Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 99, Section Ninety-Eight: The Gift
In the Fengyu underground military base, Su Ge looked at the neon lights outside through the exhaust vent. His eyes were unfocused, his consciousness connected to Shen Ke's backup machine.

At this moment, the radio waves she sent traveled through the bustling city, sending a request to "Rahu".

He seemed to see that ominous star, which did not exist in reality, quietly lighting up, its malevolent light, incompatible with the world, shattering the universe.

Countless stars tumbled in the vortex, like colorful fragments in a kaleidoscope. These fragments drew closer, magnified, and transformed into countless mirrors—countless different dark web spaces—fleeting past him. He saw embers in the wasteland, totems on dark skin floating in the humid jungle, silk and yellow sand intertwining, the dawn illuminating ancient castles on cliffs, and magnificent palaces rising from the plains. The next moment, he saw chaotic neon lights in the cold rain of a city, and ships shuttling between the stars.

Countless fragments of different eras flashed by in a disordered manner before him. For a moment, he felt as if he had become a higher-dimensional being who could travel freely through the timeline.

"Two minutes left until the appointment time."

Shen Ke's reminder brought him back to his senses, and he stopped curiously observing the dark web. Two minutes passed, and a mirror magnified in front of him. He saw a thick golden light, and he subconsciously squinted. Soon, the gold faded. He heard classical music, accompanied by the sounds of metal clanging.

The sound reminded him of chime bells, and then he saw bundles of coins and seashells woven into wind chimes.

The wind chimes hung in the darkness, the surrounding darkness deep and profound, with the outlines of some sacrificial vessels vaguely visible, filled with grains. He did not appear here in his own form, but still used Shen Ke as a medium to access the dark web.

She stood in the center of the dark, unlit hall, her short, titanium-white hair gleaming with a deep brass hue in the firelight.

The boy in the blue wuzhu robe reappeared, smiling and extending his palm.

Shen Ke and Shangqing Tongzi didn't speak, but they communicated through digital life forms. She stepped forward and placed the delivery voucher on the upturned bronze table in front of her. Immediately afterward, Shangqing Tongzi disappeared, and the bronze table beneath the voucher unfolded like origami. The deep hall she was in quickly transformed into a pale blue space, with white grids interwoven and a large amount of data spread out in mid-air. Su Ge saw some extremely intricate mechanical structures within it.

Shen Ke glanced at it and exited the dark web space.

"what is that?"

At the bottom of the abandoned missile silo, Sog shook his head, trying to shake off the illusions in the dark web, but some light and shadow still floated before his eyes.

“A method of ascension,” Shen Ke said.

"The Ascension Technique?" Sog raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Or rather, this is a complete set of methods and supporting equipment for uploading consciousness," Shen Ke explained. "It can transform a biological human into a digital life form."

"who is it?"

In an instant, a multitude of guesses flashed through Suger's mind. This could be a trap, someone trying to use this gift from heaven to lure him into surrendering his consciousness. But the mysterious giver might also be a friend, not an enemy. Suger immediately thought of Jiang Ning. He had found Jiang Ning at the Spiritual Society's meeting place, but perhaps Jiang Ning had his reasons for not acknowledging him, yet secretly sent him this "Ascension Method."

"Who delivered it?" he muttered to himself.

"Have you forgotten the guy you let go?" Shen Ke said calmly. "I think this is the price he paid for his freedom."

“Fan Wujiu…” Su Ge was stunned for a moment.

This guess was reasonable, so reasonable that it disappointed him somewhat.

He even hoped it was a trap sent by the enemy, so he could at least find a breakthrough in his investigation. "I haven't taken it out yet," Shen Ke continued. "It's safer to keep it where it is. Theoretically, you can use it to get rid of your current body, but I think..." She paused for two seconds, looking at Su Ge, "but I think you've actually already ascended."

“I am a true hibernator,” Su Ge once again refuted Shen Ke’s guess. “I am not some digital life form.”

“No matter what, you can hack into all kinds of electronic devices and access the network.” Shen Ke shrugged. “This is something a biological brain can’t do. Although current technology is far more advanced than the era you live in, this kind of thing violates basic physical laws. What kind of device is hidden in your brain, or rather, is there a super brain-computer interface disguised as a biological brain inside your skull?”

Finally, her emerald green eyes fixed on Suger's head. Her gaze sent a chill through Suger, slowly seeping into every fold and crevice of his cerebral cortex.

He shook his head, ran his fingers through his black hair, and pressed his scalp.

He didn't know how to refute Shen Ke's words.

“I don’t need it anyway,” he said softly.

“We can’t afford it either,” she said. “The entire ascension process costs at least two million, but the money is secondary. The bigger problem is that you need to find a machine with sufficient precision to transform this data into a physical entity.” The machine she was referring to is what modern people commonly call a printer.

“We have a clandestine printing plant,” he said.

“Those are all outdated old machines.” She scoffed dismissively. “Those four Aurora machines, even when they were first produced, could only manufacture some simple goods. The water ghosts wouldn’t look down on them because they had no other choice. The consciousness upload machines produced with this kind of equipment can probably only be used to dissociate consciousness. At least, only a creation machine of the level of the Heavenly Grandson’s Loom would be qualified, but such creation machines are strictly controlled.”

"You mean it's completely useless."

“That’s not quite right,” she said meaningfully. “In fact, if you have mastered a method of ascension, that’s enough to make those who have no way to ascend obey you.”

Sog suddenly had an association—he had cultivated a large number of digital life forms to rebel against the gods and Buddhas.

The idea gave him a sense of déjà vu.

Only digital life can defeat digital life.

These words came from the depths of his memory. He didn't remember when or where he had heard them before, but as these words rang out, the image of his mentor, Wu Shushi, also appeared.

He felt a pang of heart palpitation, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead and back.

The light and shadow of the phagocytic became even more intense, making it impossible for him to determine whether the sudden resurfacing memories were real or his delusion.

"No!" He refused hastily, as if he were running away from something.

"Is there a way to monetize it?" he asked again.

“This thing is valuable but unavailable. We have a hard time finding buyers, and trust is even scarcer. If we really want to sell it, we can only find an intermediary and pay a hefty guarantee fee.” Shen Ke’s tone was somewhat regretful, but she looked at Su Ge and shook her head helplessly. “However, to be honest, you really can’t afford the treatment costs anymore.”

(End of this chapter)