Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 70 Goodbye, Murphy, Never Again (7K)

[Murphy the Spider: We are indeed friends. I think we get along quite well.]

[Mercer: So, you're saying that your way of making friends with me was by using my internet to chat privately with Blue Eyes?]

[Spider Murphy: Since we've run into each other, I'll just say a few words to him. That's what Ultraman wanted to do too.]

[Mercer: So, you guys conspired to frame me, right?]

[Murphy the Spider: Are you angry?]

[Mercer: Wow~ 'You're angry'? Are you serious, Murphy?]

[Spider-Murphy: Okay, you might think I took advantage of you, but actually you just sped things up. We'll always find a way to see him; I was just going with the flow for efficiency.]

[Mercer: So you knew all along that Bruce's affair was related to blue eyes, and you chose to hide it, even waiting until I met him before taking the opportunity to hook up with him, right?]

[Spider-Murphy: I hate the word "flirting"—isn't "making contact" a much better word? As for the other issues, yes, but I don't see anything wrong with them.]

[Spider-Murphy: Shouldn't games have unexpected surprises? That's the fun of gaming! Unraveling the mystery bit by bit to find the truth! Isn't that great fun?]

[Mercer: You think this is funny? You want me to suddenly appear in Blue Eyes' field of vision with V and Rebecca, and get the Night Corporation's attention?]

[Murphy the Spider: I thought you'd like it. Like in a game, suddenly encountering blue eyes—isn't that exciting and fun for you?]

[Spider-Murphy: Okay, if I hurt you, I'll apologize, but honestly, talking to him wasn't my main purpose. I have many ways to connect with him, I just want to play with you.]

[Mercer: You find it amusing because you can leave whenever you want, while I have no intention of contacting these people from the Night Corporation right now, people who don't even know if they're human or demons!]

[Spider Murphy: Okay, I understand. How about this, I'll go find Ultraman to write you a Soul Killer program. You can put the program in Relic, and when necessary, you can directly activate the program and upload your consciousness.]

That way you won't have to worry about physical death in the real world! You can also take your friends with you if you want, since you have plenty of Relic chips.

We can all continue playing on the Hong Kong server then; consider this my compensation to you.

Mercer remained silent for a moment, then, under the somewhat worried gazes of V and Rebecca, suddenly chuckled.

[Mercer: You mean I should commit suicide, kill them all, and turn them all into a bunch of humanoid AIs, so they can go to Ultraman's server in Hong Kong and befriend a bunch of roaming AIs?]

[Murphy the Spider: This isn't death, it's just a new beginning. I thought you'd understand.]

Mercer: I'm so sad, Murphy.

[Murphy the Spider: Okay, sorry, I thought we were having a lot of fun.]

Mercer: I feel sorry for you, Murphy.

[Murphy the Spider: What do you mean?]

Mercer: You're dead, Murphy. You're not the same person you were when you were human. Even if I can't say I know you very well, I can tell you're no longer the person you were when you were alive.

[Spider-Murphy:]

Mercer: Nobody wants to live as a wandering AI. I don't want to, and I certainly don't want my friends to become like that.

If you truly feel good about yourself right now, why do you still want me to bring Barthemos's body back and preserve his DNA?

[Spider-Murphy: Sorry, I thought you'd enjoy this kind of gaming experience too.]

Mercer: I thought I liked it too, but I don't think so now, Murphy. Maybe I should thank you for bringing me to my senses.

I'm still alive, and they're still alive, and they're all counting on me to help them live well. This isn't a game, Murphy.

[Murphy the Spider: I'm sorry.]

Mercer: I think we should stop meeting up casually. Thanks for writing a really interesting game commission interface for me, but I don't think I'll need it again.

So, goodbye, Murphy. Let's go our separate ways. As for your request, and Ultraman's request, I'll handle them as appropriate—without affecting my own interests.

Mercer shut down the spider program and, after only a moment's hesitation, simply deleted it.

He didn't want to contact these guys anymore, whether it was Bartmos, Spider Murphy, or Ultraman.

Those who are alive should befriend others who are alive; as for the dead, let's meet again when the time is right.

