Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 361 Foresight (Part 2) [7.5K]

Although Lin Yue supported Shidao and Pila's technological dreams, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

It was as if something terrible, never before known, was about to appear.

Whether it's the generous rewards from the panel this time or the technological products that expand the advantages of the Shadow Body today, they all give him a feeling that a storm is brewing...

The sixth sense, this elusive thing, is mostly attributed to muscle memory and some unconscious guesses of the brain—but it turns out that Lin Yue's premonitions were very accurate many times.

It must be said that Lin Yue's encouragement-based management style is quite effective...

The two people, who had just been grieving, looked at each other and then had an excited expression like mad scientists.

Lin Yue was now somewhat embarrassed.

Excluding these two individuals, Lin Yue gained a completely new understanding of AI's iterative capabilities.

Are you wondering if we have any other AI technologies at our disposal?

Even though Pira was wearing a special dustproof and anti-static lab coat designed for scientific research, her behavior was still just like that of the vagrant mercenaries in Night City—

It has a comical feel to it.

"No wonder such a greedy guy is so strong."

Lin Yue paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.

"Do not…"

"I'm just amazed at how terrifying these AI friends outside the Great Firewall are."

This is just the AI ​​iteration technology of Qilusi Optics. Many of the principles and content are completely impossible to replicate in the labs and factories of dreamers. Even world-class giants need a long research and development cycle, and many of these technologies are simply impossible to achieve.

"What do you think the company is so keen on doing by going through these back channels?"

"Those belligerent corporations and conglomerates aren't hiring those roving AIs that can burn a hacker's brain in 0.1 seconds for the sake of human technological advancement—"

The island was only half-finished.

"The fact that such a small amount of data from that unpacking can give you a prosthetic body that other companies' R&D teams could never create in their entire lives certainly comes at a price."

Pila rubbed his mustache. "Hmm... that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the truth is, no company would invest so much effort in developing Shadow. Without experimental data and processes for AI iteration, Professor Shidao and I wouldn't have gone into this..."

This is true.

Lin Yue suddenly remembered some ideas he had with Pila when they were at the old Wei Medical Clinic.

That's the Black Wall weapon.
Although it is called a black wall weapon, it would be more appropriate to call it a weapon for roaming AI.

Because the Black Wall itself is a mobile AI, it exhibits observable phenomena that differ from the attack methods of AI outside the wall:

The so-called code traces, those red and black images stuck to the corpse, are based on this principle.

The islander directly and boldly stated the current predicament.

It's not that I want Lin Yue to solve it, but rather that I should lower my expectations for this matter.

"I understand Erebus's entire design philosophy. The source of its weapon's lethality is the AI ​​with its internal neural network."

It's rare to see Pila act so seriously—

Seeing that Lin Yue couldn't quite understand, he continued, "The AI ​​outside the wall was fixed by them using the initial version of the neural matrix, which means they captured the roaming AI. The built-in AI technology, combined with specially developed ammunition, enabled wireless intrusion."

"How should I put it... the neural matrix constructs a carrier that adapts to AI entering our world. It cannot escape its confinement; it is still somewhere in cyberspace. It only completes a projection when the weapon is activated."

Lin Yue was so engrossed in listening that he didn't even realize it himself.

“Erebus’s eyes are always watching humanity. He is like a beast that can reach out and strangle its enemies while staying in a room. We have reason to suspect that he is also looking for a way to break free from his fixed position.”

"The strength lies in the AI ​​itself, and has absolutely nothing to do with Erebus."

The islander nodded.

He echoed, "It's quite similar to the way some of my colleagues who are doing research in New America do it, or rather, this has always been the scientific mindset of New Americans... It would be very difficult to create a weapon like Erebus without a rigorous research and development process like that of the Beidou system."

Lin Yue pondered for a long time.

This is in line with his expectations.

It's important to know that the original purpose of developing Little Beidou was to counter the Soul Killer... Its development cycle lasted for decades, and Little Beidou's neural matrix was just a branch product of that development.

The same applies to chapters and Erebus.

"I still doubt whether Little Beidou can withstand something like Soul Killer."

The island was immediately denied, even in a resolute tone.

"impossible."

Lin Yue: "Why?"

Pila pondered this carefully, clearly not understanding why Shijima held such strong awe for the weapons that had been used to attack Arasaka decades ago.

"Imagine that Xiao Beidou simply projects the roving AI, which is to bypass the black wall and use the brain-burning method to kill and destroy this malicious data."

"ICE, which can theoretically attack any organization or individual, has no defense against Little Beidou."

"It sounds impressive at first glance, but in reality, roaming AIs are not so easy to apprehend. It's hard to say how many lives New America has paid in the process."

