After setting up a secure network channel capable of directly connecting to all servers for emergency consciousness data transfer, Mercer finally made up his mind to proceed with the formal self-experimentation.
...
"Mercer..."
Lucy's expression was still full of worry.
But Mercer himself only calmly connected the Neural Connection Line to the back of his head: "Don't worry, we've tested it many times already, haven't we?
As long as the line isn't unplugged, this kind of consciousness data upload is more like a deeper dive.
Our soul is like it has an invisible anchor point, as long as the line hasn't broken, it can always find its way home."
Lucy knew, after all, during these past few days of experimentation, she was almost always by Mercer's side. Even if she didn't quite understand, she tried her best to learn and familiarize herself.
Because once there's an issue with Mercer's consciousness data, she must operate the program to safely retrieve his consciousness back into his body.
Yet, when Mercer was truly ready to upload his consciousness, an inexplicable fear still lingered in her heart, impossible to ignore.
"Don't look at me like that..." Mercer saw her slightly reddened eyes, couldn't help but laugh and reach out to touch her face: "You're making it seem like I'm off to do something suicidal."
"I... I'm a bit afraid." Lucy admitted honestly, lowering her head and embracing his shoulders, resting her face against his neck: "Promise me, it's just a simple test, and you'll come back."
"Alright, I promise you, no matter what happens, I'll definitely return — knowing you can't live without me, how could I ever leave you behind?"
Mercer hugged her gently, kissed her cheek and lips softly, then pinched her cheek: "Don't worry, I'll always be with you."
Why does it feel like the more I say it, the more it feels like a flag's being raised?
Mercer quickly shook his head to break this atmosphere, laughed and said: "Alright, let's start, just stay calm, it's just a normal experiment, we've done it many times already, haven't we?"
Lucy reluctantly let go, looking at his smiling face, and silently picked up the tablet next to the hacker chair: "Should I really press it?"
"Let's start."
Mercer joked: "Or should I do it myself?"
Lucy hesitated, but in the end, she gritted her teeth: "You should lie down."
Mercer obediently lay down, and then Lucy took a deep breath, looking seriously at the tablet in her hand: "Commencing consciousness data transmission in ten seconds."
"Neural wave readings are normal, Soulkiller Program data check is normal..."
"Neural Connection Line data transfer function is normal..."
"Server transmission function is normal..."
"LAN function is normal..."
Following the procedure, she performed each check, and at the end, looked at him with eyes slightly filled with unease and worry: "Consciousness data upload countdown, five, four, three..."
Mercer's consciousness stalled at the moment she counted to one.
He had expected to be like the previous test subjects, frozen in thought the moment the consciousness was uploaded, only to awaken when the entire consciousness was fully uploaded to the server, becoming a consciousness data entity.
But in fact, his awakening speed was much faster than those ordinary people.
This meant Mercer personally witnessed the process of his consciousness being transferred.
His consciousness only stalled for a moment, and then he clearly perceived multiple senses being stripped away.
Hearing disappeared, smell disappeared, touch disappeared...
Then came an extremely rapid consciousness transfer — surprisingly, there was no pain, nor any distracting thoughts, it was just as if a simple jump through network IP from a state of deep diving.
Mercer lost his sense of time, but it was replaced by an acute enhancement of another sense.
This sense was the wondrous and incredible 'data perception' he possessed as a human being.
The former Mercer could, with just a glance at data and programs, rely on a certain peculiar 'intuition' to identify the type and content of the data.
It was through this ability that he was able to crack the Soulkiller Program and find the core of human consciousness data.
And now, this ability was rapidly magnified — as if he had exchanged all his sensory capabilities, hearing, touch, smell, for this unique data perception.
When his vision was filled with a stable blue ocean of data, and his body finally able to move again.
Mercer realized in less than a nanosecond that his consciousness data upload was complete.
"Lucy?"
He attempted to speak, his voice resounding in the server space, more like a stream of simulated language data than sound.
Mercer could clearly see how this data stream was transmitted within the server, and could even perceive how the simple word Lucy was transformed from characters to text, then sent out.
He could sense the external device — perhaps Lucy's tablet? The word Lucy, which he spoke, was now appearing in text form on the tablet in Lucy's hand.
Mercer waited patiently for a long time, at least in his perception, this wait was so long it almost tested his patience.
[Lucy: Mercer?! Are you okay? Do you feel any discomfort?]
[Mercer: I feel very good, I might even say... fantastic!]