Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 113 Officially Joins the Netherhound

After donning his mech suit, Jack operated at full power, relentlessly bombarding the target range for ten minutes before returning to the design workshop.

Hansen kept a close eye on him, but after Jack took off his helmet, he seemed quite relaxed. He simply let out a long sigh, stretched his body, and then chatted and laughed as he changed out of his armor, appearing completely normal.

Afterwards, under the guise of checking the armor's condition, Hansen had the designers carefully examine the armor's procedures and even had Jack go to the Ghosthound's doctor for a physical examination.

But the result was obvious—Jack's physical condition was perfectly normal, and even his mental stress was within safe limits, appearing even better than Bennett's test results.

This even made Bennett himself doubt himself. Could it be that there was something wrong with his skill level?
“If you’d like, I can personally test you again right now.” As Mercer finished speaking, a smile suddenly appeared on Hansen’s tense face.

He chuckled and said it was all a misunderstanding, and then very generously added, "It seems I really misunderstood."

But then Hansen made a request: "When can you continue to optimize the operating system, reduce the mental workload, and make it usable by ordinary people?"

“That will probably take a long time,” Mercer said indifferently. “The people from Arasaka have been researching for several years without any results. I’m only working alone, so it will probably take at least a few years.”

Hansen frowned.

Mercer suddenly changed the subject, saying with a hint of regret, "It's not that there aren't any shortcuts, but with the collapse of the old network, these methods are now very difficult to implement."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Hansen raised an eyebrow.

“AI,” Mercer answered, then exclaimed, “Did you know that before Bartmores destroyed the old net, there was an ocean exploration and mining company that developed a type of armor for underwater use?”

The armor inside uses a combination of AI and human technology to provide convenience for the driver. If we can detect roving AI, we can use it to replace the human brain in handling the computational burden.

After that, you can achieve a virtually effortless driving experience.

But Mercer then said with some regret, "It's just a pity..."

Hansen didn't actually know much about AI technology, but he humbly asked, "Aren't there still companies providing AI? Where does their AI come from?"

"The vast majority of them come from captured mobile AIs. They will buy a mobile AI, modify it, and then use this mobile AI to monitor its sub-AIs to provide services to the company."

Mercer answered.

"What about developing your own AI?" Hansen asked.

Mercer shook his head and said, "The path of developing our own AI has been almost strictly controlled. As for the core intelligent source code of AI, we don't know whether it has been blocked or lost because the old network was cut off."

Even large companies like Arakawa seem to have given up on intelligent AI. There are only some that look like intelligent AI, but in reality they are just pseudo-intelligence built up with algorithms and databases.

AIs like the previously seen 'Muramasa' AI, which could independently develop weapons, and 'Lone Star' AI, which liked to act as a chivalrous knight online, have almost all been kept behind the black wall.

I'm not entirely sure of the specific reasons, but I estimate that the source code of AI is probably more important than nuclear weapons right now. Even if it still exists, we shouldn't expect to get our hands on it on our own.

Currently, virtually all truly intelligent AI on the market is essentially modified from smuggled AI captured from the old internet. It seems humanity has lost the ability to independently develop truly intelligent AI again.

Mercer himself had some guesses—he felt that the one who probably possessed the core code of intelligent AI was no longer human, but AI itself.

Or rather, it is very likely that this part of the source code has been monopolized and protected by Bartmores and others.

In this light, the core code contained in Barthemos's Death Wish can truly be described as priceless.

The birth of the first truly intelligent AI in history was a miraculous accident born from the collision of massive amounts of data. From a probabilistic point of view, it is almost impossible to replicate this miracle.

Therefore, it can be simply understood that without the core source code of AI, humanity has almost lost the possibility of redeveloping a truly intelligent AI.

Mercer's source code is not just about consciousness code—most companies' AI consciousness code from the old internet era still requires massive amounts of data and server computing power to develop its intelligence.

Mercer's core source code, however, is able to achieve high intelligence even when fed with only a small amount of data.

