The complexity of its core code was such that even he couldn’t grasp it at a glance... or rather, he simply couldn’t understand it.
This was the first ti rcer had encountered data that even he couldn’t decipher.
He wasn’t sure if it was due to his own lack of knowledge or if the thing was inherently designed this way. Part of the AI’s core code was structured completely differently from existing programming languages and data architectures.
This only fueled rcer’s determination. He ran the Deathwish program repeatedly in this dollhouse, observing the AI’s growth throughout the process.
anwhile, Deathwish’s AI, leveraging computational power, began rapidly iterating and expanding its data structure as it ran.
As large chunks of data stread by, the AI’s core code also grew exponentially. If Deathwish’s AI core was initially only 10MB in size, after running at full capacity for just ten minutes, it had self-expanded by at least tenfold.
Once the core code ford a complete data structure, the cat suddenly began generating a large amount of "useless" junk data.
These blue icons started clustering around its core, self-iterating, upgrading, and optimizing. It was unclear how long this continued before it finally stopped.
rcer narrowed his eyes at the seemingly unchanged cat. "Hello, Deathwish."
A massive data stream flashed in the cat’s eyes before it spoke haltingly: "Hel...lo, mas...ter. Please... whip ."
rcer slapped a hand over his face. "Delete! Reset!"
Deathwish let out a rather seductive ow: "So~ stimula~ting~ ow~"
Then it crashed and restructured.
rcer stared at it speechlessly, but after observing its self-driven growth, he had gained so understanding of how to shape an AI’s personality and cognition.
Although he still couldn’t parse or compile the core data that represented the AI’s soul, that core data itself was rely a segnt of primitive code responsible for granting the AI a born consciousness.
rcer nad it the "Soul Source Code." As for the code outside this source, rcer could comprehend about sixty to seventy percent of it.
For instance, which code constituted its appearance, which ford its knowledge base, and which shaped its cognition.
But beyond that, there were so extrely unique, self-generated core data segnts. rcer could see them, but like the Soul Source Code, they belonged to a special structure. For now, replicating them was beyond his ability.
At the sa ti, rcer noticed that the data from these special structures bore a striking resemblance to certain data within himself.
rcer speculated that this might be the key to AI anthropomorphism and the crucial data for influencing human cognition through network technology.
Perhaps by mastering how to compile and modify this data, he could also gain the power to alter human thought?
rcer began pondering how to endow an AI with controllable intelligence. After much deliberation, he arrived at a conclusion.
First and foremost, he must not experint with the AI from the Deathwish program... that thing was essentially a Net-nuke. If the Deathwish AI were allowed to grow, once it broke free from control, it would likely beco a super AI comparable to the Blackwall.
Just like the R.A.B.I.D.S virus unleashed by Bartmoss in the Old Net, it would most likely turn into an extrely terrifying roaming weapon of destruction, completely obliterating the current New Net.
Therefore, rcer decided to treat Deathwish rely as a dangerous weapon, while the AI he intended to create would be built using the ’Soul Source Code’ it carried.
Although rcer still didn’t fully understand what the Soul Source Code was, that didn’t stop him from replicating it at the data level, copying and pasting it to create an entirely new program.
After much thought, he ultimately positioned this AI program as a ’life assistant,’ similar to Tony Stark’s J.A.R.V.I.S.
The program’s design and function were to assist rcer in research and developnt and, when necessary, help him operate other programs. Its core code was stored in the mory of rcer’s cyberdeck.
Although the AI’s existence would occupy so of rcer’s brain’s processing power, the portion it used was actually more efficient than his own usual usage... AI is naturally adept at utilizing computational resources.
rcer then imposed limits on its capacity and added multiple core logic restrictions to guide its thought processes.
Finally, a brand-new, clean, infant-like low-level AI was created by rcer from scratch.
He nad it ’Morning Star,’ hoping it would live up to its na and illuminate a bright future for rcer.
rcer disabled its self-learning function, deciding to manually filter appropriate data to provide Morning Star for its initial developnt. Only after its basic ’personality’ and ’values’ stabilized would he grant it a certain degree of learning freedom.
However, just as rcer was fully focused on leeching computational power from the brothel’s server and tinkering with his new AI, an abnormal data fluctuation suddenly put him on high alert.
Amid the data fluctuations, an icon resembling a drone appeared within the server.
He imdiately stopped what he was doing and, after observing for a mont, realized it was a cybersecurity inspection program running.
rcer couldn’t help but chuckle... it seed he had leeched too much of the server’s processing power, and the brothel staff had noticed sothing unusual.
