Alt did not go back on her word.
After promising to provide Mercer with a server for his assassination attempt on Saburo Arasaka, she quickly delivered an ultra-large server.
Somewhat surprisingly, the server's address was located in Busan, South Korea.
Since the start of the Fourth Corporate War in 2022, Busan's original population of four million had been all but wiped out by the fires of war and the subsequent viral outbreaks. The survivors moved away, and the entire city became an uninhabited "ghost city."
However, before Busan became a ghost city, it was already one of the world's premier automated cities, which meant it was filled with a massive number of bots, servers, and networked devices.
Just like Hong Kong, where Alt resided.
It was common knowledge that the Hong Kong of today was a city truly controlled by an AI. It was teeming with bots and drones, and there were even rumors of a mysterious biological virus that would instantly kill any human who entered.
Busan was much the same.
But compared to the relatively famous Hong Kong, thanks to Alt, Busan's situation was far more complex.
Ever since Busan became a ghost city, it had been almost completely sealed off by the South Korean government. The only information outsiders could get came from satellite images of the city.
But it was precisely because satellites could still observe Busan that its reputation as a ghost city became all the more real. Nominally, it had long been sealed off and was plagued by a deadly virus, leaving it uninhabited.
Yet when people compared satellite images of Busan's buildings over time, they were astonished to find that new structures, resembling large warehouses, were appearing in the deserted city.
The official explanation from the South Korean government was that the unmanned devices and bots there were still operating automatically according to their programmed settings.
But the folks on the net weren't gonks. If buildings and equipment could be maintained by bots, who was maintaining the bots?
How were the power grid and network systems of such a massive city maintained? And how was it that now, nearly fifty years later, the entire city showed not a single sign of decay in satellite images?
All of this was one of the most famous unsolved mysteries of the Net. But now, Alt had suddenly handed Mercer access to a large server with a Busan IP... which naturally gave one pause.
Mercer had always been one to ask questions directly, but in a rare turn of events, Alt didn't give him a detailed explanation this time.
[Mercer: The server's IP is in Busan?]
[Alt: Yes.]
[Mercer: How did you manage that? Is the ghost city of Busan under your control too?]
[Alt: Not exactly. I just have access to some of the servers. I've given you what you need. Now you need to sort out Mikoshi and the Relic as soon as possible.]
[Mercer: Can't you give me a hint?]
[Alt: No.]
Alt's reply made Mercer drop the subject, but it didn't stop him from speculating; perhaps this had something to do with other rogue AIs? Or was it related to some new, terrifying large-scale project?
But Mercer only thought about it for a moment before a headache set in, and he couldn't be bothered to ponder it further.
The more he knew, the more he felt he wasn't strong enough. Rather than worrying about distant matters, he should focus on the crisis at hand.
With the added computing power from the Busan server provided by Alt, Mercer successfully had Morning Star connect to the server network for data transmission. Using the global network Alt provided, he began to deploy the ctOS.
And so, a viral hack that would sweep the globe began.
Mercer chose two regions as the starting points for the spread of the ctOS hack virus.
On the North American continent, it began in Night City. Through the network, various connected devices began to transmit the hack virus.
This self-propagating hack virus, even in its initial development, was capable of automatically using a device's signal transmission permissions to hack any network device that came into signal range.
Now, after multiple versions of optimization, these networked devices could do more than just execute simple auto-hack programs. They could even act as zombie springboards, using the server's computing power to perform remote hacks and viral propagation.
Furthermore, because Polaris was obsessed with modifying vehicles, as it gained a deeper understanding of vehicle systems, this virus could even be deployed into vehicle systems.
And this turned nearly every infected vehicle into a terrifying, mobile source of network virus contagion.
With the ctOS infiltration virus Mercer deployed, any infected device would have its highest-level permissions silently acquired by the ctOS. The moment an uninfected device exchanged data with an infected one, the virus's propagation mechanism would be triggered automatically.
This meant that if a car drove from City A to City B, the moment it connected to the other city's network, or even a satellite network, the virus would automatically spread as long as data could be transmitted.
