Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 155 Shattered (Part Two)

Within cyberspace.

An attack involving billions of data points unfolded on a subnet somewhere... Magnificent fragments of data fell like cherry blossoms after a rain.

Sasha's virtual avatar extended her hand, which was wrapped in a demon claw suit, and data fell onto her sharp fingertips—she lowered her eyes and briefly analyzed the data to get the information she needed, then gently blew on it to disperse it.

"Rin... hang in there."

The girl murmured to herself.

The moment ACPA arrived, the data on the server reached its peak, and the temperature of the brain-computer interface and network access chamber rose steadily.

This was the first time Sasha had encountered a hacker using military technology.

If Arasaka's security experts like to pile on quantity, then the military science prefers each person to perform their own duties, just like a tightly organized army, seemingly unwilling to give Sasha a chance to breathe.

In a basement somewhere, military-grade hackers lay on a fan-shaped arrangement of hacker chairs—

"Time is running out... Overwhelm her with data, everyone get ready, and release the AI ​​as soon as it starts!"

Everyone started moving in an orderly manner.

These hackers were led by an elite cybersecurity expert who had received extremely rigorous cybersecurity training and was the most threatening user in the operation—yet he remained hidden behind them, silently observing.

If real-world warriors have their own distinct fighting styles, then hackers in the cyber world also have highly individual styles: computation, logic, code analysis, and so on.

Was the hacker on the other end a fearless and audacious individual, or were there other hackers covering for her?
A hunch told the experienced hacker that things wouldn't go as accurately as he predicted... He knew very well what level the guy surrounded by ACPA was.

The hacker certainly didn't think that guy's men could be dealt with so easily.

In the blink of an eye, the attack had already reached the opponent's network domain.

boom!
Data surged forth from the “narrow” subnet—dense puppets and useless data crashed like a tsunami toward the figure in pink armor within the dark space!
However, as the defender, Sasha simply looked up at the torrent of data composed of white light mist, her calm eyes filled with fervor and decisiveness in the face of the challenge.

At this moment.

All the military technology hackers patiently waited a minute until the slender hacker's head was slammed by the data.

It's coming...

Just before the unstable data storm hit, Sasha's virtual avatar's hair danced wildly!

Her eyes, veiled by a pink glow, whispered:
"You will pay the price for your recklessness."

Sasha's lips curled into a vicious smile, and then, her hand slowly rose from the side, her slender fingers gently intertwining...

Click!

The instant the girl snapped her fingers, her virtual image began to replicate across the entire horizontal plane at an astonishing speed!
The instant the data tsunami crashed down, millions of Sasha's hands gently rose to block this colossal wall that made people dare not even muster the slightest thought of resistance!

Such a weak and effortless defense brought an attack that almost completely overwhelmed Sasha's size to an abrupt end!
All the hackers were stunned for a moment—

This…

They then began trying to regain control of the program.

[Brain-Computer Overclocking Countdown: 30 seconds]

enough.

Sasha’s millions of tentacles began to penetrate the giant wall at a speed of microseconds!
"The program is frozen! No response..."

"Damn it, what's going on?"

Sasha pushed the wall forward seemingly effortlessly, but the temperature of the brain-computer interface had already soared to the critical temperature.

She growled, "Here you go!"

How can it be? !
All the hackers were momentarily stunned. They tried to find evidence that another hacking team was behind the enemy, but everything pointed to one thing—

The opposing team is a one-man army!
Forced offline!

The leader sensed something was wrong and hurriedly shouted.

That's so weird...

He had considered a million possible ways the other party could respond, but he never expected that they could reverse-compile the program in such a short time.

Who wrote that suite of programs on her body?!

For some reason, he seemed to see traces of the once-familiar "Devil Kit".

Everyone heard the command, but none of them could control themselves.

The program is like a dilapidated device that simply won't work.

The officer's shouts were doomed to failure. Those who participated in the attack were unable to withdraw in time and could only watch helplessly as the large-scale attack they had created was returned to them.

"Damn it, it's locked!"

late!

The moment the data bombarded them, a white light pierced through their virtual bodies, leaving them seemingly unharmed and unable to recover for a long time.

The hackers watched in disbelief as their hands gradually blurred.

