Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 189 Blocking
Miles’s flat voice sounded like he was describing a children’s foundation document.

Targeting internet regulators is seen by the company as a new way to court death, but it has to be admitted that someone has to say it. Miles had long seen through this pointless attempt to shirk responsibility; she had a lot on her shoulders in this position.

So Miles looked helplessly at the current head of the military science department. She said what she dared not say herself, because she didn't want to make things too difficult for this old friend.

During the unification wars, Miles was able to advance all the way to the vicinity of California, and the military technology behind him was inseparable from his support.

It's important to understand that military technology was once seen by outsiders as being inextricably linked to the new United States. Such strong cooperation was not only driven by self-interest, but also a crucial manifestation of the alliance relationship.

What made Miles inwardly sneer was the company's other senior executives.

They understand each other implicitly, yet still have to put on a show of being in a difficult position.

Finally, someone hesitated before speaking up, "Your Excellency, isn't this proposal a bit too radical—"

Currently, this is the optimal solution to minimize the impact, but no one dares to bear the consequences of going against internet censorship.

But can you evade responsibility by remaining silent?

This obviously won't work...

"radical?"

Miles was speechless for a moment and could only shake his head helplessly.

She felt that many people in the company didn't even understand the situation.

In the current situation, what initiative do we have left?

Furthermore, she now knows that Night City's military technology division is also involved in Dogtown.

After all, Miles's "teleprompter" had a constant stream of intelligence from his staff and hacker team, and the woman herself was extremely adaptable. She immediately responded by pushing the decision-making power to the conference table where the company and the country would make joint decisions.

Whoever gives the order now is the one who opens Pandora's box.

Miles leaned back in his chair. "As far as I know, Night City Military Technology has been retaliating against the employees of the Arasaka branch more than once. Now they've all messed up, and they've even dragged the biotechnology project (cloning) into it—"

"It seems that the leak of the list has caused dissatisfaction among many of you, but don't forget that New America is also a victim... I didn't hear a word about this, so we have to be responsible for each other."

Finally, Lucius spoke.

"Hmm...it seems you have an idea."

Miles said, "First, we need to minimize the impact. We need an intelligence handover, and we must know what military technology has done."

Shareholder: "Dogtown is the mess you left behind, Miles."

Great politicians are often debaters.

“We can’t get into Night City, so we need an outpost... so that both Free State and Night City know that Dogtown has been abandoned by the new America, and everyone can feel at ease.”

"Besides, the Night City branch is making a lot of money in Dogtown, and they're willing to tear each other apart for profit—"

"Are you going to cause me trouble again?"

Miles scoffed, "Get your media moving. I haven't missed a single episode of Channel 54's parody of me."

The familiar parliamentary session had begun, and this statement caused quite a stir.

The noise inside the venue never stopped.

Now that the topic has come to this point, we've finally managed to move on.

Thinking about this...

"Ugh…"

Someone is sighing.

In these turbulent times, not only has the biotechnology scandal at Night City headquarters caused problems with military technology, but now both Lark and Arasaka are under the watchful eyes of cyber surveillance... Miles can guess that Arasaka is the mastermind behind the public opinion that has emerged in Washington.

Although they are small media outlets, they still managed to disgustingly link military technology with the new America.

Arasaka's brilliance lies in this: using ambiguous terms to sow suspicion among the public about military technology and the new America, while simultaneously warning Miles and Lucas to clean up their mess...

"Alright, let's talk about the lark thing first. Is the internet monitoring department sure they want to do it this way?"

Lucius stepped in and quelled the tense standoff.

A company is a company, and a country is a country; in these kinds of situations, heated arguments are inevitable.

Miles nodded.

The technology used by the Lark is provided by military technology, and everyone knows that the design goal of this humanoid weapon is to provide a contingency plan in case the situation in cyberspace deteriorates if necessary.

The difficulty of manufacturing weapons is far less than the difficulty of controlling them, let alone when it comes to a thinking human being.

Now the bird's wings are struggling, and the new America and military science are bound to be involved together.

Miles has only one weakness: to prevent the things that Lark did for him from being exposed. The Military Science Academy has also done a lot of dirty work under the cover of the Black Wall, and no one here is willing to investigate it thoroughly.

However, there are always "conservatives," and the radical kind at that.