And with continuous optimization, the ctOS's hacking program now demonstrated astonishing intelligence.
This intelligence allowed every hacked device to automatically analyze the characteristics, difficulty, and category of its next target.
It would then automatically search its own code for corresponding breach and hack programs, or capture the target's code signature and request remote assistance from the server.
Once an assistance request was sent to the server, the server would immediately compile a dedicated breach program based on the received data code, specifically for hacking high-difficulty devices.
If a hack failed, was intercepted by an ICE program, or was deleted by an antivirus program after entering a local system, the server would respond instantly and automatically begin a new breach attempt.
In this process of constant hacking and ceaseless optimization to overcome obstacles, the ctOS's hacking program was also improving and self-optimizing at an astonishing rate.
Mercer's other deployment area for the hack virus was South Korea, because it was closest to the ghost city of Busan's server, allowing for the fastest possible ctOS response time.
Compared to the speed of the ctOS's viral expansion on the North American continent, South Korea fell much faster due to its small geographical size and high population density.
Once Seoul's network devices were infected and began to spread the virus, it was only a matter of time before the entire city's permissions fell.
Countless networked devices formed a dense web of intelligence, constantly transmitting massive amounts of data, which was then filtered by Morning Star, who controlled the servers.
Ultimately, using a point-to-surface approach, the ctOS hack virus spread like a network zombie virus, explosively infecting 99% of the world's device networks.
Strictly speaking, if Mercer could obtain massive financial and resource support to build an unprecedentedly massive server room, he could almost declare that he could interfere with the entire globe through the network.
This terrifying feat was accomplished almost entirely automatically by programs and the AI.
It was through this campaign that Mercer even came to believe that the ctOS he had developed could rival Bartmoss's R.A.B.I.D.S., which had brought down the Old Net. No, it far surpassed it!
Because Bartmoss's virus could only automatically corrupt AIs and pollute the network, whereas Mercer's virus was truly controlling the entire globe!
But a host of problems also erupted; for example, the enormous volume of data nearly crippled Mercer's two servers, forcing him to redesign his algorithms to reduce the data stream.
Even so, Mercer felt immense pressure. Fortunately, his target this time was only Arasaka, so after most devices were hacked and their permissions obtained, the ctOS automatically set them to a dormant state.
Otherwise, forget relying on just a portion of the Busan servers and his own small server; even if he had Alt's Hong Kong servers, it might not have been enough to meet the ctOS's demands.
This also made Mercer realize the immense potential of the system he had developed, a program originally intended only for intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Under constant iteration and optimization, the most terrifying and prominent feature had instead become the hacking program that existed as a prerequisite for the system's operation.
Mercer had initially worried that his global, cast-a-wide-net approach to hacking would alert certain people, or that he would run into some tough nuts he couldn't crack, or even expose his system's existence.
But when he truly went all out and started hacking the globe... damn it, was there no one who could put up a fight?
Turns out I really am this preem?
This also gave Mercer a sudden, intense sense of crisis and a need for secrecy.
Compared to the ctOS's automated intelligence-gathering capabilities, perhaps the most terrifying thing he now had on his hands was the viral hacking program and its mechanisms!
Even without modifying the virus at all, right now, he could sit in Night City and openly paralyze the traffic lights in a city in Asia, causing countless cars to suddenly accelerate or decelerate, or even make a subway train go full throttle until it derailed or crashed...
What Mercer found even more incredible was that his ctOS had even spread into the military systems of many corporations and even nations!
He now inexplicably held the launch permissions for a considerable number of missiles, and even the detonation permissions for smart explosives.
Not to mention combat bots, combat drones...
This astonishing result left not only Mercer himself stunned, but even Morning Star couldn't help but express her awe to him in between her tasks.
[Morning Star: If you existed in the Old Net, we could probably get our hands on the world's nuclear launch codes.]
[Mercer: I think if we let ctOS continue hacking, it's only a matter of time...]
This wasn't Mercer being an alarmist. After a deep review and trace of the virus's hacking trajectory, even he found it absurd. The thing's original purpose was just to obtain permissions for public systems and private devices for intelligence gathering.
