Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 548 (Hyperlink) [5.4K]

"This operation will make a huge contribution to the future of Arakawa and this world!"

A slightly hoarse yet powerful voice resonated throughout the entire underground network center.

Takeshi Takeda, his face flushed with a feverish fervor beyond his years, was giving a passionate pre-battle pep talk…

This cyber intrusion will likely take at least a month, according to Him's conservative estimate. This demonstrates just how eager Takeda Kenji is for progress...

He couldn't understand why it seemed as if an invisible hand was hindering Lord Saburo Arasaka's plans. The setback in North America, the defeat in Europe… Lai Xuan's influence would likely grow exponentially during this period. He wasn't worried about any unforeseen events occurring in Warsaw, which he controlled.

On the contrary, he was worried about the other fence-sitters among his European colleagues. As the first to hold out in Europe, he had to give Saburo Arasaka an inspiring answer!

"Fellow colleagues, Takeshi Takeda wishes you all a great victory!"

"My daughter and wife—they will also be joining you on the path to prosperity in Araka!"

"Must win!"

The frenzied shouts filled David with a deep sense of fear.

The frenzy was palpable among the Arasaka hackers, half their faces obscured by strange optical devices as they screamed with ecstasy. The spittle spraying from their mouths, and even the emaciated bodies emaciated from their long hours online, subsisting on only nutrient solutions, revealed all the underlying neural pathways.

Is the world sick?
Not at all...

It's because some people who control the laws governing this world have changed; they've become manic and restless, and utterly inhuman!
David mechanically raised his hand, his worry for Lucy reaching its peak.

"It's time to hit the road!"

Takeda was so excited that his entire face seemed to tremble...

However, this only strengthened Lucy's resolve as she lay on the hacker chair, looking slightly haggard. Without hesitation, she closed her eyes and waited for Mr. Rin's program to infiltrate the entire underground access point. The malicious code, resembling a rabies virus, had already permeated every part of the Arasaka Defense Program.

When Takeda turned around and saw Lucy lying on the chair with her eyes closed, he assumed she had resigned herself to her fate and gave a cold laugh.

"This is... a hyperlink?"

Lucy murmured incredulously.

Hyperlinks, in essence, organize information in a non-linear way, connecting the same document or different server resources via anchor points to allow free navigation to target content.

In other words, Lucy finally knows the real reason why Him and Arasaka were not captured by the Black Wall!
Young Lucy didn't have the extensive internet knowledge she has now, and with the help of Rin's program, she immediately understood the real reason why Arasaka was evading European internet surveillance and review.

Lucy silently noted down the anchor points highlighted by the program, while also marveling at it... Was this really just a program that Mr. Rin casually created? Such a sophisticated program, capable of completely evading the Arasaka Corporation's level firewall scans, was hardly a product of humankind.

Him walked over to Lucy, interrupting her train of thought.

"Don't worry, Lucy, I will protect you."

Lucy opened her eyes, and an aura of indifference emanated from her…

This was completely different from the calm she had feigned when facing Him; it was as if she wanted to... devour Him.

With a bad feeling, Him carefully considered Lucy's possible methods. Realizing that Lucy was no match for him, Him suppressed his unease and walked straight into the core network access point below the server.

That was the central hub. Him used her own logic to manipulate the server's immense computing power to support the entire hyperlink's defenses. At the same time, she was also the chain binding Lucy, like a mechanical arm that sent her near the black wall…

Takeda showed absolutely no concern for his daughter.

He simply walked up to Him and put on that smile that had captivated Him for decades, saying, "Take care of yourself, darling."

Him switched to the black-clad customer service and revealed a gentle smile.

“Our choice has always been the right one…that child.”

Him's gaze shifted to the outsider still watching over Lucy, David Martinez—

"Kenji, don't make things difficult for him anymore."

Takeda Kenji frowned slightly; his intuition told him that he was never quite at ease with this man.

Putting aside the fact that he came from Night City, wasn't he here for Arasaka Yorinobu? Now he's accomplished so much in Warsaw, eliminating anti-company elements in Sector D, giving his all in various operations, and even going to Arasaka's hangar to protect him without Takeda's knowledge...

