Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 383 Transcendence [6.7K]

The vast cyberspace.

A band of light, resembling a galaxy, pulled a clearly weary virtual avatar from the chaotic sea of ​​data—

The swirling data traces slowly slid down his body, which was hanging down and could barely stand.

Lin Yue was like a victim who was repeatedly subjected to the method of drowning, enduring continuous oppression from a sub-level AI on his way to find his coordinates.

“Too many…”

Lin Yue's eyes were somewhat glazed due to the overload of brain-computer interfaces.

His first real experience was honing his hacking skills by using a brain-computer interface to overclock and refresh CDs.

The fear of danger has become blurred under these physiological limits.

Almost immediately after judging a level to sub-level, Lin Yue would instinctively find an anchor point and exit, almost as if by muscle memory.

Although he could sense that one of the administrators wasn't very friendly towards him, each exit was very efficient, without any further communication...

Ultraman has absolute dominance over Shangri-La, but even so, Lin Yue did not notice the slightest bit of laziness from the two of them.

He was just too ruthless to himself.

When Lin Yue realized that they were once again planning to decisively immerse him in the sea of ​​data regarding approximate coordinates—

Lin Yue dejectedly raised one hand.

"Will this really work?"

It sounds like he has no concept of it, but when he actually tried it, Lin Yue knew just how low the probability was.

Many times, before I even had a chance to check the domain coordinates, the sub-level AI appeared.

Their behavior was bizarre, and without exception, they all coveted the weaker creature like themselves; none of them were the kind of creatures that Ultra had mentioned that could be communicated with.

As for the style…

Lin Yue found it difficult to describe those structures. They were like strange cubes stacked with blood-red rectangles, covering the entire data sky. They seemed to be emitting a kind of howl similar to that of humans. The Rabids virus had caused problems with many of their intelligent modules. The name "Evil Dragon" could aptly describe the state of these guys.

The administrator, who had been inactive for half a day, finally appeared.

This time it's that old butler-like guy...

"The digital soul's aversion to the soul killer comes from the subconscious."

He smiled.

"Hello, Earl."

Lin Yue, panting heavily, slowly raised his head to look at the guy in front of him whose expression he couldn't see. For some reason, Lin Yue let out a strange laugh from below, which was hidden by his hair.

"Depend on…"

The Earl is probably the name of this number's soul.

Just as its name suggests.

His British gentlemanly accent sounded strangely familiar.

"You are the least sensitive to hacking techniques I have ever met, yet you are excessively skilled."

“Sub-level…”

"Besides me and that mean lady, there should be no one else in Shangri-La who can handle it."

"Shall we continue?"

Lin Yue shook his head.

The count's smile deepened—

"Hey, if I'm not mistaken... Mr. Fake Smile, if I have any objections, you'll probably force me to join as Ultraman said, right?"

"clever."

The Count nodded.

“In Miss Otto Cunningham’s view, this transaction is perfectly fair. You used power that did not belong to you, so naturally you have to return these things.”

"Delaying won't change anything. Miss Ultra should have explained our current situation to you."

Lin Yue nodded.

He just had a guess...

The data are contradictory.

Bartmores is an extremely private person, and Lin Yue is like someone with a rope tied around his waist trying to pry open a treasure cave and bring out the treasure.

However, the opening is only wide enough for one person to pass through.

Hanging from a rope, attempting to carry the treasure away unscathed, will result in getting stuck, and you might not even be able to enter the cave entrance...

If you go in on your own initiative.

Lin Yue shivered involuntarily.

The count's expression gradually calmed down.

They knew about Ultraman, and they also knew that a strange human was in contact with them, these digital souls or entities.

I just didn't expect that this was someone who couldn't help the highest authority in Shangri-La at all.

His humanity seems to be revealing its cowardice.

"you…"

"Are you going to give up?"

Lin Yue chuckled.

These two people look like one is very enthusiastic and the other is very indifferent.

In reality, they're all guys who don't expect anything good from themselves...

The reason Ultraman chose them as the initiators of the passage was because they showed no mercy. In fact, Ultraman could have done these things perfectly with an AI, but he chose to use these two administrators.

Is Ultraman complex or simple?

How exactly did she eliminate her humanity?

never mind…

Lin Yue would check the system time when he was exhausted.

I've been online for three days now, and Santo Domingo has sent word that V is anxiously waiting for me...

Over the past two days, Lin Yue has been using his overdrawn computing power to verify his conjecture.

Now, it's time to put it into practice.

"Alright, old man."

Lin Yue let out a long breath, his tone like that of a scoundrel on the street.

