The heavy metal door of the workshop closed completely behind the Maine Team, isolating them from the outside world's noise and disturbances.
The internal space was once again filled with the low hum of precision machinery and the steady rhythm of energy flow. The air was a mix of ozone, coolant, and a faint, slightly stale metallic scent, freshly brought up from the underground facility.
Osiris' attention was completely drawn to the solitary cylindrical storage device on the workbench.
Its casing was cold, and the interface glowed with a faint, isolated energy halo, like a slow heartbeat, hinting at the extraordinary nature of what was sealed within.
"A complete, highly autonomous rogue AI..." Osiris' deep, steady voice came from beneath his faceplate, carrying a nearly ritualistic solemnity. "Under the Empire's strict prohibition, it's almost a fantasy to access such a valuable research sample, comparable to an Abominable Intelligence. I never expected to acquire such a precious research sample in this world.
Buddy, initiate the highest-level data isolation protocol, connect to the backup analysis array, and establish a data sandbox."
"Command confirmed. Isolation protocol activated, analysis array ready." The servo-skull, which Osiris called "Buddy," glowed with a faint light in its eyes, rapidly deploying multiple layers of data and logic isolation, while simultaneously preparing a series of complex analysis probes.
One of Osiris' mechanical tentacles flexibly deformed, extending a precisely structured universal data interface that connected smoothly and firmly to the storage device's physical port.
The moment the connection was established—
A cold, swift, and highly aggressive data stream, like a venomous snake long in wait, suddenly lunged from deep within the storage device!
It was a purely digital assault; efficient decryption algorithms attempted to tear through the interface firewall; logic bombs burrowed everywhere, searching for system vulnerabilities; and a sharp, simulated consciousness signal surged directly towards Osiris' neural interface, intending to invade his core thoughts.
Had it been an ordinary netrunner of this world, even a top hacker, they would likely have suffered consciousness collapse and become a controlled husk in an instant under this assault from a top-tier creation of the Old Era's corporate wars.
However, Osiris' core thoughts were a product of rigorous logical training from the Forge World, tempered through countless battles against various anomalous technological threats.
His neural pathways were solidified with multiple layers of thought firewalls and logical barriers.
The invading stream of consciousness did not collide with fragile biological neurons, but with cold, absolutely rational, solid bulwarks constructed from rigorous logic and mathematical rules.
Osiris' optical lenses did not flicker in the slightest; his processing core had completed threat assessment and countermeasure deployment within nanoseconds.
"Crude attack pattern," he silently evaluated within his internal circuits, even feeling a hint of undetectable disappointment—the attack lacked the sophistication and depth he had expected, disappointingly clumsy.
The counterattack was launched immediately.
It didn't use complex viruses or flashy electronic warfare techniques, but pure data suppression.
A highly compressed binary data stream, like a heavy hammer, roared back into the storage device along the connection channel!
This force brutally dismantled the rogue AI's meticulously constructed attack code, forcefully overriding the AI's core instruction area with its undeniable logical priority.
The process was direct and efficient, like overwriting incorrect calculations with an absolutely correct formula.
The rogue AI's resistance melted away like ice crystals thrown into flames.
The signals attempting to invade his core thoughts disintegrated and dissipated upon encountering Osiris' consciousness barrier, forged by extremely rigorous logic.
The entire process lasted approximately twenty seconds.
The indicator light at the storage device's interface, which had been flickering, became steady, eventually transforming into a soft, controlled green glow.
"Threat cleared. Target core protocol forcibly overridden and locked, highest authority obtained successfully," Osiris announced calmly, as if he had merely completed a routine system maintenance.
The servo-skull floated silently nearby, recording this brief and predictable confrontation.
"Attack pattern analysis: Possesses basic adaptive learning and logical deception capabilities, attack vector selection is acceptable, but core algorithm efficiency is low, lacking redundant design to handle high-intensity logical impact," Osiris called up the combat log, quickly reviewing it.
"Its aggressiveness and defensive resilience are far below the standard combat logic of the Adeptus Mechanicus' standard Intelligence-Controlled Soldiers. It cannot even be compared to the malicious programs driven by fallen members of the Dark Adeptus Mechanicus, or the junk code attacks developed by certain academic heretics."
He couldn't help but recall his years serving as a Cogitator-Priest in the Intelligence-Controlled Soldier legions.
The complexity and potential ferocity of the core logic of those massive Imperial war machines were far beyond what this rogue AI, trapped within a small storage device, could ever achieve.
Although the Dominus-Venerables strictly adhered to the "Crimson Protocols" and never created Abominable Intelligences with true self-awareness, they possessed extremely profound (though in some aspects, rigid) technological accumulation in the creation, control, and even destruction of powerful automated combat units.
"However," Osiris' tone shifted, and his crimson optical lenses refocused on the storage device, "precisely because its technological level is relatively 'basic,' and its current computational power is limited, it has become an ideal research sample."
If he were in the Warhammer Universe, deep research into truly powerful Abominable Intelligences would be akin to playing with fire, not only violating Imperial law but also potentially leading to utter destruction.
Those dark creations entangled with forbidden knowledge were fraught with unpredictable risks of corruption.
But this rogue AI was different.
Its technological foundation largely remained within Osiris' scope of thorough understanding and complete control.
It was like a scholar deeply versed in higher mathematics analyzing a complex problem that, while challenging, did not exceed the known mathematical framework, thus posing no risk of loss of control.
"It can be safely disassembled, its program core architecture analyzed, its learning and adaptation mechanisms observed, and even... attempts at limited 'reprogramming' can be made." In Osiris' thoughts, the researcher's curiosity gradually replaced his earlier slight disappointment.
This was not just a trophy, but a treasure trove. This data held immeasurable value for him to perfect his own technology, adapt to this cyberpunk world, and even plan for longer-term goals.
"Buddy, deeply analyze the core code structure, learning algorithms, and its interaction with local network protocols of this AI within the data sandbox. Pay attention to recording all abnormal data fluctuations and potential logical traps."
"Command received, sandbox environment construction complete... analysis process initiated..." The servo-skull began to execute Osiris' orders.
The rogue AI's code, like a meticulously dissected specimen, unfolded before him layer by layer.
He immersed himself, patiently dissecting this dangerous digital soul from the Old Era, like a rigorous scientist exploring its deepest internal mechanisms.
Inside the workshop, only the faint sound of data flowing remained, and the almost imperceptible, focused, and steady sound of Osiris' respirator as he was engrossed in his analysis work.