"Forgot? Lai Xuan's confidante has always been that woman who exists online. This child is just a low-level person who wants to climb up... just like you and me."

Takeda was reminded of his younger self.

He was once an ordinary soldier in Arasaka, who could have been killed like a stray dog ​​in a conflict between Arasaka and other companies at any time... So he risked his life, using his hands stained with sins to gain "merits." Those war crimes recognized by the international community as inhumane helped him step by step achieve his current status.

He believed all of this was right, and following Arakawa-sama, this "correct" idealist, was his long-cherished wish.

So after a moment of silence, Takeda finally said, "Alright..."

“I’ll keep an eye on that woman, Martinez…how about I have him handle the recent unrest at the company?”

Him reached out and tidied up Takeda's stray hairs.

"You're too tired, darling. Try to get the people you trust to do more things for you. I'll do my best."

Takeda was satisfied.

He loved the feeling of being in complete control, and Him knew that she was happy to have it.

However, Lucy found this conversation utterly repulsive.

As the guards left, David took one last, deep look at the hall and Lucy.

As Lucy listened to the server gradually overloading its power, the surroundings began to rapidly particle together without warning. The light blue dots mixed with a touch of green, representing the embodiment of cyberspace, gradually changed, and a layer of blood-red color quickly rendered the surrounding data particles!
Him didn't want to give Lucy any chance to explore the Arasaka Hyperlink, so he simply brought Lucy's consciousness directly to the front of the Black Wall.

Upon entering the network, Him seemed to have shed his disguise. His online persona was that of a dark red woman shrouded in ghosts, and the things surrounding him that looked like ghosts were actually a bunch of bug symbols whose function was unclear.

Him was now fixed in the center of a pentagram-shaped disc, which was the pathway that carried the link. In the void of surrounding data, there were dense chains, which were the remote controls of other hackers who were helping Him enter cyberspace.

The advantage of this is that if any unforeseen circumstances occur, the hyperlink can be reversed and Him can go back.

Lucy's current location reveals Him's malicious intentions...

A pair of mechanically constructed grippers, exceptionally resistant to data corruption, held Lucy tightly in their hands. Lucy showed no signs of struggling in their grasp…

"Have you finally learned to bow your head, child?"

In reality, Him seems submissive and timid, like a Japanese housewife, but in the cyber world, he is one of the living devils of Northern Europe.

Most of the hackers in Arasaka are 404 members. They cooperate closely and know each other inside and out. Sometimes they can make program operation commands according to their partners' style without needing instructions!
Lucy looked up at the large disc that isolated her from the view.

She couldn't help but want to laugh; her heart was pounding with excitement...

She discovered that there was a protective mechanism around her online avatar that isolated her from data control. Visually, there was a gap between her and her arm, and the invisible and intangible things were like a slippery skin protectant.

Lucy gave a cold laugh.

Things are getting really interesting.

"The code is parsed quickly."

Him didn't want to waste any more words.

Her cold voice echoed through cyberspace, and Lucy thought she actually seemed more pleasing to the eye at that moment…

After all, there's no uncomfortable hypocrisy, no pretentious humility; instead, there are killers who hold the power of life and death in the hands of the internet.

“Lucy, if you don’t want to disappoint Father and us, you’ll have to activate the code.”

"To avoid a violent reaction... we need to examine you, and you have no reason to refuse."

Upon hearing Him's order, Lucy dropped the pretense. "You talk as if I can make that Takeda guy proud... Be careful, or the Black Wall will swallow you whole!"

Him's face darkened.

The Black Wall key began to be rapidly analyzed, and the program on Lucy's body seemed to have a self-awareness... Some invisible and intangible threads began to seep along her arms, and reverse compilation quickly located the location of each anchor point.

Lucy forcibly suppressed the joy on her face, closed her eyes, and awaited her destiny.

The arm moved!

Lucy felt her body sway, and the surrounding data vector lines turned into blurry streams of light.