As he spoke of the lost island, a longing gleamed in his eyes.

"I really want to meet those legendary hackers."

At this point, Lin Yue pretended to be confused.

"Is it Otto Cunningham?"

The island-dwelling man denied it with a smile.

"Arasaka once captured the digital soul of that legendary hacker, and almost... this world was left with only one deformed monster."

"Do you really believe that Soul Killer is merely the brainchild of a legendary hacker, Ricky Bartommos, Murphy…"

“I want to sit down and talk with these seniors, even though it sounds strange for me to say this now. It’s definitely a new field that a fool like me can’t possibly reach.”

Lin Yue chuckled to himself.

Ultraman might be able to hear all of this right now.

I wonder what she thinks of this scientist fan from decades later.

I accidentally said too much.

Shidao composed himself and stood up.

"Kid, you're very strong. At least in the eyes of me, Pira, and the team, you're the guy who can carry our dreams."

"Keep going, and never give up."

The sudden change in tone left Lin Yue momentarily speechless.

Pila nodded with his slender fingers. "Go ahead and try to kill yourself, buddy. We'll make you even more amazing new stuff, but don't let my little sister use it. That's the bottom line!"

"Damn it—I haven't even settled the score with you for those things she pretended to do last time. Even though it was her own idea, I still want to beat you up, you idiot!"

Lin Yue did not respond to any of these questions.

He has no idea what kind of monsters the company will create in the future.

The three people present undoubtedly knew the company:

They've seen lone wolves like Lin Yue before; he's a prime example, proving that humans can surpass limits. What's a heavy hammer compared to that? They won't rest until they create a monster like him.

The world is vast, and the Heavy Hammer may be a legend that Night City was once unable to defeat.

However, the European Community and the powers in space also maintain their advantage by manufacturing extreme weapons.

"it is good."

Lin Yue could only respond to his teammates' expectations with these words.

"Technologies like Neural Matrix and Erebus are destined to be the thinking of large enterprises; we only need data for AI iteration."

The sheer number of intelligent creations that AI can achieve is enough.

The biggest variable in the incident is people, whether it's the control panel or his own adventures along the way, Lin Yue has always believed this.

But speaking of Barthemos…

Lin Yue's mind raced.

He knew that the legendary hacker's body might be in a freezer still full of ice in a junkyard.

If Bartmores left anything behind, it might be a program suite that surpasses the rewards on his own panel?
So he planned to head to the Badlands landfill in Night City after this escort mission was over.

Unfortunately, he lost some subtle memories during the previous Black Wall invasion, such as whether there were still "discarded prosthetic bodies" somewhere in this world, a gift from nature that Lin Yue also longed to obtain.

After all, getting something for free is much better than spending money on it yourself!
The phrase "heart-to-heart talk" perfectly describes the conversation Lin Yue had with Emma after returning to the company. These were the only three people Lin Yue met after returning; naturally, his next stop was to visit Emma.

The company has never had any problems under Emma's leadership.

When biotechnology exacts its revenge on dreamers, this woman's experience fighting the colonel in Dogtown plays a crucial role—

The dreamers are still around, but the company has fallen into a quagmire of infighting, and Emma, ​​the mastermind behind it all, deserves much credit.

She worked closely with V, who was in a high position in Arasaka Tower, and gained the upper hand in many things.

Of course, I was in a very good mood.

Emma's only problem seems to be that she is too sensible, but most of her subordinates who follow her orders would whisper that she's crazy.

For example, she spent an entire day checking out distribution channels, and many business dreamers in Night City have also taken root there, including the community protection business.

This business has very low profit margins, and in many cases it can only serve the area around Taipingzhou.

Emma's actions were more about following Lin Yue's instructions.

Dreamers cannot leech off those who have no way out...

However, a recent order came from a community in the Lijiang Scenic Area.

More than 100 residents of the community pooled together more than 500 euros a month to ask the Dreamers to send at least ten soldiers to prevent gang harassment.

This is an order that no other company would agree to.

However, Emma agreed—

Where did the five hundred euros go?

Emma never even considered that this amount of money couldn't even buy a single gun in the hands of a soldier.

However, Emma discovered something unusual in this series of documents.

Or perhaps, with her meticulous nature, she discovered the problem.

Someone took a kickback.

"boss."

The tall Leiden stood beside him. The woman in the main executive chair, legs crossed, possessed a beautiful figure and elegant demeanor, but his eyes remained fixed on a small ornament beside his desk. He hesitated, unsure whether to speak next…

Emma paused for a moment, holding her pen.
She then leaned back in her soft executive chair and smiled as she commented on the guy who was temporarily replacing Suzuki.

