Ten thousand I am across the heavens

After a moment of mental disorientation, Lan Cheng found himself in the cyber world. Here, they could see a materialized black wall, within which lay a bizarre and vibrant human cyber world. Outside the wall, however, stretched an endless expanse of crimson, the old internet. No one knew what dangers lurked within this former cyber world.
"Pass through the black wall within 30 seconds, or be eliminated." The prompt in everyone's ears urged them to cross the black wall in front of them. But no one was willing to be the first to step forward.

The elimination was no joke, after all, their physical bodies were in a state of being at the mercy of others, and could be brutally killed at any time. Now, it was simply a matter of buying some time to slightly increase their survival rate.

Lan Cheng tried hard to recall the memories of this body, digging out bits and pieces of survival skills from them. In the online world, they could wield abilities far beyond those of ordinary people, constructing spiritual entities that, in theory, could freely shapeshift and create whatever they desired.

Upon entering the data world, everyone's consciousness was completely naked, without a single piece of clothing. This was the first time Lan Cheng had been completely naked since adopting a female body, to the point that even though she wasn't psychologically a woman, she still subconsciously wanted to cover herself.

Fortunately, at that moment everyone was thinking about how to survive, and no one was watching her.

Just as he was nervously recalling what this body could do, a small, cool hand took hers. Lucy, with her short white hair, was also completely naked, but seemed to have already adapted to this state. She smiled at Lan Cheng and said, "This time it's my turn to protect you. You must come back alive."

Having said that, he took her hand and they walked together towards the black wall. Lan Cheng took a deep breath, finally completing the integration of the various abilities of this body. Although he couldn't use them skillfully, at least he understood what he was capable of, which was already significant for him, because in the state of unlocking the genetic lock, as long as he knew what he could do, he could still become very strong through instinct.

The moment they passed through the black wall, everything before them ceased to be the bizarre and dazzling human city, but rather a blood-red mist, while the black wall behind them transformed into a thick, imposing barrier. No one could return without permission.

Lan Cheng looked around nervously, a sense of crisis making him feel like he was unlocking his genetic lock. In an instant, he entered a state of blankness, and at the same time, he felt the cold little hand holding his palm, which he couldn't help but clench.

Lucy was equally nervous. Faced with the cruel artificial intelligence, no matter how many times she had come outside the Black Wall, she couldn't help but feel fear.

The lurking artificial intelligence is like a seasoned hunter, showing no mercy to prey that intrudes into its territory. It approaches silently and then strikes swiftly with lightning speed.

Lucy reacted quickly. The unknown entity in the mist transformed into a blade-like attack, about to cut the two of them in half. The data attack was materialized into a physical form in their eyes, and the sheer size of the data impact gave them a tremendous sense of oppression.

Data streams flickered rapidly in Lucy's pupils, and a semi-transparent, bubble-like shield emerged, deflecting the terrifying attack. However, cracks appeared on the bubble. Data streams flowed rapidly within the cracks, and Lucy desperately mobilized her brain's computing power to try and repair them. But the data streams from artificial intelligence had already infiltrated, continuously damaging, tearing, and widening the gaps in her defenses.

Lan Cheng had already realized what was happening. As he gripped Lucy's hand, their data began to connect. Lan Cheng's basic hacking skills were practically nonexistent. Even in the state of unlocking his genetic potential, he could only experience a burst of inspiration. In terms of proficiency and precision in using various hacking techniques, he wasn't even a novice among these geniuses; he was merely an amateur.

But after their data was connected, he could see Lucy's battle on the data level. Although her reactions couldn't keep up, given that she had already learned the theoretical knowledge, the powerful survival skills unlocked by her genetic locks often allowed him to see through the key points in the AI's attack process. It was as if her perception had an innate ability to find flaws.

"Pay attention to these locations I've marked. The red marks are the key areas the AI ​​will attack next. The blue marks are the weak points in the AI's defense. My brain must have been fried before; I can only see these flaws and can't keep up with its reactions."

BlueCity highlighted each data stream and marked different sections of code, making the entire architecture of the AI ​​attack process very clear.

Unsurprisingly, Blue City discovered the weaknesses of the artificial intelligence during the observation process, and the task of addressing these weaknesses could only be left to Lucy.

Lucy tentatively attacked the highlighted code. The effect was immediate. These highlighted areas were key. The AI ​​had been blocking her shield, unable to repair it. A few more attacks of that magnitude would be enough to kill them both outside the black wall.

But now that the weaknesses were clearly identified, they were much easier to deal with. Streams of data swept through, and the cracks in the shield were repaired in an instant. The right side of this firewall was impregnable; even if the AI ​​launched another surprise attack, its weaknesses would often be quickly detected. Damage inflicted could be repaired in a very short time. Although the numerous attacks still made it difficult for them to move an inch, the two of them, working together, managed to barely hold their own.

But others weren't so lucky. Performing such tasks was inherently extremely dangerous, and the artificial intelligence outside the Great Firewall had a far greater advantage over humans. It often used its terrifying computing power to completely overwhelm and eliminate humanity.
Lan Cheng watched helplessly as, not far from them, another young genius programmer succumbed to the relentless onslaught of artificial intelligence. Half his body was swept away by the data deluge, vanishing instantly. Before he could even scream, the massive data surged through him, tearing his head apart and killing him instantly.

Everyone faces such a terrifying attack; the only difference is that some people can endure it longer, while others will die very quickly.

