Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 957, Section 167: Consciousness Transfer
"Ott?"

In Johnny's virtual 'voice,' something rarely heard from him appeared—an almost cautious, unbelievable pause.

Be careful.

Would Johnny also exhibit this attitude?

In Carl's gaze, Johnny seemed like a traveler who had trekked through the desert for over fifty years, suddenly spotting an oasis in the distance, too afraid to approach for fear that it would shatter at the slightest touch.

Ultraman responded to Johnny's call.

Johnny.

Her voice remained calm, but beneath that calm, a clear surge of data was being analyzed.

Her image was more stable and more 'real' than Johnny's. She gazed at him, her eyes, made of code, seemingly piercing through Johnny's data body and seeing directly into his deepest depths.

“You’re still the same,” she said, her tone unreadable, “not a bit different.”

“Change?” Johnny scoffed, but his laughter was terribly dry. “Change into what? Like you, become a ghost in this pile of code?” His words were still barbed, but the barb had softened, as if he couldn’t put on that arrogant act when facing Ultraman.

Johnny described himself as a domineering person, whether facing Rogue or Ultraman, a trait Carl indeed witnessed in his interactions with Rogue. However, Johnny's behavior towards Ultraman today contradicted his account.
Does this mean he feels guilty towards Ultraman?

According to what Carl heard Johnny say, Ultraman died physically because of him and was forced to become a cyber ghost.

Ultraman ignored Johnny's seemingly sharp words, which were actually incredibly soft to him.

“I’ve been looking for you for a long time, Johnny,” Ott said, her voice like a gentle rain, calming down all the impatience Johnny wanted to show: “Through the black walls, through the ruins of the old network. Many times, I thought even fragments of your data had completely disappeared.”

"My data fragments."

“Murphy told me that she tried to preserve your consciousness before you died, so I think it’s possible that you, like me, have always wanted to find you.”

"Murphy, Spider Murphy, that little girl really did save my consciousness."

He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again, his tone was terrifyingly hollow: "Then, my physical body completely perished, and I had no choice but to 'survive' in the form you see now."

Suddenly, Johnny stared at Ultraman.

"More than fifty years! Ultraman, I died long ago, but I stayed in that chip for more than fifty years. I can't even tell the time anymore. Can you imagine this kind of torment? No, of course you know, because I was the one who sent you into this fate, and that's how I experienced everything you went through."

Johnny appeared to be complaining about his suffering, but his last sentence revealed his true feelings.

He felt ashamed, embarrassed, and regretful about everything he had done.

Because it was him who personally turned Ultraman into this state, the pain of such a state can only be understood by those who have experienced it firsthand.

He made far too many mistakes.

Despite feeling immense guilt in front of Johnny, Ultra remained remarkably calm.

Or rather, she gained the upper hand in this respect with that calmness.

“This is not your fault, Johnny.” Otto’s voice was as smooth as a data stream, without a single ripple.

"That was just an accident. The Ultraman of the past is dead, but he has not disappeared. I still remember you. My core data contains everything about you. I am no longer the Ultraman of the past, and you are no longer the Silver Hand of the past. So, I forgive you."

Her ultimate purpose, spoken softly, was: "I'm here to help you, Johnny."

Should we say "devoted to each other" or "even though neither of them is the same Johnny and Ultraman they were at the beginning," it's not that they've forgotten each other. Compared to how they used to be, perhaps only their attitudes have changed slightly, but their feelings for each other remain unchanged.

Johnny and the current Ultraman are, strictly speaking, just strings of consciousness data. But perhaps for them, the feelings they share are written into the core of their data, sustaining their existence. So even though one of them absorbed and assimilated data on the other side of the black wall for over fifty years, and the other felt over fifty years of solitude and silence within the chip, their feelings for each other remained unchanged when they met again; they still surged forth.

This is something that no amount of data can conceal. Even though Ultraman absorbed far more data than Johnny in their actions and words, resulting in less intense emotional fluctuations, the two of them ultimately exist under a kind of storage method and have crossed over fifty years of the past together.

They are essentially no different; they are all people who maintain their existence through emotions.

For Ultraman, everything that belonged to him in the past is the core. This is something that cannot be changed no matter how much data is absorbed, so Ultraman is here.

For Johnny, he has never changed, so Johnny is here.

"Ultraman."

Johnny wanted to say a lot, but he felt there was no need to say anything to Ultraman, so he looked at Carl.

"You prepared this, didn't you? I never heard of Ultraman being involved before. You know I hate watching people."

"I do what I want, it's none of your business."

Carl's words should have infuriated Johnny; if he were still in his dog form, he probably would have already attacked. But now...
Thank you, Carl.

As he spoke, he didn't forget the others: "And V, T-BUG, Jack, Oliver, thank you all. And then, you all just wait."

"This is Karl's plan alone, don't drag me into it."

Oliver immediately distanced himself from the situation.

"Don't be so disloyal. By the way, Johnny, this has nothing to do with me. If you want to bite someone, bite Carl."

V also said with a smile, and as he spoke, T-BUG's voice rang out:
"Everything is ready."

T-BUG confirmed the final status: "Get back into your body, Johnny. I have to return this body you've been occupying to Ball. Although I've prepared a new body for it, the original one is still the most suitable. You've stayed long enough. It's time to return it to its rightful owner."

"Is that how you're going to get rid of me?"

Johnny chuckled, but his gaze remained fixed on Otto, a glimmer of hope lurking beneath his casual words, "How about a ride? I think this body could easily fit another one of you."

“You know that’s impossible, Johnny.”

Ultraman's voice remained gentle, yet there was not a trace of wavering in it.

“I have been away from the form of ‘body’ for too long. It is no longer a necessity for me. Even if I need a vessel, the way I do it will be completely different from yours. I know you feel guilty towards me, Johnny, and want to make it up to me and give it back to me, but this opportunity is prepared for you. So go, we will meet again sooner or later.”

Sooner or later?

The word was still echoing in his mind when Johnny felt an invisible force begin to pull at his core—his consciousness was being precisely stripped from this temporary container.

In the torrent of data, he saw the light belonging to Ultraman assisting T-BUG, gently but firmly pushing him to a new place.

"Ultraman!"

In the moments before his consciousness was about to completely plunge into darkness, the name he blurted out was still that of his girlfriend and lover.

Otto's response to him was not any complex data stream.

Johnny.

Just a call, a gentle response just like in the old days, that could always soothe all his anxieties.

(End of this chapter)