Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 451 Arrival (Part 2) [7.8K]

Five hours after the Night City network zone fell.

It's been half an hour since Jefferson's phone call...

The data traces visible in the sky, only through the prosthetic eye, were becoming increasingly clear, and rumors within the city seemed to have sprouted wings—

Compared to those who died from brain damage caused by unexplained brain damage, people seem to value the rumors themselves more than self-defense.

Despite the Night City government's warning to disconnect network devices, many audacious madmen and troublemakers still infiltrated the network, spreading conspiracy theories without any regard for their own safety.

The persistently high cyberattack mortality rate has led to gangs becoming a mainstream force in cities, in addition to company employees bound to corporate data fortresses, especially gangs with their own hackers who are amassed wealth through illegal activities…

In this situation, the mayor of Night City had no choice but to step in…

"Inspiring"? "Encouraging"?
No, these are just necessary steps. To be honest, the mayor of Night City doesn't care how many people die; those are just numbers. What she cares about is how to cover up this mess and prevent Night City from becoming the target of public criticism.

She bet everything on the internet surveillance she hated most.

The internet censors have been arrogant and dismissive of everyone more than once. The internet censors in Night City can be described as having a style where anything not prohibited by law is permitted. The city hall has been subjected to countless inspections, but they have turned a blind eye to the company.

The mayor was well aware that the companies were interest groups, and she was just another kind of group.

The reports in the folder in the assistant's hand vividly displayed the trend of numbers, while the mortality rate could only win a glance from the female mayor.

"There's no need for me to continue looking at this kind of thing. I'll give the internet monitoring department three hours."

"If you want to let the matter of them helping the company get preferential treatment pass you by, then you'd better get this done properly. If I lose my job—"

The threatening language was made without any attempt to conceal it.

"Nobody's having an easy time!"

The man behind the assistant, whose chest was marked with a network monitoring tag, remained expressionless, instead pressing his earpiece. "You can get ready."

"Humph…"

A sneer.

The female mayor was prepared to put on a show in front of the public.

Two staff members opened the door in front of her, and the spotlight illuminated the peaceful scene outside. Even though traces of data flow could still be faintly seen on the podium, she was not worried because she believed that the internet regulators would not dare to let her go.

The hackers are all online.

Like loyal guard dogs, they carefully protected the vulnerable projection of women on the internet, as the data fortress trembled under the onslaught of data attacks. The reason for choosing to give a simultaneous online and offline speech was that people outside Night City wanted to see the mayor who risked his life to appear at this critical juncture, which was key to winning public support.

A large crowd gathered under the makeshift stage set up at the city hall.

To make it appear that the Night City officials were genuinely working for the citizens, different councilors had taken to the back of the podium.

A guilty expression was hidden beneath the cold sweat on his forehead…

No one is unafraid of death; it's just that everyone has different concerns.

Jefferson clearly heard the male senator next to him cursing in Spanish, saying things like "that bitch is just putting on a show and dragging a bunch of bastards down with her," but his gaze was fixed on the carefully selected "audience" of the Night City Hall.

The world has changed.

Jefferson rejected Arasaka's offer, choosing instead to endorse a socially responsible company. In this new America where politics and business were intertwined, the financial resources required for campaigning were essential.

He believed he would eventually achieve his goal.

But things weren't as he imagined. His family's safety was at stake, and the company was resorting to any means necessary. He knew that the principles and methods he had always adhered to were no longer applicable.

Night City slang also says that making a deal with the devil often leads to success.

What's the cost?
Jefferson didn't know, and didn't want to think about it.

The Night City he sees now is not what he wants, nor should it be like this in the future. He has a well-off family, yet he still worries about his children. What about the citizens being robbed by gangs on the streets? What will become of their children?

So Jefferson did it.

He made a deal with the "devil"—

No one in Night City was more insane than the head of that company. She was utterly unscrupulous, like a devil from the Bible. Jefferson even naively wondered if the Dreamer was keeping something beyond human comprehension in the company.

In short, Emma made a promise to herself.

