The series of short stories “Incredible Adventures & Fantastic Bears”: Mysterious Effects and Fantastic Transformation
The “Fantastic Bears” gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the team. The celebration was planned in secret and in a place that was kept secret. Only a part of the “Fantastic Bears” knew in advance the time and place of the event. A warehouse in the industrial area of Fantastic City was chosen for the event, but on the other side of the city, far from the Bright Glades area, where everyone knew them. They decided to celebrate in secret because of a fight with members of a dangerous criminal gang called the Night Comets. This group has serious connections in the criminal world of the Bright Glades area, and it is suspected that it is part of a more serious network that also covers other areas of the capital of Fanlovia – Fantastic City. The “Fantastic Bears” brought everything they needed for the party themselves and prepared everything in a matter of minutes. There was even a brief safety briefing, which included a tour of the building indicating emergency exits and the location of fire extinguishers. Within an hour, almost all the Fantastic Bears arrived, and even small security squads were formed, which guarded the event and relieved each other for a certain period of time, guarded part of the time, and celebrated the rest of the time. But there always had to be people on duty. The “Fantastic Bears” arrived on their usual and famous buses and surrounded the building from all sides. They might have the impression that they were passing by a bus station or the office of a transportation company. The maintenance staff, consisting only of “Fantastic Bears”, used buses to observe the surroundings, creating the appearance that the drivers were just relaxing. Meanwhile, it was getting more crowded and fun inside, as the degree of mood increased more and more by the minute. A huge number of festive sandwiches and honey cocktails were served. There were festive speeches, there was a lot of dancing and smiles. The “Fantastic Bears” were at the same time the culprits of the celebration, and at the same time had to take turns performing the duties of waiters, bartenders, chefs, presenters and, as already mentioned, guards. Everyone sang and danced together, the DJ deliberately paused the music from time to time so that the powerful singing of the celebrants could be heard and deliberately directed the light onto the dance floor so that the collective dances could be better seen. For a short time, the DJ turned off the music and lights so that the inspired screams of those present could be heard and the mysterious atmosphere of this almost secret event could be felt.
The celebration itself took place on the ground of the first level, flanked by two more levels. These two levels look like glazed balconies, and the playground itself is located in the middle below them. Several corridors lead to the site from all sides, and in these corridors there are stairs to the upper levels and exits to the outside. The “Fantastic Bears” carefully guarded the corridors, stairs and exits, but they did not have access to the glazed balconies – they overhung a large warehouse area, as if they were part of another building, although they were in the same building. There should be no one in the whole building except the “Fantastic Bears”. Suddenly, one window on the second floor lights up and everyone is looking at it. The music stopped immediately, and everyone’s attention focused on the glowing window. Shortly after, the window opened and a man appeared. The stranger bent down, looked around, said nothing, but, unfortunately, he turned out to be armed, because he pulled out a weapon and started shooting at the main lighting of the warehouse territory. Just a moment later, the room became completely dark and there was a commotion. Suddenly, some kind of sound system turned on, and a menacing male voice began to speak. This voice says the following message: “You will see everything! We will show you how to act! We will teach you! You will never forget it!” Blinding lasers suddenly turned on. At the same time, floodlights suddenly turned on and began projecting strange boxes in the air and on the walls. The attention of the “Fantastic Bears” focused on the walls. Suddenly, these boxes began to open, and images, videos, and animations poured out of them. Some of the “Fantastic Bears” began to climb to the upper floors, break windows and enter rooms upstairs. Suddenly, a fire breaks out in the parking lot because someone managed to set several buses on fire. The “Fantastic Bears” began to move further and further to the upper levels, which turned out to be just offices with desks and computers. Suddenly, they notice arrows on the walls that seem to lead somewhere. There is an inscription on the arrows, the name of the electronic sports club “Virtual Superhero”. They start following the arrows. These arrows go outside the building and lead the Fantastic Bears to the neighboring building, which also has the same arrow on the door with the name of the esports club “Virtual Superhero”, with the arrow pointing forward or inside. The door was locked, the club was closed. There was a notice on the door indicating the opening hours of the club from 09:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., which meant that it had closed a few hours ago. And the most interesting thing is that the same box was painted on the door as on the projected boxes during the attack. Everyone was wondering what it all meant? A mistake? An organized attack? An intrigue? A provocation? What really happened and why? What were these people up to? The Fantastic Bears decided that they would come in the morning to talk to the club representatives and try to find out more about who and why might have attacked them. They suspected that “Night Comets” might be behind the attack. But why did it turn out this way? It all looked much more like a provocation than an attack. Whose job was this provocation and what intrigues did someone try to involve them in? It didn’t look much like an attempt at confrontation or intimidation. Was the attack really the work of the “Night Comets”, with whom the “Fantastic Bears” recently had a quarrel and conflict, or was it something completely different? And where did the “Night Comets” get accurate information about the celebration – the place, date and time? As everyone knows, they live and work in a completely different part of the city. Did someone accidentally share important information or are there traitors in the team? Is there a connection between the warehouse rented for the celebration, the esports club, “Night Comets” or their partners