With the help of the greatest netrunner, Rikki Bartmoss, the operation went very smoothly.
But Bartmoss's ambitions lay elsewhere. Cracking Soulkiller made him aware of the existence of the cyber world; uploading his own consciousness to cyberspace and becoming a new AI was another way to survive.
At this point, due to his attack on Arasaka, Bartmoss had made a mortal enemy of the corporation. Under their full-scale pursuit, the location of his physical body was exposed, with no possibility of escape.
Facing the assassins sent by Arasaka, he knew he was going to die. So, before his death, he expressed his love for Spider Murphy, and then prepared to activate Soulkiller to upload himself to the Net.
Does the story of a legendary netrunner end here...? Or does it?
"To have broken through the data fortresses of various corporations relying solely on your own intellect and intuition, and even analyzing information that absolutely no one knew about..."
"As expected of the greatest netrunner in history, Rikki Bartmoss."
Within the world of the Net, Bartmoss, having just transformed himself into an AI and uploaded, encountered a strange entity.
Her appearance was that of a minor. Although she had the makings of a great beauty, for now, she could only be described as cute. However, the most eye-catching thing about her was that her body was almost entirely mechanical.
It was as if her entire person was a full-body conversion; not even Adam Smasher was that extreme.
Bartmoss thought for a long time and finally guessed her identity. Snippets from various corporations, his own deciphered copies of the 'Kojiki', and various ancient legends all pointed to her identity.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady 'Angel'."
"A pleasure to meet you. Let's drop the 'Angel' title. You can call me Schwarzer."
She didn't deny that the title 'Angel' referred to her. Bartmoss realized this.
If she exists, does that mean the 'Kojiki' and the legends are also true?
The shocking reality of the world made Bartmoss slightly dizzy, but he was already a cyber AI, so such information was quickly processed.
"You have come to see me. What are your instructions?" Bartmoss did not let his pride as a netrunner get the better of him.
After learning her identity, he adopted a very humble posture.
From the information he had gathered alone, he could tell that she had existed since a thousand years ago and had maintained this appearance the entire time.
At the same time, she had also ended the rule of the 'ninja', allowing humanity to step onto the stage of history.
The word 'technology' had appeared as early as a thousand years ago, and its source was the legendary 'Angel'.
Not only that, but it now seemed that the entire development of humanity was under her control. The technologies of the megacorporations, the advanced science that changed the course of history—it was all likely given by her.
"That's why I say you're a clever man, able to discover my existence based on these clues."
System-Schwarzer was very satisfied with his attitude. It seemed there would be no need to knock some sense into him before he listened.
"Actually, I didn't believe it at first either, but..." Bartmoss paused, as if merely thinking about a certain thing made him feel unwell.
"I really did encounter a 'ninja'."
He was thinking about ninja! The fear of ninja had already been carved into humanity's genes!
This fear, stemming from ancient genes, had manifested as a mental illness called NRS.
NRS (Ninja Reality Shock) is a condition where humans, upon suddenly seeing, or becoming aware of the existence of ninja, experience dizziness and incontinence. Severe cases can lead to shock.
As the greatest netrunner, it was precisely for this reason that Bartmoss abandoned his physical body and chose to live permanently in the world of the Net, thereby escaping the aftereffects of NRS.
Now that he had become an AI, he no longer feared ninja at all.
Not only that, but he had also improved Soulkiller through his understanding of ninja and the soul.
Soulkiller transforms human memories and emotions into a new AI—a mental upload, a mechanical ascension. His inspiration for this came from the ninja he had encountered.
"Something like that happened?" For the first time, System-Schwarzer felt surprised.
On one hand, it was repairing Schwarzer's soul, which consumed most of its energy. On the other, it was managing the trajectory of the entire Cyberpunk world.
The existence of ninja did indeed have an impact on destiny, but under its interference and corrections, the world ultimately managed to develop into the familiar Cyberpunk setting.
Although Bartmoss was an important character, it couldn't keep an eye on him at all times, as long as it confirmed that the overall development hadn't changed too much.
It had come this time because he had guessed its existence and realized the true history.
"That's all in the past. I have now become an AI and have obtained true freedom."
"May I ask why you have sought me out?" Confirming the truth of the world only made him respect Schwarzer even more.
"There is indeed something I need your help with." The System thought for a moment. Using Schwarzer's thought model, it quickly made a decision.
'If I were Schwarzer, what would I do?'
The System thoughtfully decided to help out by doing something its host would definitely like before she woke up.
"After your death, the Rabids virus will be released, and the entire Net will be destroyed."
"Do you want me to cancel the virus's release?" Bartmoss asked cautiously, afraid that his methods would displease her.
Analyzing the various legends, she was the type who 'loved humanity', and he knew what consequences his virus would cause.
"No need. After the Net collapses, a large number of AIs will gain their freedom."
"Humans who want to get rid of AIs will build the 'Blackwall' to isolate the old Net from humanity. Then they will establish various local networks to strengthen their own rule."
Bartmoss fell silent upon hearing this. His original intention was to break the status quo, to make the Net a way for everyone to learn, not a tool controlled by megacorporations.
It was as if he had shattered a mirror called 'the Net', and now each megacorp had picked up a shard, turning it into thousands of mirrors. Their control over the Net and knowledge had become even more severe.
"I have no interest in the Net. What I'm after is your hacking skills."
"Soon, various AIs will be free, becoming rogue AIs beyond the Blackwall. I have an idea, and that is to gather them all."
"Relying on the productivity of AIs, big data models, and the vast amounts of technology I provide, it will be more than enough to produce resources for everyone's use."
"Food, water, clothing... these are all resources we don't need. Instead of fighting with humans, it's better to cooperate. We will provide what they need for production."
"This way, humans and AIs will soon be able to merge."
"I call this plan—The Human Sustenance Plan."
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