be discharged?" Lily asked.
"In three days. Rest now, go to your rooms. Frau Nina will escort you. I'll stop by in the evening. And, Cleo, your cat Pharaoh is here too. You didn't want to be separated from him—our staff took care of him."
The girls looked at each other in surprise and left the room. They walked down a bright, wide corridor toward their rooms.
***
In the hotel lobby, a black Siamese cat with emerald-green eyes and a golden collar was stretched out on an armchair. Seeing Cleo and Lily, he yawned, looked at them, and purred.
"Pharaoh!" the girls exclaimed happily.
"You don't like it here either, do you, Pharaoh?" Cleo said as she stroked his back. She sat in the armchair and took Pharaoh into her arms. Lily sat on the sofa across from her.
"I don't know… something doesn't feel right," Cleo said. "Okay, maybe you had a prolonged depression—I can accept that. But why would I have a nervous breakdown? That makes no sense. Honestly, my nerves were just fine. And Pharaoh? What was his issue—depression too? I think that doctor is lying to us. There's some secret here. I'll find out what she's hiding."
"Cleo, what secret? Anything is possible. I don't think Dr. Grosskopf would lie to us. She even said they took care of Pharaoh because you didn't want to leave him."
"I don't know, Lily. I don't believe it. My gut tells me something is wrong here."
***
For the next three days on the "Island," they were treated like princesses. Dr. Grosskopf suggested a light hypnosis course. Lily agreed, saying, "Your sessions work well on me—they're very relaxing."
Cleo refused, saying, "You know, Lily, there's something off about that kind doctor mask Dr. Grosskopf wears. I don't trust her. Who knows how she's going to hypnotize us?"
Various thoughts swirled in their minds: If only Grandma had come to graduation… If Luis hadn't moved to Argentina… How would things have turned out?
If she hadn't been treated at Dr. Grosskopf's clinic… How had she and Cleo ended up in Zurich? She couldn't understand. So many "what ifs"… Where to find the answers?
After Lily received the money from selling the house, there was nothing holding her in New York.
Sitting on the plane bound for Zurich, she watched the clouds drifting by through the window...
…Cleo tugged on her hand. They were sitting in a bar in Munich.
From a distance, Cleo's voice echoed: "Lily, this place doesn't look like a secret lab…"
Please fasten your seatbelts. The plane is preparing to land at Zurich Airport.
Lily awoke to the loud voice of the flight attendant.