working in this part of the Fantastic City? There are reasonable suspicions that the “Night Comets” are part of a larger network in the city… Or, more importantly, how did they come across this ad in the first place, didn’t they specifically decide to look for a place to celebrate only through the most famous and most trusted website in the country called “Fanlovia FanAds”? It was hardly Fanlovia FanAds’ fault. Another thing that came to their mind was that they had made a group visit to the mall to shop for the celebration, and maybe they had been spotted getting ready for the celebration. But in no way and in front of anyone did they mention the place, date and time of the celebration. Indeed, a great mystery! What happened anyway? An intrigue? A provocation? A mistake or a coincidence? Hardly! The “Fantastic Bears” begin to ponder the question. They specifically choose a warehouse in an industrial area located on the other side of the city, which is rented out in the evenings for noisy parties so that no one can interfere with them. And when and where did the shooter appear? They boarded up all the entrances. Was he waiting for them there? And who turned on the secret sound system and why? And why would anyone want to bring them to an esports club and draw attention and suspicion to this club? Did someone want to intrigue or show something? And whose property was the rented warehouse anyway? By any chance, did they rent a room belonging to criminals for their biggest celebration? Whose offices were located or who was the tenant of the upper floors above the warehouse floor from which the shooter appeared? After they had to climb through the windows and enter the rooms located on the two upper levels, the “Fantastic Bears” noticed halls with tables and computers that looked like an office. But there was nothing in sight that could tell who owned this office. The “Fantastic Bears” thought that the office belonged to the same company that runs the warehouse, which seemed logical, after all, they were in the same building. Sean remembered that when talking to employees when renting a warehouse, employees of the company managing the warehouse warned that there was a club nearby, but Sean did not pay attention to what they told him about the club, he only remembered that the club should be open until 8-9 p.m. at most, after which it was closed to visitors. He remembers that the staff reported that there was only occasional night traffic in this club, but this was rather an exception, explaining that it was probably for night administrative events and private parties with limited access. Was there a private party with limited access nearby that night? The case became even more confusing after the “Fantastic Bears” called the warehouse management company again, which simply apologized for the unpleasant experience, offered them full cooperation on the case, but categorically stressed that they had nothing to do with this accident. And, surprisingly, they added that the office space above the warehouse is in no way connected to the warehouse, is probably used by another company or organization, or is currently not used by anyone. “Fantastic Bears” tried to find information about these offices, but to no avail.
Several “Fantastic Bears”, including Sean and Tom, visited the “Virtual Superhero” esports club during business hours to ask around and try to figure out what really happened last night. They headed to the front desk, where they were greeted by a young female receptionist. “Hello, last night we were going to celebrate in a nearby building, and suddenly we were attacked by unknown people…” Sean started talking about what happened. The administrator was genuinely scared and exclaimed: “My God, how scary! How is this possible? This is terrible! Are you all right, are there any casualties or injured?” She asked. “There are no victims or injured, mostly there are people who are confused because the attack looked more like some kind of provocation. We could not understand the reason for what happened and what exactly the organizers of the attack were trying to achieve, and that is why we came here to ask you for help. During the attack on us, floodlights turned on inside the neighboring building and some boxes were depicted, and arrows with the name of your club appeared in the corridors leading to the exit of the building opposite your door. The most interesting thing is that on your door there was also an arrow pointing inside, and an image of the same box as on the projection.” Sean noted. “Oh, this is very strange. I will contact the club’s managers as soon as possible. It really looks like a provocation! Who are these people and what do they want? I’m afraid…” the receptionist replied. “Have you ever heard of ‘Night Comets’? This is a criminal group that operates in our area. We are from the Bright Glades area, and recently we had a run-in and an argument with them in the parking lot, and they were very rude and threatened us. They also shot at one of our people.” Sean continued. “I’ve never heard of them, but I’ll ask the club’s management and we’ll get back to you. Leave us your phone number or contact details so that we can call you back. I hope everything will be fine!” The girl at the front desk answered.. “We haven’t heard of Night Comets, they probably don’t work in this area.” The voices of several of the first visitors to the club were heard. “Do you know who uses the offices above the warehouse in the next building?” Sean asked. “We can’t find any information about this place…We were told that the offices had nothing to do with the warehouse, and now when we got there, there was no one there.” Sean asked again. They all shook their heads and didn’t know anything about these offices. The Fantastic Bears have strongly stated that they will wait for an official response from the club and the club’s opinion on why the club’s name was written on the arrows, and why they led to their door, and why the same box was painted on the door as during the attack on them. While at the club, Sean and Tom noticed the screens on which the advertisement for the “Virtual Superhero” was shown, as well as an advertisement for their profile in some kind of application, which, apparently, was quite famous and was called “EffectsExpress Panoramas”. A brochure was placed at the reception desk in front of the administrator with an announcement on the first page that the club’s advertising pavilion would open next month in the large exhibition and entertainment complex “EffectsExpress Panoramas”. “Oh, what interesting, new characters and participants in our thematic investigation!” Sean exclaimed. “There are already quite a few of them. The list is growing!”, Tom noted.
