Prisoners of VR

Among the crowd consisting of more than sixty people, five people were emanating killing intent toward him. All five of them wore civilian uVR Earths, and at first glance seemed to be no different from the rest of the civilians and reporters that formed the mob.

They were armed with eggs and tomatoes, intending to shower Rahu with them. If it was just that, Rahu wouldn't be bothered. A scene of him covered with eggs was indeed shameful, but it would simply cement his reason further, especially since he planned to reveal more information later in his favour.

Of course, since Manav was aware of it, he wouldn't have kept things simple.

Rahu's uVR Earth shone yellow, entering the creator mode as it unleashed electromagnetic rays of all forms, instantly scanning the items in the possession of the mob. As they were just inanimate objects, two seconds were all he needed to scan them and create 3D Models of the same.

Numerous screens flashed on his Augmented Reality screen, displaying faulty instances in the objects.

The data regarding an egg's composition was available on the internet. With a swipe, he compared the data he extracted from the 3D Models and compared them to the data from the internet. Immediately, he detected dangerous substances within them.

The eggs were filled with a gelatinous substance with adhesive properties on the level of super glue. If they were to fall on his nose, he would be suffocated. On eyes, and he could forget seeing for the rest of his life.

It wasn't just him, but if they were to fall on any of his security members, they too would be affected. He didn't like to face such a situation, especially since the security team was giving their all to protect him.

As for the tomatoes, they contained acid, potent enough to melt skin. The five people hadn't thrown the dangerous eggs and tomatoes yet. The few eggs that were thrown at Rahu were from others; they were just regular eggs.

'The eggs and tomatoes are life-threatening. Even if I defend myself against them, my security team is at risk. If I were to use Induced Reality to put the five people out of commission, it would further enrage the mob. This is not to mention that my actions could be recorded.' Rahu sighed.

The five people intending to harm him were probably recording everything. Therefore, if Rahu were to unleash his Liger or any other ability on them, they would perceive it. Meaning, it would all be recorded.

Manav could use that footage to spin a narrative against him and completely turn public opinion against him. This was a two-pronged attack.

'This was a good one, Manav. But, I won't passively take a beating. I'm not under your shadow anymore.' Rahu used his umbrella to point at the five people in the crowd, "Everyone, stay away from them. They are carrying lethal weapons on their being."

[Be wary of the eggs and tomatoes in their possession. They are dangerous.]

Rahu transmitted a message to his security team that sprang into the crowd and rushed the five dangerous people.

"What the...?" One of the five was stunned as he hurriedly took out an egg and intended to throw it when a drone flew overhead and shot two wires onto his arm, transmitting a current discharge. It was a stun gun, paralysing him.

By the time the crowd managed to react with fright response, the five individuals were neutralised. Right as panic set in the crowd, Rahu's uVR Earth shone black as he gained control of all the speakers in nearby vehicles, transmitting his voice through them, "Everyone! It's safe now!"

"The enemy has been neutralised!"

"L-Look at his hand!" One among the crowd stopped in shock and pointed at the hand of the man that intended to throw an egg, "That's not an egg."

"It's sticking onto his fingers like a web."

"You're true."

"So freaky."

"Does that mean...?" The gazes of everyone changed as they stared at Rahu, in shock, in awe, in confusion. After all, in that moment, Rahu's voice boomed from everywhere, as if he were omnipotent. This was the first time they had witnessed such a scene.

Even though Rahu used a military uVR Earth's ability to accomplish it, those with military uVR Earths remained either in the military or became security teams of ministers, DOVA Agents, and the sort. And they were prohibited from tapping into civilian items.

But a DOVA Agent didn't have such a restriction. Therefore, Rahu's feat came off as an imposing display of power. Many were stunned and couldn't think of what to do for a few seconds.

Since all attention was on him, Rahu announced aloud, commanding two of his security team members, "Hand them over to the police. Let them find out the motives of these five to carry such items."

"Yes, Sir!" The two security team members saluted and cuffed the five people. There were police on patrol nearby, so they arrived quickly to take care of things.

'Manav, if I went on with the usual route, I would have simply played into your scheme. But, I have the card of authority to play. That's an advantage I have over you.' Rahu then stared at Deepika and calmly unfurled his umbrella, "Let's leave..."

"Wait!" There was a loud shout as a middle-aged couple rushed towards him, roaring as they were held back by two security team members, "My son! You killed him! My son!"