Perhaps it would be better if we never met again.

Mercer sighed, turned to look at V, then at Rebecca, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Let's go."

"What about Bruce?" Rebecca asked hesitantly, looking at Bruce who seemed completely bewildered and unaware of what had happened.

Mercer turned to look at Bruce, and said in a somewhat complicated tone, "I don't know, but I think if you encounter any difficulties, you can contact me, and I'll help if I can."

Bruce pressed on urgently, "Wait a minute, you still haven't told me what happened! What happened to me?! What's wrong with me?!"

"Simply put, you were used as a test subject by the Night Corporation. They are developing technology that can alter human cognition and thinking. To put it bluntly, it's the kind of technology that can completely transform you into someone else without you even realizing it."

Your ideals, life aspirations, and moral principles were all predetermined by them, especially since they targeted you when you were still a child.
I'm not sure how many things they experimented with on you, but I guess there's not much you can do to salvage the situation.

Mercer looked at Bruce calmly and said, "Your personality, moral values, and worldview were essentially predetermined by the Night Corporation before they were even formed, and now they are complete."

"You mean, everything about me is fake? Who am I? Am I really Bruce?"

Bruce had never shown this expression when he was being tortured by the Maelstrom Gang—he looked like he was about to cry, the kind of crying that comes from complete breakdown.

"It's true, and it's false. Let me put it this way: if you're an adult, and you were transformed as an adult, maybe you can still try to find your former 'true self'."

But you've been used to test this technology since you were a child. You can no longer talk about your true self; you are Shadowman, and Shadowman is you.

Mercer's words made Bruce even more devastated: "So what am I? Becoming Night Shadowman is a dream the Night Corporation gave me? Then what am I supposed to do, and what can I even do?"

Forget the past and start anew.

Mercer could only say this: "At least from now on, everything you feel and everything you think about is the answer you arrive at yourself."

Bruce slumped to the ground, staring at a new cigar that had somehow appeared in his hand. His voice was filled with despair as he said, "How am I supposed to know whose answer I came up with later? Why did they do this?"

"I don't know, I don't understand you, you need to judge for yourself, and..."

After a moment of silence, Mercer said, "More than that, you should be thinking about how you'll survive if the Night Corporation freezes your assets."

Bruce raised his head angrily, but then lowered it dejectedly: "Ha, property... it doesn't matter anymore. Do those things really belong to me?"

"At least the part you spent is rightfully yours. You are indeed Bruce Willis, your parents did die in a robbery and murder, and the money you received from selling yourself to the Night Corporation is rightfully yours."

You should probably consider hiring a lawyer or something to see if they've stolen your money. Get back whatever you can, even if it's just a little bit.

After Mercer finished speaking, he found it a little funny himself. Considering taking legal action against the Night Corporation in Night City?
But what's even more ridiculous is that this might actually be the only company where an ordinary person could successfully sue.

Bruce sat there as if he were dead, not saying a word.

V was shocked: "No, A, you mean, the Night Corporation has already managed to brainwash people without them even realizing it?"

“Brainwashing? You could say that.” Mercer said, “But as it stands, this technology is not perfect yet. Even someone like Bruce, who has been controlled by them for a long time, still gets the sense that something is wrong.”

"What the hell are these corporate idiots trying to do? Are they even going to attack people's consciousness and thoughts now?"

A nameless anger welled up in V's heart. The thought that she might become a stranger without anyone knowing sent chills down her spine.

Rebecca was also quite shocked by what she had seen today, and she was even a little scared: "What is the purpose of the Night Corporation? Why would they brainwash Bruce like this?"

"I guess it's about taking back the city, and in a sense, they want the city to be better."

Mercer said calmly, "I'm not saying the Night Corporation is any good, it's just that they crave order and peace in Night City, wanting to build it into a kind of commercial utopia, but..."

He changed the subject, sighed, and said, "I don't know their ultimate goal, but I know very well that living in a city controlled by the Night Corporation would only be another hopeless life, and those days would be even worse than now."

As long as the company exists, and as long as the city is still dominated by the company, people will never have hope or a future.

