To study the Relic, Mercer had to resort to a brute-force method.
First, he found a universal card reader used for writing and modifying chip programs, and a microcomputer specifically for reading and modifying chip programs.
Then, Mercer retrieved a Relic from a thermal case in the server room, one that still contained the Soulkiller program.
He first tried to read the chip's data with the universal card reader, then attempted to manually copy the program using the offline microcomputer and its keyboard.
The result was failure. Furthermore, the data he read showed that the Soulkiller program within the Relic had triggered its automatic target-acquisition attack mode.
However, because Mercer was operating offline, using the old-fashioned method of typing code on a keyboard, the Relic couldn't find an enemy's consciousness icon. Thus, its automatic counterattack program struck at nothing.
Seeing this, Mercer knew that copying it was hopeless. Just like his cyberdeck, even without an AI, the programs here were configured with a default setting to automatically launch Soulkiller whenever any anomalous data was detected.
He didn't dare plug his own data cable into any device related to the Soulkiller program.
Therefore, he could only use a crude method: read the data with the card reader and repeatedly activate the Soulkiller program within.
Amidst the vast sea of data generated while the chip was running, he would have to visually inspect the data line by line on the computer screen, just like a miserable programmer from before he transmigrated.
And just how much code did this Soulkiller program have?
Mercer looked at the "9999+" page indicator on the card reader's display and let out a smile of resignation.
"9999+" didn't represent the actual number of pages of code, but rather the display limit of this microcomputer.
Just how much garbage data did these morons cram into the Soulkiller program?
If it were an ordinary person, they probably would have given up by now, because it was nearly impossible to tell which of the countless lines of code belonged to the Relic's own programming and which belonged to Soulkiller.
The code was all encrypted, there were no comments to be found, and it was even filled with a large amount of junk data specifically designed as a disguise for anti-theft purposes.
Mercer also tried using the server's processing power to run an AI-less program to automatically filter and parse the data, but he quickly discovered the Relic had an anti-theft program specifically to counter this. If he didn't want to fry the chip, he had no choice but to stop.
After two hours of fruitless effort, even by the time Lucy and the others had returned to the base, Mercer still hadn't found a breakthrough.
The crew had been out for several days, roughing it in the elements. Even if they weren't tired, they were all looking forward to a good meal and a hot shower.
So, they all just said their hellos and went to their own rooms. Only Lucy, seeing Mercer in the server room, stopped in her tracks. She walked in and saw him staring at the Relic with a troubled expression.
"What's wrong?"
After asking, Lucy saw Mercer, who was staring at the screen with a zen-like smile, say in a flat tone, "I'm stumped."
Is there anything that can stump you? She peeked at the code displayed on the screen, then an expression of disgust immediately appeared on her face.
"You're going to find the real Soulkiller program by yourself from this mountain of shit? Are you serious, Mercer?"
Lucy commented bluntly, "You'd probably need a professional team of thirty netrunners working around the clock in front of their computers for half a year.
Then spend another ten years trying to piece together the potentially useful bits of code, and maybe you'd be able to assemble the real Soulkiller.
Of course, what's more likely is that after you excitedly piece together a program that seems to run, it automatically connects to the net, covertly sends a signal, and Arasaka's agents show up the next day."
Mercer rolled his eyes. "I know."
Then, a thoughtful look crossed his face. "…Say, do you think this Soulkiller program works unconditionally on regular AIs too?"
Mercer's words made Lucy pause. "You mean using Morning Star?"
"To be precise, I'll have Morning Star create a sub-AI first. We'll let its sub-AI go in, see if it triggers Soulkiller, and then see if we can lock onto its main body by observing the data fluctuations when Soulkiller attacks."
As Mercer spoke, he consulted with Morning Star, having it split off a low-level sub-AI and inserting it into the Relic.
Then, Mercer and Lucy stared at the microcomputer connected to the chip, observing the data stream.
A few minutes later, Lucy spoke again. "Looks like it's a no-go. Although this program is set to attack AIs, trying to find the core data from this much code is just too difficult, Mercer."
"I, on the other hand, think it's possible."
Mercer, however, gave a completely different answer, saying with some excitement, "I can see it! When the Soulkiller program was hunting that sub-AI, I could see the effective data within this mountain of shit code!"
