In the days that followed, Mercer diligently transformed into a code farmer.
By day, he ruthlessly exploited Arasaka's servers in Cyberspace, writing programs, running data, and conducting tests.
After work, he continued to ruthlessly exploit Arasaka's educational software, learning all sorts of new technologies.
At first, the other novice netrunners were a bit uneasy.
But as Mercer entered Cyberspace each time, lay flat on the ground, and began recklessly writing programs and conducting research, the other novice netrunners finally relaxed and started imitating him, diving into their own studies of netrunning techniques.
Deep diving with the support of large-scale servers was absolutely a dream scenario for netrunners, a perfect opportunity to rapidly improve their skills.
With ample computational power, programs that once required long hours of contemplation and testing could now be developed and debugged at incredible speeds, all without worrying about overheating their own brains.
And with Mercer around, it was during this time that the novice netrunners truly grasped just how talented he was.
Problems that left them utterly stumped were solved by Mercer with just a glance. Programs they painstakingly wrote could be optimized in five or six different ways with a casual suggestion from him.
Any gaps in their knowledge or missing techniques could be addressed by asking Mercer. Even if he hadn't learned something himself, he could draw inferences and find solutions.
Since they had started mining in this underground facility, the children had made almost no progress in their skills. Now, they once again felt the same thrill of learning they had experienced back at Arasaka Academy.
Even the once-feared rogue AIs seemed to have vanished entirely.
Even the dangerous malwares lurking in the Old Net appeared to deliberately avoid Mercer. Those mindless hazardous programs that did drift his way quickly became his target practice.
Occasionally, he would even seek out drifting data in the Old Net for testing, or, as he put it, to test some virus attacks.
Sometimes, he was attempting to extract certain code signatures to forge Old Net programs, preparing for a future scenario where disguised Old Net AIs could be used to lure the Blackwall into launching devastating strikes.
He even occasionally returned to his old trade: extracting scattered data from the Old Net, commonly known as cyber-archaeology mining.
And honestly, the Old Net had no shortage of treasures. Much of the data left behind consisted of valuable assets once stored by major corporations, weapon blueprints, code designed by certain AIs, and even documents labeled as corporate secrets.
Some of these weapon tech designs weren't even inferior to current technology!
No wonder Arasaka had launched this so-called "Star Project." Sending people in to mine data was clearly profitable.
Though, in Mercer's view, the risks versus rewards for ordinary netrunners doing this kind of work were completely disproportionate.
But he was different. With the little program Bartmoss had given him, any slightly intelligent rogue AI would catch the scent and flee. The mindless ones that approached...
Well, Mercer's courage had grown. He even encountered one and decided to test just how lethal his "Deathwish" could be against a fully developed AI. Although it was an AI specialized against defensive AIs, Mercer quickly grasped its nature upon closer examination.
There was no real distinction between defensive and offensive AIs. An AI was just an AI.
If it could kill firewall-type AIs, it could kill other types of AIs too; the only differences lay in efficiency and speed.
It was like a missile designed for sieges: it might be less accurate against moving targets than stationary ones, but a hit would still be lethal, and potentially even more devastating.
The truly terrifying aspect of rogue AIs was their ability to flee when outmatched. Their speed of escape far exceeded human imagination.
The more Mercer studied AIs, the more he became aware of humanity's limitations in certain aspects. Even with the support of large servers, the number of effective operations a human brain could perform per unit of time was limited.
AIs, however, were different. Their computational speed depended solely on processing power.
In other words, if a human, with computational support, could accelerate their thinking in Cyberspace to make a hundred judgments and operations per second...
Under the same computational conditions, an AI could make a thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand or a million judgments and operations.
This was the limitation of the human brain. Unless one completely abandoned the brain and relied entirely on data to sustain thought, replacing the human brain with pure computational power, as Bartmoss and a few others had done,
otherwise, AIs held too great an advantage over humans on the network.
The only things capable of destroying them were programs that also possessed AI attributes.
And just as Mercer was painstakingly gathering resources and studying hard...
