"As expected."
Through investigation, Daniel Davis quickly obtained information on Nobuyuki Sugou's illegal and unethical experiments on the human brain. People don't just become villains overnight—it's often a gradual process. Sugou's experiments on the human brain did not begin only after Akihiko Kayaba started the death game. In fact, he had been researching in this area for some time. After Aincrad was cleared, he kidnapped over 300 players, including Asuna. Part of his motive was Asuna herself, while another part was to expand his experiments. Given that brain experiments, especially illegal ones, would never receive official approval, kidnapping SAO players became a straightforward method. In the event of any issues, he could shift all blame to Kayaba. However, what Sugou hadn't anticipated was that Kayaba had uploaded his own consciousness to the network.
Kayaba became the second person capable of such a feat, with the first being Arnim Zola from the Marvel world's Hydra organization. Zola, ever fearful of death, had uploaded his consciousness to computers to escape mortality, though ultimately, it couldn't save him. Like a human soul, consciousness also requires energy to persist. Uploading consciousness to the network is indeed a way to extend life significantly, yet achieving true immortality this way is impossible, as consciousness gradually weakens over time. In the end, what remains is merely a program with traces of a person's personality, devoid of human emotions and reduced to rational decision-making. For instance, when Zola tried to eliminate Captain America with missiles, his own detachment led to his death in the resulting explosion.
This shows that Zola had lost his old self-preserving instincts; he had once been extremely fearful of death and would collaborate with anyone for survival, including Red Skull and the Strategic Science Reserve, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s precursor. After being captured by the Strategic Science Reserve, Zola immediately surrendered all his information to survive, then promptly aligned himself with Hydra once he encountered its presence within S.H.I.E.L.D.
"It seems that among Kayaba's classmates, though all of them are extremely talented, few, aside from Rinko Koujiro, are truly good people."
Looking at the information he had gathered, Daniel sighed softly. The "Seed of the World" was already out in the open, such as in Sugou's hands. Since he was a classmate and colleague of Kayaba, who didn't value the Seed highly, it was natural for Sugou to possess it. Even before SAO had been cleared, the Fairy Dance simulation was already running, with Asuna's consciousness, among others, transferred to it.
Then there was the Yao Guang experiment, which likely began even earlier. Yet, none of them anticipated that Kayaba retained the Seed's master permissions, which was ultimately Sugou's downfall.
Sugou's pursuit of Asuna was partly due to her beauty, but more importantly, it was her family background. Asuna was the quintessential "rich and beautiful" girl.
In a well-furnished, secluded villa, Sugou stretched out on a sofa after returning from the research lab, a smug smile creeping across his face.
"Akihiko Kayaba, Rinko Koujiro—you two have fallen at last." His laughter was filled with satisfaction, relief, and delight. Sugou had always maintained a pristine public image, a façade known only to a few. Even his father remained oblivious to his true nature.
Sugou knew Asuna through his father, who was friends with hers. He was also a well-regarded young man in Asuna's mother's eyes. However, he was no match for Kirito, especially the Kirito who emerged from SAO, having grown and advanced significantly.
Although Kayaba's actions dealt a severe blow to virtual reality gaming, this revolutionary technology could not simply disappear.
Now was the perfect opportunity for Sugou. With Kayaba and Koujiro missing, and Higa Makoto posing no threat, he could easily persuade Asuna's father to sell him the research facility, solidifying his control over both Asuna and the wealth of the Yuuki family.
"Enjoying yourself, Sugou? With Kayaba gone, the whole lab will soon be yours."
As Sugou reveled in his ambitions, clapping sounded in the room, and his face darkened as a stranger suddenly appeared on the opposite sofa.
A strikingly handsome young man was gently clapping—none other than Daniel Davis himself, who had chosen to confront Sugou personally rather than sending a shadow clone.
"You?" Sugou recoiled in shock, trying to leap back over the sofa. But he suddenly felt a powerful grip on his head, shoving him forward.
Thud.