Jefferson watched as the female mayor walked confidently through a flurry of flashing lights. He stared intently at his superior's back; only by replacing her could this chaos be ended…

His attention was no longer on the female mayor's loud opening remarks, but on the buzzing sound.

Elizabeth was staring at him with concern. "I'm very disappointed in you, Jefferson. You've never bowed your head to the company."

The increasingly powerful voice of the female mayor, the uneasy fidgeting of the councilors, the indifferent and unresponsive temporary performers below, the sparse applause, and so on all rushed in.

Jefferson's eyes darted left and right, his breathing became increasingly rapid, and finally—

sizzle.

The loud, high-pitched static interfered with the microphone. The female mayor suddenly bent over as if some insect had crawled on her, pulled the teleprompter out of her ear, and threw it aside. The black gun barrels in the crowd gradually withdrew...

what happened?

Jefferson was thinking that if the assassination attempt failed, the Pacific Company wouldn't be willing to back down, and the situation would only get worse!

"Damn it, what are you doing?"

The assistant, who had run up to the female mayor, was met with a suppressed but furious outburst from her: "How could the radio be affected?"

The assistant apologized while adjusting the equipment.

However, the female mayor simply got up, pushed her assistant aside, and put on a kind and amiable smile, as if a malicious soul had just temporarily resided in her body.

"Alright, please leave now."

The numb crowd below finally reacted, after all, everyone had imagined a large number of security personnel escorting the mayor down the street.

Although these people were temporarily filling in for money or other reasons, they were still surprised by the female mayor's attempt to continue her speech.

Seeing the crowd react, the female mayor took a deep breath.

"Everyone!"

"Night City is committed to protecting everyone. We condemn this disastrous outcome caused by a company in Pacific Island, but we will never abandon you!"

The news spread like wildfire.

Perhaps in order to better solidify certain things, the female mayor chose to completely gamble everything on online surveillance…

"I remember now! Wasn't the city hall's announcement of the internet shutdown the work of that scoundrel company on Taiping Island?"

"It seems...it really is!"

"Damn it—can you trust anything these people say?"

Emma's somber smile appeared behind the female mayor, and the video became a good way to inspire and deflect attention.

When the woman snapped her fingers, the entire Night City network went down.

It wasn't just the extras looking at each other in bewilderment; even some of the security guards couldn't help but turn around and take a look…

“Night City will never be held hostage by these people. We are simply following Mayor Knight’s last wish to make Night City a model for the future world!”

"Now, I want you to get through this difficult time with me."

"This is not the time to dwell on hatred. As long as we are alive, there is hope."

There was a dead silence.

A long silence was followed by the increasingly frequent flashes of camera shutters, and then a few scattered claps broke out from the crowd…

The mayor added fuel to the fire once again, raising his fist with a resolute gaze.

The applause grew increasingly intense as Jefferson scanned the crowd, trying to find the assassin he had arranged.

But that was easier said than done. Jefferson had hired the hitman at a high price; he was practically risking his own life for the money, and he had done everything perfectly.

The promised condition was that the killer's family would be protected, but the problem is the current situation... the mayor seems to be undermining the killer's confidence in Jefferson.

The intense atmosphere could cause the assassins to turn against him at any moment. Jefferson didn't want to sit idly by and wait for his death. He turned to his confidant and gave him a wink. The second part of the plan was to make an attack on the mayor's escape route, since she would be under tight protection.

If you don't succeed, you will become benevolent.

The companies in Pacific Island aren't so easy to talk to. Jefferson can't produce anything, so they might not clean up this mess.

Jefferson watched his assistant disappear, his pupils unfocused, as he watched the female mayor's fist forcefully swing into the air, her political style clearly revealed.

A down-to-earth, passionate, and persuasive speech.

In fact, both business people and politicians are quite good at this, but the key point is that she grasped the contradictory mentality of these people.

The security guard reached out and tried his best to stop the female mayor from raising her fist in response to her punch.

With exquisite packaging, the perfect businessman became the savior.