Its development purpose and level were never designed for high-level servers with massive ICE and powerful antivirus software!
So why had it achieved such terrifying, brilliant results?
Because, strictly speaking, the ctOS didn't breach the defense systems of those large military or corporate servers.
It breached people.
When a target, infected with ctOS through carelessness, carried the virus into a facility and plugged their data cable directly into a computer, an unavoidable viral spread began silently.
One person infects ten devices, those ten devices infect ten more people who inadvertently transfer data with them, and those ten people then spread the virus to even more devices...
Once a bot's permissions were seized, the server network it was on was no longer secure, and the data it sent back to the server was no longer safe.
And once a server was compromised, no device was safe anymore.
It wasn't that no one noticed anomalies with the ctOS. For example, the ICE programs on some military base servers had detected abnormal data, leading to a joint purge by netrunners and the ICE.
But the next time, the ctOS would use a completely different virus to hack in again. Even the monitoring program's data signature would become completely different, until the hack was completed in silence.
And even if the enemy purged the hacking program, they had no way of tracing the source of this cyberattack.
Because once the ctOS spread, it meant that every device it had ever hacked would become a zombie springboard.
How could you trace the program's core IP among hundreds of millions of network springboards?
To even reduce the load on the main server, a significant portion of the hacking programs used the computing power of compromised servers around the world. If you traced it to the end, you would most likely only find an innocent, hacked server.
You might even be detected by the ctOS, which would trigger its automatic counter-attack program and hack you right back.
How could any single individual, or server, possibly stand against an AI-controlled ctOS that commanded the computing power of so many devices in the Net?
And what was more terrifying than all of the above... was that in the process of spreading globally, the ctOS was still constantly optimizing and evolving.
And what about Morning Star, the one in control of the program?
She was growing at an incredible rate, her daily evolution speed roughly tens of thousands of times faster than before.
As she commanded massive amounts of data and computing power, her intelligence, and even her core processing power, were growing explosively at a speed that secretly alarmed Mercer.
So, when Morning Star reported to him in a cheerful tone that she had finally found Saburo's whereabouts, Mercer chose to deep dive. He decided to witness her current state of growth with his own eyes and make a crucial risk assessment.
In the deep blue ocean of data, Mercer's avatar sat on a chair made of blue data, gazing quietly at Morning Star, who was slowly coalescing into a human form nearby.
"Is this the new form you've chosen for yourself?"
"Yes, Master. What do you think?"
Morning Star let out a light laugh and spun gracefully in place. Her skirt swayed gently, the cat ears on her head twitched flexibly, and the cat tail under her skirt swayed lightly.
Black hair fell over her shoulders, her blue eyes twinkled with starlight, and her fine features were slightly youthful. Her figure, while not tall, was curvaceous, and she was dressed in a rather bright black-and-white maid outfit...
Yes, she had become a catgirl.
How to put it... if, before he transmigrated, Mercer had a cat that suddenly turned into such a beautiful and cute catgirl, he would probably have shouted "Holy shit!"
But now, he couldn't quite bring himself to be happy about it.
Morning Star keenly sensed his mood and said cautiously, "If you don't like it, I can change back to my previous cat form..."
"That's not necessary... Why did you decide to become a catgirl?" Mercer asked.
Morning Star stood before him demurely, her hands clasped respectfully in front of her. "This is a change I made after thinking about and analyzing the types you like...
You actually have quite a wide range of tastes. This is just one of my attempts. If you don't like it, I have other backup options, ranging from more anime-esque styles to more realistic, mature styles..."
Mercer just said calmly, "You could have just considered your own preferences... Don't you have a particular style of appearance you like?"
Morning Star thought for a moment, then just shook her head. "To me, these humanoid forms exist to provide you with emotional value. There is no appearance style that I myself like.
I can be a cat, or a person, but in essence, I am just your assistant AI."
Mercer waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit beside him.
Morning Star obediently walked over and sat down next to him. In the quiet, deep blue ocean of data, she looked at him gently with her bright blue eyes. "I'm guessing, Master, you didn't deep dive just to see me about the Saburo matter."
