Trust…
When exactly did she start to trust the 'System'?
As the Cursed Energy fruit was absorbed, Schwarzer handed over all control, including her body, to the System.
Her soul and thoughts gradually ceased as she was about to fall into a deep sleep, feeling a long-lost sense of tranquility.
In a daze, she recalled her first meeting with the System. Due to a heart condition, she had been bedridden for years, quickly becoming immersed in all sorts of anime and novels.
The days passed uneventfully, and on the day she thought it was all over, the System appeared.
'Hello, Host. I'm here to take you to the world of 2D.' Like a pre-death hallucination, she agreed, figuring she'd give it a try.
Then, there was an accident. Her soul shattered, and the System repaired it using Spiral Power...
...What Spiral Power?
Schwarzer was confused by the term that had suddenly popped into her head, as if she had forgotten something.
After only a moment of confusion, she forgot the question itself, as if she had never even realized it.
Her memories quickly shifted to Disboard. After her soul shattered and she was reborn as one of the Machine Ex Machina, she lost all her emotions. Even so, she seemed to have never doubted the System.
But why? Schwarzer pondered this question.
Then she realized the answer. There was no reason. It was simply trust.
It wasn't based on any rational thought, nor did it have anything to do with pros or cons. It was simply—
'I trust you.'
Or rather, it was a decision made by her 'heart'. Only now, having regained her emotions, did Schwarzer notice this.
Even when her soul was shattered, with no hormones or dopamine to influence her, with no flesh or blood left in her body... she still had a 'heart'.
So that's how it was? Her thought process gradually slowed. Just before falling asleep, she finally understood this, and a faint smile graced Schwarzer's lips.
"Good night, System."
"Good night, Host."
Although it didn't know what had happened or what Schwarzer was thinking, the System could sense her joy.
Was it because it could repair her soul? the System silently wondered.
As Schwarzer closed her eyes, in the next moment, her body was taken over by the System. The eyes that opened again were different from before, now much more lively.
"A thousand years, huh? That's a little long."
"But I already made a promise to her, so I can't go back on my word."
"So, the next mission is simple: repair the Host's soul, and ensure the world develops toward the year 2077."
A vast amount of data flashed through her eyes. In the same body, the power wielded under the System's control was completely different. Its processing speed and the amount of 'soul energy' it could mobilize far surpassed Schwarzer's.
"Well then, let the preparations begin."
...
...
Ninja. They were another species, one that stood completely above humanity.
For ages, humanity lived under the rule of ninja, so much so that the fear of them became ingrained in their very genes.
However, the appearance of Naraku Ninja, who killed a great number of ninja, left a legacy. Even though he was dead, his dauntless spirit was passed down.
For humanity to survive, large numbers of people began to conspire, staging a rebellion of the low against the high to overthrow the ninja and end their dominion over the world.
Many relatively benevolent ninja also joined their cause, helping to fight against the evil ninja.
After centuries of long resistance, miraculously, humanity overthrew the ninja's rule. Even the progenitor of all ninja, Katsu Wanshon, was defeated.
No one knows how it was done. It was a miracle. However, a legend was passed down.
The malice of the ninja incurred the wrath of the heavens, which then sent down an angel.
This angel, who possessed eternal life, had the appearance of a child and wielded a great power known as the truth of the world—technology.
Several hundred years passed. In addition to the legend of the angel, there also appeared a 'Ninja Slayer,' a ninja who hunted other ninja.
Whenever ninja attempted to re-establish their dominion over the world, they would be thwarted by a mysterious power. Everyone knew it was the angel protecting them.
However, the long passage of time wore away all legends. The existence of ninja eventually faded into urban myth, while humanity began to learn the power of technology.
History proceeded along a normal timeline: the First Industrial Revolution, the Second Industrial Revolution, the World Wars... Divergences from the real world also began to appear.
In 1989, a mysterious phone call connected the NSA, CIA, FBI, and DEA, leading to the formation of the Gang of Four, which secretly controlled the United States.
In 1990, the Panama Canal Treaty expired. In order to regain control of the Panama Canal, the U.S. military went to Central America. War broke out, and the large number of wounded soldiers returning home stimulated the demand for cybernetic limbs.
In 1991, the European Space Agency made a miraculous technological breakthrough and launched the Hermes space shuttle.
In the same year, a corporation 'invented' a genetically modified wheat that could produce a chemical fuel called CHOOH2.
The relevant data for this genetically modified wheat suddenly appeared in the corporation's data vaults, but everyone who knew about this was silenced by the corporate executives.
Also in the same year, the Stanford Research Center 'invented' artificial muscles...
In 1993, the 'TRC Brain-Computer Interface' was invented in Munich, Germany. In the same year, a small nuclear bomb was detonated in New York, leading to the construction of Coronado City, the predecessor to Night City.
In 2001, the construction of the World Satellite Network began, establishing the framework for the Net.
In 2003, the British media exposed the existence of the Gang of Four, revealing they had secretly manipulated the U.S. military into starting wars. That same year, the Gang of Four initiated the Second Central American War, which led to their dissolution.
After years of turmoil, megacorporations seized control of the U.S. government. At the same time, conflicts between corporations escalated, erupting into the Corporate Wars.
One Corporate War after another began, and alongside them, various new technologies developed rapidly: brain-computer interfaces, the world network, artificial organs...
In 2011, the Arasaka Corporation took over the city, officially becoming the uncrowned king of Night City.
In 2013, the Soulkiller was developed. The conflict between Johnny Silverhand and Arasaka reached its breaking point.
In 2021, a conflict arose between two corporations over an acquisition. They hired the security firms Arasaka and Militech, respectively, sparking the Fourth Corporate War...
"If you study history closely, you can find some unknown force secretly manipulating the course of the world."
"Too many technologies appeared without any warning, and they are all closely tied to the development of history."
Rikki Bartmoss, the world's greatest legendary netrunner.
By analyzing various clues, he had formed a new theory about the world.
"What are you talking about, Rikki?"
"You promised me you'd invade Arasaka and take care of 'Soulkiller'."
Alt Cunningham interrupted Bartmoss's thoughts. They had been hired by Militech to deal with Arasaka's network.
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