“If that rope could be cut, you’d probably be more willing to do it than that lady—Ott and I did a fair deal, but I don’t owe you either.”

The count remained silent.

The obese woman also appeared at that moment.

As digital souls, they appeared no different from normal people, but Lin Yue's words caused the two executives to begin to change.

Sub-level…

Lin Yue smiled.

There was a slight movement in his hand.

The two sub-level AIs stared at them nervously.

Immediately afterwards——

A slight ripple appeared on the faces of the two administrators, whose expressions were obscured.

"Don't!"

Lin Yue didn't have time to waste on something that was making no progress.

He was going to take a risk.

Because Lin Yue trusted his own judgment.

Throughout the journey, Lin Yue never doubted his choice. In these three days, he let his willpower speak for itself. A wealth of knowledge about the Netwalker was reinforced and repeatedly studied during this process. The first step always requires courage...

Just as the administrative officer was about to unleash data chains in an attempt to stop Lin Yue.

Lin Yue, who was not bound by any ropes, suddenly plunged into the sea of ​​data!

"Damn old man!"

The plump woman placed her hands on her cheeks, looking utterly defeated.

This was their mistake...

Ott said that Lin Yue could be ruthless when he tried to slack off or fight his emotions, but he didn't say that he didn't stop him from risking his life!
The Earl's data chains reached into the sea of ​​data, where the chaotic data and AI from the old network devoured them, leaving only a few bare, nearly broken data chains that retracted.

"What was this guy thinking?!"

The count listened to the woman's words and silently gazed at the sea of ​​data.

"You really think he's reckless?"

"That guy discovered that as long as he has our marks on him, he can't get close to the truth."

They discovered this problem much earlier than Lin Yue.

I just won't give up...

The rope was a shackle they placed on Lin Yue to prevent the cowardly from breaking the contract. However, when the rope was voluntarily untied, they received an answer.

Complete cooperation.

Ultraman is testing the waters.

She had been testing whether Lin Yue would establish a true alliance with her.

In this process, Ultraman's interests are maximized.

She gained genuine allies and had a very high probability of finding the so-called Bartholomew's coordinates...

The woman finally spoke.

His voice was trembling and he seemed reluctant to speak.

"How about... we try scooping some out?"

The count's gaze searched through the sea of ​​data, and he discovered a strange phenomenon.

That was the moment Lin Yue disappeared; a passage was established...

The Earl immediately began predicting the data trajectory.

He was observing the visualized path to see if Lin Yue would encounter a terrifying being of the sub-level...

fortunately.

Courage has proven to be an important way to gain recognition.

Just as the two administrators were patiently waiting for the outcome, a problem arose.

"Looking for Miss Ultra!"

"quick!"

The count discovered that the seemingly flat, boundless sea of ​​data had inexplicably begun to fold like a mirror.

This is like a large number of vectors being distorted in an instant.

In the context of the universe, this would mean the sudden appearance of a black hole causing a star field to begin collapsing!

This was clearly beyond the comprehension of the two administrators.

Such a strange phenomenon had never occurred on the network before. They saw massive amounts of data being annihilated, and countless sub-level AIs turning into dust in the collisions, as if they were being tightly gripped by a powerful hand, with no room for struggle.

That guy under that power...

The count's face was like a mirror, reflecting his helplessness in expressing humanity.

It's all over.

Suddenly, Ultraman appeared in the boundless blackness above.

The two administrators grasped at a straw as if it were their only hope—

"Miss Ultra!"

Ultraman looked down at the two people; the empty passageway ended in an empty space.

Lin Yue was not here.

"What about people?"

The two administrators answered truthfully.

Ultraman made the right bet.

Lin Yue is a trustworthy partner, just like how Ultraman spared no effort in protecting his life.

Ultraman had anticipated Bartmos's thought process.

They figured out human nature perfectly.

They accurately predicted the administrator's actions—

But the one thing they failed to accurately predict was the ever-changing nature of cyberspace.

"I was forcibly kicked out."

Ultraman had never felt this way before.

Aside from facing the cage that Arasaka had tailored specifically for him.

In cyberspace, she has never encountered any particularly strong obstacles or difficulties.

The genius hacker who created the Soul Killer, plus the data she now possesses.

Wherever she appears, even a casual action can wipe out the network of nearby users…

As she scanned this sea of ​​data located outside the black wall of the Asian internet zone, access denied messages kept popping up.

Ultraman knew he could no longer participate.

She differs from true AI in that Ultraman possesses the ability to make connections between things. Could this be related to Bartmos? Could it be related to the Black Wall?