However, the female mayor made an extremely reckless move: she stepped out from behind the podium…

Jefferson had stopped betting on the assassin; his mind was preoccupied with how to explain things to the company in Pacific Island, after all, he was the one who made the boast!
The female mayor's expression was firm, seemingly trying to be more approachable and let those "fence-sitters" who were proclaiming Night City's demise online see that the city could still be preserved.

only…

By the time the sound, similar to an air pipe exploding, came, Jefferson hadn't even realized what had happened—

"Lie down, ladies and gentlemen!"

The security guard roared with all his might as Jefferson watched as the NCPD SWAT team tackled him to the ground.

That moment.

Jefferson saw the mayor, who had bent over from the first crack, staring blankly down below, as security personnel swarmed forward—

"boom!"

Another sound!
The hastily put-together guns used to get through security made strange noises, spewing out a large plume of smoke that swirled above the chaotic crowd, and screams dramatically increased the intensity of the live stream.

In a panic, people frantically searched for the gunman's location and the source of the gunshot.

A pale-faced man in the crowd, dressed in a seemingly well-fitting but ill-fitting suit made of textile fabric, held a strangely shaped gun in his hand.

It lacks accuracy, but is extremely powerful.

The gun, assembled from high-density plastic parts of dubious origin from Night City, was pulled a second time in the blink of an eye by the gunman!

The massive shotgun shell sent the female mayor flying, and the SWAT team activated by S.S.A.S. quickly dodged left and right and subdued the gunman.

The man being held down had his prosthetic hand crushed to pieces by the SWAT team's boots, leaving it blackened and crackled from the electric shocks.

He held his head high, looking at the politicians on the platform.

The mouth opened and closed, as if trying to say something; this is how this city has always burned through the people's hard-earned money, and dreams are nothing but fragments after collapse…

Remember
remember.

Jefferson could clearly see the man's lip movements.

Experienced politicians know what to do—

"Damn it! Let's go see the mayor!"

He shouted back despite the danger, until he saw, amidst the security cordon, the man's disheveled, blood-red golden hair and his limp, blood-stained hand.

No matter what, he did some dirty work during his time as a member of parliament, but not this dirty.

He regretted it. Could such a stain still be considered dedication to Night City? No matter what he did afterward…

After a moment's hesitation, another shot rang out. The SWAT team discovered that the guy had some kind of offensive prosthetic body that could trigger the spread of a cyber virus. The hacker took his life. Orange flames burned his head, leaving only the holes in his eyes and mouth visible, like a struggling, scorching soul.

……

“I never expected you to use such a stupid method, dear Congressman Jefferson.”

Outside the bustling Night City conference hall, Jefferson, hands on his hips and clearly flustered, turned liver-colored as he listened to the woman's mocking words on the other end of the phone.

"The mayor is dead, and the person with the highest approval rating is the murderer. I seriously doubt how you got to this point if you didn't even consider such a small matter."

"It's simply unbelievable that Arakasaka couldn't get rid of you."

Emma, ​​who was fiddling with the chip in her hand, watched Rin and V enter the network through the glass. Of course, she knew that Rin and V had gone easy on this person.

Although Jefferson doesn't represent the citizens of Night City, he's definitely not Greedy Wolf... Hmm, how should I put it this time?

Oh right, social class.

"Damn it, why hasn't the network stopped yet? Hey... listen, I took this big risk not so you could come here and make sarcastic remarks about me!" As his colleagues passed by, Jefferson felt that everyone was looking at him.

Emma paused in her work. "Compared to this, you need to figure out how to clean up your own mess first—you can take over this task, but only once."

“Just do what you call ‘freedom’ honestly, and don’t overstep your bounds. You’re a smart person, of course you know what to do.”

Jefferson clenched his fists.

The company was indeed shameless. He thought Dreamers would cooperate closely with him, but he didn't expect that the difference between offense and defense could be reversed in just a few words. Now Jefferson has to consider how to clear his own name while helping Dreamers get rid of the internet censors.

One's own voice is undoubtedly the loudest, but also the most dangerous.

If Night City weren't so chaotic, who knows how many people would be investigating me right now...

"Damn it..."