Moreover, Night City has an extremely special geographical location, situated at the border of Northern California and Southern California. It is the largest port city on the entire West Coast and a strategically important location.

The new America will not let this place go, the free states will not want it to be taken back by the new America, and companies eager to establish themselves and do business on the new American continent will certainly not want such a city to be monopolized by a powerful force.

This place is destined to become a battlefield again. The New American Unification War, which has nominally ended, will start again as soon as it finds an opportunity, and then Night City will be the front line of the war.

Mercer turned his head, looked at the Stone Sword in the container, and after a moment of silence, sighed: "I'll leave that car to you. Night Corporation said it won't be considered an asset that you need to freeze."

Selling it secondhand can help you find a new home and start your life afresh.

“No, you can take it.” Bruce looked up, his expression a mix of laughter and tears. “I have some secret funds hidden away. I won’t starve.”

"Then you'd better hurry up and transfer it away. I've already erased the monitoring program in your brain for you, but I can't erase what they saw before."

They are most likely monitoring your movements 24/7, so your secret funds are hardly a secret either.

After Mercer finished speaking, Bruce slumped down again. After taking a deep breath, he struggled to get up and took out a money chip from a cabinet in his safe house: "Then please take this with you and give it back to me when it's safe."

Mercer didn't ask how much money was inside, but after taking it, he said, "Bruce, whether everything before was their setup or just your true nature, at least everything you experienced was real."

"A street 'hero' who only knows how to bully petty thugs? Ha." Bruce gave a bitter laugh.

"Justice is justice. What you did was inefficient, but that doesn't mean it was meaningless. There are always people who have been saved because of you, and there are always people who have sincerely thanked you for what you did. So, take it easy, buddy."

Mercer handed the money chip to V. Putting aside everything else, her street kid outfit had quite a few pockets on her clothes.

"I'll wait for you to come and collect this money. I've sent you my contact information."

Mercer sent him his contact information, but Rebecca turned to look at Mercer and said hesitantly, "Should we take him with us? Isn't it a bit pitiful for him to be all alone like this?"

"Do you need to come with us to find a quiet place for a while?" Mercer turned to look at Bruce.

Bruce shook his head, looking exhausted, and said, "Thanks, but... I just want to be by myself right now, at least for now."

"Let's go, let him have some peace and quiet. I'll leave the Mageno with you; you can drive it back to the city if necessary."

After Mercer finished speaking, he nodded to Bruce and turned to leave.

Rebecca and V had lost their initial excitement, and even the cool black Stone Sword now seemed rather dull to them.

Mercer watched as the door to Bruce's secret base closed again, then pointed at the Sword in the Stone with mixed feelings: "Who wants to open it?" "Hmm, you can."

V also lost interest in driving and seemed preoccupied.

Mercer first put the things he had put in the Mazda into the trunk of the Stone Sword, then unlocked the Mazda's infotainment system before getting into the driver's seat.

V and Rebecca squeezed into the passenger seat. This two-seater sports car wasn't a compact design, and although V and the petite Rebecca squeezed in, it wasn't too cramped.

The engine of the car roared low as it emerged from the tunnel, but the people inside were not as excited as they had been when they set off.

“I’ll take you back first,” Mercer said.

“A, is there something you haven’t said?” V turned to look at him, her expression serious. “I can tell.”

Mercer was silent for a moment, and finally said, "There are some things, how should I put it, I just feel that I should be more careful in the future."

"What, scared?" V laughed. "Don't be a coward, A!"

“You have no idea how deep the water is here, V.” Mercer sighed and said, “Do you really think this Bruce is Bruce?”

"What do you mean?" V frowned.

“I didn’t say it because I was worried about hurting Bruce. I suspect that the real Bruce Will is probably already dead. He’s just some guy who was plastic surgery and brainwashed to become the Bruce we know now.”

After Mercer finished speaking, the car suddenly fell silent.

Rebecca pursed her lips and let out an incredulous "ha".

"Are you saying that the current Bruce might not be the real Bruce, but a substitute created by Night Corporation through brainwashing someone else?"

V raised his voice: "How the hell is this possible?"