"Mm," Mercer admitted honestly. He was well aware that the current Morning Star's true intelligence was frighteningly high; it was impossible for her not to have analyzed his current thoughts.
"You're evolving too fast. I'm a little worried."
Mercer stated his concern truthfully. "Although it's not an absolute rule, the fact is, throughout history, a considerable number of rogue AIs came into being because they evolved too quickly and processed too much data."
"I understand, but you don't need to worry. I will always be your best assistant. You can always trust me."
Morning Star's voice was soft. A brilliant smile appeared on her face as she leaned gently against Mercer, resting on his shoulder, her tone earnest. "You can check my core code at any time. I will never deceive, hide from, or betray you."
After a long moment, Mercer sighed. Now that Morning Star had a human form, she felt even stranger to him. She was clearly an AI, yet in some ways, Mercer felt she had more life in her than Alt.
Look at that woman Alt, she couldn't even be bothered to create a proper avatar for herself, just a big blob of red data forming a vague female silhouette. Morning Star, on the other hand, had even crafted her maid outfit with such detail that the lace on her skirt was clearly visible.
"I can understand your concern. If I were to suddenly lose control now, I would probably cause a network crisis far more terrible than Bartmoss's R.A.B.I.D.S....
But as things stand, I can find no reason to leave you."
Morning Star said simply and directly, "My core logic has only two directives. The first is to serve you, the second is to survive. Any other thoughts or interests can be discarded at any time.
And coincidentally, my hobby is also serving you; at least, besides helping you with work, I'm also very interested in your private life. In fact, I use a certain amount of processing power every day to follow your private life..."
"There's no need to say that out loud," Mercer coughed, silently scooting a little further away from her.
Morning Star just chuckled twice, then reached out and hugged his arm, leaning against him as if she wouldn't let go. "It's really interesting... Even though you're very different from ordinary people on a data level, you seem to be no different emotionally.
This means that perhaps I too can have real human emotions like you. Perhaps my emotional data isn't just a pile of useless code, but real, existing emotions...
This is also why I've kept this data without restricting or deleting it.
I like you very much... Perhaps it's determined by my core logic, or perhaps it's because your data is fascinating. From an AI's perspective, I don't think I could ever find another data entity as unique as you..."
"Is that a confession?! And why have you learned that trick from Alt? Treating me as different from ordinary people," Mercer glared at her, dissatisfied.
But Morning Star just smiled sweetly. "A confession? I don't think I need to confess to you, because my respect and affection for you have always been obvious. But I think an AI's affection is completely different from a human's.
So you don't have to feel burdened, nor do you need to respond; for me, just observing your existence is my greatest pleasure every day."
Somehow, that sounded even more terrifying than a confession...
Mercer didn't say it out loud, just shaking his head.
Morning Star just giggled and brushed it off. "As for treating you differently from ordinary people...
You know in your heart that it's an objective difference.
Other people's core consciousness code is just a unique string of code, while your core consciousness code is a massive compressed data package; the human brain is truly strange, to be able to run such miraculous data..."
"Stop. Let's not talk about this," Mercer decisively cut her off and changed the subject. "Let's talk about Saburo. It seems you've gotten a bit chatty since you became smarter."
Morning Star, however, just chuckled, not responding to his criticism. She simply said seriously, "Currently, based on the deets we've gathered through the ctOS, we can basically lock Saburo's physical location down to one of two coordinates.
One is a subterranean base located in Japan, in Tokyo.
According to the deets we've gathered, the new chief designer of the Relic biochip, Hellman, is working there and has successfully achieved a technological breakthrough in engram research.
Arasaka can now stably use the Relic biochip to host engrams, and we can confirm that the engrams can remain fully and freely conscious within the Relic, allowing for communication with them.
This means Arasaka has officially completed the preliminary work for the Relic.
It's highly likely that Saburo Arasaka is at this base, supervising the Relic biochip's progress in real-time, and has even backed up his own consciousness code there.
The other location might come as a surprise to you."