Jefferson swallowed his anger and, puffing on his cigarette, carefully prepared for what was to come.

Just as he was filled with regret, Emma continued speaking.

"The fact that the internet can't be stopped doesn't mean that dreamers can't stop this black wall issue. The most important thing is to see... how our weapons work. But guess why the death toll in Taipingzhou is decreasing now?"

"The tricks to smear us are too clumsy, I can't be bothered to refute them, but smart people know that internet censors are unreliable, you have no choice."

"Trusting us is the wisest decision you've ever made."

Jefferson was quite annoyed by the veiled threat in the language, but this sentence was undoubtedly a reassurance, giving Jefferson's hand, which was grasping wildly like a drowning man, a target—

"Wait... there seems to be something here?"

Jefferson overheard the members of Congress or staff talking amongst themselves in the hallway, seemingly saying something...

Jefferson, with his back to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the corridor, subconsciously turned around. The various colored data traces reflected in his pupils flowed slowly across the membrane of his pupils, causing him to put down the telephone he had been holding to his ear for satellite communication…

"What's this??"

People without prosthetic eyes would only see a chaotic city, but prosthetic eyes, which are closely related to brain-computer interfaces, are a basic standard feature. They are responsible for scanning and transmitting data, so no one can miss this scene.

It was as if the sky was about to collapse. The data traces that had been flickering and hovering over the data servers on skyscrapers began to solidify, like a holographic light screen slowly inverting downwards. Jefferson subconsciously took a step back. The satellite phone seemed to be caught in a violent interference, emitting loud white noise, making Jefferson dare not put it to his ear at all.

Millions of eyes are focused on the changes in Night City, including those on Taipingzhou and Dogtown.

Emma put down the phone and saw the scene of water pouring down...

That is?

“Miss Emma! The manifestation of cyberspace has solidified. Look at the data traces around our company; they (the roving AIs) are besieging us!”

The voices of hackers from the network department kept echoing in my ears—

“Miss Emma… Damn the internet! Mr. Rin said the entire network can’t be shut down, so we need to make plans and retreat as soon as possible! Don’t hold out in Taipingzhou anymore, he… he and Miss V are already trapped!”

"what?!"

Emma stood up, her absolute confidence in Rin allowing her to confidently accept Jefferson's invitation.

However, to everyone's surprise, Rin's usually invincible hacking techniques failed at this moment, and the hacking team never offered a clear explanation for why.

The urging continues!
"Please give the order, Miss Emma!"

"If the data fortress continues like this, Director Brandon estimates it can only hold out for another half hour. Only by entering places like the Badlands where there is no signal can we avoid this situation!"

Is this... a decision I have to make myself?
Retreat would not only prevent Suzuki and other troops used to pressure the Night City authorities from withdrawing in time, but would also destroy the foundation that had been painstakingly built up in Taipingzhou over the years. Rin and V, whom he cherished, were still in the network. Although Emma was confident that Rin could find a way to escape, she really did not want to abandon them.

"you…"

Emma remained silent, her pupils trembling with each breath, her eyes filled with malice, and she let out a vicious growl while clutching the internet surveillance poster in her hand!
退…

What are you refunding?
Emma Watson never considered giving up on these things, and when the skyscraper called Hope rose from the ground, she was determined to protect this land.

Even though all of this was for her lover, she couldn't bear to part with Taipingzhou.

The world in my mind is rising up like a sandbox from my childhood fantasies. Is it going to stop now?

"Who told you you were getting a refund?"

Emma suppressed the maddening voice surging within her, which was almost driving her mad, "Speed ​​up! If Suzuki Takeyoshi walks slower than the old ladies in Japantown, don't come back!"

"Without Taipingzhou, we are nothing."

"Execute the plan exactly as instructed! If you're all afraid of dying—"

Emma's voice instantly rang out on the network channel level. Was she... actively entering a subnet that could potentially be breached by AI?
"I'll be the first one to be the corpse!"

The security guards outside quickly came in. Emma just turned her head and glanced at them, and the two burly men immediately shut up and dared not stop her anymore.