"Huh?" Lucy let out a sound that was somewhere between an exclamation and a sigh of helplessness. "How can you even see that…"
"A feeling?"
After saying this, Mercer excitedly backed up the important data on his laptop. Then, he set the microcomputer aside, intending to use his own laptop to begin the real attempt.
He had Morning Star continuously create sub-AI programs to simulate the signals of an active AI, then transferred them via a hard drive that wasn't connected to the net before feeding them into the Relic.
Through the computer connected via a card reader, he monitored the code as the program ran.
Then, with his naked eye, he began to capture traces of the Soulkiller program from the tide of code that washed past his screen.
Lucy forced herself to watch alongside him for a while, about thirty seconds, before giving up on this activity that made her feel stupid.
If it had been anyone other than Mercer telling her that they could find the Soulkiller program just by staring at the code on the screen, Lucy would have definitely thought they were an idiot.
But since it was Mercer doing it, Lucy could only resign herself to it with a sense of defeat, chalking it up to her own lack of talent. Mercer's expression was extremely focused. The cooling vents on his back even opened up and began to hum. His cyberoptics reflected the numbers rapidly scrolling across the screen. He was like an old monk in deep meditation, completely immersed.
Perhaps for every minute, out of the tens of thousands of lines of code that flowed past the screen, only a scant few would trigger that "Mercer jolt."
But after half an hour, Mercer had already found several hundred lines from the endless ocean of code that "felt right" to him.
He rubbed his temples and let his laptop rest for a moment.
Then, he borrowed Lucy's computer, opened a programming software, and began typing, replicating the few hundred lines of code he had memorized.
And once Mercer had assembled these lines of code by feel, he only needed to look it over once to keenly sense which parts of the program were "incomplete."
It was as obvious as a vaguely pieced-together human figure missing its left arm and right leg.
Mercer estimated by feel that the program he had pieced together this time was only about 2% of the part of the program he could see.
2% pieced together in half an hour.
So, a total of 25 hours of work?
This was much faster than Mercer had expected.
This discovery lifted his spirits again, making him ignore the fatigue coming from his head. He firmly believed that as long as he could restore this part of the program he had captured, he would definitely find a stepping stone to the Soulkiller program.
This was the Soulkiller program!
He rested for a while, or rather, he was waiting for the temperature of his laptop and the Relic to drop, giving the hardware some time to rest.
Then, he turned around and saw Lucy staring blankly at the code he had typed on the computer screen. He found her dazed look to be a bit cute and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?" She puffed up her cheeks in slight annoyance, stood up, and glared at Mercer. "I'm not watching anymore. Just show me what this famous Soulkiller program looks like when you're done."
"You'll be waiting a while, then. I suspect that with this method, I can only capture a part of the Soulkiller program at most. I'm guessing this data is most likely the part Soulkiller uses for capture and attack. But we don't need to completely restore the entire program this way."
Mercer spoke in a relaxed tone, "I think I probably just need to write out this part of the program first, then specifically look for vulnerabilities and disable the automatic counter-attack and anti-piracy measures Arasaka set up. After that, I can copy the Soulkiller program, turn off its 'predator function,' and then use an AI to study and breach it directly. The speed should be much faster."
Lucy continued to glare at him, her cheeks still puffed out. "Easier said than done. Why don't you teach me how!"
"Hmm... once I've grasped the principles, how about I write a few practice exercises for you? With your talent, you might actually be able to master quite a bit," Mercer said with a smile.
Lucy looked at him and sighed. "I still haven't fully digested what you taught me before..."
"It's just a matter of time. I believe in you." Mercer gave her a thumbs-up.
Lucy looked at him, speechless. "Are you trying to humor me like I'm Kyoko?"
"You two are both quite talented. I'm not just talking nonsense."
Mercer finished with a smile, but Lucy shook her head and changed the subject. "I heard you struck a deal with Hansen? And even got the title of Director of Weapon and Equipment Design for Barghest?"
"Yep. Picked up a nice chunk of change for free, and even got a weapons and equipment design center out of it. When the time comes, I'll use my position for personal gain and get some good stuff for everyone."