"Damn it! Are we really going to have to fight these cyber police?! Ms. Miles! Are you trying to drag us all down with you?! Where's Arasaka? Arasaka's weapons have been intercepted too. Tell them we have to sit down at the negotiating table and discuss this!"

"At worst... we'll all go down together!"

This guy's manners are certainly not good; the standard American swear words he uses alone make many people frown.

Factions or groups exist in every company, a phenomenon that is almost impossible to eliminate in modern corporate management—even in the most centralized companies.

High centralization offers no benefits other than increasing the burden on top management and raising decision-making risks, but it can also hinder the implementation of decisions…

Miles's eyes were complicated; she seemed to feel sorry for herself, but it was hard to explain what she meant.

Because she was once the head of this company (2060-2069), now her subordinates are questioning her instead... In a sense, the expansion of the company's power is fully demonstrated at this moment, even making her, the new US president, understand for a long time that leaving the company and being demoted are no different.

It seems the old CEO was right…

Military technology was virtually unassailable in the hands of Donald Lundy (2020-2060), and as his successor, Miles naturally knew Donald's methods and ambitions…

At the same time, she fully understands that when guns kill soldiers on the battlefield, the country can only be saved by other groups.

But the world should not be controlled by corporations.

Miles came to save this country, which was rotten to the core, but in his own way.

Miles glanced at the head of the company's general operations department, who was trying to pass the buck; the trend of increasing fragmentation in military technology was already very obvious.

“Paul… haven’t you grasped our position yet? I’m making this statement to intervene in a high-risk situation, not to listen to you throwing a tantrum like a child who’s lost a lollipop.”

"Arasaka didn't drill holes in the black wall. As a veteran in the operations department, instead of learning the technical details, you're still dreaming that Arasaka will sit down and talk to you?"

After Miles's sharp retort, the differing opinions below Lucius were suppressed.

Lucius's silence is itself a statement.

The biggest question is who will be the executioner. Profits should be shared, and responsibilities should be clearly defined when problems arise. This is the way for the new America and military technology to coexist.

Lucius: "Is your hacking team capable of handling this?"

Miles nodded. "I've already asked them to come up with a solution, and we're waiting for the results, but we also need your help."

Seeing that Lucius was about to speak, a shareholder quickly interjected, "The new U.S. Joint Logistics Agency has the best agents... Wouldn't solving the problem of internet surveillance require more specialized personnel and contingency plans?"

Upon hearing this, Miles instantly flew into a rage. She smirked, "Of course, I will also make arrangements for this."

Unexpectedly, the other party climbed up the pole.

"In the name of the new America, or in the name of military technology?"

Miles's eyes were fixed on the shareholder.

Just as everyone sensed that icy aura, Miles' voice suddenly rose!

"In our name!"

"damn it."

Clearly, Miles's voice was beyond everyone's expectations, and even the shareholder who kept asking questions was momentarily stunned.

Lucius gave the woman, whose hair was too short and who was wearing a pristine white military-style suit, a long, hard look.

"As allies, we should get through this together, but I still hope you can make a clearer judgment about Miles; destroy the weapons when necessary, instead of letting her cause trouble."

"We both know that her presence in Dogtown is against regulations, so let's leave it at that."

When the meeting ended, Miles was calmer than expected.

Lucius's words were a "friendly" reminder that the time and place of the lark's appearance were inappropriate. He didn't want to pursue the matter because he knew Miles would have a "reason," but the deep ties of interest forced the company to get involved.

Arasaka.

Miles muttered to himself.

The fourth corporate war seems to have never ended... only it's no longer the same as before.

"What happened to that woman from Arakasaka who was cooperating with us before?"

Miles knew that pressuring the intelligence and cybersecurity departments was pointless now. Song Zhaomei had only two possible outcomes: either she would be repurposed, leaving only her brain, or she would be able to do a few things for him.

But what intrigued her most was what had happened to the North American regional manager named Arasaka Michiko… After all, Arasaka’s actions were anything but ordinary.

An aide said, "There have been reports about this. It should be a change of leadership or an internal issue. Michiko Arasaka is currently in Japan—including the company she runs. Her husband, Marc Sanderson, is currently serving as acting CEO."

Miles said knowingly, "Ah...no wonder."

At her level, she naturally knew that Arasaka was divided into several factions, but given the current situation, Miles felt like she was being framed.