—--
Tano Ena, the new director who had boldly announced the launch of the second phase of the "Star Project" within the same facility, was beginning to look rather displeased.
"Why?"
Standing behind the network technology team and the monitoring squad, Tano Ena frowned with visible irritation:
"Wasn't it said that the frequency of AI attacks was increasing?
Why is it that now, when we're specifically searching for AIs and even lingering at the same IP address on the Old Net for extended periods, no AIs are showing up?"
"Could it be related to the Guardian ICE we deployed?" one technician speculated.
"Many of those rogue AIs are highly intelligent. After detecting the Guardian ICE on our netrunners, they might perceive it as a trap and are still observing."
"So, the ICE we deployed for them, the Guardian subprogram servers we specifically brought in, have instead become obstacles for us?"
Tano Ena's brow furrowed tightly.
The technical team leader shook his head and said, "You might not fully understand AIs. Generally speaking, the wandering AIs that actively attack human netrunners are the ones most severely corrupted by Bartmoss back in the day.
Their core logic wouldn't allow them to abandon a target. No matter how formidable the opponent, those AIs would only think about how to hunt down their prey, not consider retreat.
In a way, the Arasaka ICE we deployed is actually a prime target for those AIs.
So...
I'm more inclined to believe that the one who attacked the netrunners and caused the server impact was most likely Alt Cunningham. As for that male AI, we hope it's Bartmoss. However, since the end of the Fourth Corporate War, there has been no documented evidence of his existence on the network all these years.
So we lean toward the possibility that it is an unknown Old Net AI, either created or enslaved by Alt in the Old Net."
"I only care about the results. How do we actually lure out those AIs?
Even if Alt isn't among them, we at least need something presentable to report upward!
Even capturing just any stray AI would be enough for me to hand in my assignment."
As Tano Ena's words fell, the technical team leader wore a troubled expression.
He could only cautiously reply:
"How about we continue with Phase One of the mission?
Perhaps the act of data excavation might provoke a reaction from those stray AIs?
The excavated data could also serve as project deliverables. If we happen to dig up critical information, that would count as an achievement."
"What about that boy named Mercer?"
Tano Ena said coldly, "After such a long period of surveillance, have you actually discovered what kind of contact he had with the AI back then, or what the AI left behind in him?"
"I truly apologize! We can only speculate that he may have received some form of consciousness, but what exactly the AI transmitted through our servers and where it was sent... I understand. I will continue to observe Mercer more closely. I request permission to conduct stricter examinations on him, including a device inspection in the real world.
And in Cyberspace, a data scan as well. The former will be handled by Dr. Oda, and I will personally perform a deep dive for the latter."
The technical team leader quickly provided his answer before Tano Ena's icy gaze could fully settle on him.
Only then did Tano Ena withdraw her stare. After a moment of thought, she said, "However, prioritize the cyberware inspection first. Once it's done, have Dr. Oda report to me privately.
The data scan in Cyberspace is essential, you handle it personally.
Also, for the subsequent deep dives, assign someone to guide them in. The goal is to actively seek out AIs. I'll have the Guardian AI allocate additional computational resources.
You personally verify whether there are any errors or oversights.
If we see no returns within this month, it likely means the AI we previously encountered is no longer coming back. That AI attack must have had a deeper underlying cause.
After that, shift the focus to the data from the server overload incident when the AI last appeared.
Damn it, I allocated so many Relics for this. Do you have any idea how much a single Relic costs?"
The technical team leader could only repeatedly bow and apologize.
Tano Ena took one last look at the surveillance screen, sighed deeply, shook her head, and returned to her office, where she dialed Dr. Oda.
"Director Tano, how may I assist you?"
Dr. Oda's virtual half-body image appeared in her cybereye.
Tano Ena said coldly:
"After today's deep dive, immediately take Mercer for a full-body cyberware inspection, both software and hardware components, along with his neural recovery status.
If we can confirm he is one of those rare types, I will allocate the batch of experimental cyberware.
You are to prepare the data records in advance and submit them to me.