Mercer strongly suspected that what Bartmos gave him was likely a soul source code that was far more advanced than the original AI consciousness code, and contained deeper secrets about AI intelligence.

Hansen paused slightly upon hearing Mercer's words, then calmly asked, "If we had a mobile AI, could we solve all the operational problems of the armor? Or could we only solve some of them?"

"As long as it is a truly intelligent AI, it can solve all the operational problems of armored vehicles. Even our drone equipment can be greatly improved in terms of intelligence."

Mercer gave an affirmative answer: "The roaming AI is like a mother. Once we get it, we can use it to continuously produce highly intelligent sub-AIs to complete the work. Do you know Delaman? It's the driverless taxi company in Night City."

“Delaman? I know him.” Hansen nodded.

"That is a typical example of relying on roving AI and its sub-AIs to work. In essence, all autonomous driving is done by Drumman's own sub-AIs working alone."

If we can acquire a mobile AI similar to Drumman and modify it for use, we can add AI assistance to every piece of armor.

After that, we won't need to worry about neural load anymore, and I'm confident I can write an operating system adapted for AI.

Mercer spoke with great confidence, but a thoughtful look flashed in Hansen's eyes. He subtly glanced at Mercer a few times, but couldn't discern anything amiss.

Could it be that he was just saying it offhand?
Hansen pondered for a moment, not making a decision immediately—he knew about the Military Science's Little Beidou project, because that thing was all over Dogtown's underground, the stadium, and Gemstone Green, where traces of Little Beidou facilities could be seen.

That thing occupied almost half of Dogtown's underground, and how could Hansen be completely unaware of it? He was just well aware of its danger and its importance to the Military Science, and he didn't want the Military Science to completely lose patience with him unless absolutely necessary.

Even today, Hansen is still seen as a 'deserter' by the new United States and the military science community. They are only forced to cooperate with him because of their interests. He is well aware of the situation he is facing.

Mercer added with some regret, "Unfortunately, to capture a roaming AI now, we not only need highly professional equipment to safely pass through the black wall and find the roaming AI, but most importantly, we also need to be able to pass through the black wall and bring the AI ​​back."

This is something that's difficult to accomplish with just my network skills; it requires specialized large-scale equipment and personnel. I estimate that given Dogtown's economy, starting such a large-scale project from scratch would be extremely challenging.
In short, that's it. If you want to further reduce your mental workload, be prepared to invest a lot of money and time. Anyway, my people are already adequate, and given the intensity of the war in Night City, there's no higher demand in the short term.

Mercer's words clearly indicated that he was going to drag his feet, and Hansen was helpless. In fact, because he had a bad falling out with Mercer before, he still had to appease Mercer to some extent.

“Alright, I’ve approved the lab you requested. Gago, get it done as soon as possible.” After Hansen finished speaking, the refined-looking ghost dog civil servant beside him nodded with a smile.

Mercer glanced at the hound named Gago, seemingly lost in thought—this guy actually joined the hounds around the same time as Mercer.

But in such a short time, he has already been able to work alongside Hansen, which shows that his character and abilities are definitely not bad.

In fact, this hound named Gago was indeed one of only two candidates in the game to compete for the next Dogtown boss after Hansen's death.

His only rival was Bennett, Hansen's confidant—Bennett was a core member of the six who co-founded Dogtown with Hansen, and could be considered the founder of the Hound of the Underworld, as well as the member who commanded the strongest fighting force after Hansen.

A newcomer who joined Dogtown in 1972 was able to go up against Bennett after Hansen's death in 1977, which shows that this guy named Gago is indeed worth taking seriously.

When Gago saw Mercer looking him up and down, he gave him a friendly smile: "Director Mercer, don't hold a grudge against Colonel Hansen. You should know that in the whole of Dogtown, the terms Colonel Hansen offered you were probably the best."

He's just worried that his investment will go down the drain—it's a critical period for Dogtown's development, and every penny has to be spent wisely. He's under a lot of pressure, so please try to understand.

I used to work at Peizhuo Petrochemical, where I've seen plenty of geniuses. That's why I'm even more certain of Director Mercer's level—it's absolutely top-notch!