In the publicly available information about Arasaka's entire management, the CEO is his youngest son, Arasaka Yorinobu, and she is very familiar with Yorinobu's style.

After all, she had been the CEO of a military technology company for several years, so she naturally knew who the leader of the opposing forces was.

"Among the currently available information, there is a temporary Vice President of North America named Nitta Kakuya. We judge that this person is the one who succeeded Michiko."

Miles thought for a moment.

"It seems there's something wrong at Arasaka's house. Someone's trying to balance things out. That rigid scholar Nitta Kazuya wouldn't have done something like this in Dogville... It seems someone wants Arasaka's business to expand."

Staff member: "Is it Lai Xuan?"

Miles raised his hand to interrupt the conversation. "Tell Lucas that the CMA CGM has to give up some of the Dogtown business. Things have come to this point; it's no longer a matter of whether they want to or not. That Dogtown colonel—"

"What a scoundrel."

The subordinate asked, "Should we contact Arasaka again?"

Miles: "The technical department judged that although that guy's black wall technology is not quite the same as Song Zhaomei's, it is based on the black wall, but he just did not use the black wall... Arasaka can't sit still, let's get him back first."

Watching his subordinate leave, Miles rubbed his temples.

Now that things have come to this, she's already factored in the potential negative impact of the news attack on her next election campaign. Her immediate priority is to preserve this weapon. She doesn't care whether Song Zhaomei lives or dies, but the data obtained through the Black Wall is crucial in determining whether this country can gain sufficient international standing…

These are the things she cares about most...

The flag of the new America behind him made Miles appear even thinner.

Just as she was lost in thought, her gaze was drawn to something shiny, so she looked down and slowly reached out to pick up the photo frame at the front of her desk.

It's a rather disharmonious photo of two people.

Song Zhaomei, who hadn't yet received a full-body prosthetic body, stood to the side looking somewhat reserved, while Miles stood with his hands behind his back and his chin slightly raised...

"Come on, Xiao Song, you have to take the oath."

Miles stood in front of the table, her hand on the shoulder of the girl who was half a head taller than her.

"Your data has been uploaded to the Joint Logistics Command's database. Welcome to the fight for freedom."

The scene of reciting the vow is still vivid in my mind.

call…

Miles' breathing became slightly heavier. As if remembering something, she placed her hand on the old-fashioned pager that had been in the office for decades.

"Try to ensure Song Zhaomei's safety...if there's any other way."

……
-
In the storm of data, Qiwei alone could not hold up the ship.

Having connected to Sasha's computing power, she risked her life to follow the path step by step toward the center of the data explosion, where Qiwei witnessed the most unforgettable scene of her life.

This was the first time she had ever seen a roving AI described in abstract language on a hacker website. The amount of data being read was so large that Qiwei immediately realized that her brain-computer interface had reached a frequency close to its peak.

However, when Sasha told her that it was Lin Yue, she was dumbfounded.

Compared to that data volume, she's like a cockroach standing under those tall corporate buildings in the company square; trying to shake that data is an impossible event with a probability of 0.

Lin Yue had taken over almost all the core threads of the Beidou system, leaving Qi Wei powerless to do anything about it.

However, Sasha, who shared the computing power, didn't think that way—she wanted to try to awaken Lin Yue's consciousness in order to delay him.

But Qiwei felt that this was courting death.

Regardless of whether she had any backup, her hacker instincts told her that once she was targeted, death would be imminent.

"This won't do... Damn it! It's not attacking us because we're insignificant, but if it... if it raises its hand, we're finished!"

But Sasha's voice rang out in Qiwei's virtual avatar.

“I know the location of Lin Yue’s consciousness mapping. We’ll establish a link and delay the process of Lin Yue being assimilated by the AI—”

The words are not finished yet.

A woman's hysterical voice suddenly came from the wall that had never shown any unusual activity in the cyberspace.

"Arasaka! You forced me to do this!"

The lark is now experiencing full suffering; Rin never intended to let him go from the start.

The most ruthless thing about this man is that he used her desire to live to make her actively reduce the reaction of the Black Wall. Now that Orion has been reverse-devoured, Rin, whose power has increased dramatically, only needs to complete the data fusion to find her from the Black Wall and devour her.

After this process of rekindling hope only to have it extinguished repeats itself several times…

People will become utterly desperate, and after despair comes recklessness.

