From Terra to Terra, the Star Emperor's Holiday

Cyberwalkers, or hackers, generally do not easily provoke these well-known companies. The reason is that the ICE (offensive firewall) of those large companies is often not something that can be broken by one or two hackers. Even if they have the technology to break it, there are still chances of making mistakes along the way and burning their brains into a mess.

On the other hand, these large companies usually have their own network security teams. Those people use the best equipment and the best puppets (offensive hacking protocols), and hackers with independent backgrounds are usually no match for them.

As for the Delaman Luxury Taxi Company, it did fire all of its human employees, so naturally it doesn't have the cybersecurity team that every company has. However, its manager is an artificial intelligence that is free on the Internet, which is much more exciting than hacking and defending against living people.

You know, what has caused the cyberpunk world to become the dilapidated state it is today is not only the friction and competition between large companies and their inhumanity, but also the mutated artificial intelligences caused by the hacker god Batmos.

The out-of-control AIs that caused huge losses in the old Internet era are roaming deep in the deep web. Although they are isolated by black walls, they always cause big trouble from time to time.

Although Delaman is an artificial intelligence born in the new Internet era, it can successfully control a company under the security review of the Internet monitoring, which seems to have demonstrated its security. However, this does not mean that it is safe from hackers who like to browse the Internet.

But unfortunately, what Delaman encountered was Sasha who had been drastically changed by the Star Empire.

Although Sasha still couldn't figure out what had happened to his network access pod, the firewall of Delaman Company only lasted less than 0.1 seconds before being violently hacked in by the huge computing power. Then Sasha got several accounts for everyone to subscribe to Delaman Company's top-level packages.

"Come to think of it, your teammates think you're a fraud?"

After all, Sasha still retained the way of thinking as a marginal person. At first, she did not think of the luxury of calling Delaman's taxi, but tried to contact the former team captain: Mann, hoping to get help from teammates.

But Sasha has been missing from this world for five months.

In Night City, a city filled with lunatics caused by cyberpsychosis, mercenaries who live on the edge of life, and even scavengers who specialize in removing human organs, disappearing due to a mission is equivalent to death.

A missing teammate who may have been dismantled into various parts or thrown into the garbage dump to rot into a pile of rotting flesh suddenly has news?

No one would take it seriously, and Sasha’s teammates were no exception.

"...It's normal for them to be wary of me when someone who has been missing for five months suddenly comes out and speaks."

Sasha had no problem with her teammates' vigilance. Any mercenary who wasn't vigilant would have died long ago. What she regretted more was that her bank account seemed to have disappeared with the modification of her prosthetic brain-computer identification code.

Although Sasha can now easily empty the bank account of anyone she sets her eyes on within three seconds if she wants money, Sasha knows that this power was given by Si Ye, and she should use this power to serve Si Ye instead of abusing it at will.

"I just hope they won't be startled when I suddenly appear in front of them. Um... Your Majesty, where would you like to go for a stroll?"

Sasha was a little embarrassed. The lower-class people who were struggling to survive in Night City never thought that there was anything worth appreciating in Night City. Si Ye said that he came here for sightseeing, but Sasha couldn't name any place worth visiting.

"Just take a casual stroll. Your time is limited, so choose a guide for me from among your teammates. I remember there was a brother and sister in Mann's team who were born and raised in Night City?"

Once the boundary gate at Jupiter's position is successfully opened without causing any adverse effects, the Star Empire's fleet will directly fly over the Earth to begin control and suppression.

Before this, Si Ye's words that Sasha didn't have much time meant that he allowed Sasha to use his own prosthesis at will to retaliate against biotechnology.

Earlier, after Sasha called Delaman for a taxi, the first thing she asked after getting in the car was for Delaman to turn on the report on Channel 54. This simple girl was still hoping that Channel 54 would ruthlessly expose the negative information about biotechnology and deal a heavy blow to biotechnology.

But unfortunately, let alone reporting on it, the only news related to biotechnology in the past five months was her report on the invasion of the biotechnology building on the day Sasha fell from the building. There was no mention of the scandal that the side effects of "safe" painkillers could cause neurodegeneration.

