Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 955, Section 165: Helplessness
In Karl's perception, the arriving consciousness 'spoke'.

Johnny.

She was saying.

Then, in the next instant, she immediately changed her words.

"You are not Johnny."

In that instant, Karl seemed to see data flowing like a black wall.

He saw countless data points stretching forward like 'tentacles,' and he also saw fluctuations.

The being that arrived wanted to make contact with Karl.

Or more accurately, she wanted to devour Karl with data, just like the Black Wall.

Carl was prepared to fight back. He had already anticipated this possibility in all his AI calculations. Just as he was about to build a data defense and throw something he had prepared in advance at the approaching entity to slow down its intrusion, the 'tentacle' stopped.

"You are special."

As she spoke, she seemed to sense something, and the entity constructing its data body said, "You bear Johnny's mark."

She seemed to pause for a moment, or perhaps she was simply continuing, "Who are you?"

Before Karl, he 'saw' a massive body constructed from data appear there, and Karl could tell at a glance how enormous that body was.

If the Black Wall is over there, like a wall that stretches across the landscape and constantly devours things like a black hole, then what exists in front of Karl is like a mountain.

A mountain of constantly flowing data alone can encompass everything Karl sees.

Karl knew that on the other side of the Black Wall, the roaming AIs would devour each other, because data has a natural instinct for integration. But now it seems that network data with consciousness has a unique talent for devouring.

Karl had never seen such a massive amount of data, nor had he ever imagined that such data could be grasped through 'consciousness'.

"I'm Carl."

In response to the question from this consciousness, Karl introduced himself.

“Karl, I know that name.”

The consciousness seemed to be looking down at Karl, but in Karl's perception, it suddenly seemed to shrink and become an equal gaze.

"Data collected from the other side of the Black Wall indicates that Carl was a prominent figure."

Her gaze was tangible: "But I don't understand why you bear Johnny's mark."

Please explain.

As Karl listened to the words spoken by this consciousness one after another, he inexplicably felt a little tired.

It's not that I can't understand what she's saying, it's just that there seems to be something wrong with how she speaks.

For example, there are sentence breaks and inversions, and you can't feel any fluctuation in the rhythm. Every sentence feels to Karl like a self-evident statement.

However, this strange feeling wasn't enough to stop Karl from continuing the conversation.

"Before I answer, I want to know, are you Otto Cunningham?"

Otto Cunningham.

After Karl uttered the name, he saw some fluctuations in the data of the consciousness in front of him. Although it looked like a slight landslide on a mountain, the flow of data was still very noticeable to Karl and could be seen at a glance.

The consciousness, when faced with the name Ultraman, seemed to be calculating, or perhaps contemplating something long forgotten. Then, she spoke.

“I haven’t heard this name in a long time.”

When this consciousness uttered those words, Karl keenly noticed something.

The previously declarative language has changed.

This consciousness, which gave Karl a strange feeling, seemed to have suddenly come to life, giving Karl a touch of 'humanity' in the conversation.

While this way of speaking wasn't exactly in line with human speech, it did have a certain familiarity, and Karl quickly found a similar counterpart in his memory.

That's Mr. Blue Eyes.

Karl believed that the 'person' was a wandering AI.

It seems that the name Ultraman gave her a sense of humanity, as she actually used the phrase "I haven't heard this name in a long time" instead of specifying the exact years, months, and days she hadn't heard it.

Is it that the consciousness never forgot humanity and simply rediscovered it, or is it that even if a consciousness that was originally similar to AI lost its humanity, it was eventually able to regain it through continuous evolution?

Will the ultimate evolution of AI be 'human'?

Many thoughts flashed through Carl's mind. He found that after passing through the black wall, he was in a better state than ever before. His sense of data access was stronger, as if the black wall had made him more relaxed.

However, he didn't let himself immerse himself in this feeling. Although Karl's mind seemed to have broadened and countless thoughts were running simultaneously, he didn't forget the most important thing.

"I'm here to see Ultraman. I need your help regarding Johnny."

Following the instructions given to him by the AI, Carl sent over a string of data, and this time Ultraman's 'tentacles' accepted it without hesitation.

Upon receiving the data, Otto understood why Karl had come to him and what his purpose was.

Johnny.

For some reason, she repeated Johnny's name again, but this time it felt more human to Carl.

If the initial feeling was merely a dull ache upon hearing a long-forgotten name, then this call is more like a sigh tinged with warmth as one retrieves memories from the depths of their mind.

To put it simply...

The former is when someone hears the name of an unfamiliar classmate from kindergarten and has to think for a moment to remember them; the latter is when someone hears about their childhood friend's troubles again and can't help but sigh—or, more accurately, their boyfriend.
"I know everything."

Ultraman's sex appeal to Karl was growing stronger, as if the matter of Johnny Silver Hand had allowed this consciousness to rediscover the humanity it had gradually lost while wandering on the Black Wall. It was as if, with the convergence of data, her lost humanity had regained its hold on her under this name. She spoke in a way that Karl sensed as one of helplessness:

“I know how to help you, Carl, but not here.”

"This side won't work?"

Karl understood why in an instant.

Because at that moment he saw that on this side of the black wall, all sorts of random data, besides Ultraman, were coming over.

These chaotic data, lacking any self or thought, were like leeches sensing a heat source, trying to cling to it, but were all blocked and annihilated by Ultraman.

The current situation will inevitably attract even more leeches, so it's clearly impossible to help Johnny in this place.

But it's not on this side.
Carl turned around and looked at the black wall.

Does it mean we have to be on the other side?
(End of this chapter)