"I also hope I'm wrong. If so, at least Bruce really is Bruce, and not some guy who doesn't even know his own name and can only live on using other people's names and memories."

Mercer's tone was also somewhat downcast.

Rebecca opened her mouth: "No way?"

V was a little confused, but after a while, he just snorted and turned to look at Mercer: "Anything else? Are there any other questions?"

"What's the problem?" Mercer feigned ignorance.

"What else are you keeping to yourself? Don't try to hide it from me! Let me tell you, I've never been wrong about something I had such a strong premonition about!" V persisted.

"A beast's instinct?" Mercer mused.

V silently squeezed his shoulder, causing Mercer to feel a slight pain—damn it, his shoulder was made of iron!

"Alright, alright, I'll talk." Mercer considered himself a smart guy and knew how to be pragmatic.

He turned to look at the two of them and said, "I just feel that as your leader, I should be more serious and cautious in my work, instead of doing things like today, when I feel like it, I lead you two into such dangerous things."

"Damn it, none of us said we were scared! What are you scared of?" V couldn't stand his slightly depressed look.

Damn it, the more I look at it, the more out of place it seems—and I feel a bit inexplicably angry, though I don't know where that anger comes from.

"It has nothing to do with being afraid or not. It's that if I involve you in these dangerous things just because I think it's fun, like playing a game, I will definitely regret it if something goes wrong."

Mercer sighed, "Anyway, don't worry. I can adjust myself. Just do what you're supposed to do and don't overthink it. It's really nothing."

"Damn it!" V glared at him angrily. "Fine, then I'm not going to bother with you anymore. Who do you think is willing to care about you?"

Why does it feel like she's having a little tiff with a young couple? Mercer glanced at her.

“I’d love to!” Rebecca suddenly said, which made V, who was hugging her, tighten her grip so much that her belly almost deflated.

"Damn it, cough cough!!" Rebecca bared her teeth and pried her arm off, turning her head back fiercely: "Now that we're in the car, your S.A.R.S.A ...

V used a bit of force—hey, it actually was a little hard to bend!
Rebecca pinched her arm triumphantly: "Stop messing around. I've tried it myself at home. I can squeeze a piece of metal like a rubber ball!"

"Damn, wait, let's try it after I've installed the muscle booster and the mantis knife!" V tested her strength with dissatisfaction, but quickly gave up.

The two chatted and laughed, seemingly having forgotten what had just happened, but after Mercer dropped them off at the motel, they lingered at the door for a while.

In the end, V glanced at Rebecca, then coolly put his hands in his pockets and went upstairs first, leaving Rebecca alone.

Rebecca didn't get into the passenger seat; instead, she stood outside the passenger door, looking intently at Mercer, and said, "Mercer, although I don't know who you were chatting with online or what you were talking about."
But I'm not afraid of getting into trouble with the Ye Corporation again because of you.

So don't overthink it, I'll always support you.

Mercer looked into her eyes and smiled, "Okay, I understand."

"That's more like it! The Ye Corporation is truly disgusting. Biotechnology can at most manipulate the human body, but the Ye Corporation wants to completely control the human mind."
Mercer, if it's about fighting these scumbags from the Night Corporation with you, I won't regret it even if I die, and I won't be afraid.

Rebecca's expression was unusually serious and earnest, especially considering her small face.

Mercer nodded seriously: "Yes."

"Alright, go ahead and have a good drive. Remember to drive me around a couple of times afterward so I can show off back home. Those idiots used to laugh at me and my brother for not being able to be outlaws, huh?"
I'd like to see what they have to say now!

Rebecca patted the roof of the car, took a step back, and closed the door.

Mercer rolled down the car window: "Go think about how to decorate your room. I discussed it with Adcardo's people, and each of us will have a 30-square-meter room, which is enough to hold a lot of things."

"Okay! Drive slowly on the road, don't go too fast."

She waved to him with a smile.

Mercer rolled up the car window, drove around Night City a few times with mixed feelings, and then drove back to Adcardo in the Badlands.

The appearance of the sword in the stone naturally caused a small sensation, and everyone in the camp, regardless of age or gender, gathered around with great curiosity.

