Stars, Players and Immortals

Chapter 81 [Black Wall - Great Wall ICE]

A secret residence at the foot of Mount Olympus.

The outer layer here is a triple seal consisting of the Internal Security Department, the Ares military surveillance chain, and the Mechanical Church's sacramental security, except for Zhang Qiming,

Neither Saint Sofia nor several key technical personnel could access the inner deep-sea chamber.

Zhang Qiming completed the preliminary preparations for entering the lunar cyberspace, which is a virtual reality environment and information world composed of computers, the Internet, communication networks, and digital systems.

It is a borderless conceptual space that transcends physical geographical limitations and accommodates human social interaction, economic activities, and digital interactions.

Upon entering cyberspace, the Netwalker connects the network access module to its brain-computer interface, allowing the device to translate the massive data stream into perceptible spatial, distance, color, and sound information.

In typical shallow intrusions, Netwalkers simply upload quick-crack programs and golems in the real world via prosthetic eyes and card decks.

During deep dives, the netwalker's body is secured in a net-based deep-diving chair, cooling chamber, or ice bath. The neural processor is directly connected to the deep network, while the consciousness enters the data fortress as a digital avatar.

The truly dangerous thing in cyberspace comes from ICE.

These intrusion countermeasures systems are spread throughout every blind spot of the deep network, like a pack of bloodthirsty hounds lurking in the shadows of data.

If you're not careful, these data hounds will trace back along the neural interface, bite into your cerebral cortex, and turn your brain into a burnt circuit board on the spot.

Zhang Qiming is now preparing to enter cyberspace with Saint Sophia.

Both were priests of the occult, possessing immense mechanical strength and remarkably stable nerves, so they didn't need the primitive protection of an ice bath when entering deep-sea diving.

In the center of the deep-sea room, two Hermes-class deep-sea chairs were quietly unfolded.

The back of the deep-sea chair was covered with gleaming silver neural cables, and a military-grade ICE escort module hung on the side. The neural isolation ring on top resembled a cold, luminous crown, slowly calibrating the brain-computer interface frequency of the two individuals.

Zhang Qiming lay down in the chair on the left.

Saint Sophia sat in the deep-sea chair on the right, and the neural isolation ring slowly descended, with each of the platinum prosthetic interfaces lighting up.

"We will first enter Martian cyberspace, and then transfer to the old Federation dark web on the moon via deep space communications relay."

She turned her head to look at Zhang Qiming, her tone carrying a hint of seniority in her advice.

"Once you enter the cyberspace, do not touch any unfamiliar nodes. If you encounter a gate that opens automatically, let the puppet explore first."

Zhang Qiming chuckled.

"clear."

Having followed the path of a master creator in his past life, he had already mastered the art of intrusion protocols and data mining to an unparalleled degree.

For local internet users, deep diving is a life-or-death situation where one wrong step could lead to brain death.

For players, however, the so-called deep dive is just a timed sequence of mini-games. Nodes light up, the sequence scrolls, and the countdown to ICE's pursuit begins.

As long as you enter the correct sequence of numbers within the time limit, the access gate will open immediately, data packets will pour down, and all sorts of good stuff might be revealed.

If they don't finish the mini-game, the worst that can happen is they lose their life; they can just give it to ICE. They'll come back next time, and they'll be willing to gamble again.

This data mining gameplay of time-limited sequence mini-games is called "mining" by players.

Back in the day, Lao Zhang was a well-known miner on the Moon Dark Web, and he would go there every few days to fleece people.

However, I'm no longer a player; now I have to rely on my own skills for every step of the mining process.

It doesn't matter. Although he can no longer play mining games, he still has the strategies he accumulated as a miner in his previous life. He still remembers some hidden nodes, Easter egg warehouses, and secret data points on the dark web of the moon.

Now, Zhang Qiming, this mining enthusiast, will return to the beloved lunar dark web once again, bringing with him the strictest father in the AI ​​world to announce something to them.

I'm a Great Wall ICE driver, send me the money!

He closed his eyes, and the next second, Chishiro and Ares logged on at the same time.

[Zhi Shilang: Preliminary mapping of deep-sea diving route completed]

Ares: Military ICE escort module has been integrated.

[Target: External interface to lunar cyberspace]

[Relay path: Mars public information domain → Deep space communication relay → Lunar old federation dark web interface]

[Random access memory detection in progress —]

[Test complete!]

Currently available RAM: 14304

[Basic RAM allocation for this deep-sea dive: 2048]

RAM, short for Random Access Memory, can be understood as the network walker's memory in cyberspace, or as a cyber blue bar. After players unlock the [Network Topology Vision] feat, they can convert mechanical energy into RAM.