"Should you say it yourself, or do you want me to say it for you?"

"The good things your people have done."

Leiden's body tensed up suddenly.

Emma stood up, and even though her smile was more alluring, Leiden's guilty conscience was impossible to hide.

The jade-like finger tapped Leiden's shoulder, and Leiden hurriedly lowered his head.

"I'm so sorry, boss, I—"

The woman suddenly turned extremely vicious, "Don't fucking call me boss!"

"I'm the only one temporarily managing the Dreamers; call my name!"

Leiden's Adam's apple bobbed...

"Yes, Miss Emma."

Emma's frustration was almost unbearable.

Perhaps due to mental illness, Emma's emotions are often unstable, and only a certain person can see her good, stable side.

"I don't care at all who's doing well or poor, or whether they need protection! All I care about is doing my job perfectly, even if I don't make a single penny. I reminded you, didn't I, Leiden!"

This was almost exactly what Emma truly thought.

Anything Lin Yue does is right.

"But what about you? Your people were making dirty money, taking money from these people, and it took me more than a month to find out."

"Do you only want dreamers to be like those reptiles?! Answer me!"

Ignoring her image in front of others, Emma paced back and forth, slamming what she was holding onto the table. The pen cap was smashed open, and the splashed ink quickly stained Leiden's clothes.

I want to kill you all!

He spoke almost word by word.

In a daze, Leiden saw a strange pink hue in the woman's bewitching pupils. Even when she was angry, her appearance was a perfect stabilizer. But Leiden couldn't let Emma continue to lose control. He knew that if he didn't step in to cover this up today... what would happen if Rin showed up?

“I have already dealt with my fellow countryman, and I request again that I be punished in accordance with the procedures of Dreamers Company.”

Leiden, like a great tree, patiently awaited the storm.

However, there was a moment of silence, with only the woman's rapid breathing due to her anger.

Leiden dared not look up, but the silence seemed too agonizing. He could only brace himself and look for Emma's gaze to see if she was satisfied with the punishment.

This was originally a good thing; there wasn't such a benevolent company in Night City, but...

His fellow townsman, whom he had indulged, ruined a deal.

"I don't want to mess up any of his affairs. I'll say it one last time."

Emma's hand reached under the desk and found a bottle of medicine. Without even drinking water, she swallowed a few extremely bitter chemical pills.

Once her breathing had stabilized, she remembered that Rin should have finished her other tasks at the company by now, and her mood eased considerably.

Coincidentally.

Rin appeared outside the automatic door a second later, knocked on it, and looked at him calmly.

Emma panicked instantly.

"Honey…"

Leiden's face was extremely ugly; he felt he was definitely going to die this time.

Lin Yue was aware of the previous conversation.

He really wanted to go in and control Emma's emotions, but... he didn't want to use his position to disrupt the management model Emma had established; interfering would only make things worse.

Now that the matter was settled, Lin Yue felt it was necessary to control Emma and prevent her from continuing her mental breakdown. "Well done, Mrs. Emma."

The woman, still panicked that she hadn't been able to suppress such a bad thing, was somewhat taken aback.

She subconsciously thought this was sarcastic or harsh language, but Emma always knew that Rin wasn't that kind of person.

"I've seen the peace and stability near Dreamer, which is really great."

No sooner had Lin Yue finished speaking than a cat-like creature pounced into his arms, leaving not only Lin Yue but also Leiden momentarily stunned…

Emma?

Lin Yue coughed lightly, trying to get the woman to loosen her grip on his hand, which was wrapped around him like a lock, but he didn't dare to hurt her. He sighed helplessly and looked at Leiden.

“You have to say something, Emma, ​​Boss—Leyden is waiting.”

Emma's muffled voice came from her heart.

"sorry."

Lin Yue knew that Emma didn't want to punish Leiden, but rather that this matter would make the already impoverished people in the Lijing area suffer even more.

"Leiden".

Emma turned her head to look at the burly man.

“I’m here, Miss Emma.”

Leiden was prepared to accept any punishment.

Emma said, enunciating each word clearly, "Go and look after those hundred households. Your salary, everything about you, will not change, but you need them to believe in Dreamers again. This is the last chance I'm giving you."

Leiden had not expected this kind of punishment.

"Lighter?"

Emma seemed to be asking herself a question with her eyes.

Lin Yue, of course, would not change Emma's orders, but looked at Leiden and said, "The significance of this matter has always far outweighed the profit."

"Admittedly, in such a chaotic environment, we should try to be good people to the end, and we shouldn't be buying and selling weapons. There's nothing wrong with being a charity company..."