The direction was constantly changing, and Lucy's brain-computer interface began to heat up.

"Control the temperature."

Him still has some humanity left.

Lucy let out a deep breath as she felt the cold sensation in her brain return.

This winding path is one of the defining characteristics of hyperlinks. Cyberspace is a concrete representation, a connection of random points throughout the entire space... This may sound abstract, but if we compare it to a house, there are countless ways to connect any two points in the room.

That's why the internet is now more complex and harder to understand.

However, the program originating from Rin seemed to disappear from the unseen and intangible void and then be anchored.

These methods that Lucy couldn't understand were actually applications of network infrastructure.

"It seems this link has generated considerable value for Arasaka over the past few years. Perhaps even after I left, Takeda is still probing, using more lives to fill the research loopholes in the Black Wall..."

Lucy had witnessed Takeda's madness when she was a child.

"Unfortunately, that thing (the Black Wall) said it wouldn't kill me... only because I needed to deliver a message."

“Every life you take will become a ghost in hell to collect its debt from you… Takeda.”

Sim tried his best to follow the link until everything around him slowed down. Lucy's front was empty, but in a flash, the illusory particles around her solidified... A wall of black and red intertwined with strange blue stains, rising and falling like a living thing, stood in front of her, with infinite length on both sides.

"Lucy, you remember this place, right?"

Lucy, who was being washed by the scene before her and her past memories, gradually came back to her senses.

How could she not be familiar with it? Lucy still remembered the feeling of running away with her back to the wall, death so close... Now she was back.

The final step, of course, is to detonate the program that Mr. Rin gave him...

Currently, neither Him nor her hackers can recover the data immediately. Once the explosion occurs, Him and the hackers will be blocked from both ends, leaving them as lost souls in the network.

Furthermore, the terrifying data within the Arasaka system will overwhelm the entire company's defense system, and any individual within Arasaka who fails to evacuate in time will face annihilation.

Yes…

Now?
Lucy was unsure of the right time; she hesitated whether to proactively investigate whether Him was paying attention to her.

But at the same time, Lucy hesitated, unsure whether to detonate it.

This idea seems strange, but if Lucy knows that the other half of the Black Wall key was obtained from Him... then Mr. Rin should be very happy.

When a person has enough courage to face reality, her wisdom will also be revealed.

"Wait a little longer..."

Lucy suppressed her anxiety and carefully monitored the data.

However, a sudden voice rang in Lucy's mind at that moment...

"can you hear me?"

Mr. Rin? !

Lucy's expression brightened, but then she looked up at Him, who was calculating the key and processing the data, with a hint of lingering fear...

"Don't worry, this level of defense software won't detect our communication. The encoding method I used is very complex."

The voice on the other end seemed to have an innate ability to give one a sense of security.

"Try using your self-compiled software, without making a sound; you can't have a conversation using sound."

Lin Yue reminded him.

Lucy quickly replied, "Sorry sir, I really don't know when to activate the virus;P"

Lin Yue smiled.

"You can come anytime you want. I think David has already placed a hidden locator on you... I will come to pick you up in person. Please run to the Arasaka Tower area as soon as possible, as there may be a shield underground."

Lucy said she received it.

[Start?]

When the dialog box popped up, Lucy hesitated to take the next step.

"what happened?"

Lin Yue remained calm and composed.

Lucy took several seconds to reply, "Mr. Bu Lin, this isn't the most profitable approach... I remember the first thing you asked me to do when you approached me was to use the Black Wall Key to cooperate with you, right? But why haven't we heard anything for so long?"

There was an unusual long silence on the other end.

"This isn't your concern, Lucy. Your priority is to get out of here with David as soon as possible—"

However, Lucy's message was sent quickly.

"Are you worried that David and I might be in any danger, and you want to rely on yourself, or... or other clues, to track down what's behind the Black Wall key?"

At this moment, the giant figure gazing at the hyperlink from afar on the internet let out a heavy sigh.

"That's enough, Lucy."

