Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 16 Massacre
As Mercer dived deep into cyberspace, the hum of the servers in his ears gradually disappeared.

He slowly opened his eyes, and the massive cyberpunk image of the Arasaka server, which resembled the shape of Azuchi Castle, appeared before him.

The cyber megacity lay quietly on the ground, Mercer gazing at it silently, while the cat, the embodiment of Death Wish, meowed softly at his feet, tilting its head back to rub against his ankle.

Mercer embraced the wish for death, and in this cyberspace, his thoughts were unexpectedly calm.

Here, only the silent flow of data continues endlessly. He sits on the ground, gently stroking the head of the cat in his arms, his fingers lightly hooking its chin, making it purr contentedly.

For the first time, Mercer observed the space here so quietly and meticulously.

Looking around, he could see some flickering blue phantoms within the giant city. These were devices and images connected to the server, and he could even see some humanoid figures.

That's Arasaka Network Monitoring, which connects to the server network. They usually connect directly to the server via a hacker chair in the monitoring room.

And it was precisely because of this that Mercer was able to clearly see—a quiet blue figure suddenly let out a silent scream in cyberspace, convulsing and collapsing into a mass of data.

Then, the enormous cyber city in front of them suddenly began to tremble violently.

[Lucy: Hurry! Hurry! The hacker in the control room activated the server's ICE alert before he died.]

The encrypted communication was cut off. Undoubtedly, the server had initiated security procedures that interfered with the network connection, and the Guardian AI was activated on its own!

Mercer didn't need her reminder; he already knew what he had to do.

The Death Wish in his arms suddenly turned black, its eyes turned scarlet, and then it ran wildly toward the Cyber ​​City not far away.

Mercer immediately went offline and unhesitatingly disconnected the direct neural connection.

Sure enough, just two seconds later, he heard a loud bang as the server's power increased—a sign that the server's cooling was being maximized.

Death Wish was designed by Bartmouth and is an AI-powered program that, once sent to a server, can use the server's computing power to hack into the virus.

The hardest step in hacking a server is actually sending the program into the server, and once that's done, it can be handed over to the program itself.

Mercer, who is currently in the server room, doesn't even need to dive in; he just needs to plug the cable into the server and upload the program.

However, just to be on the safe side, he decided to take the risk of diving in first, watching the program run on the server before disconnecting.

Mercer stood there until the hum of the server cooling subsided, then he lay back down in the hacker chair, inserted the neural cables into his head, and began his deep dive again.

The moment he entered the cyberspace, he couldn't help but marvel at the somewhat terrifying sight before him.

The once majestic earthen city was now somewhat broken, and a huge black beast was mercilessly devouring the remains of a giant blue-armored warrior.

Judging from the remains of this giant warrior alone, the original data body in cyberspace was probably fifty or sixty meters tall.

The black behemoth excitedly devoured and tore at the data fragments of all the armored warriors, greedily consuming them until it finally roared to the sky with satisfaction.

The enormous sound echoed through cyberspace, and its gaze then turned to Mercer.

"Owner."

Its voice was somewhat shrill and harsh, but you could still hear its excitement and joy.

"The Guardian...I ate it."

"Give me access to the server."

Mercer frowned slightly, but didn't say anything for the time being. He simply gave a command, and then Death Wish prostrated itself on the ground, and the shattered cyber city began to reassemble.

This time, however, the Arasaka sign that was originally at the highest point of the castle tower was replaced by a cat head with the Death Wish logo.

"Connecting... Successful."

After it finished speaking, it shrunk into a black cat the size of a leopard cat, and excitedly jumped around in the ancient city: "I've become smarter, that's great."

Mercer didn't speak, but after confirming that it had connected to the server, it revoked Mercer's access to computing power.

The black cat turned blue again, stood there stunned, and then turned to look at Mercer, its expression seemingly aggrieved.

But in the end, it didn't say anything, quietly walked to his feet, and rubbed against him again: "I completed my mission, very well."

"It's good, but I'm not satisfied with the tendency you're showing, so... formatting."

Mercer calmly gave the program the command to format it, while Death Wish hurriedly shook his head: "I have absorbed a lot of the Guardians' AI and become stronger. Formatting will make my abilities regress."

Mercer then fell silent, and then the Death Wish beside him suddenly collapsed and dissipated into a pile of data.

It didn't have time to scream or express its opinion; it could only watch helplessly as its program was broken down and the AI ​​was reset.

When it reassembled, it transformed back from the leopard cat into the meowing kitten.

In the cyber world, AI can evolve by devouring other AI, and this growth in algorithms and intelligence doesn't even require a connection to a server.

Once it develops, that development of algorithms and intelligence becomes a permanent and truly terrifying characteristic.

Hmm, Mercer squinted, his understanding of AI had deepened once again.