As Mercer spoke, Lucy said worriedly, "You have to be careful. If Hansen catches you lining your own pockets, he's not someone who'll let it slide."
"Neither am I."
Mercer said with a slight smile, "Don't worry, I know how to deal with creatures driven by self-interest like him. As long as you have value, and that value is high enough, he'd willingly trade his own parents for it, let alone a small thing like me skimming off the top.
Plenty of people in Barghest, from top to bottom, are skimming money. If I don't, I won't look like one of them. Sometimes, you have to proactively give the other party a bit of leverage, a weakness, for them to find you trustworthy."
This was also why Mercer still lived at the base and wanted everyone else to continue living there.
He didn't want to discuss these things too much with Lucy and the others, as it would only add to their worries. So, he changed the subject in a lighthearted tone, "How's Vik been lately? I haven't contacted him in a while."
"Him? He's doing great. He was watching a boxing match when I went over. He and V even made plans to watch a live boxing broadcast at his clinic next week. Said it was some kind of championship match for the king of boxing... I'm not that interested."
Lucy spoke, then looked at Mercer and said, "He's quite concerned about you. He's urging you to go for a check-up when you have time. It seems he's worried about the side effects of all that cyberware on you."
"Alright, I'll swing by when I'm done here. I actually have some new ideas."
Mercer said, pondering, "I'm thinking about how to enhance my survivability. Now that I've stirred up so much trouble, I have to watch out for agents taking potshots or setting traps.
No matter how strong my netrunner skills are, if they really turn off all their cyberdecks, I can only hack them by establishing a physical connection with my monowire or a data cable."
Before, no one knew what he was capable of, so they naturally wouldn't take many precautions. But now that his reputation was growing, he had to be wary of people with special modifications specifically designed to counter netrunners.
If you wanted to hit someone with a Quickhack, you still needed a network and an established connection to hack in. If they simply didn't have the function to receive network signals and data transmissions, Mercer would be completely out of luck, basically a blank slate.
Take the Animals, for example. If that group of muscleheads knew they were up against a netrunner, they might even disable their neural links and rely solely on their flesh and blood, which contained the power of nine dragons. In that case, Mercer would truly have no way to hack them.
Lucy didn't try to persuade him anymore. She just crossed her arms and said, "Do whatever you think is best. It's not like you care what I say anyway."
"Who says?" He turned his head, looked at the small face under Lucy's white hair, and smiled. "What's gotten into you now?"
"...I'm not angry," she said, but Mercer just thought for a moment with a pensive look before it suddenly dawned on him. "Ah, it's about Kiwi again..." Before he could finish, Kiwi, who was at the door, suddenly stopped. She glanced at Lucy, then very naturally walked over and placed the steaming hot Mexican tacos in her hand on the table beside Mercer.
"V made them. You should eat while they're hot. She said you haven't eaten all day either."
After speaking, Kiwi smiled at Lucy. "Want some coffee? I can get you a cup? Or would you rather get it yourself from the kitchen?"
"No, thanks. I'm going out for a drink later." After saying that, Lucy watched Kiwi nod and leave coolly, without the slightest intention of explaining anything.
She suddenly felt a little dejected. Both Mercer and Kiwi were acting as if nothing had happened, which in turn made her seem particularly petty and fussy.
Mercer chuckled, then stuffed his taco into his mouth.
V's cooking was really not bad, and he could taste a clear improvement. She was surprisingly quite the homemaker. She was the one diligently handling the cleaning at the base and buying and cooking food for everyone. You really couldn't judge a book by its cover.
"What's so funny?" Lucy turned her head away, dropping the act and revealing a slightly sulky pout.
Mercer just looked at her and said with a smile, "You get jealous pretty easily, huh?"
"I do not," she denied firmly.
"Really?" He leaned in with a taco in his mouth, a grin on his face.
Lucy turned her face away, pouting as she made a move to leave. "I'm going to eat."
"...Anyway, we've got nothing to do for the next few days. Want to find some interesting BDs to watch together? Or we could keep playing with the Moon BD."
Mercer suggested with a smile.
"Go ask Rebecca to play with you," she said without turning back.
"Alright, I'll go find her then." As soon as Mercer said that, he saw her stop at the doorway. She glared at him, fuming, for a good while before she finally couldn't resist flipping him the bird.