That's all Ultraman could think.

She took no action against the current situation; the sea of ​​data seemed to have been completely taken offline, disappearing into the three-dimensional space out of thin air.

"Your equipment is going back to Busan."

"I'll wait here."

Ultraman's body transformed into the largest form here, making it impossible for other wandering AIs that sensed the data emanating from this area to approach.

The digital soul is completely obedient to Ultraman's commands.

The vast Shangri-La appeared on the servers of other ghost towns as if it were facing danger.

Only Ultraman remains here.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of being a physical entity is that it has no expression.

No one knows what Ultraman is thinking...

The ocean of data is far larger than I imagined.

The amount of information here is astonishing; Lin Yue saw a lot of information from around 2020 as he walked.

The information hierarchy here is also very different.

You might see a top-secret document from New America that reveals scandals behind certain wars, or you might see an email with a sales pitch for laundry detergent.

Without exception, they are all incomplete.

The sea of ​​data has turned these things into a chaotic mess. Fragmented information doesn't have much value for existing AI to iterate and absorb; it's just floating in the water. Strangely—

Lin Yue was not disturbed.

He was as if he were wrapped in a thin membrane, with a fine, spider-web-like guiding program leading him forward.

Driven by curiosity, Lin Yue wanted to try and see what this "thin film" was, but for his program suite, it seemed more like...

Same source software?

Lin Yue was extremely surprised.

Suddenly, a sense of interconnectedness arose in my mind…

The emergence of rabies control kits, programs with a clear tendency to induce rabies, and extremely simple programming style—no one but Barthes Moss could come up with such a thing.

However, Lin Yue could no longer control the various commands on the program suite panel and could only continue like this. At the same time, he discovered unusual behavior. All information channels, such as the sensory network, time speed, program changes, and even the prosthetic body's state, were locked. Lin Yue's consciousness was like a projection in the cyber network, without any ability to resist.

He immediately realized that he had probably entered some kind of program.

It's somewhat similar to the time loop I've encountered before.

Lin Yue felt more at ease and warmer than ever before. It was as if he belonged here. He felt no fear at all. On the contrary, his nerves, which had been tormented for so long, began to relax. A wave of fatigue washed over him. Even though he had the best hormone-regulating prosthetic body and could suppress the inactive state of his cerebral cortex, he still needed sleep, just like any other human physiological need.

He could only vaguely watch the data collide and vanish, his ears filled with the noise of various eras, there were "declarations" and "cries", there were "tragedies" and "wails", there was innovation and backwardness... like a ruler, measuring the torrent of human history.

This went on for an unknown period of time.

shuh…

shuh…

It sounded like the rustling of a broom scraping against a bluestone pavement.

Lin Yue felt a slight pain in his face, as if something was pressing against it, and his whole body felt sore and numb from prolonged nerve compression.

The morning mist, the faint scent of decaying pine needles, and the lingering dampness on my skin—

The real world?

Startled, Lin Yue hurriedly got up and found himself half-awake in a courtyard that resembled a temple…

In the distance, a slender, small figure stood with its back to him, its gender indiscernible, patiently sweeping away fallen leaves with a broom. Meanwhile, he, the intruder, lay sprawled on the stone steps, covered with a thin cotton cloth.

Just as Lin Yue was staring at the person's back, he (or she) seemed to sense something, slightly straightened up, and turned their chin slightly to the side...

"Hello."

The girl's tender voice came through, carrying a hint of etherealness, as if echoing all around.

Lin Yue then realized that it was a girl dressed in a plain robe, her hair neatly tied up, smiling and greeting him with her eyes lowered.

Lin Yue, who stood up and looked around, was clearly still half asleep...

He rubbed his face and looked down at himself, only to find that there was no trace of cybernetics on his body.

The long battles and the difficulty in relaxing his nerves made Lin Yue believe that it was impossible for him to be in a temple at this moment; on the contrary, it would be more reasonable for him to be in the cyber world.

"who are you?"

Lin Yue's eyes were wary.

The girl slowly walked to the corner of the wall, put down the cleaning tools in her hand under Lin Yue's gaze, and gently patted her hands.

Throughout the process, it was clear that she had extremely high standards for cleanliness; she even showed a slight look of annoyance when she caught a glimpse of fallen leaves that hadn't been swept away from her feet.

“AKira (Japanese can be translated as light, crystal, etc.)”

Lin Yue wanted to find even a trace of memory of this name, but unfortunately he couldn't.

It was like meeting a complete stranger for the first time.

