The next day, Mercer was severely scolded by Dr. Oda.
Overstudying does not promote brain development, she had proven this through personal experience.
But Mercer had no intention of stopping, for a very simple reason.
First, his learning efficiency was terrifyingly high.
It wasn't just photographic memory, in fact, that didn't even require innate talent.
The professional learning BD provided by Arasaka was specifically developed for studying, capable of forcibly implanting knowledge into the brain.
In a world where even consciousness could be stripped away and altered, cramming education by force was hardly a challenge.
For students from before the crossing who had to endure the agony of rote memorization, this might seem like a blessing.
But in reality, in this world where every student could be force-fed knowledge by machines, what students had to do was far more grueling than before the crossing.
First, they had to digest and comprehend this knowledge. Second, the knowledge implantation was brutally intensive.
The amount of content to learn and memorize in one hour was equivalent to what an average student from before the crossing would cover in a month.
Each beginner course contained a full twenty-eight class hours' worth of material, extremely complex and comprehensive.
Advanced courses were even more demanding. Take the netrunning tutorial, for example, at this level, it wasn't about simple memorization but practical application.
You had to complete countless hacks and defenses in the tutorial, design and run numerous programs, and even deal with nasty tasks like fixing spaghetti code.
On top of that, there were things like building corporate-grade ICE using large servers, applying netrunning knowledge for stealth and assassination, and monowire techniques.
Damn, you even had to learn to design intelligent systems for weapons, vehicles, and other equipment.
To design systems, you had to study the relevant knowledge of weapons and vehicles.
To learn that knowledge, you had to tack on additional introductory courses in vehicle design and weapon design.
Even Mercer, who now prided himself on having AI-level intelligence, felt like he'd been hit with a "brain overload" quickhack.
By the time his scheduled courses were done, he nearly slept through his appointment at the infirmary.
—--
When a pale-faced Mercer showed up in the cafeteria, everyone looked concerned, except for Lucy and a few others, who wore odd expressions.
But when the somewhat carefree Kyoko cheerfully sidled up to him, massaging his head and asking what happened, Lucy and the others began to look somewhat ashamed.
Even Kyoko seemed stressed, making Mercer chuckle and ruffle her hair. He had to admit, the little redhead's hair was surprisingly smooth.
"Don't worry, this was part of my plan all along. There aren't many institutions better than Arasaka Education. I'm fighting tooth and nail to make money, outside, there won't be any chance to learn this stuff systematically."
The two lone netrunners who hadn't joined any cliques reacted indifferently. One gave Mercer a strange look, while the other seemed lost in thought.
Studying?
Kyoko pursed her lips and nodded. "I understand. I... I'll study hard too!"
"Don't pressure yourself too much. You're already an excellent netrunner. Out there in the world, you'd be considered a genius netrunner without a doubt," Mercer reassured her.
"But I'm still far behind you... and even Lucy and Daichi," Kyoko sighed, then sat beside him and started eating her ramen. Regardless of how the synthetic ramen tasted, it was definitely packed with nutrients.
The broth was loaded with potent additives, you might not care for the flavor, but one bowl would absolutely max out your energy levels.
Mercer could only say, "You're younger than all of us. When you reach our age, you'll definitely do even better. Of course, I'm an exception, I might genuinely be a genius."
"Pfft, got it! Ge~ni~us Se~n~pai,," Kyoko drawled playfully with a grin.
Mercer, being a seasoned anime fan, couldn't help but chuckle at the authentic Japanese loli voice.
"Hah."
Amid the laughter and chatter, lunchtime passed, and Mercer retreated to his room to study intensely again.
Learning from the previous day's experience, he scheduled adequate breaks between each lesson this time, which noticeably reduced the discomfort.
However, to compensate, Mercer extended his overall study time, planning a total of seventeen hours daily, including breaks.
This way, he could cover at least 13 to 14 lesson units per day. With intermittent rests, he naturally cut back on sleep.
Dr. Oda only advised against it twice before saying nothing more. As long as Mercer's neural healing showed no signs of worsening, she didn't interfere. After all, if it wouldn't kill him, he might as well study like his life depended on it.
—--
Another two days flew by, and the server reconstruction, or more accurately, expansion, was completed.
