Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 356 The Ghost (Part 2) [6.9K]

There is a long-standing legend in Voodoo:
A resurrected corpse.

That was a story that seems utterly absurd and incredibly unbelievable by today's standards.

It was even described as a "ritual performance".

But some people have always believed in it and live for it day after day.

Over the long course of time, the Haitians who emerged from the submerged seawater seem to be the most devout believers.

Information explosion, data growth, technological innovation, smart weapons, cyber implants…

The human body became the most basic blank canvas for transformation; technology took root and sprouted on the body but never removed these evil beliefs.

In the eyes of Voodoo believers, a crime only needs to meet the basic element of "malice".

Shamans would give "pufferfish toxin" to sinners, who would be enslaved for life and forced to toil in the manor. This seemed to be the greatest punishment in the world. But in reality, living without self-awareness was the endless torment and hell in the eyes of Voodoo.

When the day of reconstruction of the cyber network world arrives, they turn their attention to this world that was constructed from the crystallization of human wisdom but is beyond their control.

Voodoo firmly believes that humanity's "ascension" takes place here, and that the Great Master (the supreme god, whom Voodoo only believes in) resides in this magical space. They are tireless in their pursuit of this, even at the cost of high legal consequences, in order to destroy the false peace within the black walls.

The company's hegemony continues—

If such an opportunity for advancement is seized, the company will be nothing more than a clay pot, and any heretic will be easily crushed like a cockroach.

But now the Voodoo Cult, which adheres to this religion, has clearly "gotten what it wanted."

The "masters" dwelling deep within cyberspace have achieved their long-awaited "ascension," making them slaves for all eternity.

However, these "monsters" disguised as powerful masters seem to be ignorant of the rules of the human world.

It doesn't actually take long to become a part of humanity.

They desperately need a thorough cognitive baptism.

……

There is a very interesting phenomenon.

Throughout human history, people have been keen to study things from the past.

For example, what were the decayed objects dug out of the pits and ruins used for?
Such a simple question could lead to a long period of research, and the final result might be that the ancients were simply trying to satisfy their basic physiological needs.

This leads to a conjecture: when two groups with vastly different civilizations first come into contact, some things may have unexpected uses in the eyes of the advanced civilization, even to the point of being laughable.

Inside the underground facilities in Tai Ping Chau.

Some newly arrived "civilizations" also face such a predicament.

For example, the question asked by [ACO2239] ten minutes ago was: How does the throat complete the process of producing sound?

She couldn't figure out the answer to this question.

Until he heard people come in and start talking…

They were speaking English, and after 0.5 seconds of deep thought, ACO discovered that their accents were from the western region of North America, and even had some African accents.

In that case...

ACO pondered to herself, "Could I also use this information to mimic vocalizations?"

After a brief attempt, she seemed only able to produce strange gasps.

The conditions are lacking.

Furthermore, vocalizing through the throat is not particularly necessary.

She prefers using electronic components with built-in sound-generating devices to hack into what she considers her throat, rather than using these poorly moldable wet components.

This kind of voice-making process seems to be more in line with the logic of "our own kind" and is also simpler and more convenient.

After all, my ability to calculate and deduce is more than enough to do this kind of thing.

In human terms, it might be as simple as breathing.

Of course, ACO also discovered that some health problems can occur if you don't breathe...

Although she didn't quite understand why such a repetitive process wasn't replaced by other automated devices, she still had to do it, otherwise the fragile "CPU interconnection" (brain cells) would face the problem of necrosis.

After all, his companions had to transfer the data back to cyberspace because they couldn't breathe, and the rest of their "kind" learned the basic survival requirement of breathing from this case.

Judging from film and television data alone, their breathing method is not very aesthetically pleasing—they show their teeth, lose control of their facial features, and use some muscles that should not be used to force air in, but at least it can ensure that the "hard drive" (human body) does not die.

However, in reality, ACO and many others like it have similar problems…

But these questions are basically the same as Ultraman's desire to stand on the streets of Night City again and experience the feeling of raindrops and wind touching his skin.