“But you know, Leiden, some things have to follow the rules so as not to become a target of criticism. When it’s time to make changes, we will naturally not hold back, but certainly not now to repeat all the rules and apply them to the Dreamers again.”

"I, a soldier from Dogtown, can't do it; you, from an ordinary family, can't; and Manager Suzuki, from a farming family, certainly can't..."

……

"They've all left, how long are you planning to hold them now, hmm?"

Lin Yue treated him like a child.

"You're reluctant to punish Leiden for using me as a shield, huh? You think I don't need to show up at the company, so you're plotting against me?"

Lin Yue smiled and exposed Emma's little schemes.

She's both crazy and smart.

Emma looked up. "No..."

He couldn't wait to inhale the faint scent of dried tobacco from the man's collar, as if the smell was the first thing he recognized.

“That’s heavy enough. There will be people with bad intentions in every place. That’s not Leiden’s fault. Night City needs to find completely good people. Neither you nor I are good people… Asking others will only make you more anxious.”

Lin Yue offered gentle advice.

He noticed that Emma's emotions were still not stable, so he patiently continued to try to ease her guilt.

“With Leiden overseeing it personally, there won’t be any problems.”

Emma finally stopped her breath-holding, suffocating behavior. No matter how beautiful a woman is, if she behaves so strangely and erratically, a man's first reaction should be to push her away. But Lin Yue knew this was Emma's way of expressing herself.

It means the same as "Is it okay?" in V.

"How about... we ask Lao Wei to find a doctor to take a look at you?"

Lin Yue tentatively asked a question.

The eye that peeked out from his chest was filled with strangeness, incomprehension... and sadness?
Lin Yue's hair stood on end instantly—

"Uh, I don't think it's necessary."

"pretty good."

Emma burst into laughter through her tears. "I'm so sorry to have shown you how ugly I look. I was actually planning to finish my work quickly and touch up my makeup."

"I can't concentrate on my work when you're here."

Lin Yue squeezed the woman's hand. "I can tell, your mind isn't on your work."

A master's moves are endless; the woman stood on tiptoe.

"Here?"

It's packed with information.

Emma's long-awaited date seems to be fraught with problems, much like the recent events Lin Yue has been experiencing.

Emma's office was located on a floor near the underground network server hub. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and an alarm sounded instantly.

The main people in charge of the cybersecurity department at Dreamers are Sasha and Qiwei.

Of course, there are also some newly recruited guys…

"Brandon?"

Emma glanced at the information about the prosthetic body, her expression changing drastically. "Damn it! Wait here, darling—"

Her hand was immediately grabbed.

"I will go with you."

His panicked gaze immediately calmed down.

The two walked one after the other to the network control room, which was also where the Dreamers subnet was located. The company's subnet was located in the Taipingzhou network area, and the AI ​​Brandon, which was responsible for storing data and performing calculations, seemed to be in a bad state.

"What's wrong with Brandon?"

Sasha is out on fieldwork today, while Qiwei is in charge of data reading.

Upon seeing Lin Yue, he was initially surprised, then his voice behind the mask became somewhat heavy, "Brandon is being controlled by something and cannot be transmitted back to our server at the moment."

Lin Yue's face darkened.

"what happened?"

Emma explained succinctly: "AIs like Brandon need to grow. They need to find information in the network and iterate; otherwise, they'll just remain a rigid, unchanging program on the server. And since it's involved in some of the company's management—"

"After entering the Taipingzhou network today, it was controlled by many hackers from unknown network addresses."

Is it internet censorship?
Qi Wei seemed to have seen through Lin Yue's thoughts.

"Not internet censorship."

"It looks like... hmm, data spores, most likely an AI program."

AI program?

Aren't AI technologies within China mostly developed by companies?

The group exchanged glances, everything understood without a word...

"I come."

Lin Yue was about to enter the network without saying a word, but Qi Wei blocked Lin Yue's way with her hand and shook her head slightly.

"Believe it or not, the company will know the moment you show up that Rin is still alive? If it's an infiltration of the network and a battle with an AI program, the commotion won't be small."

Emma also tugged at Lin Yue's sleeve.

"No, Rin."

"In that case, everything will be in vain."

Brandon was the company's first non-human employee, and he was also the psychological counselor for the company's employees. Brandon's contribution was indispensable in enabling the dreamers to take "humanity" as their starting point in certain matters.

Lin Yue had liked this kid ever since he started telling lame jokes in the vending machine, so naturally he wouldn't let those unsuspecting guys arrest him.