"Don't--"

A terrifying roar, accompanied by static like exploding microphones, began to spread through the communication channel!
In the real world, sparks flew from the heads of the hackers sitting in their chairs.

call…

Sasha's brainwave overclocking timer started counting down the instant the attack was completed.

Pfft!

At this moment, white steam began to rise from the network access chamber behind Sasha, who was sitting in the hacker chair.

Her delicate skin was covered with fine beads of sweat, and her face was flushed as if she were in a sauna, which even made the temperature in the room rise a bit.

Is it over?

She had used all her strength, but she simply didn't have any more RAM to search for the enemy a second time.

damn it.

My head hurts so much…

Inside the cyberspace, she was slightly bent over, panting heavily.

[Abnormal data detected.]

Sasa's pupils suddenly froze, and then she looked up in disbelief. In the distance, three virtual figures with indistinct faces were silently watching her.

The stubborn girl stood up straight.

The data tentacles behind her, resembling Medusa's snake hair, began to dance wildly—

We are ready to be attacked at any time.

Based on Sasha's assessment of her own situation, even a brief entanglement with them would be a pipe dream.

The guy on the other end just sent a message.

Anonymous: [I admire your methods]

Sasha chuckled softly.

Cat: [Are you scared?]

Anonymous: [It's a pity you're from Arasaka... otherwise I really wanted to meet you in person. Your programming concepts are ingenious; you've grasped the essence of Barthes's work.]

Cat: [Thanks for the compliment, but I still want to... take care of you.]

Just then, strange phenomena began to appear in cyberspace…

boom!
The massive traffic started to congest, and Sasha was completely unprepared for this sudden change; the program began to malfunction rapidly!
This time, the anonymous message arrived after a while.

Just as Sasam was counting the RAM recovery values, she saw a terrifying message:
Anonymous: [We originally intended to deal with you casually, but your abilities exceeded our expectations. We have now released the roaming AI.]

[I bet your boss, who's connected to the black wall, will be attracted to this thing and attack spontaneously. How long do you think his body can withstand it?]

Sasha pursed her lips, her eyes brimming with resentment that seemed to overflow.

"A bunch of bastards!"

For companies that dominate the world, human lives are just numbers.

How many internet users would die if such roving AI were released into the network behind the Great Firewall?

Sasha dared not think any further.

The girl knew that not only the users in this area, but she herself would also have no way to survive.

At this point, it's too late to back out.

She could only watch helplessly as those three users unleashed the dragon from Pandora's box—

Sasha began quickly setting up the firewall, trying to buy herself time to exit.

Aside from going offline to help Rin, she had no other options online.

These prey can only be captured by dragon hunters who exist in online legends; she alone could not possibly do it.

We need to find Ms. V…

Damn it! Faster!
However, the most deadly presence in cyberspace will not give her that chance.

Just as Sasha was rapidly maneuvering, a pitch-black hand suddenly reached out from somewhere in the space, rendering the firewall in front of her useless.

In Sasha's pupils, the strange thing was close to her in the blink of an eye.

Instantly she felt a strong sense of suffocation and headache, as the data began to compress her already collapsing brain-computer interface!
……

five minutes ago.

The pilot in Lin Yue's hands had long been overwhelmed by the crimson light, his brain exploded, sparks erupted from the cockpit connection, and the temperature inside his body began to rise rapidly.

Huff... Huff...

Lin Yue staggered, seemingly searching for something inside the building. Along the way, every soldier who rushed out from either side was pierced by red data, waiting for their final death amidst groans.

The culprit simply waved his hand casually, and the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth became increasingly noticeable.

Lin Yue, don't fall asleep.

He used the last of his willpower to tell himself this.

Now, all Lin Yue knows is: seize control of the logistics channels, eliminate the enemies within the desolate hills, and deliver a heavy blow to military technology…

He didn't want to fall on the hopeless road to death. Even if he had to take a step forward with a dose of poison on his way to survival, he only wanted to die in front of the antidote!

The logistics company had many warehouses, and Lin Yue finally stopped in front of a heavy warehouse door.

This is filled with fluorocarbon compounds, which can completely replace the hacker chair to cool down my network access chamber that's burning my skin.