With current technology, most problems, even topology problems, can be solved by AI in the simplest street vending machines, but that's all they can do.

Extensive databases are their defining characteristic.

AI has no body and cannot perform some actions that seem so simple as to be instinctive.

Even if they can talk at length about these pointless questions.

then.

ACO is currently facing several urgent issues, and he needs to think deeply about each step of the flowchart and provide answers.

For example: 1. How should I walk?
2. How much force is needed to rotate a door that uses mechanical means without electronic control components?
3. How do I leave here?

Of course, with the arrival of the strange intruder, he learned the answer to the third question, but how should he respond when someone taps him on the shoulder?
So she used a radio that was still working nearby to make a sound, because her thinking was still at that stage, so the answer could only be given according to the process of thinking.

However, some unexpected reactions occurred.

It's strange; even though I responded to this simple code, after receiving the message—

Why can't I keep standing anymore?

So she did a quick search for the reason.

The attention drawn to this simple code was focused on the pile of useless "equipment" on the ground.

Actually, those were severed limbs, some human structures, the dismantling of decaying flesh.

To be considerate.

ACO knew that the identification devices for these codes could not read useful information in low-light environments, so she turned the shimmering lines that the hackers used to indicate the lines to their maximum brightness.

A blinding splash of bright red.

The logic behind their thinking is: this is what they perceive as light outside the black wall.

As for the other party being unable to continue standing...

Is it because the simple code in front of you sees that it has "parsed" (dissected) another piece of code?

So she understood:

Simple code will vomit and cry when it sees another piece of code being parsed.

It's so weird.

This seems to be what humans often call emotion, right? It's still an energy-consuming and meaningless activity.

Out of a sense of responsibility for the data.

ACO just wanted to see how the muscles of the new sample worked, because she saw the previous sample crawling, so she went up and touched it, which caused the code to go out of control.

So she tried to disassemble his limbs to analyze the differences in neural function, but she still couldn't learn most of it before the code was destroyed, because the code was too fragile and wouldn't even leave behind any data spores.

That's why she felt she couldn't learn anything from humans, and that's why she focused her interest on her phone.

There's more data now.

However, after two lessons and many training sessions, I can now crawl slowly. I only need to move forward by touching the ground with my face. The downside is that my skin has to rub against the ground.

Because human babies are the first to learn to crawl, she pays so much attention to this.

Simultaneously.

Referring to the sample in front of him, ACO learned the first emotion in three seconds: fear.

The intruder in front of us shows signs of code corruption.

Since the observed person is so afraid that they cannot fulfill their desire to continue imitating the sample, this emotion must be eliminated.

So ACO, after careful consideration, implemented it.

ACO felt the need to make a sound, to create the impression that the previous piece of code was still there, so that the second piece of simple code could continue to perform normal behavior for its own learning.

She clearly didn't understand what death was; she only knew what was useful and what was useless.

AOC's progress is slower than expected.

I learned how to crawl because of these two samples after coming into this world. It was an improvement I made by trying thousands of methods to coordinate the prosthetic muscles and my own muscles.

Simple code behaviors need to be replicated; this is to adapt to the rules here, and she needs this step of imitation.

This facilitates the integration of ACO into human social environments.

This is the clearest understanding of AI from the iteration of nothingness.

With a clear direction, ACO only wants the answers it desires.

During this period of trying to crawl as an infant, he accidentally jumped over 3 meters (the world record for the highest jump without prosthetics is 2.45 meters), his 100-meter acceleration can surpass the relative speed of a Schenwiss I model, and he can even perform somersaults. However, he just can't gently control his muscles to complete simple walking and crawling...

For someone accustomed to using a sledgehammer, suddenly picking up a steel needle to do fine work is more difficult than imagined.

Fortunately, the simple code came to us on its own.

He also tried to communicate with himself, but the identification process failed, and ACO categorized him in the problem database as having extremely outdated human identification devices.

Since the sample chooses to come closer.