This is just too weird…

The network area in Taipingzhou was just as dilapidated as Taipingzhou itself, and few people came there. Brandon, who was roaming in it, never crossed the line. He only collected some scattered data and did not carry out any attacks. So how did he get targeted by the forces that were suspected to be from the company?
Lin Yue walked in front of the control panel next to the two hackers lying down, looking up at the densely packed data on the large screen above.

Everyone waited patiently, while the remaining hackers transmitted data over long distances for Qiwei and the other responsible parties to analyze.

"Rabbis virus?"

Lin Yue's expression turned ugly in less than a minute.

Having dealt with the Black Wall countless times, Lin Yue immediately recognized the most familiar code.

Only roving AIs have this kind of thing, and the Rabbits virus on the black wall refreshes very frequently, so it can be basically concluded that it is a product from outside the wall!
Qiwei suddenly looked up.

"Hold…"

Lin Yue was a little impatient, but he forced himself to keep his hands on the table and looked down at the things he had secretly studied in the online traveler's guide...

The only way to escape control is through data disintegration. Brandon is not on the same level as these things. Lin Yue has no idea how these things came about; he just wants to save Brandon.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and Lin Yue felt increasingly uncertain.

All I could hear was the hacker reporting the extent of Brandon's data loss...

Once the percentage exceeds 50%, Brandon will become an unusable and infected wandering AI, and the Black Wall will quickly kill him...

"Damn it!"

Qiwei and Emma remained calm and didn't dare to urge them.

The situation is beyond the control of a hacker like Qiwei; perhaps there's still hope if Arasaka's woman is there...

Emma read the helplessness in Qiwei's eyes and saw her shake her head slightly, and she was already prepared.

The loss of a large amount of data by Dreamers is something no one wanted to see, but now it seems there's no going back...

Just as Emma came up to try to get Lin Yue to leave and patiently wait for a "turnaround that would never happen," Lin Yue raised his hand to block Emma's movement.

“My brain-computer interface contains a weakened version of Brandon; his thinking ability isn't very strong, but the basic code is the same—”

"Let it disintegrate and escape. Dreamer ICE will be temporarily released for fifteen minutes. During this period, all attacks will be handled with human protection!"

A risky and daring act.

Qi Wei never dared to think that way...

The cigarette in his hand fell to the ground.

"quick!"

Lin Yue urged him on.

Qiwei, as if waking from a dream, quickly made arrangements, and no one objected to the decision, because Brandon himself was enough for everyone to save him.

……

Time passed by minute by minute.

Brandon's data is also completely fragmented, basically consisting of tiny pieces of code.

The Dreamers' data fortress is now wide open. Hackers are defending against the Puppet Virus, then allowing the filtered data to pass through, and finally using the small replica version kept by Lin Yue as the skeleton to reshape Brandon!

The process seems lengthy, but in reality, it's only been less than half an hour since it happened.

As for whether the rebuild can be successful, we can only wait patiently for Brandon to respond on his own initiative…

"Rin, the hackers are about to collapse."

Qiwei mustered her courage and explained the situation.

The Dreamers don't have many hackers to begin with, so if there's a loss now, it's like trading one life for another intelligent life form.

Looking at the data with a 70% completeness rate—

Ultimately, the data fortress was shut down.

Lin Yue gave the order.

As long as the company's data is still there, then none of it is considered a major loss.

Brandon's image is that of a cartoon character with a smiling face.

He often appears in the code matrix of the control panel. It seems that showing his face is interesting to him. Even though he doesn't have a real face, he still likes to express his emotions with facial expressions.

The control panel was unusually quiet today.

Everyone stood quietly until the data was completely reorganized and became a program different from Brandon's.

Whether it can run or not, no one dares to make a bold claim...

Disappointment appeared on everyone's face as time went by.

Lin Yue's head throbbed, and the feeling that something was about to happen was growing stronger—

"Cough cough!"

A sound similar to a patient's cough suddenly rang out.

Everyone wore expressions of disbelief and joy.

Besides Brandon, there's no one else...

"I have such a terrible cold!"

Brandon's face looked terrible on the screen; he looked miserable.

"Everyone..."

"Huh? Rin? What are you doing here?! By the way, why am I at the company?"

Lin Yue's tense expression finally relaxed, and he looked down with a smile that seemed to indicate relief.

"Brandon, it's been a long time."

This Brandon is the real Brandon; he incorporates the small model that Lin Yue kept on him, though from the perspective of someone who has just returned from a trip.

However, before Lin Yue could finish speaking, Brandon's next words struck him like a thunderbolt.

He cried out in alarm:

"Hey! Get out of here right now! There's a monster in the network, it's from the other side of the Black Wall!"

"..."

……

(End of this chapter)