Mercer burst out laughing, while Lucy said irritably, "Go on, then! It's not like I can stop you, can I?"
With that, she stomped away.
[Morning Star: I believe she doesn't mean what she says.]
[Mercer: Isn't that obvious?]
[Morning Star: So, what do you plan to do?]
[Mercer: I'll just knock on her door tonight. All she wants is a gesture; she's pretty good at holding it in. She's been so focused on important matters these past few days that she hasn't said a peep. I thought she wasn't mad anymore.]
[Morning Star: Hmm… romantic relationships between men and women are truly complex. I don't quite understand human possessiveness.]
[Mercer: Ha~ If you actually became possessive, I'd have an even bigger headache.]
[Morning Star: Hmm… but perhaps it is a more human-like way of expressing affection?]
[Mercer: Don't you learn it!]
[Morning Star: Alright~]
After her joke, she began to report proactively.
[Morning Star: Master, the ctOS is now officially operational. I believe there will be a considerable amount of deets requiring your attention every day. Therefore, I would like to compile a daily briefing for you. What do you think?]
[Mercer: That's an excellent idea. Prepare one for me every morning and evening from now on. You never know when some piece of information might bring a pleasant surprise.]
[Morning Star: Understood. Aside from this information, I have one more important matter to report to you.]
[Mercer: What is it?]
[Morning Star: An Arasaka counter-intelligence agent has targeted you. Currently, they are at El Coyote Cojo, trying to persuade Mr. Jackie to take on a gig to lure you or Miss V out.]
[Mercer: Show me the feed.]
Morning Star didn't waste any words, immediately displaying the surveillance feed in Mercer's cyberoptics.
And so, the figures of Jackie and another female agent appeared in the feed within Mercer's vision.
Judging from the surveillance footage, the agent's face was obscured by a mosaic filter.
But Morning Star quickly used AI technology to start reconstructing her face. It soon breached the interference program built into the agent's cyberoptics, clearly revealing her facial features.
At the same time, she magnified the image and, through lip-reading analysis, provided Mercer with subtitles.
[Morning Star: Apologies, the audio pickup on El Coyote Cojo's cameras is too poor. Even when magnified, I can't capture their audio clearly. I can only provide subtitles for you through lip-reading analysis.]
[Mercer: You've done great. Let me see what kind of price this person can offer Jackie.]
However, as Mercer stared at the female agent's face, scrutinizing it for a while, his brow suddenly shot up, and he sucked in a sharp breath.
Why does this agent's face look so familiar!?
His extraordinary memory instantly found a matching image for him.
This person is corpo V!?
After comparing the woman before him, with her equally beautiful features, cold and aloof demeanor, and sharp gaze, to the image from the game in his past, he could finally be certain. That's right!
This woman's appearance...
It was a carbon copy of the female V he had created when he chose the corpo V lifepath while playing the Cyberpunk game before he transmigrated!
Just like how the current V looked identical to the character he had created in his street kid lifepath save file.
At this moment, although the face of the Arasaka agent in the surveillance feed was somewhat distorted after the AI breached the mosaic filter, Mercer still recognized her at a single glance!
There was no mistaking it. This woman was, without a doubt, the corpo V he had personally created!
[Mercer: Can you find her name?]
[Morning Star: Valerie. Her name is identical to Miss V's. Not just her name, but her age is also exactly the same. However, according to the NCPD archives, her life trajectory and family background are completely different from V's. I've determined that she has no social connections to Miss V and it's likely just a coincidence that they share the same name. But from the look on your face, it seems... you know her? Was my judgment incorrect?]
[Mercer: Know her? Of course, I know her...]
Mercer watched the video feed, where Valerie was currently looking at Jackie with a hint of arrogance, her demeanor aggressive. For a moment, his mind was flooded with thoughts.
If the V from the street kid background exists, and the V from the corpo background also exists, does that mean another V, the nomad V, also exists!?
If all three Vs exist...
A multitude of ideas instantly popped into Mercer's head.
Yet, amusingly enough, his first reaction upon seeing this corpo V wasn't vigilance or worry, but...
Damn it.
My collector's instinct is kicking in!
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3500words