"Are you all fucking stupid? Did you hear me? Keep going!"

The Dreamer had no objections. Suzuki, Sasha, Qiwei, and the others listened to the voice message in silence, their lips pursed. The vehicles sped up even more, heading towards the Night City border that was almost like a black wall in the cybernetic network!

Of course, they were also watching this strange scene.

Sasha stared at the faintly flickering wall and the terrifying, menacing opening amidst the turbulent data flow, from which garbled data roared forth, while a colossal body lay across the sea of ​​data flowing freely.

"Rin...will she win this time?"

She prayed softly.

Speaking so quietly that no one could hear it.

……
-
"Ultraman, I can't do it, I can't... damn it, I can't stop the whole network."

Lin Yue wanted to curse this unfair world.

He had spent several years honing his hacking skills and possessed omniscient analytical abilities, thinking he had everything under control.

Unfortunately, this large-scale artificial intelligence, which was most likely to lead to a terrible outcome, was destroyed, and Lin Yue still hasn't found any clues about the real culprit or the reason behind it.

Is it a lark?
"Damn it, I think I didn't clean up the data spores properly..."

Ultraman's palm was facing down, and he continued his attack method like a puppet on strings. The several AIs that were hiding in the sea of ​​data and trying to sneak into Lin Yue's program backdoor were firmly controlled.

Below, in the chaotic ocean currents, it resembled a whale, its size exactly like a sub-level AI. However, it had absorbed so much virtual and complex data that it appeared deformed, as if top-heavy.

Lin Yue held onto the internet monitoring program tightly. He could roughly guess from his intuition that this thing was probably the key to repairing the black wall, otherwise the local Night City internet monitoring would not have sent two people to their deaths.

"Damn it, what exactly are you?!"

The wailing and howling made Lin Yue realize what he had been to the AI ​​in the past: simple code, so simple that even fear and questioning seemed ridiculous.

The AI ​​below this guy doesn't seem to be very proactive. It just opens its huge mouth, like a hole in a black wall, and quietly waits for this human to fall. It makes strange noises, like a wild beast rather than an AI.

“Rin, you just don’t understand his logic. The original meaning of AI is intelligent program produced by human beings. It may not be human-interfaced intelligence, but even so, its destructiveness still exists.”

Otto looked around.

She suddenly realized that there was no way to turn the tide; the leaked red and black data contained countless sub-level AIs, or perhaps…

The sea of ​​data beneath our feet is itself AI being swallowed and imprisoned by a black wall!

"cold!"

V scanned the entire network area and called out anxiously and fearfully from below, "Night City has completely fallen, but Data Fortress is still holding. I've detected several AIs attempting to attack the public network—"

Lin Yue gave a sharp tug, and the wailing internet monitor hacker flew upwards rapidly. However, the AI ​​that had been opening its mouth for a long time below slowly closed its mouth upon seeing that its prey had been lost, and countless eye-like things flashed incessantly on the top of its head.

Almost instantly, this massive AI appeared behind the internet surveillance hackers.

Before Lin Yue could launch an attack, the hacker's screams abruptly stopped, leaving only the empty program, now devoid of administrator, swinging in Lin Yue's hand.

He swiftly stretched out his hand, and the chains of the rabies program instantly locked onto the "gluttonous" AI. The program in Ultraman's hand annihilated those AIs, patiently waiting for Lin Yue's decision. He only glanced at the woman below and said, "She shouldn't have come here."

Lin Yue was processing the Black Wall's protocol, and the breach in the Black Wall continued to widen. So, multitasking, he also began decoding the program in his hand and notified the Dreamers to leave Night City and abandon the Data Fortress as soon as possible…

"This thing needs to enter the Black Wall?"

Just as Lin Yue was about to shrink the size of the cyberspace, Ultraman stopped him.

"Your program is too large, and the black wall cannot handle it. It will only exacerbate the collapse."

With Lin Yue's intelligence, he certainly knew who Ultraman was referring to, but he wouldn't let V take the risk. Instead, he whispered to V to lead Ultraman to wipe out the roaming AIs in Night City.