So he put down the things he had that had no research value, poor computing power, and more than ten flaws in interaction design, and were called "portable communication tools" or "mobile phones" and more than ten other names.

He decided to perform the analysis again, but this time he would be gentler to avoid causing the code to fail.

……

hum-

My brain is practically shutting down right now.

The old captain who watched Mewtwo now knows what it means to have your scalp tingling.

What the hell is this thing?!
A strange "thing" emerged from the bathtub—limbs that, though not long, slid out in bizarre poses…

Because his perception was basically in sync with that of the person recording, the old captain felt a tightness in his chest; fear had completely taken over this audacious young man.

"do not come!"

With the soles of their feet rubbing rapidly against the ground, even the bravest Mewtwo recorder was wasting their energy.

If a human-shaped object were to slowly slide towards you face down in a bizarre manner, few people would be able to remain rational.

"What the hell are you?!"

The human subconscious is truly amazing.

Whether someone is of the same kind can be sensed.

If you have a question, go and get it answered. ACO was created with the intention of answering questions, so she replied.

But before answering this question, she needs to understand the meaning of the simple code in front of her. He seems to need comfort and has doubts about his identity. So, would responding with a human name and identification information alleviate his resistance?

“MAANG…”

"Brijite (buli)."

The data on my hard drive used to be called by this name.

Simply answering the question isn't enough; you need to reply to the other party using simple code.

The throat seemed to be leaking air, and all the old captain could hear was a strange whimpering sound. The sound of the artificial leather rubbing against the ground was disgusting, and the stench in his nasal cavity was amplified infinitely.

Even more terrifying is—

From the old captain's perspective, the Mewtwo recorder's gaze shifts back and forth between two points.

Just moments ago, Evan was lively and energetic, but now he was in several pieces scattered around the bathtub. The floor was wet, sticky, and slippery, and it was obvious what it was. The smell of rust and the stench from his stomach assaulted his senses, and the mechanical gagging and howling of the person recording the video made the scene completely chaotic.

"Huffing and puffing..."

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

The young man took a step back, and the thing rubbed forward a short distance.

Until there is nowhere left to retreat.

He could only shield himself with his hands, screaming and kicking wildly, his fear causing him to lose control of his bladder. Perhaps it was the instinct for survival that gave him a sliver of strength, and perhaps because ACO was more focused on observing his target, the young man, seizing a fleeting opportunity, could only stagger and tumble along at a pace that was almost like walking.

No matter where I go, it's definitely not here.

"Huffing and puffing..."

My legs felt completely numb; I couldn't muster any strength, and that was all I could do.

The young man turned around and looked back; the blood-red eyes, like will-o'-the-wisps, seemed to be staring at him.

"I beg you!"

The way the Mewtwo recorder was stared at but did nothing nearly made him faint.

The young man's silhouette was reflected in his bloodshot eyes.

She seemed to have figured out how the second simple code accomplished these movement functions…

then.

ACO, who was occupying the woman's body, began to exert force in her waist, kept her core stable, and slowly lifted her upper body off the ground. Her two arms stretched out like waves, no longer swaying like a real zombie.

"Hold!"

This bizarre behavior only exacerbates the despair of the Mewtwo recorder.

A hand slammed onto the ground, and the black customer service representative made a rustling sound as it dragged along the surface. The dragging motion, which started slowly, gradually accelerated and drew closer in the young man's eyes.

Finally, he could no longer withstand the pressure and fainted instantly.

Oh my god, if only I could close my eyes and never wake up again, and just treat this place as a nightmare.

But all of this was a risky act initiated by some reckless young people in Taipingzhou.

It's a true resurrection that happened in the real world...

……

The cold ground jolted me awake, and my bones ached from the impact.

When I opened my eyes, all I saw was a dizzying array of red and black colors.

This audacious young man finally realized that his reckless behavior was truly a headlong rush towards death.

He curled up and sobbed softly.

His trousers, soaked with bodily fluids, clung tightly to his thighs, stimulating his nerves and reminding him that this was not a dream.