According to the nature of these large companies in Night City, after News Channel 54 obtained the black material that Sasha uploaded with her life, it was likely that it negotiated with the biotechnology company, and the biotechnology company was also likely to suffer losses, but this loss went entirely into the wallets of the executives of News Channel 54.

"Rebecca and Pyrrha? I understand. I'll tell Rebecca about this later as a request."

Rebecca and Pyrrha, a brother and sister, are native residents of Night City and are indeed good candidates for tour guides, but since brother Pyrrha comes from a lower class background, it is inevitable that he has picked up some of the bad habits of lower-class gang members.

To avoid upsetting Si Ye, Sasha only mentioned Rebecca, the more likable of the siblings.

"Well, you can exaggerate the reward,"

...

Chapter 229 Mann Team

"You said you received a communication from Sasha? Sasha?"

The muscular woman with short blond hair kept asking questions as if she couldn't believe it.

"Dorio... Even if you keep asking, I still don't understand the situation. The other party's identification code is garbled, but they know the password to our team channel."

Being questioned by Dolio, the brown-skinned muscular man scratched his head in distress. A rough guy like him could certainly charge into battle, but when it came to network technology issues, he could only ask for help from other members of the team.

"So, Mann, you gathered everyone together because you wanted Qiwei to help you look at the specific situation?"

Hackers play an indispensable role in the Marginal Mercenary Team. After Sasha disappeared and was very likely dead, although the members of Mann's team were very sad, Mann, as the leader, still began to look for new hacker partners for the team.

After working with several hackers, the current hacker Qiwei has become a stable partner of Mann Team.

"Also, the person who calls himself Sasha said he would come to the team's gathering point to meet me and gather everyone, just in case."

Mann crossed his arms over his chest, his tall body, augmented by prosthetic muscles, casting a shadow on the ground. He bit off the toothpick in his mouth and his tone became ferocious.

"If it's really Sasha, then everyone's happy. But if some reckless hacker or scavenger takes Sasha's brain and wants to get killed, I'll help them!"

Dolio nodded and stood beside Mann, expressing his approval of his decision.

"Alala, why is the atmosphere so serious?"

A petite girl with blue hair and twintails trotted into the abandoned parking lot that served as the gathering point for Mann's team. Behind her, a skinny man with a Mohawk followed in, chewing a hot dog.

"Pyrrha, Rebecca."

Mann nodded to his team members and turned to look at the woman with a bob haircut who appeared in the shadows of an abandoned building in the parking lot.

"Qiwei, you've arrived just in time. Could you please help me check my personal link and the team's communication link to see if there are any problems?"

"... "

Qi Wei was very silent. Although she had been cooperating happily with Team Mann these days, and she was nostalgic for this marginalized team that was as warm as home, after all, the time was still short and the two sides had not yet become completely familiar with each other.

Although Qiwei remained silent, she activated the access port skillfully and professionally checked Mann's private link and the team's communication link.

"I don't see any problem. What happened to you?"

The data stream between her eyes stopped jumping. Qi Wei pulled open the mask covering her metal jaw, inserted a cigarette into the smoking port reserved on the metal jaw, and asked Mann about the situation.

"Um... a companion who died in a previous mission suddenly contacted me and even accessed the team's communication link..."

Qi Wei raised her eyebrows. She now understood why Mann's team would recruit hackers. After all, Mann and his team were the newcomers who had recently gained fame in the "next life". It would have been impossible for them to make such a name for themselves without hackers who had stable cooperation with them.

It now seems that there is a high probability that the hackers of Mann's team encountered an accident during the mission, which forced Mann to look for new hacker partners.

"Has he been confirmed dead?"

"We haven't found her body, but we can't get in touch with her either. The area where she disappeared is close to the outskirts of Night City. There's everything..."

In Night City, loss of contact is often equated with death. If Sasha was rescued by a kind person, she should have contacted Mann as soon as she recovered, instead of disappearing for nearly five months. Considering the scavengers who often moved around in the outer areas, Mann could only think of the worst outcome.

"so…"

"What's going on? Any news about Sasha?"

Rebecca, who was eavesdropping on Mann's conversation, jumped out. She had a good relationship with Sasha. When she learned that Sasha had disappeared because of the mission, the already sentimental Rebecca was sad for a long time.

"Rebecca!"