Gago gave Mercer a thumbs up and chuckled kindly, "Colonel Hansen is a former soldier, so it's normal that he doesn't quite understand the difficulty of research and the cost of funding. Director Mercer, please be more understanding of the mindset of non-technical personnel."

After saying that, Gago went out of his way to defend Mercer, saying to Hansen, "Colonel Hansen, don't be angry with the Director. You have to understand. A young genius like the Director is exceptionally talented and became famous at a young age."

Mercer and Hansen were somewhat relieved of the awkward and tense atmosphere by Gago's smooth and diplomatic words.

Hansen also felt that his accusations against Mercer seemed to be a bit too much of a threat to him, but he still felt a bit awkward, partly due to his love and appreciation for talent and partly due to the reality of Dogtown's lack of talent.

On the other hand, he felt deep down that beneath Mercer's youthful appearance lay an extremely dangerous monster—this came from his own premonition, and he never dismissed it as a mere illusion.

After the atmosphere eased, Mercer immediately put forward his conditions: "Colonel Hansen, since it is currently difficult to find suitable candidates for the armor within the Ghosthound, I hope that the equipment developed later can be prioritized for my people."

I will optimize and improve compatibility as they use it—and you've cut off my source of raw materials.

Hansen felt a pang of regret, but after a moment's thought, he said, "If you can guarantee that all equipment development will be completed in the workshop, I can agree to this condition."

But at the same time, you also need to ensure that the people of the Ghost Hound can be equipped with your new items first.

"Consider your people's equipment a buy-out from the Ghost Hound, but I'll only charge you for the raw materials. All upgrades and maintenance must be done in the workshop. How about that?"

Mercer, however, looked displeased: "Doesn't the fact that my people have become stronger mean that the Netherhounds have also become stronger? Now everyone knows that I am one of the Netherhounds' people. How can I possibly pay for my own people's equipment? Isn't this like taking out a loan to work?"
How about this, I'll give you a discount. I'll cover half the cost of the raw materials. But since that's the case, if Dogtown needs anyone from me to help, they'll have to pay a commission fee according to the rules. Of course, I'll also give that fee a discount.

"Let's just consider him one of my men, half-affiliated with the Netherhound."

Hansen argued, however, that "your men have neither been formally registered with the Netherhounds nor have they officially served as servants for the Netherhounds."

I cannot show favoritism to your people just because you are my supervisor. Wouldn't that encourage all officers to keep their own private armies?
If it's your equipment, I can provide it to you for free, but it doesn't make sense for the Ghost Hound to provide equipment for your people, does it?

After Hansen finished speaking, he looked at Jack and the others beside Mercer and said in a deep voice, "In fact, allowing you to serve as the director of the Ghost Hounds on one hand and have a private army on the other is already giving you the green light."

Many of the Ghost Hound's brothers feel that the preferential treatment I gave you is already breaking the rules—you know, the Ghost Hound has always been strict with its rules.

Mercer, you and I both know very well that the vast majority of our conflicts actually stem from the clash of interests between your personal clique and the Hound of the Underworld.
I really admire you, otherwise I wouldn't have offered you such a generous reward and terms.

But I also hope you treat Ghosthound as your own business, instead of just wanting to get money from me to subsidize your small team.”

After Hansen spoke frankly, Mercer also spoke candidly with him: "It's not that I haven't considered further deepening our cooperation with the Hound of the Underworld, but I have to think about my family. Not everyone can get used to the Hound of the Underworld's strict terms."

You know very well what life is like for mercenaries—higher risks and higher rewards. We're used to freedom. You want me to bring them into the Ghost Hounds as contract soldiers? Even if they're willing, I'm not.

You've led troops before, you should understand how difficult it is for me too.

Mercer looked somewhat melancholy, as if he were having a heart-to-heart talk with Hansen: "Personally, I don't actually dislike working for others. For me, being able to do scientific research without any worries is a happy thing."