Sean called a team meeting and offered to analyze the situation and investigate the incident. The company that operated the warehouse denied having anything to do with the case, and the “Fanlovia FanAds” classifieds site offered help in establishing the truth and monetary compensation. The Virtual Superhero esports Club also denied any involvement in the incident, providing an official response stating that they did not understand why the arrows were pointing at their door on the night of the attack, and did not understand when and why a box appeared on their door. They pointed out that it was certainly some kind of intrigue, provocation, an attempt to deceive or distract attention. They indicated that perhaps someone was trying to put the blame on them or tarnish the name of the club by accusing them of this act. The mystery became more and more confusing. No one understood what had happened or why. As the next item on the agenda of the meeting, Sean suggests that the Fantastic Bears discuss the possibility of a digital presence, register as a team on various sites and platforms and start offering various types of assistance at the same time to help those in need and those in trouble, and at the same time better monitor the situation on time. The meeting took place in the “Bright Dome” gym, which they considered their home, located in the heart of their native Bright Glades. The hosts of the meeting were Sean and GemDi. “There have been several incidents recently…” Sean began, and there was a slight chuckle from the audience. “We all know that it’s dangerous in the city, but we’ve all noticed that it’s not just dangerous, it’s mysteriously and unpredictably dangerous. At any moment, something unimaginable can happen, with unclear goals, subtext and origin, as well as difficult-to-predict consequences. We must be prepared for unpleasant surprises, we must be ready for anything! To do this, we need to monitor the situation much better and closely monitor situations and the course of events.” Sean continued. “I would like to invite you to register on well-known platforms, announcement sites, social media pages in order to have a more visible digital presence. I’m going to suggest that we create shared profiles of the Fantastic Bears team and personal profiles with special nicknames so that we can be better recognized as a team and as individuals. I suggest that we continue to develop our team identity, but also try to stand out as individuals.”Sean was talking. “It’s not a bad idea…We will become more famous and influential. Well, speaking of personalities… Hmm, if I can stand out, then maybe I’ll finally break through as a rapper… I could become a superstar and fulfill my long-held dream… and at the same time, I will strive to be the best fighter who is always ready to help anyone in trouble and save the ass of every member of the team. I dream of becoming a star of the team, to be proud of me and to be loved very much!” GemDi joked. “Well, you’re the best rapper, you have no equal!” everyone exclaimed. “I will never forget how GemDi lost the final at one of the contests, took the microphone with a smile and showed what he really is the best at. Finally, he took his hat and walked around the hall, collecting enough money to cover the costs of our entire trip. An amazing rapper and showman! The audience really liked it then. People really like him as a person. He has the ability to impress people because he is an impressive and energetic person, with a bright personality. At the same time, he is a great team player and a great fighter. GemDi knows how to attract people’s attention, attracts a lot of fans and supporters for himself and the team. He is one of the faces of the team, everyone knows him. He makes us stronger and more famous. Thanks to him, more people know us and more people have heard about us! Some of them love us precisely because of GemDi. We can all try to become like him.” Sean intervened. “I want to continue my thought about our digital presence, noting that I like the idea of emphasizing our individuality, because I think that in this way we will find more approval and support for our ideas, we will find more like-minded people, supporters, fans and friends. This way, people will be able to get to know us better and communicate with us more easily. We will be able to help them better and monitor the situation more effectively. I suggest that each of us start working on creating our own image. I suggest everyone come up with their own nickname to use on their own or add to their name. I suggest that everyone create their own emblem, corresponding to their personal qualities and interests, to be worn together with the general emblem.” Sean continued his idea. Most of those present at the meeting were surprised by this idea and thought about it for a long time. Many of the “Fantastic Bears” agreed with the proposal, others thought about it. There were those who were against it. For example, Bobo expressed his dissatisfaction: “I do not approve or support this idea! We have always been a close-knit team, we have always been like one big family. This idea will lead to discord and division in the team, bright personalities and stars will form, around which new groups will form, which will begin to compete with others, instead of everyone working together as a team. If that happens, I will leave the team. This is not what I’ve been fighting for for 10 years. I fought for a strong and cohesive team, for the unity and invincibility of the Fantastic Bears,” Bobo threatened in front of everyone. “Let’s not jump to conclusions!” Sean answered. “We should all strive for unity and become stronger and more influential. The proposed idea can help us gain authority and prestige, rise to the next stage in our development and move to a new level. Think about it and we can discuss it again soon. I don’t think the team can split up or fall apart, quite the contrary, we will rise and go only forward and upward. We’re going to be a great team, made up of tight-knit superstars, with a huge fan base, with huge opportunities and influence. A team that everyone respects and admires! People will love us, and enemies will fear us, and with good reason!” Sean added. The “Fantastic Bears” talked to each other about it for a bit and went their separate ways. Subsequently, they also decided to discuss the possibility of providing the service “Fantastic Bears and Help”, which helps people solve complex problems, which, in their opinion, could help them better control the situation, act more effectively and monitor the development of events and the actions of their opponents. They were thinking about the possibility of displaying ads on different channels, on different sites, platforms, spaces and communities, including social networks.
While surfing the Internet, the Fantastic Bears notice an application called “EffectsExpress Panoramas” and remember that they saw an advertisement for this application in an esports club, that this club has a profile in this application and that the club will soon have its own advertising pavilion in their exhibition complex. “Fantastic Bears” also decide to create an account on “EffectsExpress Panoramas” and place an ad there with the headline “Fantastic Bears Express”. They notice that in the application, in addition to various entertainment spaces and leisure options, there are also many interesting ads about useful services and interesting places to visit with very cool previews. These previews can be viewed by users of the application, including through augmented reality glasses. Through these glasses, you can use most of the functionality of the application, you can use most of the services. All the “Fantastic Bears” download the app, and it comes complete with the purchase of augmented reality glasses for those who would like to use all the features of the app, which makes user interaction much more interesting and memorable. The “Fantastic Bears” decide not to buy glasses yet, but first they study the app to find out if they will need them at all. While viewing the “EffectsExpress Panoramas”, Sean and Tom saw an offer to visit their entertainment industry exhibition complex, from the preview of which it became clear that there are many exciting and mysterious spaces in the complex. This complex has special exhibition areas with spaces of the “EffectsExpress Panoramas” application itself, as well as other companies that have published their products through them. The complex features many real versions of virtual entertainment and games that are published in the application. Users were given a unique chance to see live some of the details that were only available through augmented reality glasses. After watching a video about the complex, they realize that inside there is a round digital table for games, including card games, called the “EffectsExpress Classic Table”, which allows you to get a lot of winnings and incredible emotions. This table is a real version of the virtual table available in the popular virtual gaming and entertainment space known as the “EffectsExpress Miracle”, accessible through the “EffectsExpress Panoramas” application and through augmented reality glasses. The “EffectsExpress Classic Table” is a large horizontal screen that allows you to play in real time. “Classic? This table looks quite modern!” Sean and Tom decided to try out the table during their visit to the complex, sit down and play cards. “Of course, we will also take a look at the virtual space “EffectsExpress Miracle”, but to explore it better, we will need time, because it looks huge. Is it possible that the “EffectsExpress Panoramas” application can help us find out if the esports club is involved in any way in the attack on us? Or is this the only connection that they, like many others, advertise through “EffectsExpress Panoramas” and have a profile there? At first glance, there was nothing strange in the advertising brochure that was posted at the club’s reception desk either – the esports club was opening its advertising pavilion in a popular complex! Could this indicate a closer connection between the club and the “EffectsExpress Panoramas” app, or is it just a coincidence?” Sean was thinking out loud.