However, Lucy had heard about the Black Wall incident from Minister V, and she didn't want to stay out of it...

"At the very least, let me get my hands on the remaining data that Him has?"

Lin Yue was already starting to get a little anxious.

"Do you know what you're doing, Lucy?"

The more this happened, the more Lucy knew that her guess was correct.

“You have to withdraw. Our goal is to destroy the Arasaka branch in Poland and cause other branches in Europe that may be colluding with China to fall into chaos. What happens after that is not something you can control, not even me. Once we enter the Black Wall, everything is unknown.”

“I don’t know if the key can reveal the origin of the Black Wall, but I know that you and Him will definitely run into trouble due to the backlash from the Black Wall.”

"Her death has nothing to do with me—of course, if you also feel it has nothing to do with me, then your life is especially precious."

"This is my promise to Gloria."

It was called a promise.

It was actually a situation beyond our control.

Lucy said frankly, "If everything could happen as expected, would the world still be interesting?"

Lin Yue's gaze turned somber, and he fell silent.

“Hey… listen to Rin.”

"This is a rare opportunity, killing two birds with one stone. With the locator and your program by my side, my movements are almost uncontrollable."

"Even if Him is incredibly powerful, he wouldn't dare follow me into the Black Wall..."

"If the data we uncover can help us understand the Black Wall better, it will be of immense help to you!"

Lucy became more and more excited as she talked.

It seems she forgot that, when she has the confidence to back her up, those horrific memories from the past are no longer so unbearable…

"The first lesson I learned was from Qiwei: never trust anyone."

Lucy sent Lin Yue her simple words again, "But I also learned a second lesson in Night City: as long as I have a trustworthy family, I can give it my all."

Lin Yue was taken aback.

After a long while, the data around his body became increasingly clear...

"Let me hack into your vital signs monitor. That's my only request. If anything goes wrong, I'll do everything I can to remove you... You need to know that Ultraman isn't here right now, and there are some things I won't gamble on."

Lucy readily agreed.

As the two were talking, Him above had already made preparations. The complex data had become a polyhedron, with black and red light flowing over it, like the basic code of a black wall.

This can be considered the most important data discovery Lucy made before her defection—

If they had obtained this earlier, perhaps Arasaka's discovery could have completely overwhelmed and covered up the military technology project. Now, the military technology project has failed, while Arasaka's project continues.

"Lucy."

Hearing Him's cold, indifferent call after he had prepared.

Lucy did not answer, but stared silently at the most mysterious entity in cyberspace.

As expected, without any discovery, Him gave Lucy the entire Black Wall key package. Moreover, the data was forcibly decompressed, meaning Lucy had no chance to refuse and could only watch helplessly as the data dissipated from the polyhedron... The strange data climbed on Lucy's body and soon enveloped her entirely.

Lin Yue nervously watched whether his defense software would be detected by the Black Wall and the same source data, but to his delight... the Black Wall did not reject it at all.

The agreement remains in effect.

However, Lin Yue didn't think Lucy could solve the problem of "where the black wall came from".

Just like how people are constantly thinking about whether they are a unique creation of the Creator, and are constantly trying to find proof and meaning of their existence.

The same applies to black walls.

Him: "Lucy, this is a long journey. If you find anything, please pack the data back along the original route. If you damage the passage without authorization... you know the consequences."

Lucy cursed—

"Damn liar!"

Him offered no further explanation.

She watched with excitement as the Black Wall data fluctuated more intensely. The vulnerability in the Black Wall, which had been opened more than a decade ago, was being released again. The data was being destroyed at an extremely fast speed. If Lucy did not have the protection of the Black Wall key, she would not be able to reach the location on the other side of the wall where the secrets of the Black Wall were stored.

Without hesitation, Him threw his daughter away, completely oblivious to anything amiss. Instead, he focused intently on monitoring the data, seemingly determined to keep up until Lucy emerged.

Lin Yue was still immersed in Lucy's words and it took him a long time to make a move—

"See if you can find anything in this time, Lucy. I look forward to your discoveries."

……

……

(End of this chapter)