With such a commotion, many internet surveillance lines have already begun to track her down. She wanted to launch a hacking attack on Rin from behind the black wall, but the danger of doing so would be binding the entire online world to herself.

That's right. If we compare the black wall to a dam, the lark is now the time bomb on it. The moment she dies on it, a small explosion will create a gap in the impenetrable wall, which will then expand completely.

The flood will follow.

"Come on! Rin! You're the faithless Arasaka-dog!"

Rin, who was in the process of data fusion, had lost all emotion. Despite the other party's continued provocation, he would only stare at her with indifferent eyes.

Once Rin finishes merging the data, things will get complicated, and Orion's master will also send more cyber surveillance agents into the network, at which point there won't be another chance—

Fight!

The lark's crazed gaze accompanied the changes in the black wall!
According to word of mouth among cyber hackers, no one has ever seen the Black Wall actively attacking. On the contrary, it is like a wall that is constantly being bombarded, forever only dissipating data and remaining calm.

But now, this wall is visibly thinning, and the melting data is crashing towards Rin's massive body like a sea of ​​blood!

Of all known network programs, the Black Wall is revered because no one has ever crossed it, and those who have never returned… The fact that its capabilities are unknown is what makes this AI so terrifying.

really!

After the Lark stopped manipulating AI outside the wall and controlling the Black Wall's progress, this bulwark of human civilization fully demonstrated its power.

The first round of bombardment alone severely damaged the surface data of AI Lin Yue, with numerous error bugs drifting down from his body, and his body shrinking as if it had been gnawed away by something.

The torrents that swept away the data are beginning to recede…

Clearly, a second round of attacks is about to begin.

……

At this moment, the Lark's brain-computer interface was already submerged in coolant on a specially designed hacker chair, surrounded by busy technical experts.

"The temperature is too high. Connect to the cooling system, take care to protect the brain temperature, and forcibly disconnect if necessary."

The man in the military-grade sterilization suit glanced at the temperature emanating from the lark's prosthetic body—temperatures hot enough to scald a person—and his own brain was starting to feel close to forty degrees Celsius, even with an excellent external cooling system.

This is a system that can control the temperature of large servers!

Inside the cyberspace, Song Zhaomei was staring at Lin Yue with resentful eyes. She was unable to speak because her brain-computer interface had reached its limit.

Since she was blocked, the lark had no intention of coming down from the wall. She knew the underlying code logic of this AI very well. This thing was a small replica of the black wall, and the lark would not be willing to let him squeeze through.

now.

Having withstood the first round of data attacks and still maintaining a relatively good level of integrity, AI Lin Yue gave up on recovering the lost data and simply launched a blatant cyberattack against the lark!

The lark was caught off guard, as she had assumed that the AI ​​would complete the iteration first.

In the rush, the virtual image of the lark was exposed as the black wall thinned, and the exposed half of its body was washed away by data!
She let out a sharp growl, and her body was covered with a lot of malicious code from AI Lin Yue as it was washed away.

Of course, this attack also inadvertently provoked the Black Wall—

Wild AI outside the Great Firewall that takes the initiative to attack will generally be ignored, but any entity inside the Great Firewall that dares to provoke it will suffer its most severe sanctions.

A ravine extends from the center of the black wall; it's code that resembles a trap.

AI Lin Yue was suddenly caught in it. Before he could even evade it, or visually "retreat" in cyberspace, a red and black cube of data, like a giant black hand, instantly materialized and slammed into Lin Yue's head.

The data exploded instantly!

At this moment, Qiwei, who was observing from a safe area, had eyes full of fear.

Even the most novice hacker knows what it means to attack the Great Firewall.

"Quick! Control him first. That AI is fully capable of crossing the black wall. If Lin Yue loses consciousness, the AI ​​will definitely tamper with the instructions!"

Sasha's voice trembled uncontrollably.

In the distance, after the black wall's second attack, AI Lin Yue's attack on the lark completely failed!

The lark breathed a sigh of relief.

The error message from the brain-computer interface just now filled her with both fear and anger... In order to survive, the lark began to share its computing power with the black wall at all costs!

However, before AI Lin Yue could regain his composure, a thin chain pierced his chest with deadly accuracy.

He looked indifferently behind him.

"Secure data protocols..."

"Why reconnect to the network with new, simple code? Are you trying to hinder our assimilation?"

Qiwei's virtual avatar clung tightly to that thread.