"Begin the deep dive."

As soon as the words were spoken, the neural cables on the back of the deep-sea chair simultaneously lit up with a cold light.

[Deep Dive Mode Activated!]

[Cyber ​​digital avatar under construction]

RAM consumption: 500

*Pfft!*

*Pfft!*

The physical body suddenly felt heavy, while the consciousness was as if it had been violently pulled into the cold depths of the sea. Sounds were drawn out, light was crushed, and countless streams of data washed over the senses, piecing together a bizarre and fantastical world.

The first space to appear was Martian cyberspace.

The darkness dissipated, revealing a mechanical city composed of light and structure beneath one's feet, suspended on an endless sea of ​​black data. Administrative links were silver-white avenues, while industrial data were copper-red rivers, winding through the Valley of the Mariners, Tharsis, and the polar ice cap.

Ares's military network is a deep red steel cloud hanging overhead, with cannon-like nodes pointing in all directions.

Zhang Qiming looked down at himself.

His cybernetic avatar has been completed. It still looks like him, but his body is composed of a dark silver data skeleton and crimson gold mechanical lines.

Saint Sophia then completed the connection, and her digital avatar appeared beside Zhang Qiming. Her appearance remained the same as in reality, except that there was a faint data noise around her body.

Chishiro and Ares also appeared online, with two orbs of light hovering on his left and right sides, one cold white and the other deep red.

The multiple avatars of Hagia Sophia exclaimed in amazement, "This is the Great Firewall—ICE! It's truly spectacular!"

At the edge of Martian cyberspace, the Great Wall ICE was fully deployed.

It was a crimson wall that stretched across the sea of ​​data, with black algorithm patterns flowing deep within it, like a red-hot steel defense line piercing into the void.

Standing next to her, Zhang Qiming explained, "The Great Wall ICE has gone beyond the scope of traditional firewalls. The firewall is just its outer shell. What truly stands inside the wall is the dual AI core deployed by Zhi Shilang and Ares."

"7

A cold white sphere and a deep red sphere of light hovered beside him.

"These two together form the central system of this black wall, enabling the Great Wall ICE to have self-awareness, learning ability, and continuous iteration capability."

"The Great Wall ICE is essentially a super AI disguised as a firewall. It has autonomous consciousness and learning ability, and can continuously evolve to fight against mobile AI."

"Moreover, its isolation is two-way; it severs the cyberspace on both sides of the black wall, meaning that access control is blocked."

Protocol handshakes, recursive calls, and neural backhauls all require its review.

"It has the power of life and death over AI within the Great Firewall, and absolute suppression over AI outside the Great Firewall; this rule also applies to internet users."

0

Saint Sophia remained silent for a moment.

"In other words, once this thing is deployed, the life and death of AI and Netwalkers in the Mars public information domain will basically be in your hands."

Zhang Qiming said calmly, "To be precise, it's in the hands of the Skydrive government."

"For governments, the black wall is not for killing AI and internet users; it is a border, a protective circle, a cage, and a hunting dog."

"The black wall is not always strictly guarded; we will always leave some loopholes with thresholds for AI and internet users to roam the data."

For those who are willing to follow the rules and have the ability to overcome the basic requirements, we generally won't interfere.

"However, for those who dare to cause trouble or for AI, whether it's polluting the network or hijacking the production line—if they dare to do it, the Black Wall will not hesitate to tear them to shreds."

"However, let's get back to the main topic now."

After he finished speaking, he directly raised his hand and activated a deep space communication relay at the boundary of Martian cyberspace. A dark blue data channel extending from the high heavens of Mars lit up segment by segment in the black sea of ​​data.

Saint Sophia gazed at the eerie blue channel leading to the lunar dark web, then glanced at the two AIs written into the Great Wall ICE.

A ball of light.

"The Lunar Council would probably be very uncomfortable if they saw this."

Zhang Qiming chuckled.

"It's understandable that you feel uncomfortable; the Great Wall ICE was originally designed to target them."

He activated the skill [Puppet Programming] and uploaded a special program via an intrusion protocol.

A reconnaissance puppet flew along the dark blue path into the gray-white ruins, and a few seconds later transmitted back a set of coordinates from the lunar dark web.

[Reconnaissance Puppet's return complete!]

[Discovering AI nodes in the peripheral processes of the Lunar Council]

[Connect?]

"Let's go, we should visit our lunar neighbors too."

Zhang Qiming looked at the gray-white network remnant area, and the Great Wall ICE permission anchor behind him slowly lit up.

"Access".

The next moment, the azure channel pierced through the sea of ​​data, directly connecting to the lunar dark web.