Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 339 Public Enemy of the Company! (Part 3)
"Mr. Lucas!"

Military technology has never been more strained since Operation Badlands.

[Intelligence: Suspected breach of the Black Wall]

[Intelligence Department: Sergeant #4582]

[Indicator: Traces of wild AI entering the data fortress ICE have been detected]

[Current situation: This has resulted in the loss of more than ten data items, including a top-secret database used for routine maintenance]

[Thirteen routine network administrators have died - confirmed]

[New expanded content found in the database - currently being detected and identified.]

[Suspect: Suspected creator of the Soul Killer entity from top-secret files from fifty years ago; data spores suggest there's a greater than 90% probability that he is a programmed version of Ultraman Cunningham…]

[Suggested countermeasures: Arrest personnel with low-level security clearance; seize personal data storage devices and access to databases for inspection; interrogate witnesses and require them to sign mandatory confidentiality agreements (or face criminal charges); seal and delete surveillance footage from the relevant time periods and areas; differentiate and examine the body and mark it…]

Lucas looked at the intelligence data, which contained as much useful information as possible, and fell into deep thought.

"Ultraman..."

It's as if I've traveled back fifty years—

On that stormy night, no fewer than five giant corporations, including Military Technology, Pedro Petrochemical, and Biotechnology, launched an attack on Arasaka. For the sake of the Soul Killer program's value, Military Technology poured its most cutting-edge technology and resources into the special team.

“Morgan Blackhand… Spider Murphy… Roger—I remember this squad…”

"They released the Ultra Conversion Program that Arasaka had imprisoned from the offline server into the cyber network, right?"

Lucas rubbed his temples.

The company is not a philanthropist; the initial contingency plan was actually known to only a few people.

Once Otto's data enters the uplink, it needs to be cut off and imprisoned in the first-generation condensed network access chamber in the hands of Spider-Murphy.

However, all the variables in that incident were in the hands of the squad, and it was too late for military technology to intervene.

They misjudged the friendship between Spider-Murphy and Otto Cunningham, and they also misjudged the Black Hand's objectives.

The man who repeatedly refused military technology positions actually wanted Arasaka and their terrifying cyber nuclear weapons to disappear into the dust of history... It was virtually impossible for military technology to obtain the original version of Soul Killer and its creator, Ultra Entity.

So much time has passed.

But it feels like it happened just yesterday…

At that time, Lucas was not yet the president of military technology. The world was full of talented people, and the phrase "chaotic world" was the most appropriate description of the time.

"Yes, Mr. President."

The assistant hesitated, then asked, "Do you... agree with this plan?"

Lucas wasn't the kind of leader who would lose track of procedures when things got really urgent. He preferred the feeling of taking the initiative to being led by the nose.

In reality, Lucas shouldn't have been in charge of everything in Night City...

Unfortunately, the current shareholders of the Night City branch are all a bunch of good-for-nothing pigs.

That's how he explained it in the evaluation report.

Since the old president left, military technology is no longer just a one-man company. It involves the interests of many groups, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, and controls one of the most unstable factors on this planet. Therefore, it needs to be accountable to the board of directors.

But the board of directors has no right to supervise him.

Lucas did not see this as an inflated sense of power, but rather genuinely did a good job of it.

"Night City certainly didn't disappoint me. The Badlands operation... I can't see the usefulness of these idiots at all."

Lucas said this with a calm expression.

Getting angry is completely unnecessary for Lucas; he prefers sharp commentary.

"There's a saying that goes, even bending down to pick up a baseball requires physical exertion, and an eagle catching a hare requires all its strength—they sent a woman, someone with a screw loose, who has squandered biotechnology and all the progress we've made over the years..."

The more the assistant listened, the more cold sweat he broke out in.

"The child I admired also died there."

"It's the second time."

Lucas's concluding remarks were, in effect, a death sentence for Night City's shareholders.

At best, they can take the cash and pack their bags and leave; at worst, they'll have to sacrifice themselves for the cooperation between biotechnology and military technology!
"And one more thing."

Lucas glanced at the glistening cold sweat on his assistant's forehead and, quite gentlemanly, pulled out a disposable handkerchief.