Sean and Tom visit the “EffectsExpress Panoramas” complex to take a look at it. In addition to wanting to explore various entertainment and games, they want to find out if the “EffectsExpress Panoramas” have anything to do with the esports club from the anniversary celebration so that they can unravel the mysteries surrounding what happened that night. During their visit, they see a wide variety of complexes, pavilions and premises of different companies, and in front of each of them there is a brief description of what it is intended for, and before entering each of them there is a short video announcing what visitors can expect inside is visualized. They also have their own pavilion complex “EffectExpress Panoramas”, where they demonstrate their own products. The entrance to the main pavilion is a strange and relatively long tunnel-like corridor. There were short projections on the walls of the tunnel that changed every few minutes. Mysterious corridors, tunnels, searchlights, projections, how mysterious it is, isn’t it! Memories and associations with the anniversary celebration evening and the esports club immediately came to mind for both of them. Surprised, Sean and Tom walked through this tunnel of projections, saw several incomprehensible quick scenes, jokingly wondering if some of them were real and whether they described the experiences and emotions of visitors to the complex. They were even a little scared because it all looked quite realistic. “What if these are real events and stories?” – They thought. Sean and Tom walked through the tunnel and found themselves in an exhibition hall showcasing a wide range of technologies, slot machines, digital devices and entertainment concepts. In addition, there were many exits in the hall that led somewhere. Some of these exits lead to other rooms, some to mysterious corridors and tunnels. Sean and Tom’s attention was drawn to a relatively dark room with spotlights turning on at regular intervals and a round digital gaming table in the middle with a transparent ball in the middle. “Floodlights again!” the two looked at each other in embarrassment. They entered the room and immediately noticed the scale of the game table: “The game table from the advertisement! “EffectsExpress Classic Table”!” – they correctly noticed. There were already two players and a presenter in the room, who greeted Sean and Tom and invited them to join a card game called “EffectsExpress Classic Adventure”. When they heard the name of the game, they immediately assumed that there was some kind of more modern version of this game, although quite modern technology was also visible in this version. The game will feature 4 live players and several more virtual characters generated by the system. “Hello! Are you ready for an exciting game with lots of exciting challenges, adventures and additional rewards? Are you ready for many exciting opportunities, for many unique rewards, winnings, impressions and emotions, for an incredible game? Let’s dive into the game!” – the presenter addressed everyone with introductory words. He was approached by a young female administrator who informed the players that they could contact her for questions and help, but, as a rule, screens on the table and spotlights would indicate each player’s next move and guide them throughout the game. The players watched a short video describing the game and explaining the rules of the game, and in the video they were reminded that they would navigate by the screens on the tables and spotlights, and also explained that the small tables next to their chairs and around the large round table are their personal tables. Each of these tables has a customizable screen and hologram, which must be configured so that they are visible only to that particular player and not visible to other players. In addition, there was a classic notepad and pen on each player’s personal desk if they wanted to take notes, and, even more interestingly, augmented reality glasses were placed on the tables. There was a transparent ball in the middle of the table – it was a “Panoramic Ball of Fortune” that could attract a certain player and assign him a mission. After each draw, it chose one winner and assigned them a mission to complete. If players successfully completed these missions, they could win great rewards. In a video explaining the details of the game, it was shown that augmented reality glasses left on players’ personal tables should only be used by players if they are selected by the “Panoramic Ball of Fortune” and they are given a task to complete. These glasses are used only for missions, some details of each mission will be visible only on the screen and a hologram placed on the player’s personal table, and some details will be visible only through glasses. After each hand of cards, the ball chooses one player to whom it assigns a mission, and the player can accept the mission after reviewing the details, but also has the right to refuse it. The ball also gives the other players a task to think about and solve it without getting up from their chair, if they so wish. Players receive a bonus if they solve a given task, but they also have the right to skip any task that they cannot solve or that they do not like. Complex tasks are most often a case study that requires a high-quality or original solution.