As the young man buried his head in his hands and wept, he was completely unaware that a dark figure was lying beside him.

He only realized it when he stood up in a daze—

The person on the other side also got up.

His dirty hair clung to his forehead, and the young man opened his mouth but dared not move.

Now that the young man was close enough, he could see the strange thing clearly. It was a woman covered in abrasions and various wounds. The artificial skin underneath the black-clad woman's clothes had been worn down by external forces, and she looked like the kind of boring outfit from a zombie movie from decades ago.

The other person seemed to be thinking, and began to slowly get up, keeping pace with the young man's movements throughout.

He subconsciously swallowed...

The other person's throat was also faintly twitching.

Is this strange thing mimicking its own actions?!
Is it similar to the robots produced by Comtasia?
A thousand thoughts flashed through the young man's mind, and he didn't know how to deal with the current predicament.

This stalemate didn't last long. The young man, whose body was aching all over, swayed as he stood up. This time, his opponent was significantly faster.

Seeing that the other person was keeping a certain distance from him, the young man tried reaching out and swinging his arm forward.

The other person, just like himself, bowed and waved...

confirmed.

The young woman was almost certain that this thing wasn't human, but she was trying to become human, which was why she was mimicking her own actions—

This thought grew stronger and stronger…

Until he took a step to the side.

as predicted!

This person who was chasing her had a very strong ability to imitate, and she also took a step to the side, just like the person in the mirror.

Around the unseen center, the bolder individuals gradually discerned the possible escape routes illuminated by the light…

A white membrane beneath the woman's eerie pupils moved slowly, as if trying to achieve consistency, and thus decided to move her eyes.

So the young man mustered his courage, turned around, and left his back to the other person.

He knew it was dangerous, but if he kept facing the woman, not only would they get closer and closer, but he would also be unable to carry out his escape plan.

The woman then turned her back to the young man.

The young man glanced back and found that the guy was also turning around and staring at him menacingly.

He quickly turned his head away.

Amidst the fear, there was a sense of relief; the other party had indeed done as I had instructed.

Following this logic, if I walk forward, that guy will go in the opposite direction, allowing me to escape unharmed.

As for why there's this woman-like monster here, and what to do if Evan dies, none of that matters anymore.

Being alive is the most precious thing.

He took the first step.

The woman can still mimic the entire process even with her back to you.

In fact, all the electronic devices here are controlled by this "resurrected" woman. All the devices that collect information are her eyes, and there is no need to use the way humans observe the world to carry out this learning activity.

Judging from the footsteps, the young man realized that the strange thing was getting further and further away from him.

Even in complete darkness, he could still see the pitch-black opening the network cable led to and the heavy iron gate secured by an old-fashioned chain.

What should have been a terrifying and eerie scene has now turned into a hopeful one.

He didn't want to guess what was behind that door; to him, it was the only way home.

Perhaps unable to contain his excitement any longer, the young man quickened his pace, and his weak legs gradually regained their strength, so he began to jog towards the door.

The woman started running in the opposite direction, towards the side where the train had been converted into a server…

Ding ding ding!
The young man quickened his pace; he didn't want to stay there for even a second longer. The woman also sped up, and her behavior began to resemble that of a human.

Soon...

The young man made a pleading yet excited sound, trying to reach for the lock, while the woman's footsteps echoing in the empty facility behind him grew fainter and fainter...

Snapped!
The woman's running posture suddenly stopped!
She turned her neck and body together, quietly watching the young man grow ever more distant.

"Damn...faster."

The young man cheered himself on, completely unaware that the guy imitating him had already completed the simulation.

The moment my hand touched the doorknob—

The young man beamed with joy; his hand was almost able to push the mechanical lock open…

Then a rough hand, covered by scabs and wounds, gently covered his own. His excited expression froze instantly, then began to melt like wax.

The young man was unaware of how stiff he was when he turned his neck.

A face was less than two centimeters away from hers, their noses almost touching, and the strange patterns on the paint on her face seemed to be clearly visible.