"I need to see the data about the AI ​​intrusion outside the wall right now—how many people die and what to do about it is your business, I just want the results."

The assistant understood that Lucas's patience had run out.

He is now attempting to use the risk of his life as a hacker to uncover what was left behind after the Ultra Invasion.

The phrase "a time of great turmoil" perfectly describes the current situation.

The honeymoon period between military technology and biotechnology seems to be coming to an end. Biotechnology's calculations are already written all over its face, while the control of military technology began long ago.

Nobody wants to give up a lucrative wallet.

Lucas was well aware of this.

That's why he spent a lot of money to contact high-level biotechnology executives in Europe. Once that intelligence enters Night City, the military technology sector will have a few more pieces of leverage against biotechnology. It doesn't matter how long the validity period is, or whether the military technology sector's messes will become a reason for biotechnology to retaliate.

Lucas didn't want such a big problem to occur during his tenure.

His only problem is that he's too concerned about his reputation.

In order to access the intelligence held by the technical officials from the European biotechnology sector who had rushed over, Lucas even sent biotechnology products—legends from the previous generation who were on par with Morgan's Black Hand…

Unfortunately:

He had no idea that such a powerful legend had died at the hands of the company's executives.

V made this woman who was handling the intelligence pay with her life; the intelligence is now all in Arasaka's hands...

"Okay, please wait a moment, I'll arrange it now."

The cold sweat on the assistant's forehead quickly disappeared, because whether the hacker lived or died was none of his business. As long as the boss gave the order, someone had to risk their life to die.

Even if they are unwilling, there are many ways to make them obey.

"How is Night City doing?"

The assistant stood obediently beside Lucas, and upon hearing his boss's question, quickly glanced at the expensive mechanical watch on his wrist—

"Before I came here, I heard that the communication signal over there was normal, and our people also saw the test subject going to the Valley area of ​​Night City for docking on the city's monitoring system. According to the schedule, it should be returning to the Night City branch soon."

"We will have the data transported through the 'wall' by New America, and there will basically be no problems."

Walk the 'wall'.

This is what Miles's dogs do.

The Black Wall's protocols can steal any citizen's private data, complete communications without any authentication links, and efficiently and securely transmit a lot of information.

Lucas felt a tightness in his chest.

This is not a good sign.

He always liked to trust his intuition…

"Hey?"

The assistant's eyes lit up, he glanced at his boss and quickly covered his mouth, keeping the volume just loud enough for Lucas to hear...

This is actually a rule in the workplace.

Make your boss feel respected and that you are thinking. Even the worst news should be delivered by you personally. If you are just a relay, your existence is meaningless.

"Um…"

The assistant's expression turned serious.

"Boss!" Lucas stared at the burning cigar in the ashtray. Some things seemed as decaying and rotten as the column of grayish-white ash that hit the table and quickly scattered.

"The valley region of Night City has been surrounded by biotechnology."

"There are suspected instances of force being used against civilians; some data, even if deleted, is still visible..."

Lucas abruptly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The subordinate looked embarrassed, but still had to finish what he was saying: "They claimed that extremists in the Valley area were using gatherings to spread extreme ideologies against biotech companies—not only that, they were also retaliating against a band that apparently incited civilians in Night City to kill several mid-level managers at a club."

For a rock band?
Lucas was well aware of how annoying these "artists" who wrote songs and articles were.

He knew about the charismatic nature of rock and roll kids decades ago.

That military technology squad had a guy who wasn't very combat-capable, but his concert at the foot of Arasaka Tower provided favorable conditions for the squad's attack, and even drew most of Arasaka's security attention to him...

"What do you think..."

The assistant knew it was time for him to step up.

Would a biotechnology company really be so kind as to seek revenge for its own employees?

Please help...

Charities no longer play this game.

As for sealing off an entire city to do this, the guys in Lucas's position and his assistants all sensed that it was an attempt to cover up the truth.

"President, I think we need to intervene. That intelligence agent from Europe is probably going to be detained by biotechnology."

Lucas nodded.

The assistant's analysis was correct.

He just didn't know that there was a prerequisite for doing this.