The girl looked up, and Lin Yue could only describe her as pure and innocent.

It was as if the standard of cleanliness was engraved in every detail of her body. Even the most easily wrinkled area, the chest belt, was perfectly stretched and laid flat to accentuate the proportions of her upper and lower body. Her age was also roughly fourteen years old.

"Never heard of it...?"

The girl has dimples when she smiles.

"Ah, just as that person said, you are missing some things in your memories."

Lin Yue was completely confused. He was simply trying to determine from his experience whether the humanoid virtual figure in front of him was a person, a digital soul, or an AI.

It lacks any data characteristics, as if it cannot perceive the existence of a program in front of it, and there isn't even a basic signal from the prosthetic body...

"You don't need to feel me, because I am in you, and you can't see me clearly."

Lin Yue was a little scared.

If this were an AI that Ultraman hadn't explained, it would probably be doomed. So he tried to take some measures, even if it was just a little bit...

The girl's gaze shifted downwards, and she saw a fallen leaf at her feet. She slightly bent her knees and picked it up.

Beneath her glistening eyelashes, her eyes, sparkling like stars, stared intently at the fallen leaf…

"look."

While Lin Yue was still thinking about how to trigger even a slight network response, the girl raised her other hand and opened it towards Lin Yue, and he was pulled forward as if out of control!

Depend on!
Lin Yue felt a tingling sensation all over his body…

The girl's hands were like invisible clamps, firmly binding Lin Yue. She held the fallen leaf in front of him, and Lin Yue felt the leaf rapidly expand and unfold before him, its veins becoming clear, followed by piles of... a sea of ​​data?!

From those fallen leaves, you can clearly see AI attacks, various network activities, and the company's subnetting activities!
His pupils were fixed on those online behaviors.

Even the potential difference in the prosthetic body when a hacker logs off and back on can be seen in this leaf…

What a miracle!
Just as Lin Yue's mind went blank...

Swish!
The leaf shrank rapidly, Lin Yue lost his balance, and the girl let go of his hand.

She toyed with a fallen leaf in her hand, muttering softly, "They've made my yard dirty again. I really want to clean it all up, but that would... be so boring, wouldn't it?"

Lin Yue felt the return of control over his body. He had just mentioned to Ultraman that he would never encounter such an intelligent being in his lifetime, and now he had finally met one…

"You are…"

"Transcendence?!"

Lin Yue felt that he was truly defying the heavens.

Whenever something good happens to me, it's always something terrible...

The internet itself is AI, that's Barthemos's reasoning, and thinking about that—

hiss!
Lin Yue's head was throbbing.

What have I forgotten?!

The girl looked at Lin Yue, who was sitting on the ground with his head in his hands, and slowly walked up to him, holding a leaf in her hand. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at him quietly.

"laugh…"

"That guy described me the same way in his little sketchbook," saying I'm clean—"I don't understand what you're saying..."

Lin Yue's eyes showed a hint of fear, the atmosphere was strange, and his hands were frozen in place.

He slowly raised his head, his lips trembling, "Chiba... the transcendental AI of the Japanese internet, Akira?!"

The girl was clearly somewhat dissatisfied.

“My name is Jing, not Akira.”

She reached out and forcibly pulled Lin Yue's palm to draw Japanese characters on it.

Clear and transparent.

That's what she meant.

"You remember now?"

Jing looked at Lin Yue and said, "If that guy in Europe could see you, he'd probably be very happy that his mystery has been solved."

Europe…

Lin Yue then remembered another name for Transcendence.

That was the most powerful transcendental AI that Barthes had ever observed, the European region's "Europa"!
correct.

Lin Yue felt that something vague had gained definite understanding: the memories in his brain related to the core secrets of the network seemed to have been stripped away, and the details about them in Bartmouth's "Network Traveler's Guide" had also disappeared...

Jing stood up, clapped her hands, and walked around Lin Yuezhou in circles.

“He was right, someone will find me.”

Lin Yue remained silent for a long time.

This is likely the result of Bartmouth's communication with Transcendence AI in the Japanese region.

Looking at Jing, he asked, "Did you build the black wall?"

Jing didn't speak, but instead raised her fair chin. Lin Yue looked in the direction she pointed. The grayish-white morning mist disappeared, replaced by scattered red light spots. There was no one else but the black wall.

"We already know how to make candy when children are holding onto it tightly."

"It's not the wall that's blocking them, it's the wall that's blocking you—"

Jing's words shattered Lin Yue's worldview.

Are the black walls meant to separate humanity?

Why is this...?