Brother Pyrrha hurriedly stuffed the hot dog into his mouth, trying to use his arms, which were long enough to drag on the ground, to pull back his impulsive sister.

But unfortunately, Pyrrha, the brother without any authority, was unable to restrain his restless sister. Rebecca nimbly dodged Pyrrha's grabbing arm and jumped behind Dolio.

"Not really...wait!"

The sound of a vehicle approaching in the distance made Mann subconsciously alert. His thick gorilla arms had begun to accumulate energy, and the projectile catapult on them was still ready to go.

"A...Delaman."

As a hacker, it was dangerous to be directly exposed. Qi Wei turned around and hid among the debris in the abandoned building. The light flickered between her prosthetic eyes, and she had hacked into the camera on the road, reporting the information of the newcomer to the team members.

Mann's team quickly drew their weapons and looked for cover. In Night City, you never know when the next fight will start, and staying vigilant is a necessary style of behavior for every marginalized person.

Delamain drove directly into the abandoned parking lot but stopped at the entrance.

Because of the "Excellence" package, Delaman will provide passengers with unlimited life safety guarantees while they are still on the bus. The Mann team, who had already drawn their weapons in the distance, had undoubtedly triggered Delaman's alarm.

Just as the atmosphere between the two sides became increasingly tense, Delaman's taxi finally turned off the engine, opened the door, and Sasha got out first.

"Although I've been missing for quite some time, you shouldn't be so formal if you want to welcome me."

Sasha spread his hands to show his teammates that he was harmless.

"Ooooh, Sasha!"

When Rebecca, holding a pistol, saw Sasha, she subconsciously wanted to run out from behind the cover to greet him.

"…"

Seeing Sasha's familiar face, Mann temporarily let down his guard, but then Si Ye and Nian who came down from Delaman made him nervous again.

"Sasha, how come you...and these two are..."

This is the gathering point of Mann's team. Sasha's behavior of bringing people here without saying a word is very risky. Mann had to hold down Rebecca who wanted to run to Sasha's side and asked her seriously.

"My experience... is hard to describe in a few words. These two are my bosses, and they came to Night City... for tourism."

Sasha uttered the word "travel" with some difficulty. She didn't know how to explain her outrageous experience to Mann and others. Perhaps she would be able to explain it more easily when the Star Empire's frigates hovered over Night City.

"…You, joined the company?"

Everyone who wanted to get close to Sasha stopped. Although they did not continue to point their weapons at her, the expressions on their faces were very complicated.

Marginal people have very complicated feelings towards large companies. Some well-paid tasks are often assigned by the company, but once they get involved in the company's affairs, marginal people will often quickly disappear from the world or become the company's lackeys.

As a qualified marginal person, although Mann also wants to become a famous big man, he cares more about the safety of those around him. If Sasha is involved with the company, Mann will have to re-examine Sasha and think about the risks that the other party may bring to the team.

"I'm sorry, Sasha, you understand."

Big Mann shrugged and gave Sasha a helpless look.

In Night City, it is common for missions to fail, for people to be captured by companies, and for them to become their lackeys.

As the leader of the team, Mann must put aside personal emotions in interpersonal relationships when necessary and take responsibility for everyone.

Now it is obvious that Sasha, who has been missing for too long and has suddenly reappeared intact, has been labeled as not being fully trustworthy.

If she couldn't produce any effective evidence, Mann would have to consider driving her away in order to avoid trouble.

"…Damn, is this what it feels like to be on the opposite side of your steady and reliable character, Mann?"

The corners of his mouth twitched. Faced with Mann's vigilance and alertness, Sasha didn't know how to respond. He couldn't just hack into his friend.

Si Ye looked at Sasha, who was in a state of confusion, and reminded her, "You can take your time catching up with your friends later. For now, let's arrange the important matters with something more convincing."

Mann was still puzzled by Si Ye's sudden words. He couldn't understand what was more convincing in the mouth of this successful man who was dressed respectably and casually and had been joking with his female companions. But the next moment, he saw Sasha's artificial eye in front of him suddenly light up with golden light.

Sasha? Attack?

Mann's already tense nerves were on the verge of exploding, and he immediately wanted to take action to control Sasha, but soon, the constant prompt sounds in his ears and the data flashing in Qilu Siyi's eyes made his arm, which had just been raised, stop in mid-air.