Meanwhile, the players are joined by several other virtual and real players who are visualized on different opposite sides of the table. Interestingly, there is a special spotlight that is projected onto the ceiling. The game is played in dim lighting, and each hand is accompanied by a rotation of the table in two opposite directions – the table begins to rotate in one direction for real and at the same time it rotates in the opposite direction virtually, because the entire table is made of screens and is one large horizontal screen. At the same time, the table also rotates in the form of a projection on the ceiling, again in two opposite directions, with other parameters and rewards. Spotlights are also turned on in the pauses between table rotations – spectacular panoramas appear on the walls of the hall, which visualize all the necessary steps and opportunities that open up to players, all additional prizes and jackpots. All the floodlights are turned on in a certain sequence, and not simultaneously, so that the players playing live do not feel dizzy. The “Panoramic Ball of Fortune” is also activated in a strictly defined order – after each hand and after each rotation of the table, it attracts the winning players and assigns them special tasks and missions that players can complete and which can bring them more winnings. The “Panoramic Ball of Fortune” selects a player to whom a mission can be assigned, but does not share the details of the mission with others. Each player has a personal touch screen in front of him, with which he can view the details of the received mission or task. The player can choose whether to complete the received mission or skip it. The missions are presented to the player in an attractive way, along with all the important details, to familiarize him with what he needs to do to successfully complete the mission, and so that he knows what he will receive for its successful completion. When completing missions, the player must use the already mentioned special augmented reality glasses, through which he will see many details that will remain invisible to others, and see instructions related to the missions. There are also special secret tunnels leading to the corridor leading to the room with the digital table, which are used only in missions. The tunnels have additional screens with arrows, instructions and explanations to guide the participants of the missions. Curiously, when putting on or taking off glasses, the details of the missions may change. When the player is wearing glasses, he must follow the instructions that are visible through the glasses, and when he is without glasses, he must follow the instructions on the screens. Thanks to the instructions received through the glasses, the player knows when to actually take them off, and thanks to the instructions received through the screens, the player knows when to put them back on. At certain times and at certain stages of the mission, the player will wear glasses, at other times he will be without them and follow the instructions on the screens. During the mission, the player will have to enter special real and virtual spaces that open with special real and virtual keys, codes, QR codes and more, and will have to complete tasks in them. To get new keys, the player must successfully complete the tasks. Players will constantly receive information, watch and listen to what needs to be done to successfully complete missions and get passes and keys. Augmented reality glasses are equipped with special headphones and microphones through which you can communicate with the system. And it would be great to be able to communicate with your teammates, rather than completing missions alone – so many players thought, because they didn’t understand why you should act alone. “Well, it’s just a game and entertainment, why not have fun with your friends? Why are missions always assigned to only one person, and why is everything done in secret? Don’t they want to secretly test us to see if we have the qualities for real missions?” Most people who have ever sat down at this gaming table have jokingly asked themselves.
After a relatively long preparation, the game finally started. The first distribution takes place, the lighting is dimmed and the spotlights turn on. On all four walls, spotlights show what is expected of the players. The gaming table rotated in two opposite directions, the physical table itself rotated in one direction, and the table with the digital screen rotated in the opposite direction. Almost simultaneously, the floodlights that were projected on the walls went out, it became completely dark again for a moment, and new floodlights turned on, projecting a copy of the digital table onto the ceiling, which also rotated in two opposite directions. It became clear that the winnings, non-playing and losing combinations in the game were formed on the basis of all the components of the game: cards, decisions and moves of the players, as well as winnings and prizes that fell to the players when the table turned in different directions. The table stopped rotating, and the result of 4 opposite table rotations was visualized for each player. Some results were visible to all players, and some were visible only to a certain player. If a special symbol appears at the table against a player during any turn of the game, this symbol is also visualized on the table monitor in front of the player, and it is there that he must click on it to see what this symbol means and what it brings. Only the player should know what is hidden behind the special symbol, what it means and its contents, and this information is disclosed to the player only on his personal monitor at his personal table. The player can use the special symbol or what is hidden behind it at his discretion, and can also ignore it. The first draw went through, the second one too. Sean and Tom watched the game curiously. They didn’t seem to be doing very well. During one of the hands and the table turn, Tom saw a special symbol, clicked on it on the screen of his desk and began to study it. A plan appeared in front of him with a map of an unknown city, on which various points and locations were marked. Clicking on each point on the map revealed certain details, including things that could be won: combinations of money, gems, resources, items, digital assets and more. “Is this really just a game?” Tom thought. “Is this map fake, and are these locations fake? Only the city is completely unknown… Maybe it’s just that this city is just virtual, and the places are virtual too. Probably, everything was created only inside the game to make it more interesting and exciting. Or it’s some kind of virtual version of a real map. In fact, isn’t someone telling me that they can give me a similar map of the city, but completely real? And offers me to try to make money? What do I need to do to gain their trust?” Tom was secretly laughing at his wild fantasy. But on the other hand, so many strange, unexpected and mysterious things have happened recently. It seemed that everything could be expected and nothing would be completely unexpected. On the other hand, Sean was chosen as the winner of the “Panoramic Ball of Fortune” and was given the task, receiving an introduction to the mission and some information about the mission on his screen, and began to view it. Sean gradually became familiar with the tasks, questions, problems and details related to the mission, and if he wanted to, he could immediately begin to carry it out. Only Sean could see what he would get for successfully completing the mission. According to the regulations, the mission will be successful only if the player completes at least 60% of the tasks set in the mission. Sean watched a short video with a backstory about how the action unfolded and what led to the current state of affairs in the mission. He watched the video while continuing to play cards. How would Sean make even more money? If he had the strongest cards, if the table was spinning successfully, or if he was successfully completing missions? How would Sean do more useful and worthwhile things? How would he collect valuable information and at the same time help people? The video