Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 956, Section 166: Johnny and Ultraman

The Black Wall is the only barrier humanity uses to defend against the chaotic network after the data collapse. It is thanks to its existence that humanity can rest easy on the edge of the digital world.

This was Carl's initial understanding of the Black Wall when he first arrived in Night City.

However, as he met more and more people, he gradually heard another truth:
The Black Wall itself is also made of AI.

They are a group of 'traitors'—a group of AIs who, for reasons unknown, chose to stand on the side of humanity. They have come together to form a wall of sighs.

Any AI attempting to bypass the firewall must be treated with extreme caution, as its massive data volume could potentially breach the firewall. Therefore, cyber surveillance remains vigilant, striving to prevent such incidents from occurring.

This is something I learned later, but Carl has now heard some new things.

When Otto Cunningham said this wouldn't work, didn't that imply something else?
We have to get through the black wall?
Should I then try to find a way to get Ultraman to the other side of the black wall?

If I break through the black wall, will I become a traitor like the Voodoo Cult?

Just as Karl was pondering this, he noticed that after Ultraman left behind data to eliminate the chaotic data that was coming, he floated directly towards the black wall. Before entering the black wall, Ultraman 'looked' at Karl and then crashed into it.

She crashed into it?!

Did Ultraman kill himself by running headfirst into a black wall?
But there's no tree stump here, and Ultraman can't be a rabbit, can he?

It doesn't seem right either.

Carl felt he should be shocked, but he quickly realized that it wasn't a collision, but rather a display of integration.

He thought of the look in Ultraman's eyes before he entered the black wall.

That look
Carl felt he had discovered some truths about the Black Wall.

Ultraman's performance just now suggests that her data is already present within the Black Wall, which is why she can easily integrate into it and break free at any time.

The Black Wall contains Ultraman's data, and the Black Wall itself is made up of AI; they are 'traitors' among the AI.
Traitor to AI.
Is he really a traitor?

Karl had a guess in his mind.

If data representing consciousness entities like Ultraman's, created by the stripping away of human consciousness, is not uncommon, and if a group of individuals like Ultraman, whose personality data and consciousness were preserved in the past due to various reasons similar to "soul killers," then with the data collapse, could these 'humans' be considered traitors to AI?
Could it be that the black wall is composed of...
Carl only diverted a portion of his mind to this matter; he did not pause in action.

After realizing that Ultraman might be waiting for him on the other side, Carl looked at the black wall.

Coming from the other side and going back from this side are obviously two different things in terms of difficulty.

It's true that it's easy to leave but hard to return, since the Black Wall is mainly designed to defend against the old internet.

But
Karl stared at the black wall and approached it.

Then, pass through.

'Am I right in my gut feeling?'

Carl returned with ease, even more easily than when he got there.

His feeling that he could see through the black wall was indeed correct; he had truly 'remembered' it! Carl, after just one attempt, indeed gained the ability to freely move between the two sides of the black wall!
As Carl reached the other side of the Black Wall, he happened to see Otto Cunningham appear in front of him, and at the same time, T-BUG's urgent and concerned voice rang out in his channel.

"You're back, Carl. Looks like you're alright. Wait, what's this? This!"

While T-BUG noticed Carl, he also noticed the presence of Ultra Cunningham.

"Could this be... that legendary one?"

"Otto Cunningham".

Carl introduced her naturally: "Johnny's current girlfriend, or rather, not quite an ex-girlfriend, since their relationship is rather unusual. I don't know if it counts as a breakup. I did find her, and she said she needed to come over here to help, so she came over."

"Come this way, and then you're here?!"

T-BUG's voice rose sharply from extreme shock, even cracking slightly, as he could hardly believe Karl's casual words, which sounded as if he had just gone out to get a cup of coffee.

The cognitive shock this brought to T-BUG was so enormous that she momentarily forgot what she was doing. Her mind almost stopped, and it took her a few seconds to come back to her senses.

Like an instinctive reaction, she immediately set about building a network defense barrier to isolate data fluctuations—near the black wall, network surveillance that detects data fluctuations is like a hyena smelling meat, ready to pounce at any moment.

Despite T-BUG's intelligence, she vaguely sensed something, but instinctively, out of a seasoned hacker's fear of network surveillance, she still subconsciously wanted to do it.

However, just as she was about to build a defense protocol, a gentle yet irresistible stream of data softly stopped her.

“T-BUG”

Otto's voice rang out directly in their communication channel. Having already learned about T-BUG from the data shared by Carl, she said, "Network surveillance can't do anything to me."

After a slight interruption, Ultraman turned her gaze entirely to Karl.

"I want to meet Johnny's consciousness. Now, is that alright?"

Karl listened to Ottna's seemingly urgent request, retrieved relevant data to confirm that Johnny's body and overall condition were stable. After V and the others were ready, he began to initiate the consciousness transfer program that had been prepared from the beginning.

Is this Princess White Horse meeting the Sleeping Prince?

Carl had a strange sense of déjà vu, and after the program started, Johnny Silver Hand's consciousness suddenly lit up in the torrent of data.

"This damn place, this familiar yet disgusting feeling, it's nauseating." The signature 'voice' came first, and then Johnny's virtual avatar gradually materialized in the network—metal arm, sunglasses, and that complaining mouth.

Then, he froze.

In that instant, all the frustration and grumbling froze and dissipated upon seeing that familiar figure woven from streams of data.

Just as Roger could still recognize Johnny in his dog form after more than fifty years, even though Johnny had only seen data figures after so many years, he still recognized the person in front of him at a glance.

Johnny opened his mouth, his virtual body seemed to tremble slightly, and finally, the name he had buried deep in his consciousness was uttered with difficulty, accompanied by a tremor and almost disbelief.

"Ultraman?"

(End of this chapter)