"Are you Mahesh's mother?" Rahu observed the screaming lady as he spoke calmly, "Ma'am, I apologise for your loss. But please cooperate with the police regarding the investigation."

"What...the fuck?" Mahesh's father glared at Rahu with an incredulous gaze, "You...killed my son. But the police will investigate not you, but us? Are you fucking messing with us?"

"Sir, please come with us." An inspector patted the shoulder of Mahesh's father and pulled him towards a police jeep, "Please cooperate with us."

"Unhand me! I'm the victim's family here! Are you doing this because you were bribed by this murderer?" Mahesh's father shouted as he was dragged into the jeep.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Mahesh's mother screamed as a constable approached her, "I'm a woman."

The constable hesitated as he communicated through his walkie-talkie. A couple of minutes later, two female constables arrived to drag her to the jeep.

"I will never forget your face." Mahesh's mother glared at Rahu with eyes so wide her eyeballs almost fell off.

Rahu eventually made his way to his vehicle and sat in the front seat. Deepika took charge of driving as she drove the car out of the hospital premises quickly.

"It's strange," Rahu muttered after a minute, "Why do they have such unbridled rage against me? It's like they were conditioned to believe as such for years."

"I'll inform the police to look into it further, Sir," Deepika spoke as she drove calmly. Ever since Rahu's speech to her in his Virtual Space, she couldn't see him in the eye. It would take time for her to come to terms with everything. So, for the time being, she only did what was demanded of her at work.

She still needed to earn a living to support her family, so Deepika didn't voice out her turbulent thoughts. 'Such events rarely happened with the previous Chief. But barely two days with this Chief, so much happened that it feels like a month has transpired.'

"What's the next task?" Rahu asked after a minute in silence, "Are there more cases in this city?"

"Three more left," Deepika spoke curtly, "The next is a divorce case. It seems the husband is sleeping with another woman..."

"That doesn't fall under our jurisdiction." Rahu expressed his exhaustion. He wanted to sleep a few more hours.

"In Virtual Reality," Deepika continued her statement, acting as if Rahu hadn't expressed anything, "So, the wife is seeking our help in gathering evidence."

"There are no laws regarding infidelity in Virtual Reality." Rahu massaged his forehead.

The crowd that had converged at the hospital entrance was dissolved by the police, leaving behind a distraught man who sat on the steps, gazing blankly.

One of the constables intended to chase him away when another stopped him with a whisper, "Don't both with him. Poor man lost his family. His wife experienced a heart attack after his son died. But once she recovered, her grief was too much that she committed suicide."

"That's messed up." The constable sighed as he returned to duty.

The distraught man was none other than Karthik, muttering incoherently, "Gone...everything is gone...poof...just like the wind."

"I'm nothing now. My family is dead. What's the use of the money I saved all my life? It's useless when I needed it most." Karthik pulled out a bloody scalpel from his pocket. It was what his wife had used to commit suicide.

Anita had plunged it into her neck, causing blood to spurt out. The doctors rushed to the scene to save her, but like a deranged animal, Anita writhed around, desperately avoiding treatment as she bled to death.

The scene was straight out of a horror flick. Karthik stood rooted to the spot as he stared at the blood-filled room where his wife lay motionless on a berth, dead. At that moment, all that he focused upon was the bloody scalpel Anita used on herself.

His mind wasn't functioning properly as he pocketed the scalpel and exited the hospital, "I'll join you in the afterlife now, Anita, Rohit."

Karthik was about to ruthlessly plunge the scalpel in his neck when a powerful voice resounded in his ears, "Are you sure you don't wish to avenge your family?"

"Poor people, they got brutally murdered."

"What?" His hands stopped as Karthik looked around in shock. There was no one in his vicinity. In confusion, he forgot about his suicide, spotting a doctor standing forty metres away. The doctor waved his hand and seemed to be moving his mouth.

As he was too far away, Karthik couldn't even make out his face properly. But somehow, the doctor's voice resounded loud and clear, as if he were standing arm's distance away. "Your wife didn't commit suicide. She was murdered."

"What do you mean by that?" Karthik shouted in rage, drawing eyes from a couple of people passing by. After all, in their eyes, the doctor conversing with Karthik didn't exist. So, they assumed he had gone insane.

"Not here," The doctor pointed at a car in the parking lot, "Let's talk somewhere more discrete."