But that's how it is, Colonel Hansen. I have to be responsible for my people. You can't be loyal to two groups at the same time, right?
But I assure you, I have never slacked off in completing your tasks. As for the kindness shown to me by the Netherhound, I have certainly felt it. At least I consider myself to be quite generous and friendly to the Netherhound's men.

If possible, I would also like to have a better relationship with Colonel Hansen and a deeper relationship with the Hound of the Underworld, but…

Mercer turned to look at Jack and the others, a hint of regret in his eyes.

Hansen scrutinized Mercer's expression, unable to discern whether the young man was telling the truth or feigning ignorance. So, he decided to probe further:

"How about this, I'll create a special position for you in the Netherhound, and you can have all your people work there, receiving a basic salary and subsidies."

But your people must identify themselves as members of the Netherhound's Fire Seed Squad, and at the same time, they must be more actively involved in the construction of the Netherhound. I know you don't like being managed or ordered around, so you will still be the captain of the Fire Seed Squad, and you will only be responsible to me.

"You only need to solve some problems for the Netherhounds, and I will reward you accordingly based on the difficulty of the task."

After Hansen finished speaking, he looked at Mercer's expression.

Mercer, however, looked somewhat hesitant, as if he was tempted: "I need to go back and discuss this with them."

“Okay, no problem.” Hansen readily agreed: “How about this, we’ll put the equipment development for your team on the agenda first.”

If you agree, your squad will have priority access to all the most advanced equipment and weapons developed by you in the future for the Ghost Hound.

After exchanging a few words, Mercer led the team away, and V, who had been holding back for a long time, couldn't help but ask as soon as he got into the car: "So? Are you really planning to take us with you to join the Netherhounds?"

“Yes,” Mercer said thoughtfully, “if Hansen can really meet the conditions he’s offering, this path is not out of the question.”

"What's the reason? You know, no matter how good the conditions that bastard offers, I reckon in the end only half of them will actually be implemented. He's clearly just trying to lure us into the car first," Rebecca muttered in dissatisfaction.

She really disliked Hansen—his sullen, arrogant demeanor always made her want to punch him.

"In order to accumulate the reputation of the Netherhound more quickly, so as to provide us with a legitimate reason to officially take over Dogtown later."

Mercer spoke frankly: "In the short term, it is inevitable that we will be constrained. As you have seen, Hansen is becoming more and more wary of me. Rather than being treated like an ungrateful wretch and being constantly on guard and restricted by him, it is better to just pretend to bow down for now."

“The worst thing is that even if we back down, they’ll still keep suppressing us.” Jack sighed and said, “After being in gangs for so long, I’ve come to realize that sometimes if people don’t like you, no matter how hard you try, it’s useless.”

"But the problem now is, if we continue as we are, what will happen once Agent Arasaka starts to take action against us?"

Mercer frowned and said, "I'm worried that Hansen will take advantage of our misfortune and kick us while we're down—he won't help us deal with Arasaka. What if Arasaka's people come knocking on our door first?"

V thought it over and over, but said optimistically, "If it doesn't work out, then we can just join them. The conditions he offered are pretty good. He doesn't usually bother with us. At most, we just have to wear those ugly uniforms of the Ghost Dogs and keep watch for them."

Nobody bothers the Ghost Hounds anymore, so what's wrong with us hanging our names on their names? Didn't Hansen say that Mercer is still in charge of our squad?

Even if he has ulterior motives, he certainly won't break the contract in the short term. If he's completely shameless, wouldn't it be easier for us to take action the closer we get to him?

Mercer nodded, unusually agreeing with V: "That's what I think too. We can also use the Ghost Hound's identity to deal with Arasaka's agents."

Moreover, I have some ideas of my own.

Mercer hesitated for a moment, but still confessed to the team: "There is a secret buried under Dogtown. It is a 'Little Beidou' facility that was secretly built by the military science and the new United States during the war. It is researching projects related to Black Wall AI and capturing roaming AI."

I am very interested in the design drawings of the network access bay and other components, especially the new American research on the Black Wall—if we could master similar technology, I am confident that we could become a cyber nuclear bomb.