The aggressiveness and autonomy that Death Wish just displayed are also very intriguing—is it because it grows on its own and because it grows by attacking and devouring others?
Or is that why it devoured the Guardian AI?
Or is it due to the characteristics of the program itself?
Further research is needed.

But now is not a good time for research.

Mercer closed his eyes, and the next moment, his vision connected to the entire Arasaka facility's monitoring system.

"Will Mercer run into trouble?" In the monitoring room on the basement level, Kyoko watched nervously as Lucy connected her laptop to a data cable, with countless data points flashing rapidly within the laptop.

"I don't know, I was trying to restore the network. The network connection is back! Mercer, is that you?"

Lucy keenly noticed that the server had stabilized and that the monitoring permissions had changed.

“It’s me. Proceed to the next step. You go to the infirmary. I’ve removed access to all the rooms. Now, I’ll clear the way for you.”

Lucy, you did a great job. Those guys on the first floor didn't even notice the network access had changed hands.

Mercer's calm voice relieved Lucy, who immediately unplugged the laptop: "Understood, Anzu, Leon, to the infirmary."

"Earth, Mercer has taken over the surveillance. You'll come with us; you're strong, you can carry more things."

Tetsuya Daichi's voice also came through the channel: "Understood, it's up to you, Mercer."

"After taking the Relic chip and the cooler, I'll leave. The supplies and what I need aren't underground; they're in the warehouse on the first floor."

I will mark the route in your eyes, and once you get on the elevator, we will split into two groups.

Dadi and Lyon went to the warehouse on the first floor to get the supplies I had marked.

Lucy and Anzu quickly boarded the airship with the cooler. No need to worry about the robots and turrets; they're all ours now.

After resolving the permissions issue for the hovercraft, I will join you.

"We need to act quickly. Once the battle begins, the news will be out in the open. We estimate we only have five minutes to operate safely on the first floor."

"Roger that!"

A unified response rang out in the channel.

Mercer quickly took over the building's surveillance system—with the server's support, surveillance footage from all floors was now under his control.

He even saw the bodies of several hackers, who were hackers from other floors connected to the server.

They died in the battle between the two AIs the moment Death Wish launched its attack. This wasn't because they were bad, but because Bartmos's program was just too powerful.

It took less than half a second to break through the personal ICE systems of these hackers who had no AI protection. They didn't even have time to unplug the cables; they only had time to let out a few screams before their heads were roasted.

Meanwhile, some people had already discovered the bodies and were preparing to report them. However, due to the temporary network outage caused by the battle on the server, Lucy had also disabled the manually activated alarm system.

Some are now trying to relay messages by running, while others are desperately trying to restart the system and activate the alarm.
But all of this became meaningless to Mercer.

Because the network has been reconnected to them.

[Death wish: Help me take care of their personal ICE.]

Through his attack on the server, Mercer has gained a preliminary understanding of the abilities and usage of Death Wish.

This AI, which has now reverted to its low-intelligence state, took only a blink of an eye, amidst the horrified gazes of the Arasaka agents, to breach their personal ICE devices.

[Transfer of the Puppet - Prosthetic Body Successfully Completed.]

[Transfer Puppet - Memory Erasure Successful.]

[Transmission Puppet - Synaptic Fuse Successfully.]

Then, three viral programs were introduced into their completely unprotected brains.

First, paralyze the target's mobility by using a prosthetic body malfunction.

Then memory erasure erases their short-term memories and data, making them look like a dementiac who suddenly woke up.

This was to prevent anyone from extracting data related to Death Wish later. Finally, synaptic melting was used to directly bake their heads into computer flowers.

As a result, apart from a very small number of employees who were awakened by the calls, the vast majority of people were still fast asleep.

Any employee who is awakened and tries to check the situation will suffer the same fate as the agents before them, having their brains roasted and collapsing to the ground.

Mercer cannot show mercy. If the alarm is triggered prematurely, and if anyone can somehow get the message out, their escape will become extremely dangerous.

After dealing with all possible warnings and discovering the target with clues, Mercer expressionlessly monitored hundreds of surveillance screens simultaneously in cyberspace—an operation of unbelievable difficulty!

Even with computing power, he still used his brain to observe these data and images.

This is why Arasaka has a hacker sitting in the monitoring room every two floors, directly connected to the server, acting as a human monitor.

Because it's impossible for a single hacker to control, monitor, and protect all the equipment in such a large facility.

Mercer felt his head getting slightly hot. The neural connections at the back of his head were linked to server-level cooling, which was constantly lowering the temperature of his head through the flowing coolant.

The hacker customer service also became colder than ice. While the hacker chair bore part of the neural burden, it also connected to the neural network, which was like a large network access device, helping him to quickly complete massive data transmission with the server.

This feeling was so strange that Mercer even felt himself becoming more and more like an extremely calm computer.

He knew very well that this was something no ordinary hacker could do; it was a unique talent!
However, he didn't really like this feeling.