that Sean had to watch to find out what he had to do in his assigned mission for the mission to be successful outlined the details of the mission, but there seemed to be quite a lot of hidden details and messages that he needed to unravel and analyze to get to the bottom of the mission. At the beginning of the video, a young woman appears and begins to explain to her child that his father abandoned them many years ago, and she does not know anything about him. The child, a boy of about 10 years old, once again asked his mother about his father, all his friends knew who and where their father was, and whether he was alive at all, only he did not know. Why did his father leave and would he like to see him? And his mother answered him again the same as always, that he should forget about his father, that his father had left of his own free will, and it could be said that he had abandoned them to their fate, and that it was generally unknown where he went, where he might be, and whether he was even alive. The young woman was saying words that were still difficult for the child to understand. This child was born as a result of the sincere love of two young people, who, however, were completely different personalities. The young woman was open and cheerful, she tried to hide her pain, but she did not always succeed. The clip continued with a child who was returning from school one day and, getting off the school bus, calmly headed home, but suddenly noticed that a relatively large toy truck with a toy trailer was suddenly parked in a clearing in front of the entrance to their house. The child came up, and suddenly the trailer door opened from behind, and a special mechanism pulled out a box. When the child took the box, it opened, and inside there was something metallic, a pentagram covered with some very small symbols, and a note written in block letters. The child took the note and read it, and it said the following: “Hello, friend! How are you? Know that you have been under secret siege for many years, but no one will ever lay a finger on you! This key is for you. Don’t give it to anyone. Do not tell anyone about this key under any circumstances. You and your mother will be in danger if you give this key to anyone. This key will always deter the bad guys trying to get to you while the key is in you. The important detail is that this is only half of the key. I have the other half of the key. This key can only work if both halves of the key are connected. There is a tracking device inside your half of the key. I will always know where this half of the key is. Hide it in your room and never tell your mother about it. One day you will be rewarded for keeping this key. I can even give you the other half of the key. Together, these two halves form one extremely powerful key that opens the way to enormous wealth and power. There is a special reason why everyone is afraid of the owner of this key and obeys him. I’ll tell you about this reason when you grow up. See you soon, good guy!” The child read the message and was very scared. Should he show the key to his mother or hide it in his room and not tell anyone about it, as specifically indicated in the note. He didn’t want to put his mother in danger. Meanwhile, the children’s truck suddenly rolled along the sidewalk at a fairly high speed, much faster than the speed of an ordinary toy, and disappeared somewhere ahead on the horizon. The child went home and hid the key in the room, as indicated in the note. Days and years passed, but no one came to ask for this key, although it was described as extremely valuable. The boy wondered if this was a malicious joke, a prank by his friends or classmates. But it looks like it could really be true. Secretly, the little boy thought about it and even secretly hoped that this key and the note were sent to him by his father. This thought did not leave his mind, this thought did not leave him for several years. At this time, the game continued, hand after hand, table spins, wins and losses, but as the game progressed, Sean continued to watch the video, stopping it when he needed to focus on the game, and replaying it when he was calm and had the opportunity to watch. The video continues with a brief description of an influential businessman and inventor who is officially declared dead, but actually lives on exotic islands, remotely runs a huge secret business. This man’s name was Mr. Daniels. The video says that everyone knows that he has hidden huge wealth somewhere, and many people are looking for him, but few people know that this man is actually alive. This businessman is represented by his partner, who is half human, half robot named Leon. He is the one who negotiates, organizes meetings, makes deals and performs all kinds of activities for Mr. Daniels. Most of Leon’s body is artificially constructed, including organs and arteries. He has a large number of tubular organs made using 4D printers. His whole body does not function at all like that of ordinary people. But Leon is extremely smart, resourceful, energetic and strong. He can be in several places at the same time and make decisions on a large number of cases at the same time, because he has a special chip installed in his head that allows him to process a huge amount of information. This chip connects him to a large number of technologies that he can control remotely, to a large number of places around the world that he can monitor and control at any time, and to a large number of people with whom he can communicate individually or simultaneously. This chip has the ability to communicate with many people at the same time and in all kinds of ways, having an extremely good memory, because it records and analyzes every single message and every single problem, and also has the ability to generate a huge number of correct answers and solutions, it can solve almost any problem. This chip can create very complex strategies and plan multi-way actions and is secretly connected to a huge number of digital machines and applications, supercomputers, quantum computers, robots, robot teams and cyborgs. We can say that Mr. Daniels has a truly exceptional partner and assistant. And in the eyes of people, Leon is responsible for everything, because officially Mr. Daniels has been dead for many years. Mr. Daniels holds the key to wealth, and only he can provide access to his secrets or, on the other hand, destroy them. He created an incredible access system. It stores everything in special rooms with remote control and special access, which have armored transparent partitions that can be opened and controlled remotely. Special armored boxes are placed behind these partitions, which can also be opened and controlled remotely. In them, in different parts of the city and the country, Mr. Daniels’ wealth is hidden – money, objects, various types of equipment, materials, products and valuable information. The location of these rooms and boxes changes at certain times for greater security and for better protection. These boxes have a self-destruct function. Thus, a businessman can restrain the ambitions of villains and even set conditions for them and give them tasks to complete. If they complete tasks, they receive encouragement and offers, and if they threaten him or try to harm him, they risk losing a lot or losing everything. For example, as a reward for a successful mission or fruitful cooperation, a person may be invited to a special, pre-specified address, where such a special box may suddenly open, a special robotic tape will turn on, which will take something amazing beyond the inaccessible transparent and give it to this person. Or, on the other hand, the self-destruct function can be turned on, and everything contained in the box will be lost as punishment for unfinished work or threats. Mr. Daniels has a habit of setting aside and distributing prizes in advance so that everyone knows in advance what they can win and what they can lose. No, this is not a matter of habit, but a cunning strategy. Using such methods, this businessman sets tasks, gives orders and manages missions remotely, involving a significant number of people. He has hidden technical tools in many places, with which he remotely