If the plan does not proceed smoothly, revert the Stardust Project back to Phase One and prepare to terminate the project, shifting the focus entirely to Mercer.
If he can successfully control this batch of test subjects, I will have effectively unearthed talent for the company and obtained valuable experimental data."
"Understood." After Dr. Oda acknowledged, Tano Ena ended the call.
Once she hung up, she couldn't help but sink into deep thought.
Something was off. Very off.
Ever since arriving here, this sense of dissonance had lingered in her mind. What exactly was wrong?
Tano Ena pondered left and right, eventually focusing her suspicions on Mercer.
The more she thought about him, the more she felt something was off about this guy. Initially, she thought Mercer might have simply changed in personality after narrowly escaping death, something perfectly normal for a child.
Whether he had broken down completely or risen from the ashes awakened, both were plausible at his age.
But now... could it be?!
She immediately sent out a message.
[Tano Ena: Have the staff monitoring this batch of children send me Mercer's evaluation reports, detailed activity logs, and daily records and assessments.
Remember, I want every single day's records!]
[Secretary Inoue: Apologies, Director Tano. The person previously responsible for record-keeping was a close associate of the former director. When they left, they took all the records with them...]
[Tano Ena: Then make them send it back to me!
Bakayarou!
Since when are work logs something they can just take away? Why wasn't this reported earlier?]
Furious, Tano Ena slammed her desk and without another word began initiating Arasaka's internal procedures, trying to make trouble for her?
Then go die!
That bastard probably took them because he discovered something...
Damn it, could there be some trap here I don't know about?
The more Tano Ena thought about it, the more anxious she became. She decided to issue a direct order.
[Tano Ena: Halt all deep dives immediately! Everyone who was at the base on the day of the incident must undergo cyberware inspection!
Until the inspections are complete, not even a fly is allowed to leave! Have the medical team work overtime!]
[Secretary Inoue: Yes!]
[All personnel, cease deep dives and return at once!]
—--
The moment the message appeared in their retinas, the novice netrunners gathered around Mercer in Cyberspace grew visibly uneasy.
After a brief moment of thought, Mercer spoke directly:
"I'm sending you a program. It can be used to bypass lie detector chips, but it must be run before the chip is loaded, remember that!
If you're interrogated, just run the program and avoid saying anything you shouldn't. Don't panic.
But if they try to remove your cyberdecks, send me an encrypted message immediately, and our escape plan will go into action!
I'll first release a virus through the network to attack the server's Guardian AI. Once chaos breaks out, everyone should immediately find a safe spot to hide or stall for time.
Wait until I return, take control of the server, and deal with the agents and monitors before making a move. I'll use the cameras to map out an escape route for you once security is neutralized.
Ignore any other situations.
We've already completed cyberware bypasses and log camouflage these past few days, they won't find anything. Just trust my skills."
—--
With that, Mercer logged off immediately. The others exchanged glances and quickly followed suit, disconnecting as well. Upon opening their eyes, they were met with the imposing figure of an Arasaka agent, heavily augmented with cyberware and towering in stature.
"Explain why your offline time was delayed by 7.3 seconds beyond the usual duration."
"An alarm was triggered unexpectedly. We instinctively activated the Guardian ICE first, then proceeded through the Blackwall one by one. We only disconnected after confirming it was safe, which caused the delay," Mercer explained calmly, his expression unreadable.
The Arasaka agent's tactical goggles glinted with a cold red light before shifting their icy gaze to the others.
"Nishimura Kyoko, explain immediately why your heart rate suddenly accelerated and your neural activity showed anomalies."
"I-I was scared," Kyoko stammered, lowering her head with a nervous expression. "You... you're a bit frightening."
The corner of the agent's mouth twitched briefly, but they simply stared coldly at her. "Very well. I will personally oversee your evaluation. Everyone, fall in line for cyberware inspection and re-interrogation."
Before anyone could respond, however, a novice netrunner suddenly raised their hand.
"I-I want to report something!"
In an instant, the very oxygen in the room seemed to grow thin.
--------
Power stones pls.