But soon, rcer realized the situation wasn’t that simple. After the inspection program finished running, a personal network signal suddenly connected to the server’s network.
The other party wasn’t deep diving; instead, after checking the network security, they exploited a vulnerability in the server to gain network access.
Let see what you’re doing on the network.
Data streams flooded rcer’s vision. Before the other party could detect anything, he had already used the high-level permissions he’d hacked into the server to start monitoring their network activity.
This unknown user was searching the net for netrunner tutorials?
Interesting. Which brothel worker decided to change careers?
rcer could tell the user had so skill... their search content had already moved beyond beginner netrunner levels and was now delving into specialized knowledge for professional netrunners.
He observed for a while, then began tracing the signal with keen interest... he wanted to see which doll was secretly skimming profits from his shop while striving to improve herself.
The search result, however, made him raise an eyebrow in surprise.
"Kiwi?"
rcer imdiately turned to sift through the server data using keywords. Soon, he retrieved information about this woman nad Kiwi from the dollhouse’s archives.
[Na: Kiwi]
[Age: 22]
[Employnt Duration: 2 years]
rcer frowned slightly and dug deeper, eventually piecing together Kiwi’s background from so outdated server records.
She was a factory girl sold off by managent, purchased by the dollhouse for 45,000 eurodollars.
Beyond that, there were only a few work evaluations, such as her average attitude toward duties.
The shop’s server mostly stored client information, with very few employee records.
Even so, rcer could confirm from the photos that this woman was indeed the netrunner Kiwi from Edgerunner.
Had she not escaped the dollhouse yet?
Kiwi...
rcer’s feelings toward her were sowhat complicated.
In the ani, Kiwi was not portrayed as a positive character.
She was a typical tragic figure who clawed her way up from the bottom of Night City.
Sold to a factory by her parents as a child, she initially received care and attention from the factory managent. But as she grew older, their true intentions surfaced... they coveted her beauty.
After repeated rejections from Kiwi, the factory manager, in a fit of anger, sold her to the dollhouse.
It was there that Kiwi began teaching herself netrunning knowledge and barely survived by creating a perception-blocking doll program for herself.
Yet, despite her efforts, she ultimately served a client with Gorilla Arms who, dissatisfied with her service, brutally tore off her jaw with his augnted limbs.
From then on, Kiwi never had her jaw properly repaired, instead wearing a mask to hide the disfigurent.
Eventually, using her self-taught netrunning skills, she killed everyone in the dollhouse and the factory, achieving revenge before finally gaining her freedom.
This life experience made Kiwi an absolute egoist. Her life creed was: Trust no one.
It was precisely because of this belief that, at the end of the ani, she chose to betray the main team for corporate immunity, money, and status.
While being silenced by Faraday, she unhesitatingly handed over the tracking signal of the aerodyne vehicle holding Lucy to the main team, helping them rescue Lucy and backstabbing Faraday in the process.
In the end, this unfortunate woman, plagued by a tragic fate, died miserably beside a dumpster in an unnoticed alley. From then on, no one cared that she had ever existed in this world.
After a mont of contemplation, rcer finally sighed and actively connected to her signal. Demonstrating his prowess with a forceful intrusion, he sent her a ssage.
[A: Do you want freedom?]
[Kiwi: Who are you!]
[A: I can help you.]
[Kiwi: What do you want?]
[A: I just think you’re pitiful.]
[Kiwi: Everyone here is pitiful... tell the truth, or I’m disconnecting.]
[A: You can believe or not. I’m just borrowing the server to run so programs and happened to stumble upon you.
Not every pitiful person is worth saving, but I think you still have hope.]
[Kiwi: Why!?]
[A: Because you still have the will to change. Even in this environnt, you’re still working hard to learn netrunning, still trying to pull yourself out of the mud.
Heaven helps those who help themselves, but abandons those who abandon themselves.]
[Kiwi: Hah. Alright then, Mr. A, who calls himself ’Heaven’... what are you going to do?]
[A: I won’t do anything unless you’ve made up your mind to trust and sincerely ask for my help.]
[Kiwi: You want to beg for your help? Fine, please, mysterious Mr. A, help ! I’ve had enough!
What do you want in return? A few nights with ? Money? Or so dangerous task?]
[A: I want to hear you say, ’Thank you, Brother A,’ and an it from the bottom of your heart.]
[Kiwi: Then after you save , I’ll visit you to thank you properly, even kowtow... how about that?]
Kiwi was already tired of chatting with this mysterious Mr. A... kindness? Bullshit!
In this Night City?
Showing kindness to a doll like her?
What a joke! What kind of living saint was this?