She knew she was risking her life, but AI Lin Yue's reaction gave her a sliver of confidence; at least Sasha wasn't wrong.

"Rin! Wake up!"

Qiwei reminded her in a deep voice.

The moment the chains tightened, AI Lin Yue muttered, "An utterly foolish operation."

not good--

Qiwei felt a chill run down her spine, which made her want to disconnect the connection she had established!
However, Lin Yue's attempt to attack was interrupted by the black wall.

The massive body of AI Lin Yue resembled a dilapidated building. The Orion data that it had painstakingly absorbed spilled out from one side of its body with a clatter—this was AI data that had not yet been rewritten…

The lark stared intently at Lin Yue.

"The black wall...you can cross it, you can disregard it, but you cannot provoke it...[Internet censors are not capable of creating] such a program—"

"See yourself clearly!"

AI Lin Yue's eyes flashed with blood-red light, instantly fixing on the lark's position on the black wall.

The instructions set by Lin Yue and the current situation of being attacked began to produce a lot of logical conflicts.

The chains in Qiwei's hands tightened, and she found it difficult to describe her feelings at that moment.

As a hacker, she was well aware that Lin Yue was under attack, and that her and Sasha's actions of restraining Lin Yue's self-awareness were tantamount to helping the Black Wall, but—

Once he let go, Lin Yueju would be in a situation where there was no way to salvage the situation after he had finished attacking the lark with all his might.

"Instructions take precedence over the first principle."

The AI ​​Lin Yue also has Lin Yue's way of thinking after iteration.

He attacked the lark without warning, but the lark blocked the precise strike.

It was a program suite like a wedding umbrella.

With a design concept extremely similar to the Black Wall, as a sophisticated hacker, the Lark is not just using the Black Wall for its own purposes.

"Lin Yue!"

Sasha's shouts rang out!
The chain connecting Qi Wei to Lin Yue's consciousness instantly pulled Qi Wei forward!
There's a response?!
"good chance!"

The lark, which had withstood AI Lin Yue's attack, timed the opening perfectly, and the black wall's attack struck it without warning!

The lark's body seemed to float above the black wall.

Her virtual avatar's eyes were filled with the impenetrable darkness outside the black wall, and her hand slowly rose.

The data clung to her virtual hands like vines.

She burst into laughter as if she were insane.

"What...good luck."

"You didn't expect the person you wanted to help to be a burden to you, did you? Rin... you miscalculated!"

[Data completeness: 70%...]

Lin Yue looked blankly at her, as if the building blocks he had assembled were about to fall apart.

As a result, the data on his body began to change rapidly, and his body started to shed some unnecessary and cumbersome data...

At the same time, Qiwei found herself uncontrollably swiping rapidly toward AI Lin Yue!
what happened? !
Qiwei, who wanted to get rid of the business, could no longer do so.

AI Lin Yue sighed heavily.

……

"Command canceled."

"Eliminate all obstacles."

……

　[News 54 mocks Miles]: Julianne Jordan of News 54 in the game 2077 once mocked the new president with an aircraft carrier, which shows the company's arrogance.

　　Donald Lundy: A former soldier in the new United States, he became disillusioned with the country after his failures on the battlefield and in the political arena. He joined a small weapons company, which later became a military technology company.

　　[Gunfire Kills Soldiers on the Battlefield]: When Donald Lundy served in the United States, the military purchased a rifle that was found to be jamming and misfiring on the battlefield, resulting in the deaths of many innocent soldiers.

　　[Only the Brain Remains]: In the ending of Shadows of the Past in 2077, Miles orders the retrieval of Song So-mi, specifically for the brain of this hacker behind the Black Wall.

　　[Mark Sanderson]: While running Dangerous Girls, Michiko Arasaka met this man through a case and they eventually married.

　　[Miles' Memories]: When the DLC building collapses, you can see a flashback video of Song So-mi taking an oath in Miles' office.

　　[The internet censors are incapable of creating (the Black Wall)]: In the description of the Voodoo Gang and background of 2077, the origin and purpose of this AI is the most mysterious. From the perspective of the AI, it is a traitor to the AI ​​that is so powerful yet willing to guard the gate. At the same time, its algorithm is also something that humans cannot design (the internet censors say that it was created by a group of super hackers). However, hackers are usually very high-profile, so this statement is not true.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)