“Every piece of data, every action, and every piece of information you generate while moving inside my body is a part of me.”

Jing said, rather bored.

"But you guys are so unclean, [I'm going to pick a date to destroy it]... You agree with that, right?"

The internet in Chiba and Tokyo…

Lin Yue looked up and said, "Wait!"
Is this guy trying to reshuffle the entire network in the Japanese region?
if that is the case…

What kind of destruction would it be if Arasaka's secrets could not be kept and were completely destroyed?
But what if we lose one more Arakasa?

Military technology, biotechnology, Peizhuo Petrochemical, etc...

Are there more "crystals" that will destroy them?

"I…"

Lin Yue was hesitant to give any answers in front of this AI, which was essentially a network; being able to speak and remain conscious was already the limit.

But he still had to say it.

I disagree.

Jing's face fell.

Just as Lin Yue was feeling a chill run down her spine, she stood up in a huff and waved her hand, "You really know how to refuse."

Actually, if this old man wants to destroy something, there's nothing you can do to stop him, right?

But then, as if remembering something, she said, "Alright, now that you're here, the agreement is valid, right?"

Agreement?

No… wait a minute.

Lin Yue gets a bit nervous whenever he hears the word "agreement".

I'm afraid that I might get involved with these complex intelligent entities someday.

"what?"

The girl complained, "Someone can clean the yard for me."

"You think it's easy to clean?!"

Seeing the slight pink tinge on her fair cheeks from anger, Lin Yue looked away and noticed a small mountain of leaves piled up behind Jing…

"【Chiba Internet Black Market is nothing but a dumping ground for garbage!】"

"Super ugly!"

The vast amount of data that humans generate on the internet, which should enrich the network, has instead caused the network itself to begin to resist it.

Lin Yue was a little hesitant to speak to this emotionally unstable Transcendent AI, and instead tentatively pointed to the black wall behind him—

unexpectedly.

Before he could say anything, Jing shook her head with her back to Lin Yue, "That wall wants to know where it came from and who created it."

Don't tell him the answer.

Lin Yue was dumbfounded.

Seriously, shouldn't Transcendence AI be omniscient and omnipotent, speaking even more clearly than Ultraman?

What is this?

I didn't hear the answer at all—

"I won't tell you the answer. The walls can hear lies. You just need to make up a lie that isn't a lie!"

Lin Yue felt a sense of powerlessness, as if he couldn't hit anyone.

He vowed to stay away from Japanese girls of that age.

"A lie that isn't a lie..."

Jing thought the little talking bugs inside her body were incredibly stupid.

“Tell him you will be free.”

Lin Yue wanted to stay and ask more questions, but Jing told him to leave.

She turned around, and her body began to expand rapidly. Lin Yue watched as the almost solid scene around him turned into data particles, and he returned to the network area.

Floating in the sea of ​​data, Lin Yue stared at the empty blackness, as if he were in a dream.

until--

Ultraman appeared and quickly pulled him out of the sea of ​​data!
……

……

　I tried my best with this chapter; it's rather abstract.

　　Let me first introduce the concept of Transcendental AI. In the Cyberpunk rulebook and the Bartmouth's Guide to the Network, Transcendental AI is itself a network, and each region has its own unique Transcendental AI. Akira, who appears in this chapter, is one of them. The reason I chose a different translation than "Superconducting Noodles" is actually due to my personal XP and understanding of Akira's characteristics. She finds it difficult to tolerate the complex information within the network, but she doesn't destroy it, which is more like the personality of a little girl. In reality, Transcendental AI is not gender-specific; it's just a concept. However, for the sake of storytelling, I still made some personal interpretations.

　　【They've made my yard dirty again. I really want to clean it all up, but that would be so boring, wouldn't it?】: AKira said in words that Bartmouth can understand that she was going to do a major cleanup of the internet, detonating a nuclear bomb in the Japanese internet.

　　[That guy described me the same way in his little sketchbook], [saying I'm clean] - [I don't understand what I'm saying]: Bartholomew's language of transcendental AI cannot be fully deciphered, but it summarizes the characteristic of being clean. The little sketchbook is referring to the book "The Guide to the Internet Traveler".

　　【The European Guy】、【Europa】：Bartholomew observed the most powerful transcendental AI, which is almost omniscient and omnipotent. It is said that Europa in the European network area is pondering the ultimate mystery of the universe.

　　[Chiba Internet Black Market is a dumping ground for garbage!]: The Chiba Internet Black Market is the root cause of the chaos in the Japanese internet, and Arasaka is also partly to blame.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)