He didn't know why he was doing this; Lin Yue only knew that he was still a human being.

Such a disaster would turn this city into a ghost town, a wasteland of death after a corporate war, but not everyone here deserves to die. Perhaps they have a family like Gloria's, perhaps a relationship with Jack, or maybe a loyal subordinate and an ambitious boss like Suzuki—

In short, they cannot die like this.

It's acceptable to hold internet monitors and the masterminds accountable later, but Lin Yue can't convince himself to sit idly by and ignore the current situation.

"When the valve is opened, it should be closed first. Do you expect V to go to the other side of the black wall to stop the ever-approaching AI?"

Otto spread his hands and slowly explained his reasons.

“If things are truly unavoidable, I can make an exception and use the optimized version of the Soul Killer. Shangri-La can accommodate these people.”

Lin Yue shook his head.

"Although I don't know if life will still be rich and colorful after datafication, the choice is in everyone's hands, and we don't have that right."

Almost instantly—

"Holy crap, Rin!"

"Believe me!"

V, with unwavering resolve, reached out and grabbed the program contributed by the internet surveillance system from the side of Lin Yue's shrunken body.

“No one has fled, no one has been cowardly. Emma is still holding on, your comrades, my colleagues are all persevering. You need to do something even bigger than this.”

"V?"

Otto seemed to be giving a reminder.

V looked at Ultra calmly and said, "I know you. In the declassified documents, you are the program that Arasaka cares about the most, Ultra Cunningham."

"I've heard you're a genius hacker. I really want to chat with you more. Although I've known about you for a long time, unfortunately, this time it's not a good time."

As she spoke, she turned to Lin Yue.

"Hey, wait for me."

Without any hesitation, V lunged at the breach in the black wall like a flash of light.

Ultraman didn't waste any words; he simply flashed forward, and she, vaguely visible from the other side of the black wall, blocked the entrance to the cave.

Lin Yue's lips trembled, and he was about to say something when a loud bark rang out behind him. The alarm module he had installed on the rabies kit had activated!
Turning his head, Lin Yue discovered that the ever-flowing sea of ​​data had stopped flowing due to Ultraman's obstruction and had begun to calm down. Just as Lin Yue was trying to find some clues, the things beneath the sea of ​​data began to move...

"Rin, I remember saying that the biggest characteristic of AI is data consumption."

“The AI ​​inside the wall is turning around, and you must stop them. In the AI’s mind, this is a pasture, and they are more willing to let in more AI than expected to share the network area inside the black wall... and then devour their fattened kind.”

"Hold."

Otto's voice was calm and powerful.

From Lin Yue's perspective, beneath the calm surface of the sea, various AIs of different sizes pierced the liquid without exception. With the splashing data traces falling from them, all the attack programs instantly locked onto Rin, who was blocking their path.

"Okay."

The stunned hacker first glanced at the chilling number of weapons, then the vicious dogs beside him changed from barking to threatening growls, the rattling chains of the dog program suite resembling a sky full of aurora borealis...

"Puzzle solving, offense and defense, I can do it all..."

Lin Yue, whose figure vanished instantly, used the solidified form of the data to swarm towards the nearest geometrically composed AI like a fly oblivious to its own mortality—a standard sub-level AI!

The data chains were punctured from all sides amidst the AI's threatening warnings. Lin Yue moved like an octopus, but his speed was arguably the most terrifying among hackers...

So what if disaster strikes?
I too am a non-existent being who has descended upon this place…

The vicious dog's eyes, glowing with an eerie green light, grew increasingly ferocious. Its claws gripped the AI ​​tightly, tearing apart a large amount of data spores. Lin Yue, who was bound by data chains, was instantly shattered by the violent impact of the impact, smashing the seemingly disparately large object in front of him. Just as a bullet hits a glass object, so too does the situation at this moment!

The rain of fragmented spores couldn't stop Lin Yue's advance; his eyes rapidly deconstructed his next target—

"So...AIs, how about our artificial grandpa keeps you company?"

Disdainful words echoed across the cyber network!
……

……

(End of this chapter)