This might be our strongest trump card against Arasaka; we must find a way to seize control of it as soon as possible.

Seeing the somewhat bewildered looks on everyone's faces, he said bluntly, "If we can find a way to use the Blackwall AI, I can even directly attack Arasaka's headquarters in Tokyo."

It could even directly paralyze the networks of Arakawa worldwide!
The Black Wall is spread across the global network. Whoever controls the Black Wall can directly destroy the current online world again. Even in the real world, the Black Wall program is also an extremely powerful offensive program.

If I mastered it, I could even annihilate dozens of people in an instant. Yes, because when using a black wall attack, you're not essentially launching an attack yourself, but rather guiding the ubiquitous black wall on the network to attack the enemy.

Only then did everyone realize just how terrifying the thing Mercer had been talking about really was.

Jack gasped. "You mean, this thing is better than that... uh, Bart?"

“Bartlemos!” V added smugly.

"Yes, even more powerful than that virus created by Barthemos? It can blow up the global network in an instant?" Jack said incredulously, "Aren't we all using local area networks built by each city now?"

"But every local area network can only be securely established by relying on the black wall to isolate the old network, because mobile AI is everywhere. Without the protection of the black wall, it is only a matter of time before any city's network is infiltrated by mobile AI."

Mercer said calmly, "In fact, even with the Black Wall in place, the networks in various cities have probably been significantly infiltrated by the roving AI."

Everything in the cyber world is inseparable from the network. Do you think you can isolate hackers by simply setting up a local area network? That's wishful thinking.

In particular, after human technology was disrupted by the collapse of the old network, human technology stopped developing, but AI was greatly enhanced. This is because super AIs like Ultraman, who can freely traverse the black wall, can freely explore any knowledge of the old network.

Human technology is regressing instead of progressing, while AI can build upon past technological advancements and continue to move forward. This technological gap between the two is significant.

If the black wall that protects humanity's existing cybersecurity were to become a weapon that Mercer could use, its power would be unimaginable.

Mercer had previously been reluctant to come into contact with such a dangerous power, but now the imminent crisis was forcing him to prepare for the worst possible outcome.

Only with nuclear weapons in hand can he stand tall. Why would Hansen in the game rather kill the new US president than capture the lark?

To put it bluntly, isn't it just that they're after the power of the lark to use the Black Wall, a cyber nuclear bomb that's even more terrifying than a nuclear bomb?

Mercer is now preparing for the worst-case scenario—if something goes wrong with Lai Xuan, at the very least he can deter Arasaka from taking action against those around him before dealing with him.

"Holy crap, so that means there's a cyber nuclear bomb buried under Dogtown? The military science and New America are really something, just leaving this thing underground? And nobody's going to retrieve it?"

Jack clicked his tongue in amazement.

Mercer simply smiled and didn't explain further—the Black Wall was there, but not everyone could use it. Even a super hacker like Lark, whose body was covered in top-tier military hacker prosthetics, would have his body collapse from frequent contact with the Black Wall.

As for ordinary people? When they try to use the Black Wall or even come into contact with roving AI, they are often the first to be dealt with, let alone be used. Just getting close means death.

In fact, the Beidou facility has already been targeted by roving AI or a black wall. As long as the facility is restarted, it will inevitably be observed by the roving AI. At that time, Mercer is not sure whether he will be opening a Pandora's box.

But that thing can't just be left unused. If he doesn't use it, the military science team will use it sooner or later, and Hansen won't sit idly by and watch the facility remain empty.

Rather than waiting to die, it's better to strike first. More importantly, Hansen is still nominally the boss. Even if the Beidou facility collapses, Hansen will be the one to take the blame, and Hansen can make a quick getaway.

"Hmm, so you're planning to infiltrate the Ghost Hounds no matter what, so that Hansen won't be too wary of you, while using them to deal with Arasaka, and incidentally try to research that underground cyber nuclear bomb?"

Rebecca concluded.

Mercer nodded and added, "Pretty much, and we can equip all of you with armor as soon as possible—if Arasaka is determined to attack us, it would be too dangerous without personal armor to make up for the equipment gap."