Meanwhile, Lucy sent an encrypted message with troubling news that made her uneasy once again.
The number of security personnel and staff had increased.
A group of original research staff had left following the replacement of the project director, but they were replaced by three specialized teams totaling over twenty Arasaka employees focused on network technology.
Likely due to the project's elevated priority, the number of Arasaka agents handling security surveillance had also risen significantly.
According to Lucy's estimate, there were at least fifteen additional Arasaka agents, five of them professional netrunners specializing in cybersecurity, and the other ten equipped with combat cyberware as elite soldiers.
The squad leader among them was a high-level agent outfitted with a laboratory-grade Sandevistan.
Since this agent's role was not only to guard against potential threats but also to intimidate their own team, his entire cyberware loadout was publicly visible.
A quick scan with any cybereye would reveal a chilling list of combat enhancements:
[Operating System: Arasaka "Kagemusha" S2 Experimental Sandevistan]
[Arasaka Agent ICE V.2]
[Pain Editor]
[Neural Processor: Arasaka NP-Mk.2 "Obsidian"]
[Combat Optic: Militech "Night Owl" Mk.2 (Arasaka Mod)]
[Skeleton: Universal Booster]
[Arasaka D.2 Subdermal Armor]
[Hands: Ballistic Coprocessor]
[Arms: Arasaka "Oni" Experimental Thermal Mantis Blades ][Circulatory System: Experimental Blood Pump]
Hmm.
After reading it, Mercer immediately signed up for two cyberware courses, if there was a way to take him down later, it would be a huge waste not to loot his gear.
As for whether it was disgusting or cruel...
He could guarantee that if he failed to escape, the best outcome he could hope for was dying on the spot and praying his body wasn't too intact.
If he was going to die anyway, he might as well leave something behind for the guys, like a Sandevistan or something. That thing could easily sell for ten or twenty thousand eurodollars, right?
No, in the game it sells for ten or twenty thousand, but in reality, it should be at least ten times that! That'd be the startup capital right there.
Who knows what else might be usable? Mercer wasn't picky, he'd use whatever he could get his hands on, eyes closed. Survive and get stronger first.
As for whether he could actually take him down?
Well, that would depend on just how powerful his personal ICE was, and whether it could withstand a netrunning attack launched via Arasaka's servers.
After all, in this underground facility, everyone was connected to the same server network.
Ah, this is the power of the netrunner build! What's Sandevistan's time dilation, aerial jumps, or Mantis Blades got on my Synapse Burnout? I'll fry your brain and see how fast your corpse can run.
Mercer fantasized for a few seconds before quickly throwing himself back into his studies.
—--
Unsurprisingly, the very next day after the server reconstruction and personnel changes were complete, all the little netrunners were once again ordered to gather in the second-floor underground server room.
Massive, glowing blue neural conduits, doubling as cooling systems, hung from the ceiling like a tangle of vines converging at the center of the room.
Servers humming with the whir of fans lined the walls, their collective low drone grating on the nerves.
Countless blinking indicator lights and the luminous neural conduits almost replaced the need for lighting. Standing before a netrunner sation was the current project director, Tano Ena, wearing an excited smile.
"Good morning, children."
"I know many of you are seeing me for the first time and aren't familiar with me, but that doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I am Tano Ena, the new project director of the 'Stellar Initiative.'"
"Moving forward, our 'Stellar Initiative' will advance to its second phase. The objective will no longer be limited to data mining in the Old Net, but will focus on capturing specific AI behavioral data patterns within it.
Don't be afraid. I can see how pale all your little faces are, rest assured, I am not like the former director.
This time, while you deep dive, you will be protected by the latest Arasaka guardian ICE. Although our firewall cannot extend into the Old Net to provide fortress-like protection for you, see this server?
That's right, this is a subprogram server for Arasaka's guardian AI! It lacks AI traits to prevent corruption by Old Net AIs, but it still possesses corporate-grade ICE capabilities. It can provide short-term defense against AIs, enough to support your return behind the wall and allow you to log off safely.
Please remember, the current operational protocol remains in effect: no one is permitted to log off directly within the Old Net to avoid having their IP captured by AIs. You must cross the Blackwall before logging off."