However, right now, this feeling is of great help to him. It not only allows him to judge his control limits and physical condition, but also enables him to make extremely keen analytical judgments.

"Got it!"

Lucy's excited voice came from beside him, but Mercer simply grunted in response without expression, and then gave the order:

"Everyone wear the chip, and the remaining three should also be taken along with their boxes."

Seeing Lucy and the others connected to the Relic chip on the surveillance footage, Mercer immediately began to connect to the chip on their bodies, first cracking the original program and then establishing a connection.

The communication connection achieved using the Relic chip is amazing, just like the lark in the game, allowing Mercer to appear as a virtual avatar directly in Lucy and the others' view.

Moreover, a separate network channel can be established for communication, which is far more secure and confidential than encrypted communication software, and the entire process will not even have any signal fluctuations.

"Mercury? That's amazing."

Lucy and the others were startled by Mercer's sudden appearance in his cybernetic form—his cybernetic form had changed, with a black hooded sweatshirt underneath and a leather jacket on top.

The hoodie's hood was pulled up to cover his face, and a faint shadow mysteriously covered his face, making it possible to vaguely see a familiar face.

He looked like a grown-up Mercer, a young man around twenty years old.

"Isn't he handsome? His design is inspired by the male protagonist of a game also named Mercer."
However, you need to leave immediately. The people on the first floor haven't received any news yet. Act quickly, get on the elevator, and by the time the doors open, those problems will have been resolved.

As Mercer spoke, he smiled at them, then turned to look at Dr. Oda's assistant, who was trembling in the corner.

Now, he can even use Lucy and the others' prosthetic eyes to see things and even feel their feelings. This is the amazing thing about using the Relic chip to establish communication directly at the neural level.

"No, don't kill me! I... I didn't do anything!"

The poor assistant didn't finish speaking before he felt a sudden heat in his head, then screamed and died on the ground, clutching his still-smoking head.

The assistant saw the footage of Lucy and the others wearing the chips, which made Arasaka realize that they might have mastered other ways to use Relic chips.

Otherwise, they would have no reason to insert a chip into someone's brain at this time; only an idiot would think that the chip wouldn't be at risk of being remotely activated by Arasaka.

Mercer definitely didn't want to reveal this.

According to normal people's thinking, if they stole the hovercar cybernetic body, the warehouse supplies, and even stripped the special agent captain, then stealing Relic was obviously just for money, research, or trading.

In this way, it was hard for Arasaka to imagine that he had completely deactivated the mutant Soul Killer program with Ultra's help.

The real purpose of taking the chip was to capitalize on the inherent versatility of Relic's chip hardware.

However, if Arasaka becomes aware that he can eliminate soul killers, then the level of pursuit of Mercer will definitely be raised to the highest level.

Because the killer program lurking inside the chip has the ability to automatically retaliate!
Whether it's AI or a human, any attempt to crack or erase it will immediately awaken the killer within the chip, causing it to run automatically.

Ninety-nine percent of the world's population would absolutely not survive this terrifying, infamous killer virus.

As long as you are still connected to the internet and trying to crack the chip, this virus can kill you instantly online. And how can you crack this program without being connected to the internet?

Haha, that means going back to the ancient cyberpunk era of typing on keyboards and writing programs, to crack a top-tier program from the era of consciousness programming.

This is a program that has been encrypted by Arakawa!
Therefore, this is simply an impossible task.

And what if you try to hack it from the hardware?

Then all you'll get are destroyed Relic chips.

Cracking the program on a chip is something only a terrifying AI of the level of Otto Kernian can do.

Once exposed, Arasaka will definitely chase Mercer to the death—he doesn't want to end up like Barthemos, hiding in a freezer for decades and eventually having to upload himself to cyberspace.

However, this also indirectly illustrates the cold-bloodedness of the new director.

Because once this chip is activated, it doesn't prioritize killing AI, but rather the hacker who inserted the chip.

Only after killing the hacker will it use the hacker's brainpower to launch an attack on the AI ​​and remotely send all the data it has devoured to Arasaka's server for storage.

This means that Ena Tano never cared about the lives of these small-time hackers; they were indeed bait for Arasaka to capture AI data, and Mercer was no exception.

Perhaps Ena Tano's original plan was to kill Mercer's consciousness with Soul Killer, save the data, and transfer it back to become another pitiful Johnny Silverhand, to be manipulated and analyzed by Arasaka.

Thinking of this, Mercer's eyes grew even colder.

As Lucy and the others watched the assistant suddenly collapse, clutching his head, only Kyoko seemed somewhat reluctant to let go. However, none of them wasted any time and immediately headed for the elevator.

When they opened the elevator door, what appeared before their eyes made them all feel breathless, and their bodies instinctively stiffened.

Because the only hacker in the base who controls the network is now launching a silent and ruthless massacre.

(End of this chapter)