Kiwi thought this A was full of nonsense and decisively tried to disconnect.
But then, she discovered sothing that terrified her.
She... couldn’t disconnect.
[A: Kindness mistaken for malice... but that’s understandable. I’d think it was shady too if I were you.
I’ll leave you my contact info. Reach out when you’ve truly decided whether to ask for my help. If you think ’kindness’ isn’t a good enough reason, how about 50,000 eddies? Give 50,000 eddies as your freedom fee.
That should align better with your values, right?
But I bet you’re calling an idiot in your head, so I’ve decided to reach through the net and teach you a lesson... to show you that in the digital world, your Brother A will always be your Brother A.]
Then, Kiwi felt a flood of data forced into her neural link. An angry-looking pixelated penguin appeared in her retina, holding up a middle-finger emoji aggressively.
A sharp pain shot through her mind... brief but intense... making her gasp before it vanished completely.
The data assaulting her brain quickly dissipated, leaving only the fuming pixel penguin lingering in the lower right corner of her vision.
’Damn i—’ Kiwi almost cursed aloud but caught herself, worried the program left in her mind might have monitoring functions. She forced the words back down.
Frantic, she manually disconnected everything... first unplugging the cyberdeck she’d secretly bought, then severing her neural link. But even then, the penguin remained stubbornly in the corner of her retina, though it now looked dull and lifeless.
Kiwi frantically plugged her data cable into the nearby computer, using its self-check program to begin extracting the software from her neural link.
Unexpectedly, the program wasn’t so stubborn virus; the transfer process went remarkably smoothly.
Her first instinct was to delete it, but after a mont’s hesitation, she chose to inspect the program’s code first.
Communication software?
She quickly identified its purpose... it was indeed just an ordinary-looking encrypted communication tool.
Then, as she analyzed the code, she spotted a deliberately left comnt following the first line of the penguin-shaped program.
’In a world where kindness is seen as hypocrisy and only profit is eternal, I still believe justice will ultimately triumph over evil, and a single spark can start a prairie fire.
Do you still have the courage to believe that goodness, justice, and hope exist in this world?
Call out my na with your sincere heart, and I will prove to you that hope remains... A.’
So arrogantly over the top!
Kiwi’s breathing grew heavy. On one hand, she felt this A was utterly condescending... justice and kindness? Ha, in this city, those words only existed in children’s fairy tales.
Who did he think he was, so cyber deity who could alter the fate of humanity?
On the other hand,
she hesitated, unable to bring herself to delete the program.
Kiwi unplugged the cable and paced around her cramped rest room, struggling to make a decision until a rough male voice shouted from outside her door.
"Kiwi! Get out here and see a client. I’m telling you, your ratings last month were terrible. If they’re just as bad this month, don’t expect to see a single eurodollars!"
Kiwi’s steps halted abruptly. After a mont of silence, she clenched her jaw, returned to the computer, connected to the network, and restarted the penguin program.
[Kiwi: I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know how much of what you say is true.
But... 50,000 eurodollars, I agree. Though I don’t have that much on hand, if you can get out of here, I promise to pay you in installnts over six months!
I sincerely beg you... this ti I an it!
I’m begging you, please, get out of here! The sooner the better! A!]
"Damn bitch, how long are you going to keep dawdling? The client is waiting!"
The harsh knocking at the door made Kiwi grit her teeth, but in the penguin-shaped communication program, she saw no reply.
Kiwi stared blankly, then let out a self-mocking laugh after a long pause.
She picked up her cyberdeck, inserted it into the back of her head, took a deep breath, and clutched the doll chip she had crafted to block mories and perception before pushing the door open.
Outside, the fierce-looking bodyguard was glaring at her angrily.
"Kiwi, you really need to be taught a lesson—"
The bodyguard’s words suddenly cut off.
His eyes widened slightly, then his whole body began to convulse violently. Kiwi instinctively took two steps back just as the burly bodyguard’s head erupted with sparks of electricity.
In Kiwi’s vision, the small penguin transford into the blurred image of a hooded man.
A calm, sowhat youthful male voice reached her ears.
"I heard your plea, so I have co."
"You just said the sooner the better, right?"
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Bonus Chapter @2100 power stones.
Starting from Chapter 50, each Chapter will be at least 5,000 words, with so exceeding 7,500. For comparison, a typical Chapter on Webnovel runs between 1,500 and 2,500 words. So don’t think I’m asking for too many power stones SliThug! You’re about to be well served.
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I also recomnd reading HxH: Dying Makes Stronger it’s a true hidden gem.
Advanced Chapter on p-atreon/AstartesTL
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