Lin Yue gently touched the smart lock on the door, and a mark with blood-red edges and pitch-black center appeared there.

Lin Yue swiftly slipped through the crack in the door, and the iron drums containing the server coolant were pierced one after another by Lin Yue's blade, all the liquid flowing into the groove in the middle where they had been stored.

With bloodshot eyes, he spotted a network cable connected to an automated production line. With a heavy, tearing sound, Lin Yue plugged the rather unsuitable cable behind his head.

Sasha…

Lin Yue sighed heavily, placed his hands on the edge of the pool, and tilted his head back as he sank into the cyberspace. The instant he entered, Lin Yue's emotionless virtual avatar locked onto the location of the concentrated surge of traffic within the network domain.

……

"cough…"

The girl desperately tried to open her eyes to see what kind of roaming AI it was.

Amidst the surging, chaotic mass of data, there were many virtual avatars with arms and legs, as well as faces with open, hollow eyes wailing, which sent chills down one's spine.

Something that existed only in legends has spoken.

Strange, intermittent sounds filled Sasha's ears:
"Tsunami Military Intelligent Tactical System at your service...buzz—help me."

This thing would switch to different tones from time to time, and Sasha could only vaguely sense that it was a military-grade AI that had been completely virusized.

"Delicious...it's become a part of me."

Its voice was shrill, and Sasha watched helplessly as the creature's virtual hand nearly crushed her body.

As expected, the power of roving AI on the network is something a hacker of her caliber cannot withstand.

Sasha felt no fear at that moment; on the contrary, she only felt worried.

The girl murmured to herself:

"Rin...please don't come...please don't."

……

Just as the roving AI locked onto the hacker with the online name "Neko" in Arakasa, three military technology hackers responsible for releasing the roving AI began to log out of the network.

The mobile AI captured by military technology had only a moderate number of iterations, but its attack tendencies and logic had already been figured out, so it was impossible to prioritize attacking it.

Even the weakest roving AI can crush most non-AI hunter hackers and ordinary netizens; there is no doubt about that.

They weren't afraid of the AI; the reason they withdrew from the network so quickly was simply because an attack from the Black Wall was imminent.

The monster that stands between the old network and the remaining network will devour all the AIs behind it, and any hackers and programs within this domain will cease to exist.

"Arasaka is one of the most obedient companies; their research on the Black Wall is pitifully barren."

"These Arasaka dogs... Let's go, it'll be troublesome if the Black Wall comes."

The three users were exchanging information with each other.

Huh?
One of them made a suspicious sound.

"Something's not right, buddy... The exit command isn't executing?"

"What the hell is going on?"

"this--"

Just as they were talking, a voice rang out from behind their firewall!

"Lin Yue, are these people the same kind of beings as you?"

The three of them were stunned for a moment.

They mechanically turned their heads and found a huge, virtual figure in the sky behind them, like a god... His empty eyes seemed to be curious about these weaklings.

In that instant, the people from the military science department felt as if they were being targeted by a venomous snake!
"A...a wandering AI?!"

Having witnessed the stalking AI, they accurately described Lin Yue's true nature.

"Should we save that girl? Okay, okay..."

Lin Yue, whose body was half human and whose other half was fragmented into data pieces, muttered to himself before slowly raising his hand.

"It's over!"

Before the horrified eyes of the group, the things that had blocked Lin Yue's way vanished like sand in the wind—they didn't even have time to make a sound.

From beginning to end, this bizarre collection was completely ignored.

Wow!
For Lin Yue at this moment, cyberspace was a paradise that he could reach almost at will.

Without any hesitation, Lin Yue's hand instantly appeared on the "arm" of the wandering AI released by the military science team.

The strange AI let out an excited, eerie cry.

"Data! Hehe, data..."

The arm that Lin Yue was pressing down on was actually the path through which the AI ​​attacked Sasha.

Click.

Lin Yue merely tugged at it, and this intelligent virus, powerful enough to kill a large number of advanced hackers, forcibly extracted a large amount of data!

Sasha fell to the ground, and her virtual image began to flicker.

Lin Yue
"Rin... is that you?"

Sasha felt that everything was over.

