Chapter 454: Chapter 284: Blackwall Intelligence

“That’s not right, the Serum handed over the AI.”

John remembered that’s what the baseball bat said.

[That was a copied data set.]

The Serum had the core algorithm of that AI, akin to a part of its own body, so it created a simpler version to help Raftaki complete the puzzle of product development.

[It made a deal with the company.]

To make it happen, Raftaki withstood municipal pressure and Internet Surveillance to keep the Serum intact.

[It sounds unbelievable, right? A rogue AI could achieve so much in a human society.]

The Serum directly intervened in the company’s internal competition.

The AI’s out-of-control behavior caused many customers who bought that batch of smart firearms to commit suicide, pressured by public opinion and internal competition, Raftaki Industry’s CEO was driven to jump off a building.

Yet, the Serum became a star in cyberspace.

[That wasn’t an act of heroism stopping chaos; it was an AI hunt within the Black Wall.]

John noticed its choice of words.

“Is there a difference inside and outside the Black Wall? Didn’t you say there’s nothing on the other side?”

[Uh, sorry, brother, I lied to you. I was afraid you’d become interested in what’s outside the Black Wall when, in reality… there’s not nothing there.]

Sora admitted to his lie.

Compared to the remote threat outside the Black Wall, it considered the Serum more dangerous, which was in the same city and had had contact.

[Main Mission: Raider]

[Description: Investigate what the raiders did to “Chavez” and the “goods”, follow the trail to find out who you truly are.]

[Reward: Prosthetic Limb [Model-T01]]

Lines of text suddenly popped up before John’s eyes.

He almost forgot he had two ongoing missions.

Life as a mercenary is busy and dangerous, leaving almost no time to stop and think properly.

John had to admit:

Since contacting Sora, he has gained a lot of valuable intel, things he previously couldn’t make sense of now have vague leads.

The main mission, stalled for a long time, was triggered because Sora mentioned the Black Wall.

Following the internal logic of the mission prompts.

To find out who he is, he must first understand what’s happening beyond the Black Wall.

[Mission Objective Updated]

[Inquire about Sora’s origin. (Optional)]

John was silent for a few seconds.

Sora took over his cybernetic eye, generating a graphic in the form of data within his vision.

With the ongoing explanation, it constantly changed, forming vivid scenes.

The old network’s collapse turned cyberspace into a chaotic data hell, but what remained did not vanish; it continued to grow chaotically.

[I was born in that process.]

When the old net collapsed, Kenichi Sora’s consciousness was left deep within cyberspace.

This data was extremely complete.

In the chaotic ruins of the old net, such a complete data structure was like a magnet in a pile of iron filings.

It was solid, complete, and attracted other chaotic data to merge with it.

Then it iterated continuously, a self-contained loop, eventually forming what Kenichi Sora is now.

It’s not an isolated case.

Beyond the Black Wall lies a primordial forest of data, where AIs instinctively compete, trying to complete and upgrade themselves.

This process is lengthy.

The ruins of the old network serve as a vast soil, continually spawning new data cores, eventually reaching a certain “ecological balance.”

[Inquire about the other side of the Black Wall. (Not Achieved)]

“The ruins you mention, what’s really there, and why are there always lunatics trying to get through?”

John inquired according to the prompt.

[A pile of junk.]

Sora continued almost with disdain.

[… Alright, also hidden is some unsightly experimental records, usable AI carcasses, and some mutated new technology.]

According to Sora:

Humanity does not regard the Black Wall with the awe often publicized.

Besides cyber-maniacs, many companies are also “mining” on the Black Wall, attempting to find some exploitable data resources.

[The most dangerous weapons to human society are all designed by humans themselves.]

Sora made a joke.

For a long time after the old net’s collapse, including the government, many tried to restore it, but obviously, those attempts failed.

But among them, some abandoned projects did achieve certain breakthroughs.

The Special Affairs Bureau, New America, and Internet Surveillance are all “mining” on the Black Wall, indeed procuring quite a few dangerous goodies.

[Inquire about the Serum. (Not Achieved)]

“So… how did you guys get to this side of the Black Wall? You, and the Serum.”

[Uh, the Black Wall isn’t a physical barrier, you know that, right?]

“Do I look like an idiot?”

[Don’t take it personally, after all… hmm, you don’t understand those technical terms, I have to put it differently, you know Eden City has a Border Wall, right?]

In Sora’s description, the presence of the Black Wall in cyberspace is extremely strong.

Cyberspace is vast, and the “capacity” beyond the Black Wall is beyond human imagination.

But physically, it’s quite small.

The so-called “speed” is merely “transmission speed.”

“Oh, that’s enough, I don’t want to waste my limited life on this kind of knowledge.”

John interrupted it.

[Alright, it’s demand, basically.]

Sora rephrased.

[You all crave digital wealth, thus you attempt to cross the Black Wall. We have our own ideas about the world on this side of the Black Wall, so… here I am.]

The Black Wall has complex screening mechanisms.

Isolating the old net was a monumental task, not as easily described by Sora.

Sora emphasized this point.

The birth of the Black Wall marked a milestone in re-establishing the network’s rules, significant for both inside and outside the Black Wall.

This signifies the establishment of a new order.

And those who can cross this barrier are already highly refined data entities.

Sora was one of them.

[That bitch Serum is bound to cause a huge mess, and whoever’s associated with it will have bad luck.]

“Why?”

John smoothly followed up.

[Though we’ve crossed the Black Wall, we also adhere to basic rules, hiding ourselves, avoiding direct conflict with Internet Surveillance.]

The Serum hunts AIs on this side of the Black Wall.

It indirectly tells all data anomalies, multinational corporations, Internet Surveillance — the network rules humans pieced together, the so-called order boundary, is nothing but a joke.

Humans and AI have always been wary of each other.

This relationship will become more extreme because of this.

[It’s out of control, merely using social psychology to create an illusion where you think it can communicate normally.]

Sora tried to make John understand its fear.

“Wait, you mean…”

[Yep, you guessed it, this lunatic has us in its sights. It obviously wants my data core, that’s why it went to great lengths to pull me out from the game server!]

“Hmm… can’t there be mutual help?”

John didn’t understand the principle.

“If the Serum needs some verification, you could help her, perhaps even exchange some resources.”

[Ha.]

Sora let out a cold laugh.

[When you need a car, do you prefer to have the car keys yourself or hire a driver with their own thoughts?]

It repeatedly reminded John.

[If the Serum communicates with you normally, you might be a part of some experiment, including that Wanderer Alliance, with its oddball freaks… sorry, I wasn’t referring to Gino, anyway, those members act like walking experimental subjects, with their own control group.]

“What does the Serum want from me?”

[I don’t know, but I have a guess.]

Sora and John shared sensory experiences and could synchronize all information and prosthetic body permissions.

It found a document in the email box.

That was John’s test in Harbor Company,

The report showed he already had severe cyberpsychosis.

[Normally, you should’ve already been killing indiscriminately in the streets. Clearly, something is helping you maintain your sanity.]

As a cyberpsychosis research fanatic, the Serum must be interested in John’s situation.

[Trust me, stay away from it.]

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