Behind Lucy and Rosie, a tall boy with similarly tanned skin walked in. After the door closed, Arthur lazily sat up.
"Sit down. I think there are some instant tea bags under the coffee table. Other drinks were probably finished long ago."
"Thank you," Lucy nodded slightly, her bright eyes cautiously observing him. Arthur, in turn, observed her with the meticulous attention of a fan, noting the three-dimensional form of his two-dimensional wife. Her rainbow-colored short hair shimmered under the lights, a mix of silver and pink, while the light red eyeshadow under her bright eyes seemed almost permanent—a signature of cyberpunk style.
Next to her, Arthur remembered the boy's name: Daichi Tetsuya. His green mohawk and the metallic, cybernetic jaw gave him a "fashionable face," very on-trend among these precarious kids. Speaking of which, Arthur glanced at himself and fell silent. His appearance, in many ways, mirrored his pre-transmigration self—but upgraded. Features more defined, skin flawless, eyes bigger and brighter due to enhancements. His hair was red, buzz-cut, with a black ear stud, and a stylized access port behind his ear, shaped like a cherry blossom. Neural circuit tattoos ran along his face, glowing blue when connected to the network. For someone who had never tried anything outlandish, the sight was oddly stimulating.
"I heard Leon will be here later," Lucy said, after observing enough. Then she paused, continuing, "Rosie mentioned you had something to say?"
Arthur nodded. "Hmm, the company's project seems to be undergoing some changes."
The three people in front of him lit up. Rosie, excited, could not hold back: "Really? Can we finally stop digging data in the Old Net?"
"Probably," Arthur replied. Then he added with a chuckle, "You don't need to worry about being caught by an AI while mining the Old Net. Our new project might involve directly contacting AIs."
Lucy's face reflected horror. Rosie's eyes reddened, almost on the verge of tears: "Huh?"
Daichi clenched his fists tighter. "Arthur… is that true? Are you sure?"
"Call me Arthur. 'Han-kun' sounds worse than just calling me Arthur."
He continued in a relaxed tone: "Not confirmed, just my guess. Consider this: the original project director left after the incident, but I had no serious interrogation. The new director seems unusually friendly. Likely, I survived an AI encounter, related to what Rosie witnessed. But first… let's talk about your matters."
Arthur studied their expressions carefully. Rosie was innocent, almost naive, while Lucy's will to survive was strong but could sometimes backfire. He needed to selectively reveal information, ensuring they wouldn't act recklessly and ruin his plans. From his perspective, he had completed 60% of his escape preparations alone. The others were useful mostly as diversions.
Lucy fell silent, but then a prompt appeared in front of Arthur: "Lucy has initiated a file transfer to you. Do you accept?"
Arthur didn't accept immediately. He activated his personal ICE, constructing a virtual drive to safely receive the file. Once received, his eyes glowed faintly gold as he scanned the flowing data, quickly understanding the program's purpose. Without a word, he pulled out the data cable from his wrist.
"Wait a moment," Lucy said, watching silently. Arthur connected the cable, uploaded his 'Freedom Killer V0.1' program, and scanned her data carefully. He manually dealt with backdoors, vulnerabilities, and redundant programs left behind by his previous self. To Arthur, programs had human-like characteristics—he could visualize their structure, separating core frameworks from useless code.
He began restructuring the software Lucy sent, preferring to optimize it from scratch rather than patch her files. Within a minute and a half, Arthur rubbed his temples, fatigued, but then sent the new program to the three of them.
"Lucy: This creature… a penguin? I didn't expect you to know about creatures too." Lucy's voice resonated directly in his mind. In this world, only a lone AI remained in Antarctica; penguins were mostly forgotten. Arthur had chosen the penguin as an encrypted communication icon out of mischievous humor and nostalgia.
Arthur explained, "You can set your own avatar. Chat, voice, video, and file transfers are all secure. Unauthorized signals trigger alerts, and abnormal participants are kicked from group chats. The program runs hidden in ICE, using minimal memory."
Rosie's eyes sparkled. "Wow! It even has UI design…"
Daichi's voice followed. "The data looks amazing… Incredible, your progress is too fast."
Arthur smiled faintly. "Just integrating knowledge… Lucy, you can speak now."
"Wait, there's another partner I'll bring in," Lucy said. Leon appeared, short blue hair bright, eager to join.
"This is… Lucy, your new version?" he asked.
"Yes, Arthur," she replied. Leon's eyes widened in awe.
"Let's not chat. Explain the situation to Arthur. What about the company?"
"No special opinion—all crows are black," Arthur said.
Lucy pressed on. "And the current situation?"
"Just ask me directly if I want to run. Who would stay here as expendable mining slaves? They don't pay wages, trick child laborers into selling themselves, and enforce mandatory loans. My repayment lasts until I'm 22. I'll never work here again. What's your plan?"
"We don't want to die here," Lucy said. "Recently, rogue AIs have killed several kids—Tony, Hanako, Kagekuma. They've probably been tracking frequent miners. We've decided to escape, and we want you with us!"
Arthur asked calmly, "What's the plan?"
Lucy detailed their preparations: security schedules hacked, Deep Dive planned for Christmas Day when most employees are on leave. But if the project changed and they faced AIs, could they survive? Fear shadowed her expression.
Arthur reassured them. "Don't be afraid. Directly capturing an AI isn't feasible; our equipment and servers aren't enough. If they tried, we'd be bait. What other preparations?"
Lucy explained about a cracking program to disable cybernetics, which triggered alarms if activated. Arthur considered it, replying, "I'll optimize it later. What about escape routes, supplies, identities, and future plans?"
The group went silent. Then, a knock at the door. Leon entered eagerly, sitting down.
"You've changed, Arthur. You're amazing now. Don't ask them; they just want to escape. Survival comes first," Leon said.
Daichi sighed. "We hadn't thought much… just escape first. Fighting Arasaka agents with basic cybernetics and a monomolecular wire? Impossible. We just want another day alive."
Arthur frowned. "That won't do. You must think ahead. I'll prepare multiple escape routes for you to choose from."
Rosie brightened. "I trust you!"
Lucy added, "But be careful. If the project changes, you'll be a key target."
Arthur waved it off. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, tea first. Enjoy the rare holiday; leave the problems to me."
Leon groaned, wanting to chat. Lucy, however, felt a sense of peace. Arthur's relaxed demeanor gave her comfort.
Daichi suddenly remembered, "I have a game console! Latest soccer game. Want to play?"
Leon's eyes lit up. "Where did you get it? I want to play!"
Daichi chuckled. "Saved up for months after paying off my loan. Bought it used. Even got an employee to help buy it."
Rosie brightened. "Lucy, Arthur, want to watch my Braindance?"
"Sure," Arthur said. Lucy silently sent him a message.
Lucy: Take a look. Rosie cherishes this Braindance. It was a birthday gift. She wants to get closer to you—you should be able to tell, right?
Arthur nodded. "Perfect. I'll try it first." He put on the Braindance headset. In a flash of light, he entered the immersive world, leaving the others absorbed in reading or playing games.