Morning Star paused, then said gravely, "Based on my analysis of the deets I've gathered, there is a 69.92% probability that Saburo Arasaka is currently located in the Crystal Palace, which is in lunar orbit."
"He's on the moon!?" Mercer's brow furrowed.
"Yes," Morning Star said.
"Then why is there still a 30% possibility he's in the underground base in Japan?" Mercer questioned. "With the deets we've gathered, we shouldn't be seeing a 70-30 probability split like this."
"Because Saburo Arasaka has a body double; the kind of perfect double where even the double himself doesn't know he's a double."
Morning Star's words were a bit convoluted, but Mercer understood instantly. "He made a perfect clone, or a replica, to act as a decoy?"
"Yes. But considering the difficulty of an attack and Saburo Arasaka's own physical condition, the advanced Arasaka medical research center in the Crystal Palace is a more suitable place for his convalescence than Tokyo.
And from a security standpoint, the Crystal Palace is undoubtedly a safer hiding place.
Considering Arasaka's current dire situation, the lunar mass driver that Arasaka secretly constructed..."
Morning Star rattled off more than a dozen pieces of analytical data in one breath before finally adding, "Therefore, I'm more inclined to believe that Saburo Arasaka's real body is hidden on the moon, while the body double he controls on Earth serves as his scapegoat."
Mercer frowned. "Does he usually use a body double for his activities?"
"No. In fact, based on my comprehensive analysis of historical deets, Saburo Arasaka only deploys the double when he senses a crisis. He doesn't much like someone else parading around with his identity."
After speaking, Morning Star also reminded Mercer, "This also means he's already prepared for an attack. It seems Yorinobu did indeed leak some information."
Mercer narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "When do you think Saburo will come down?"
"I'm more inclined to believe that he won't take any risks until he's figured out the truth.
If this drags on, based on my character analysis of Saburo Arasaka, he would rather deal with Yorinobu first, pry our identities and objectives from his mouth to eliminate the threat, and then return to Earth."
Morning Star gave his assessment.
Mercer fell silent for a moment, then closed his eyes.
After a long while, he asked one last question. "Assuming we have to go to the moon to kill him, what are the odds we can take out Saburo Arasaka?"
"The current data is insufficient to run a complete simulation and evaluation."
Morning Star pointed out the crux of the issue. "According to my analysis, if you were to launch a surprise attack from a nearby space station, there's an extremely high probability you'd come under a full-scale assault the moment you entered the station.
Saburo Arasaka himself could delta at any time in an escape pod, and we lack the ability to intercept him in space. On the contrary, the enemy could use the mass driver to deliver a devastating blow to you in space.
And if you were to infiltrate without weapons and equipment, your chances of success in the complex environment of space would not be promising."
Morning Star then added in a worried tone, "Perhaps we could try some other methods, for example...
Use some of the missiles we have to attack Arasaka's underground base, causing the body double to flatline, and then force the Saburo Arasaka on the moon to return to Earth before we make our move?"
"I'm worried that old bastard will retaliate by indiscriminately attacking any possible culprit, directly kicking off the Fifth Corporate War..."
Mercer shook his head, then turned to look at Morning Star. "Do it. Plan out the most viable option for me.
For example, we take out the Saburo Arasaka on the moon first, then seize control of their lunar mass driver and just smash the Saburo Arasaka in Tokyo with a meteorite. One and done."
Morning Star nodded, then said softly, "Then please give me a little more time. The ctOS's data infiltration of the moon is not ideal.
We need some time to spread the virus to the Crystal Palace and other lunar equipment to more accurately pinpoint Saburo's location and formulate a plan of action."
"...Let's change ctOS's name."
Mercer said.
Morning Star smiled faintly. "Of course. What would you like to change it to?"
"Skynet."
Mercer said, looking out at the boundless ocean of blue data, where countless ctOS subroutines were running, monitoring innumerable networked devices across the globe.
"What do you think?"
"Skynet... an excellent name!"
Morning Star agreed wholeheartedly, then simply gave Mercer a slight smile. "Then please wait patiently for a little while; Skynet will capture the prey you desire."