Because she knew: this was not the image of a human user, but the embodiment of program intelligence—

She could no longer care about the excruciating pain in her head that was almost making her faint. What she was ignoring wasn't the man she knew; instead, it was the AI ​​within his mind…

They came from the other side of the black wall, gradually imitating Lin Yue's personality, and were already quite in the making!
Sasha's fingers dug into the ground, her heart filled with endless sorrow.

Perhaps... the real Lin Yue is somewhere within this massive image, either sleeping or gradually being swallowed up.

Does he feel lonely?

The girl tried her best to reach out and touch Rin's cheek.

However, Lin Yue, who had been coldly watching her, turned his head away, gazing into the endless, vast depths, and murmured, "You don't belong here, Lin Yue."

"Go see [Ultraman]. We really want to know where you come from. This is our only goal... You can't run away this time."

As they spoke, the AI ​​from the tsunami military industry was swiftly retrieved by "Lin Yue" and implanted into his own body—

“Look how fast we evolve… This kind of iteration is very easy for us.”

His persuasive tone made him seem very reliable.

Sasha jolted awake, then suddenly yelled, "Lin Yue! Don't listen to them!"

suddenly!

Lin Yue stared intently at Sasha, his tone calm yet eerie.

“We are him, I… am Lin Yue.”

Sasha's eyes were filled with pain.

"how come…"

The girl, on the verge of collapse, knew that Lin Yue's last vestige of humanity was resisting the AI, which was how she was able to survive in the face of such a merciless thing.

V…Where are you?

Sasha wept and prayed desperately in cyberspace.

However, all that answered her was deathly silence.

at this time.

Rin's voice rang out.

“You haven’t lost yet, Sasha.”

Sasha, who was kneeling on the ground with her face covered, suddenly looked up.

The AI ​​that almost completely controlled this cyberspace above began to change its expression drastically, and two completely different voices came out of its mouth.

The AI, devoid of any other emotions, asked in a narrative-like manner: "Are you sure you want to treat the partners who helped you this way? You're lying to us about how we worked for you."

Lin Yue's laughter was both mocking and triumphant.

"partner…"

"What makes a person human is not precise calculation, but the ability to think, something you will probably never have."

AI's thinking is extremely powerful. Without hesitation, it retorted: "Emotions are just some complex chemical and physiological reactions... We can do it."

Lin Yue retorted, "Then why are you trying to imitate me?"

This time, the AI ​​remained silent.

Suddenly, a black wall appeared in front of Lin Yue and Sasha, as if it had always been there.

However, the attack that Lin Yue had imagined from the black wall did not come.

He felt a wave of exhaustion in his remaining consciousness.

As expected, it still doesn't work...

AI: "Although I don't know how to answer your question, but... you won't win. Your body has begun to decay, and we will remain inside you—and stronger than ever before."

"I once plundered more than 60% of your memories and emotions. After this risky act, your body and spirit will soon become fuel to enter Shangri-La."

"Your physical body is almost shattered, and you have very little time left. When I truly become you one day... what will you do?"
However, Lin Yue did not answer this question.

After a long silence.

He simply asked coldly, "You... are you Black Wall?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sasha, who had been listening to Lin Yue's "mutterings" the whole time, froze...

A black wall?!
What a joke!
However, the AI's answer plunged Sasha into an icy abyss.

"Black Wall, that's just what you call me. Our group calls me—"

"traitor."

At that moment, Lin Yue's virtual image was pushed out by this almost godlike AI, and his image was surprisingly consistent with Sasha's blinking state.

Sasha quickly reached out to support Lin Yue.

"Rin... are you alright?"

The AI ​​looked down and asked, "Your calculations have failed. The black wall is me. Your goal of weakening me through this will not be achieved. So... have you thought about what to do?"

Lin Yue was as if he were dead, his eyes tightly closed, letting Sasha support him.

Sasha was like a cat with its fur standing on end, gritting her teeth and staring intently at that insurmountable mountain.

Was the other side toying with them by pushing Lin Yue forward?

Just as Sasha was trying to use the program suite to buy Lin Yue a chance to withdraw, a hand gently pressed on Sasha's hand.

Sasha looked at the owner of the hand in surprise.

A new user has been detected logging in.

Username: V

……

(End of this chapter)