V sighed: "I don't really care. Let's go back and have a meeting to discuss it."

So, after returning to the base, Mercer immediately held a meeting with all members involved.

Finally, everyone reached a consensus and made a decision—to temporarily accept Hansen's invitation and join a formal special unit in the Netherhound Territory, waiting for the right time.

Mercer initiated a new round of negotiations with Hansen, mainly focusing on equipment. After much consideration, Hansen finally relented.

They agreed to give Mercer priority approval to begin mass production of a series of tank-type individual armors, provide funding for Mercer to further develop hacker-type individual armors, and build Mercer a new advanced chemical and medical laboratory.

Mercer's task was, firstly, to simultaneously begin custom-producing individual armor for Hansen and his confidants while producing the individual armor for the Fireseed Squad.

Secondly, it is necessary to ensure the attendance rate of the Fire Seed Squad and actively participate in various affairs of the Netherhound, including cracking down on various gangs in Dogtown and managing smuggling, security, and training matters.

Hansen was well aware of the assimilative effect of a group on a person; if you want people to be loyal, you must first put them into your group.

Finally, there was Hansen's restriction on the Fireseed Squad.

First, the Fire Seed Squad was stripped of its right to freely accept commissions. Instead, they had to send similar jobs to Hansen for approval before they could proceed with the mission.

That doesn't matter. Mercer has already made up his mind that he won't let his men go out and operate until he kills those covetous Arasaka agents, lest they be targeted by that old fox Takemura.

Secondly, it clearly defines the power of Mercer personally. First, it confirms Mercer's administrative rank as director, meaning he does not have the right to directly command any of the Ghost Hounds.

They do not have the right to make any individual personnel appointments or transfers.

Furthermore, because the Netherhound employs military-style management, he was given a special honorary rank, but he was not included in the Netherhound's command and management vertical system.

In other words, it's clear that Mercer only has a reputation, not real power.

Furthermore, Hansen stipulated that during any operation, the Fireseed Squad must be accompanied by its elite Spectral Hounds, led by his trusted confidant Bennett.

Any activity outside of Dogtown must be approved by Hansen.

Unauthorized contact with third parties for financial gain is prohibited.
Anyway, all the strict legal provisions of the Ghost Hounds were written down in black and white in a contract signed with Mercer. If Mercer was found to be in breach of contract, Hansen would have the right to claim compensation for breach of contract—in other words, he could openly and legitimately deprive Mercer of his property.

It looks strict, but it's really just putting the unspoken rules that were previously kept secret into the open in the contract.

The Netherhounds operate under a contract system, with no exceptions for officers or researchers. With the Fireseed Squad signing a formal contract, it means that from now on, the Fireseed Squad has officially joined the Netherhounds, at least in name.

After the contract was signed, Hansen finally relaxed his control over Mercer somewhat. As long as Mercer was willing to report it, he could purchase any equipment and raw materials through the smuggling channels of the Ghost Hound.

The restrictions on their transportation in and out of Dogtown have been reinstated; they only need to report the type of goods being transported as required.

For Mercer himself, life after that didn't change much—he still spent most of his time at his base doing research.

At the same time, he quickly smuggled a batch of drug raw materials from Dogtown and began using the machines he had stolen from Biotechnology to produce cheap drugs for the people of Red Ochre and Adcardo.

Although there is only one drug synthesis machine, the production capacity is basically sufficient for the current number of homeless people suffering from the disease, which is only about one hundred.

And just as everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, the date for the so-called 'award ceremony' that Hansen had prepared for Mercer was finally set.

The awarding ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on January 1, 2073, and the location will naturally be the Gemstone Blue Hotel, one of the core areas of Dogtown.

However, when the time came to December 31, 2072, Mercer suddenly found himself in an awkward dilemma due to an unexpected problem.

As the nominal host of the banquet, Mercer not only needs a smart suit to attend, but also, according to tradition...
He also needs a female companion to attend the banquet with him.

So here's the problem—choosing the right female companion isn't easy!

(End of this chapter)