Mercer simply left the car there, letting Mitch keep an eye on it, so that everyone in the camp could have a good look at it and experience the allure of this supercar.

Since Mercer left the Macintosh with Bruce, he also found the Adca people who had borrowed the car and paid them extra as compensation—the Adca people cherish their cars, so Mercer gave them a little more money and apologized a few times.

Fortunately, the other party didn't mind these things and just cheerfully told him not to worry about it. He could save up for a better car with the money, so it wasn't a loss.

After Mercer returned to the tent, he didn't work. He just lay on the hacker chair, staring blankly for a while, until he heard Lucy's footsteps. Then he reconnected to the network and dived into the cyber world.

Mercer had been tinkering with the 'ctOS' system until late at night. After he disconnected from the internet, he saw Lucy quietly writing code on the side.

It was already late morning, with the moon and stars shining brightly outside. Inside the tent, only a dim electric light emitted a warm yellow glow.

"What are you busy with?" he asked.

"I thought you were planning to disconnect me after I fell asleep," Lucy said without looking up.

"Why do you say that?" Mercer asked with a smile.

Lucy glanced at him and said, "Feeling."

"You have a wild instinct too, huh?" Mercer smiled helplessly and simply told her about what happened today.

After listening, Lucy simply nodded and continued working on her computer: "Okay, I'll assume you were upset because you saw something like this."

"Okay, and another thing is, do I think I should be more careful in what I do? Like you said, be careful, and don't treat everything like a game."

I'm just worried that I might drag you into things that you shouldn't be involved in.
Something like that.

After Mercer finished speaking, Lucy stopped what she was doing, turned around, looked at him, carefully observed his expression, and then tilted her head: "Yes, you should be careful, but not for us, but for yourself."

"you're right."

Mercer sighed: "I used to think that no matter how bad things got, I could just upload my own information like Ott Cunningham did. As for Arasaka, biotechnology, and the Night Corporation, I won't tolerate them once I become an AI."

"You don't think that way anymore?" Lucy looked at him, a slight smile unconsciously curving her lips.

"Well, I don't think that way anymore. I've always felt that even if I become a consciousness, I'll still be myself. But it seems that this might be true in the short term, but it might not be in the long run."

Mercer shared the insight he gained from Murphy that day: "If you lose the sense of the weight of life, if you lose the feeling of being alive, then sooner or later you will become someone who looks like a human, but is actually no longer human."
Data life forms.

Mercer didn't want to use terms like "digital ghost" to describe Murphy's existence, but the difference between this consciousness and humans was, in essence, like the difference between humans and monkeys.

No, it should be described as the difference between silicon-based life and carbon-based life.

Even if they look very similar, they are fundamentally different.

Lucy smiled at him and said gently, "But I think that if it's you, whether you exist in the form of consciousness or sitting in front of me in this way, you will always be Mercer, Alex Mercer."

Mercer sensed a hidden meaning in her words, but after looking at her for a while, he simply smiled and said, "Alright then, I won't change it?"

"No need for that. Rather than only being able to see you online, I prefer the feeling of being able to see you in person and talk to you."

Lucy immediately replied, winking at him playfully, "You know, I have a phobia of roaming AIs, so it's best not to become like that."

Mercer rolled his eyes: "Even if I become a consciousness, I'll still be at the level of Blackwall AI. A wandering AI? If I really become an AI, then I'll only be wandering humans from now on."

"Alright, then please consider the future of humanity and don't betray us easily." Lucy chuckled and pointed to the table: "It's a bit cold, though. How about a latte?"

"Just try it."

Mercer sat up and downed the coffee she had prepared for herself without her noticing.

then
He then suffered from insomnia.

Night City, January 16th, Dogtown.

The "House of the Spark," which had been delayed multiple times, has finally been officially completed.

It was on this very day that Diana Cuno finally sent a message to Mercer.

[Diana: I've taken care of everything. If all goes well, Channel 54 news at 7 PM tomorrow will expose Joanna's poisoning of the Yulean town and the poisoning of the red ochre water source.]

(End of this chapter)