The young man's face instantly turned ferocious!

"Fuck you!"

He kicked the woman, but it had no effect; instead, his foot struck the iron gate with the force of the kick.

Ignoring the pain, he started running towards the brightly lit side emergency exit.

If there were hackers here, they could see a temporary local area network built around the woman's brain-computer interface, with dense red lines leading to almost every corner of the facility, where "they" were sharing the experience the woman had just gained.

They have completely mastered basic human behavior.

A series of sounds of things being thrown and smashed haphazardly.

The woman's steps were steady and firm, as if she were deliberately torturing herself.

The young man had no idea where he had wandered into.

All I know is that what's in front of me is a dark, soft mass—

Moreover, the temperature here is low, like the effect of a refrigerator's crisper drawer.

I can’t control that much anymore!
The young man, who was tormented by fear and on the verge of collapse, grabbed something that was soft and squishy, ​​but he didn't care and lashed it out at it!
"Hold!"

One swing wasn't enough; the young man swung the object in his hand many times.

hiss--

The sound stopped suddenly.

After smashing the object in his hand, the young man hurriedly dropped it; its soft, squishy texture made it really hard to hold.

The woman, whose face had been slapped several times, turned her face back to normal.

The thing froze in place, its eyes seeming to gleam with an even more intense, tragic light…

Attack detected

The ability to accurately identify attack behaviors is essential for the survival of AI roaming outside the Great Firewall.

Further imitation and learning can be stopped.

In ACO's view... simple code being offensive is intolerable; imitation and learning versus being attacked are essentially two choices that don't need to be considered, and she chooses to eliminate the object in front of her.

In fact, if it weren't for the inability to devour the code in this bizarre world, the resurrected Maman Bridget would have preferred to devour the other party.

This was the first time she had displayed aggressive behavior.

It also made the young man instantly understand why Evan was torn apart like that.

Everything happened so suddenly!
"Uh?!"

The old captain and the Mewtwo recorder felt an immense grip, their throats almost crushed.

The ACO approach, which maximizes the use of results, is similar to the previous code called Evan's code. Perhaps we can find even more useful information in this code.

Logically speaking, roaming AI doesn't need to kill targets in this way; it might be simpler to use data to invade the target's implant.

only…

This network area, untouched by itself and its kind, is controlled by a "monitor" (a black wall). It is slow to respond and has low self-attack capability. As long as data is downloaded offline into containers of these simple codes, the monitor will not investigate.

Therefore, using data online is not an ideal solution.

"what!!!!"

The old captain swore he had never experienced such pain in his life.

The Super Dream Sensory Link System amplifies the pain of skin being torn apart to the extreme!
Both Mewtwo's recorder and Mewtwo himself let out cries of pain...

Warm liquid splashed onto my face—

The young man's other hand, which was grasping haphazardly, gripped a switch, instantly turning on the lights of the underground facility.

The young man, who thought he had grabbed something to fight back, was filled with despair. He was pulled down like a rag doll. He struggled to lift his head and finally saw what those soft, squishy obstacles in front of him were.

From the AI's perspective, it's a container for storing offline data; some of it is usable, while some is no longer usable and is continuously decaying.

To the young man, they were corpses—hackers with blackened skulls and long-dead bodies—but someone was reconnecting them to the internet, one by one, beneath which were piles of ice...

Among those rising and falling bodies, one by one, those "like" Maman Bridget pushed aside the corpse covering them and slowly rose. Closest to the youth was a robust fellow, like a chimpanzee, almost like an animal gang—

His name is Plashid.

These people are the Voodoo gang members who died in that cyberspace conflict, as well as the gang members who later joined the network in an attempt to seize the "opportunity for ascension."

Fearing they would miss the chance to be led by their master to super-evolution, they resolutely entered the center of the data explosion, the battlefield devoured by AI. During the brief moment when the black wall temporarily failed, those who were crawling inside the wall, caught in a dilemma, arrived in this world in a special way...

[Mewtwo's story ends].

……

……

(End of this chapter)