At the same time, Tano Ena also took out a case of chips:
"This is a special chip developed by the lab. Perhaps some of you have heard of Arasaka Corporation's core project, 'Secure Your Soul.'
That's right, these are Relic chips. Of course, these expensive chips aren't meant to replicate your souls, they're designed to capture AIs.
When you're wearing this chip and encounter an AI, the Relic chip will activate, and the program will automatically record the AI's characteristics.
Your task is to do everything possible to record as many features of the AIs as you can.
This also means I require you to use the 'guardian' ICE to buy time when under AI attack.
During combat interactions with the program, stay engaged as long as possible to record the AI's features with the chip.
We only have two target AIs, so any other AIs you encounter are not within our recording scope.
If you come across non-target AIs, you can transfer and log off directly.
The mission is simple: find AIs, observe and record them as much as possible while the firewall is still active, then return and log off.
Compared to the unpredictable, undefendable random attacks you might face while data mining, isn't the current objective much simpler?"
After Tano Ena finished with a smile, she noticed many of the junior netrunners looking slightly more composed and immediately added:
"Alright, since everyone understands our goal, you just need to proceed as usual.
Location and group size are up to you. Actually, I'd suggest you all log in from the same IP, that would be even better.
Alright, begin the operation."
Lucy instinctively glanced at Mercer, who turned to meet her gaze. Smiling openly, he said without hesitation, "You all stick together. I'll go solo for now."
"Okay."
Lucy didn't say more, not even daring to send an encrypted message to ask him under these circumstances. She simply followed the other kids in line to receive a chip and then headed to her netrunner station.
Mercer also took one, but as he accepted the chip, Tano Ena suddenly spoke up:
"Mercer, you're different from the others. If you detect an AI during your deep dive, I authorize you to log off immediately under any circumstances, whether it's Alt or the other male-featured AI."
"...Understood." Mercer's expression remained neutral, but a sharp sense of caution suddenly surged within him.
Don't tell me this Relic chip is specially modified?
Like, the moment I jack in and enter Cyberspace, I see Johnny Silverhand, and then Alt really shows up... He really didn't want to experience what protagonist V went through!
But with Tano Ena watching him with that smiling face, he couldn't do anything out of the ordinary, no matter how gentle her smile seemed, he was certain that if he dared try anything suspicious...
Whatever came next would probably be forced upon him.
In the end, Mercer gritted his teeth and jacked in. Fuck it. If they push me too far, I'll find a way to reach Alt and ascend into cyberspace. Who gives a shit about this flesh and blood body? I'll become an AI, haunt those fucking Arasaka bastards even as a ghost.
Turning around, Mercer inserted the Relic chip and immediately initiated the self-check program. His eyes glowed as data streamed rapidly, verifying whether the Relic had activated.
Fortunately, it hadn't.
This was indeed an unactivated Relic chip, and the activation conditions matched what she had described.
Mercer walked over to the netrunner station, took a deep breath, and sat down. Before connecting to the server, he began programming at once.
He intended to modify the Relic chip's activation conditions, changing it from automatic detection to manual activation only.
Once connected to the server, any programming done using its processing power would leave traces, unless he could crack the server's permissions and alter the logs.
But luckily, his programming speed was inhumanly fast.
Just as he connected the neural wires from the netrunner station to the special port at the back of his head, he finally succeeded in rewriting the Relic's auto-start program.
However, Mercer was cautious enough not to touch the Relic's core programming, not even daring to attempt a crack.
He strongly suspected that the Relic implanted in his neck wasn't just some simple recording or capturing chip, it was a modified version of the "Soulkiller" program, tailored for AIs!
If triggered incorrectly or if its mechanisms were set off, Soulkiller would activate instantly and target him.
Mercer wasn't arrogant enough to believe that he could fend off this super virus, created over fifty years ago by the legendary netrunner Alt and refined by Arasaka for decades, using just a cyberdeck and his own brain's processing power.
By the time everything was ready, technicians who had quietly arrived at some point had connected all the wires.
Mercer touched the black, specially designed Arasaka netrunning suit he was wearing, took another deep breath, and lay back in the netrunner station.
"Let's begin!"
"Deep dive, entering cyberspace!"