With a dull thud, Sugou's head slammed against the glass coffee table, and the sharp pain made him cry out.
"Good quality." Daniel glanced at the blood-streaked table. He had planned to shatter the glass with Sugou's head but had held back to avoid killing him instantly. As a result, the table remained intact.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Sugou, dazed, glared at the stranger.
"What do I want? This lab belongs to you, doesn't it? Illegal brain experiments—what do you think would happen if this was exposed?" Daniel casually held up his phone, displaying a damning image to Sugou, whose face turned pale.
"Also, before coming here, I called the police. They should be arriving soon."
For someone like Sugou, death would be too lenient; utter ruin was more fitting. Killing him wouldn't address the root issue either, as powerful individuals could easily exploit loopholes in the justice system—such as feigning mental illness or evading consequences through bail.
Just as Sugou was about to respond, there was a knock at the door.
"Sugou-san, we're the police. We need your cooperation."
"The police arrived faster than I expected." Daniel had expected a longer wait, but given Sugou's ties to the SAO incident, their response was expedited. Not only the police but Seijirou Kikuoka had also arrived.
Sugou's face was filled with terror. Illegal human experimentation would ruin him far more completely than Kayaba's actions ever did.
"Relax," Daniel said, "the police won't catch you; you'll simply be declared a fugitive." Without waiting for Sugou to react, Daniel knocked him out, cleared the room, opened a window, and staged an escape scene.
Meanwhile, a fire broke out in Sugou's lab, set by Daniel's shadow clone, erasing all evidence and leaving an undeniable trail of guilt behind.
The next day, news of Sugou's human experiments spread like wildfire, prompting public outrage and leading the police to issue a nationwide manhunt for Sugou. Asuna's parents were also shaken by the revelations.
"You're all famous now," Daniel remarked with a smirk. In an abandoned building, eight people, including Sugou, were tied up in a mysterious array. Daniel showed them the news, which reported them as wanted fugitives.
"It's not my fault! He made me do it!" one of them cried, quickly shifting all blame to Sugou.
"Don't tell me; I'm not the police. And don't worry—you'll never see a prison cell. They'll never catch you," Daniel said, activating the transmutation array. "At least you can still contribute something to this world." In moments, the group was reduced to a single crimson Philosopher's Stone.
"Now, it's time to play the game, though maybe I should add a failsafe." Although Daniel was confident that Asuna was safe, he wanted to be sure no butterfly effect had been triggered. He installed a small device to absorb electrical currents from her nerve gear in her private hospital room.
"Kirito's too," he mused. He installed the same device for Kirito, recognizing that his role in the game would prove even more crucial.
Acquiring the research lab didn't require Daniel's physical presence; a shadow clone would suffice.
"Didn't expect so many suicides," Daniel sighed as he looked at SAO's player death numbers in the news. Most people were unaware of how players died in SAO due to Kayaba's lockdown, but Daniel knew.
Today marked a week since players had been trapped in SAO, and those who had initially pinned their hopes on outside rescue had fallen into despair. Many chose to end their lives, while only a few resolved to keep fighting.
Over time, players realized the outside world wouldn't be able to help, and so they took Kayaba's words to heart, preparing to clear all 100 floors of Aincrad.
The death game had not only claimed many lives but had also irrevocably changed others. For example, without this game, Asuna would have likely followed the life her mother had planned for her. And Kirito, without SAO, might have let his skills in swordsmanship and technology go to waste.
After a month, the deaths began to decrease as players' spirits stabilized. The fearful stayed within town limits, while others took on support roles to aid those fighting on the front lines. The game's hunger and fatigue mechanics forced players to maintain some livelihood.
By the end of the month, players discovered the location of the boss on the first floor. Suffering heavy losses, they agreed to assemble their strongest players in a park at the center of the starting town to strategize. The meeting's organizer was Diavel, one of the earliest active players, likely a beta tester.
While many beta testers chose to retreat in fear, only a few, like Kirito, were determined to fight on the front lines.
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