monitors the completion of tasks and the progress of missions. He has remarkable technical capabilities, personal qualities and abilities to manage the course of events in motion, collect information and evaluate the information collected, compare and change parameters, plan his moves and achieve impressive results. He almost always manages to gain a valuable advantage, get ahead of his opponents and dominate them. Mr. Daniels never appears in person because, according to official information, he is dead. Or, in a sense, he practically appears only through his partner Leon or in the form of a special avatar with Leon’s face, mainly with the help of special devices that are hidden in certain places, locked in a special way and accessible or given out only to certain people. With the help of these devices, he gives orders, receives reports on the work done, negotiates and sets conditions. It also uses special spotlights to visualize information and special hacks to infiltrate other people’s devices, websites, platforms, pages, chats and video conferences. He puts forward proposals, sets conditions, ultimatums and tricks. Sends videos and previews of how everything looks and how it should look. All the technologies used are connected to a special chip in Leon’s head, as well as to a secret base and a secret command center run by the half-human Leon and the businessman-inventor Mr. Daniels. The two of them created the whole system and run it together. The two of them control everything through two main channels of control and access – the chip in Leon’s head and the command center, where Mr. Daniels spends almost all his time and works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The video ended with an offer to the player to take augmented reality glasses with him and use them for 1 month, for which he would be paid 10 thousand “Fancoolovias” (the official currency in Fanlovia), which, by the way, was quite a large amount. That was his mission… use the glasses for a month and then return them. Funny, isn’t it? Such a video, such mysterious information, and finally this… ”Who would pay you to just watch with augmented reality glasses? Just a publicity stunt? For the mission to be successful, should I just be with them at least 60% of the time and, for example, watch commercials? Or will there be any special assignments during this month? Imagine that these tasks turn out to be difficult, and 60% of success becomes a mirage. Ugh, I’m a little tense! I’m really worried… There must be something here, and it’s not just a game!” Sean thought excitedly, thinking about the long series of mysterious events that had happened recently. Sean watched the video and was amazed. Was it a game? What if all this is true? Was it some kind of bait or an invitation to participate in real missions? Or some secret message that he doesn’t understand? It all looked damn interesting, but at the same time it was damn vague. Sean was very busy, he had a lot to think about and a lot to do in the coming days, but still curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to accept the mission and take the glasses with him to “play”. He really wanted to know what was ahead of him and what the “Fantastic Bears” were facing in general and what unexpected and mysterious riddles awaited them. He was even more puzzled when Tom told him about the special symbol he had won, which led him to a map of an unknown city with various locations, huge wealth and profit opportunities. In this virtual city, Tom managed to earn decent money in several virtual locations, but he was reluctant to share exactly how much money he earned. Sean also decided that he would keep quiet for a while about the mission he had to complete. “How interesting! Tom won a special symbol in the game, thanks to which he received a map with virtual locations and riches, and thanks to this card he won some money. And I watched a video about very cool places and very influential people! A coincidence? I don’t think so!” Sean thought. He wanted to tell Tom and the rest of the Fantastic Bears about the video and the mission, but he couldn’t because he might fail the mission and not get to the truth. If he tells the others, he might miss the chance to find out exactly what happened and why it happened.
Sean and Tom came to firm conclusions after the game and after all the mysterious events and details of recent times. They came to the firm conclusion that surveillance, gathering valuable information, analyzing all the details and carefully monitoring the situation are of paramount importance. Having combat skills and abilities is also important, but they need to know when, where and why to use them. They need to quickly access valuable information, analyze it, understand problems, delve into them, understand what caused them and how to solve them. They must learn to study and understand the problems, conditions and circumstances under which they arose and in which they develop. Sean and Tom were well aware that the “Fantastic Bears” needed to learn a lot more, that they had to act much more organized and have a much better organization overall in order to succeed. Sean calls a new meeting of the “Fantastic Bears” – again offering to adopt new names, nicknames and new personal emblems for each member of the team. Dodo joins his brother Bobo’s position and also says that he is unhappy with the upcoming changes, which, in his opinion, could lead to the breakup of the Fantastic Bears team. “I don’t think I have the desire and motivation to do all this, especially under a new name. Everyone knows me as a humble athlete who is a member of a team where everyone is equal. We have always been united and stood behind each other like a wall. And so it was from the very beginning. Now I have to try to become a superstar and a superhero, hunt down and punish the bad guys. You will also have to become superstars and superheroes and learn to think and act independently. But will there be someone who will stand behind you like a wall, protect you and pull you out, understand you and will always be on your side? Who will your brothers turn into? In your competitors, who will compete with you and will constantly dream and strive to overtake you! That’s how the end will come! The end of “Fantastic Bears”! Dodo felt it. “Don’t be so pessimistic, Dodo! We have always been a team and we will strive to remain one. But bright personalities can simply appear among us to help us become more famous and influential among people, gain their trust, develop and progress both individually and as a team. We will still be the “Fantastic Bears”, but we will be much better at everything, we will become much bigger, and we will have much more followers and fans. We should understand each other, support each other and help each other, and not quarrel and create conflicts with each other. We must complement each other and replace each other when necessary. We need to develop and become stronger. We need to be able to act at an exceptional level, to act together as a team, or individually. Because villains are always ready to attack and can appear in our way at any time, including when we are alone. We must be able to respond to their actions under any conditions and circumstances, even if they manage to take us by surprise, even if they have a numerical and qualitative advantage, even if no help comes from anywhere and we have to rely only on ourselves. And imagine that many others are counting on us to help them and save them. Imagine that these people are in danger and there is no one to react quickly and save them. Imagine that these people are being attacked, and the attacker is strong and scary. And you’re just passing by. Who will help them if not you, with your amazing qualities and abilities. That’s how you become a hero! People will never forget you. They will never forget what you do for them. Villains are afraid of bright heroes, but they are even more afraid of strong teams consisting of bright heroes! We will be number one, we will reach and take the top!” Sean made a relatively long speech, and everyone stood up and applauded him, showing their approval of his words. Everyone felt that he was generally right.
