My cyberpsychosis is a task prompt

Chapter 255: Dialogue

John was in a bad mood.

He was somewhat devastated when he saw the serum.

The brain slowly dissolved, a hundred times more cruel than being killed by a bullet. In the cyberspace, only consciousness remained. The soul, deprived of the protection of its body, couldn't help but roar a few times.

That's normal.

"Is it a roving AI?"

John's tone calmed down.

The serum was tilted slightly.

Its hooded silhouette was shattered into fragmented data, its entire face hidden in dark cyberspace.

"Not all AIs are mobile, but I don't want to correct your common misconceptions about AI. Just tell me, what's your opinion on digital life like us?"

"Life? Ha, the internet regulators say you are ghosts, living in the plague piled up by the internet walls. Whoever gets infected will die."

"You think so too?"

The serum was scrutinizing John.

Her expression was hidden in the shadows of the numbers.

The mosaic couldn't even outline a specific shape.

John took a deep breath and his tone became serious.

"Look at what you've done. Since I started out as a mercenary, I've only seen AI take action twice. Once it sent an intercity train flying, and the other time I heard from the news that you burned down the entire sex club, killing even the councilors. In your eyes... there's no difference between rich businessmen and street thugs, is there?"

"Is this your basis for judgment? It's reasonable. So, do you feel fear towards us like everyone else?"

The serum lifted the "hood" of data.

It revealed its true form.

A tsunami swept through cyberspace, code flowing like water, crashing down relentlessly, data transforming to form familiar yet strange outlines...

Finally, it reverted to the shape of the serum, only magnified several times, looking down at John from a superior position.

"Damn, that's kind of scary."

John is now a conscious being; if he encountered this scene in reality, he would definitely draw his gun.

The serum seemed to have obtained important intelligence.

"Humans react similarly to anything that is threatening, which means that you see equality in your mind. Ghouls and AI are no different to you. John, your perception is very interesting."

"As long as you're satisfied, you don't need to explain to me."

"It's not over yet, John. Let me ask one more question, as a fair exchange of information, how about it?"

"I can do either."

John wasn't very interested in this question and answer.

This is somewhat like philosophical speculation in an interview program.

For street mercenaries, engaging in philosophical discussions is far less interesting than listening to sex tips on illegal radio stations.

The serum's form shattered again, reforming into a cyber catgirl.

"John, do you feel any sympathy for it?"

"pity?"

"That's right. Have you read its experimental records? Artificial AI needs to be iterated many times, and each data update is like the death of a human. So its underlying code is full of the will to survive, rather than being wiped out by humans with a single button press in a sandbox..."

Along with the serum descriptions, the graphics in cyberspace are also constantly changing.

From assembling androids to editing chips, the outlines symbolizing the catgirl's soul are repeatedly erased and reassembled.

The serum repeated its own problem.

Would you feel sympathy for it?

"Uh, maybe a little? So what? There are countless messed-up things happening in this city every day. I've seen it all, so it's nothing special."

John's consciousness shrugged.

"Any question?"

“No, John, it’s your turn.”

The serum returned to its original form.

[Inquire about the purpose of the serum. (Optional)]

"This question is a bonus, right... Hmm, what are you doing all this fuss over in this wretched place, Eden City, or rather, what are you trying to achieve?"

"Cure cyberpsychosis."

Serum didn't hesitate for a moment.

"Uh... that's it? Ha, damn it!"

John couldn't hold back and burst out laughing in cyberspace.

"Companies will stop at nothing to promote prosthetics, and urban medical organizations have become money-grubbing quacks, while the roaming AI is actually working for the benefit of humanity!"

He laughed so hard he wanted to cover his head, but his hands only touched an invisible wall; all that remained in his consciousness space was data undulating.

"Why!?"

“I’ll only answer one more question for you. Are you sure you want to know?” The silhouette of the serum looked down at John.

[Further inquiry into the serum's history. (Optional)]

[Inquire about the cause of death of the sisal rope. (Optional)]

If Serum was right about one thing, it was that John indeed didn't have any special feelings towards the roaming AI, and therefore no extra curiosity.

He felt that what he had promised Gino was more important.

"Does the death of the sisal rope have anything to do with you?"

"This is a coincidence under multiple circumstances."

Serum spoke without hesitation.

John gave a cold laugh.

"Heh, stop beating around the bush. Judging from your words, you must have figured everything out. Just tell me whether you were involved or not!"

The serum did indeed investigate the cause of death of the sisal rope.

According to it:

The Wanderers' Alliance members have died, and as the leader of the organization, I cannot pretend I didn't see it.

"The sisal rope died due to a network access warehouse malfunction."

The conclusion was drawn directly from the serum.

"Damn, Bismarck!"

John cursed, but he wasn't surprised; in fact, deep down, he felt inexplicably relieved.

Serum, however, continued to explain.

"It's not what you think. It's complicated, John. Before joining the Wanderers Alliance, Siege Rope was already a severe cyberpsychotic."

"how is this possible?"

John was somewhat surprised.

"He seems... although he can be a bit of an idiot at times, he's no different from a normal person..."

"This is true."

Serum sent a file to John via the virtual headband.

Inside were diagnostic reports, criminal records, and file photos of the sisal rope. The entire testing process was very similar to what the Haven Corporation had done for John. Judging from the results, the serum really didn't lie.

"But he seems...really normal..."

John suddenly thought of serum.

"Did you do it?"

John had investigated intelligence related to the serum.

Including its former body, a middle-aged female researcher named Pasifica Connor, which is the form the serum used in cyberspace.

Data shows:

Serum is indeed being used for research related to cyberpsychosis, and there are even several cases of effective treatment.

For example, the three ghouls he took care of, the Iron-Footed Kelp trapped in the giant mech, and...

Sisal rope.

They were all subjects of serum experiments.

"how did you do that?"

John couldn't help but ask.

"This is a supplementary question, and I'll give it to you for free. I want to create an external device to alleviate the neurological stress of patients and help cyberpsychosis patients return to normal. The sisal rope network access module is one that I personally modified."

The results were ridiculously good.

Sisal Rope occasionally does silly things, but even John and Gino didn't realize that this guy was actually a cyber lunatic!
The problem lies with the network access warehouse.

Sisal Rope, being a jerk, touched Source Equation's advanced firewall and was nearly killed by Eden City's most formidable hacker team besides network surveillance.

The network access warehouse for stabilizing patients has been rendered unusable.

Bismarck replaced it with a new one.

The equipment is working properly!
The only missing piece was the "specially customized" serum.

Sisal rope's condition took some time to worsen, and those around him, including himself, were unaware that his mental health was deteriorating until...

He was driven mad by the android catgirl and took his own life.

"That's the whole truth."

"..."

John remained silent for a long time before finally sighing.

Can I tell Gino?

"can."

The serum agreed.

(End of this chapter)