Searching for technologies hidden within the world of artificial intelligence is no difficult task. Even with the relatively easier task of working together, Lucy and Blue City didn't find much useful information among the data fragments.

Furthermore, because they had landed in the domain of a powerful artificial intelligence, and after attracting its attention, the attacks they faced became increasingly powerful. Lucy alone was already struggling to manage the weaknesses within the data.

Lan Cheng had no choice but to bite the bullet and try it out. Even in his current state of complete confusion, despite his lack of experience, he could still barely manipulate the data stream. Using code to fight code, though frantic, he was gradually becoming familiar with the body's capabilities through repeated battles. After all, he hadn't actually damaged his brain; he had just temporarily absorbed so much knowledge that he couldn't fully integrate it in a short time. Therefore, as he practiced more and more, and observed the reactions of the code he had marked after being attacked, he gradually developed a kind of operating system in the virtual world, similar to a nervous system. This system could minimize the negative impact of his lack of hacking skills.

Exhausted, Lucy was about to make a mistake due to fatigue when she suddenly found her pressure lessening. Turning around, she saw Anna beside her, her brow furrowed as she struggled against the onslaught of artificial intelligence.

Feeling the other person's gaze, Lan Cheng forced a smile and reassured them, "Don't worry, we'll all get back alive."

Although he seemed somewhat flustered and unfamiliar with various skills, Lan Cheng had a significant advantage: compared to these children, he was a true warrior forged in the crucible of life and death on the battlefield. Others, when faced with death, might have already lost their ability to think and fallen into a daze.

But he has faced life and death not just once or twice, but hundreds of times. His countless battles on the battlefield have allowed him to calmly confront death. Therefore, even if he might die in the next second, he can still react calmly and find a way to survive to the greatest extent possible.

The two men appeared to be in grave danger, but ultimately managed to retreat step by step from the encirclement, holding out until a gap opened in the black wall. They escaped through the gap, though they didn't bring back much useful data. However, this didn't matter much; those who organized the project didn't expect a casual probe to yield crucial data. But this seemingly casual probe resulted in the deaths of one boy and two girls, bleeding from all seven orifices, in the login pod. The staff guarding them were already used to this. They expertly removed the bodies and placed them in body bags. The remaining personnel, driven away by armed guards, numbly returned to their rooms to practice their hacking skills.

No one needed to urge them to practice, and everyone worked diligently. After all, this was their lifeline. If they didn't want to end up like the others, dying suddenly in the data world, they had to improve their skills and survive longer against attacks from artificial intelligence.

Although Lan Cheng had just survived a perilous, near-death experience, his composure was among the calmest of the group. While the situation was extremely dangerous, it wasn't so bad. Compared to the hail of bullets and the raging flames of a battlefield, this level of mortality was as commonplace to him as eating and drinking.

Now that he had the opportunity to improve his hacking skills, he naturally spared no effort in learning, improving, and practicing. However, Lucy beside him seemed somewhat distracted. While Lan Cheng was diligently practicing his hacking techniques, a small hand suddenly grabbed his palm. A concealed data cable connected the two.

"Let's run away!" Lucy said nothing on the surface, but she encrypted the message and sent it to Blue City.

“Sister Anna is already so badly injured that she can’t handle the threats outside the wall on her own. If something happens to me one day, you won’t survive to see the next day either. If we stay here, we’ll eventually break down. Let’s find a way to escape. As long as we can get out, we can hide under our own names and no one will be able to find us.”

Lan Cheng was not surprised at all; after such cruel treatment, it would be strange if he didn't want to run away.

"Don't worry, although I'm injured, I'm not incapable of recovery. Didn't you feel that I've actually recovered a little just now? We can still hold on for now, so let's stay a little longer and gather information. Currently, we have no plan for an escape route, nor do we know how the guards patrol. What kind of obstacles lie along the way? Running away rashly will only lead to certain death. It's better to wait for an opportunity and gather intelligence. Perhaps a better opportunity will come later."

Lucy nodded silently, though she still held Lan Cheng's hand tightly while retracting the data cable.

The reason Lan Cheng said he needed to wait for the right opportunity was because he wasn't fighting alone. If he rashly ran away, it would be a pure gamble. A group of unarmed children, even with hacking skills, would be as vulnerable as chicks in front of fully armed soldiers.

But he had many companions. These people weren't imprisoned. Scattered throughout Night City under various identities, their combined strength might lead them to this secret base. Once found, they could coordinate an attack from within, greatly increasing their chances of escape. He even hoped more gifted youths could escape. These youths might seem like disposable commodities, but in reality, each one was a genius. With a little nurturing outside, in this information age, they would undoubtedly be considered top talents.

Blue City hopes that more people can leave this secret base alive.

As the day passed and night fell, the various blue cities in the dream world converged once more. The escape plan of the genius hacker girl Anna became the focus of discussion that night. The next step was to pool their wisdom and resources to find a way to rescue her.

Hundreds of people scattered throughout society. If they were individuals with no connection to each other, they would hardly cause any ripples in society. But if they are a closely united group with a common goal and a code of conduct; even comrades who are willing to sacrifice everything, even their lives, for a single goal, then these people represent a force capable of upending an entire city.

Although most of them are at the bottom of society, and some are even heavily indebted, they can still serve as sources of intelligence. Another group, while not part of the ruling class, still possesses some resources. And these resources, when combined, amount to a considerable sum.

[To be continued]

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