The truth is that a series of incidents took the Fantastic Bears completely by surprise, and they came to many conclusions after the provocative attack on them and subsequent events. During the celebration of their anniversary, everyone gathered together, and they were suddenly and very unexpectedly attacked. A mysterious attack has occurred, which looks very much like some kind of intrigue, provocation or some kind of bait. As time goes on, the situation becomes even more complicated, and it becomes increasingly difficult to understand exactly what is going on, whether there is any connection in the series of strange events that have occurred, who may be involved and what their goals are. “Fantastic Bears” come to the conclusion that it is not enough to have good combat skills and a cohesive team to achieve success, but they must think through a very large number of details. Preparation, careful observation, collection, processing and use of various types of information, high-quality planning of all actions and high-quality task completion are very important. Tactics and strategy are extremely important, and developing and following effective tactics and strategies should be a top priority. The necessary attention should also be paid to creating an identity – would anyone dare to attack the “Fantastic Bears” if they knew that they had created a fantastic organization? He would probably have seriously considered before doing this whether it was worth taking the risk and putting himself in serious danger or putting his hard-earned reputation at risk. Perhaps everyone would have analyzed the dangers, risks and opportunities more carefully if they had to face “Fantastic Bears”. Also, the “Fantastic Bears” had to think about the methods and directions in which they work in order to expand their possibilities for action and have more options for the development of events under different conditions and circumstances. They are starting to realize that the lack of weapons is not really their biggest problem at all, their biggest problem is that they don’t have a good organization. Even they are beginning to realize that if they create a good organization, they could do just fine without weapons, for example, like the businessman-inventor from the game “EffectsExpress Panoramas”, who created an impressive system that functions flawlessly. Mr. Daniels successfully controls everything, doing it completely remotely, and can perfectly influence absolutely everything and absolutely everyone without having to threaten anyone with a gun or shoot anyone. He is able to perfectly control the course of events and change them, without losing anything, but actually gaining from the changes. Mr. Daniels is able to effectively plan all his actions and act effectively and successfully in any scenario, under any conditions and circumstances, in an ever-changing environment. The Fantastic Bears are well aware that they are very far from being a strong team, and that they need to improve a lot more, work hard and train, think through every detail as carefully as possible and plan their every step extremely carefully. “Fantastic Bears” are well aware that they must avoid conflicts with each other, realize that in any situation they must be guided by their reason and consciously achieve their goals. And that they should never give up on their dreams.
Author: Anton S. Petrov
Incredible Adventures & Fantastic Bears
This story will introduce you to fantastic bears who often find themselves in tense situations, but are resourceful, smart, strong and brave enough to cope with difficulties and at the same time be in a good mood. “Incredible Adventures and Fantastic Bears” is a series of short stories about the incredible adventures of a group of fantastic bears that inhabit the country of Fanlovia and, in particular, its capital called Fantastic City. Their life is interesting and diverse, but often villains get in their way, with whom they come into conflict, and a serious struggle ensues 🙂
“Fantastic Bears” is the nickname of a group of people, bears and other characters who live in the same area of the “Fantastic City” called “Bright Glades” and who train and play sports together, as well as search, pursue and punish villains together. They are inseparable and very attached to each other and will create one of the strongest groups and teams in the city. They are very fond of team sports and activities, including team martial arts classes, where they perform as a team. The “Fantastic Bears” have their own emblem, which they wear on their clothes and on the sacks in which they carry their belongings and sports equipment – a large bear’s head with a serious expression, around which other smaller figures with a serious expression line up in rows, and a whole wall of people is depicted in the background. Their emblem symbolizes that they always stand behind their friends like a wall and are ready to protect them. “Fantastic Bears” always go to training on their buses, demonstrating their unity and team spirit. Later they will become a team and a squad that will fight criminals in the neighborhood and in the city and become famous. They will continue to travel on their buses, but now they will be converted into combat shuttles. “Fantastic Bears” wear clothes with bright patterns, they have sacks with bright patterns in which they carry their belongings and in which they tie up caught criminals. They are known for the fact that when they catch a criminal, they tie him in a sack and leave a note on the sack about what this criminal did, after which they leave the sack on the street so that people read the note and call the police. Sometimes “Fantastic Bears” catch new criminal characters, but often legendary and very dangerous villains and criminal gangs get in their way, who have been making a mess of the life of the city for a very long time, and no one can cope with them. Despite the difficulties they face, they always keep a good mood. They like to listen to rap, wear cool clothes with drawings, do spectacular hairstyles, have a good time. They like to have fun. They like to drink juices from fresh fruits, eat fruit salads, and when they decide to indulge themselves, they eat festive sandwiches with lots of vegetables, drink honey cocktails and eat jelly candies. Yes, it may be funny, but they really like jelly candies, especially in the form of their rivals 😀 “Fantastic Bears” will have to go on incredible adventures and face serious challenges to ensure order, peace and tranquility in the city.
Author: Anton S. Petrov