When biotechnology engages in such a public relations disaster, military technology will also suffer a blow from public opinion—more importantly, such large-scale military operations within cities are very likely to be defined as corporate warfare!
If the Night City hyenas catch their nose, it's not impossible that military technology could be squeezed out by those companies.

Night City's importance as a forward outpost for military technology and the new United States in the Free State is self-evident.

"Um…"

Even the shrewd and calculating Lucas was somewhat unsure how to handle this chaotic situation.

Time is of the essence now. If biotechnology detains intelligence personnel, it's only a matter of time before such traitors confess. If biotechnology discovers this, military technology will completely lose this ally!

What to do...

"President!"

The well-dressed blonde woman walked quickly, almost pushing the door open as she entered.

As Lucas once said in military technology, if you feel something is extremely urgent, you can push open the door of your superior or officer under any circumstances.

"Our hackers have broken into the database that the black wall entity has compromised!"

No...no one was injured or killed.

Lucas immediately stood up.

what? !

The fact that a hacker entity has gained access to the company's database is a catastrophic event in itself, even at the risk of data breaches, prompting a request for network surveillance...

But now, the database that his hackers broke into and compromised hasn't been killed by the remaining spores and various malicious programs? ???
What kind of situation is this...?

Before the woman could catch her breath, she swallowed hard and continued, "Ott brought data on biotechnology certification. It contains numerous biotechnology operations targeting military technology, including stealing secrets from military technology companies, investigating security deployment plans for facilities and personnel, and even trying to access our prosthetic body prototypes and weapon prototypes..."

"Several of these tasks have already been completed successfully—"

The woman gritted her teeth, as if she were talking about a life-or-death feud.

As the head of the intelligence department, she naturally wanted to make biotechnology pay the price right now after this happened…

However, for the sake of the bigger picture, they will most likely have no choice but to swallow this humiliation.

"The data has been verified, there is absolutely no possibility of forgery. We are all veterans in investigating biotechnology, there won't be any problems!"

She looked at the president and his dumbfounded assistant with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Lucas's expression was strange, a hint of a smile emerging from his initial stunned expression, but he couldn't guess what the entity outside the black wall was really after.

"We can view this as an expression of gratitude."

The female intelligence officer said earnestly.

The woman who transformed from a human into a program left behind her longing for Spider-Murphy and her gratitude for the military technology operation.

"Program...person..."

Lucas shook his head.

Although the law has long recognized that digital entities in cyberspace have the right to life, Lucas still doesn't believe that a bunch of data can achieve this.

Those who don’t know are fearless.

This is what female intelligence officers fear most...

"If the data is confirmed to be complete, then let's take back what's more favorable to us."

Lucas made the decision.

Wasting even a tiny bit of time at this critical juncture could lead to unforeseen changes in the Valley region of Night City.

The decision-making power that was placed in the hands of the lower classes decades ago could never happen under Lucas's administration.

"To let biotechnology know what it has done, we need to enter the valley area to investigate any illegal actions that biotechnology may be taking against us, and this reason is absolutely sufficient."

The assistant beside him said things that Lucas didn't want to say.

The female intelligence officer was dumbfounded. She hadn't expected that Lucas, a seasoned player of deception, would agree to an operation against an ally!
Things happened so hastily…

However, the thought of the data the hackers had dug up still made the woman furious.

It seems that the relationship between biotechnology and military technology is truly on the verge of "breaking down".

"Those who are in the wrong know what they should do and have nothing to worry about."

Lucas didn't forget to reassure his assistant.

now.

Cyberspace.

A solitary figure hovered in the air, staring in that direction.

Losing humanity does not mean not reflecting on humanity.

Otto knew there were some things she would always owe others…

"Murphy, forgive me."

"Companies are definitely not the only salvation in this world."

Actually, Ultraman was looking at something else entirely—

Instead, she had hidden a set of black wall algorithm information in the database that would require all the network manpower and large servers of military technology to decode over fifty years.

That was Rin's plan, and also a very interesting proverb he told himself...

That sentence is:

[When dogs fight, they get all sorts of mess.]

……

……

(End of this chapter)