Volume 6: Secret Invasion Chapter 62 For those who do great things, a proper retreat is a must
Looking out of the window, the Night City at dawn is not much different from Gotham. But after sitting in the luxurious panoramic hovercraft and looking down at the entire city from a high altitude, you can find that this city located in the wilderness is somewhat different from Gotham.
"There aren't so many slums in Gotham! Our slums are all concentrated in Nahe Island. Other places are bright and beautiful, just like the rind of a bad orange still exudes fragrance."
Harley, who was sitting next to Mason, curled her lips, while her "evil twin" Quinn, who was sitting on the other side of Mason, crossed her arms and said coldly:
"Gotham is much more vibrant than this city. I don't see a single living person down there. They're all just zombies."
"Your senses are very sharp, Miss Quinn."
Miss Huazi, who was the guide in the floating car, chuckled and said in agreement:
"Night City is already in a state of decay, especially after the 'upload' was executed when the world was destroyed. The people who fell into delusion are even more desperate about the future.
Although when they were still alive, they had little hope.
But at least at that time, they could use words like "freedom" to inspire people's hearts and raise a banner that never existed to cover up their appearance.
And now, there is nothing here.
Although our technicians have done their best to restore the appearance of the digital world to 100%, and even imitated the laws of physics to the extreme, unfortunately, no matter how perfect the falsehood is, it cannot be compared with the cold reality. "
"But you always have ways to stabilize these data."
Mason sat on the comfortable sofa with his eyes slightly closed. He was not very interested in the scenery of Night City, mainly because he had experienced it many times before.
He even knew the locations of various "treasures" hidden throughout the city.
If the time wasn't tight, Mason would really like to drive the hovercraft around Night City and play a treasure hunt game with Harley and Quinn.
They will both love the quirky clothes and accessories that are so unique.
"V once told me that you created a real data world in the shrine in order to preserve the activity of data consciousness?"
Mason asked:
“How does it work exactly?”
“The principle is actually very simple.”
Miss Huazi brushed her hair and introduced:
"The cheapest way to make these people feel 'alive' and regularly stimulate their emotions to avoid redundancy and loss of consciousness data is to make them feel happy.
Games, Mewtwo, books, drugs, the entertainment industry and the like are all very vulgar content but have the most direct sensory stimulation and can satisfy the most basic human social and information collection needs, giving them a place to vent their dissatisfaction, share gossip and opinions with strangers, express their emotions and finally have a hearty quarrel.
Let these cheap entertainments flood society and be placed where people can get them.
When a person's life is wrapped and filled with "happiness", his sense of satisfaction will rise rapidly. Occasionally, there will be a higher level of stimulation, such as street racing or underground boxing matches permitted by the law, or hot topics created by public opinion to provoke opposition and conflict to consume their excess energy.
There is no need to chase dreams or think about the future.
Enjoy the moment and be happy.
We only need to maintain basic physiological satisfaction and continuous information bombardment on the psychological level. Using one fleeting hot spot after another can always help us solve many unnecessary troubles in social governance.
Setting up cognitive hierarchies, generating junk data, and creating information cocoons will turn the entire society into an emotional garbage can and echo chamber, thereby drowning out sensitive information.
As long as no one wants to actually pursue the truth, then the truth is not a problem.
It sounds complicated.
But all I have described can be achieved with just a little bit of public opinion guidance .
We have been maintaining this model since the portable shrine was used to perform mind uploading around the world, and it seems to be working very well so far.
Although the number of cyberpsychopaths created by data corruption is increasing every month , compared to the total amount of data in the world, this loss is acceptable."
Mason nodded. Huazi's words were not concealed at all, and the three words "nipple joy" were written on his face directly.
He therefore lamented:
"For most people, ideals and the future are heavy things in their existence. Throwing them away can indeed make them move forward with light luggage. But if you keep doing this, aren't you afraid of wasting these consciousness data?
As far as I know, you should also have a 'Civilization Reconstruction Protocol', right?"
"No, it won't."
Miss Huazi maintained her perfect demeanor. She lowered her head and replied softly:
"This is a fake, Mr. Mason. When our civilization needs to start over, a simple 'amnesiac' procedure will ensure that they are restored to the most perfect 'factory settings'.
If necessary, we can also fabricate non-existent collective memories on a large scale to complete the social restart.
This is entirely possible with our technology.
This is perhaps our tragedy. We are now just data in the form of code. In front of a data god like Bartmos, we don’t even have the power to perceive reality. "
"You are dissatisfied."
Quinn, who was on Mason's left, put her little sweetheart's hand on her belly and stared at Miss Huazi, saying:
"You want to rebel, you want more power, you want to say 'no' to your God!"
Miss Huazi did not answer.
But her silence already represents her attitude.
"Are you enjoying your time in Gotham?"
Mason suddenly asked a completely unrelated question, and Huazi smiled, nodded and said:
“Although I was robbed fifteen times out of the twenty-two times I went out in the city over a month, I actually quite like it there.
Compared to the chaos in Night City, the people of Gotham are really hospitable.
If I could, I would really like to move there.”
"You can go."
Mason said:
"Buy a house in Gotham, choose your own decoration, buy your own furniture, and maybe get a dog. Although you are no longer the helmsman of a large conglomerate that dominates the world, you will still have to make money to support yourself and worry about loans, relationships, and security issues.
But I think you would be willing to pay some price to be free from the shrine forever, right?"
"Um?"
Huazi's expression froze.
For the first time, she looked at Mason with her less-than-perfect manners, her bionic eyes staring straight at him as if to judge whether Mason was joking or not.
After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and said:
"Yes, I do! I even got a few cats from Ms. Selina and kept them in my dorm, although I accidentally let them run away and I hate changing their litter, but... I mean, can I really?"
"Gotham and even that world welcomes everyone who has contributed to it, Huazi, whether they are real flesh and blood or not."
Mason waved his hands and said:
“In fact, Osborne Tower also welcomes outstanding women like you. You see, we are facing an embarrassing shortage of manpower in the war, and you have a certain influence in cyberspace.
This is actually a transaction.
I think Bartmos will give me the face to obtain permanent residency by using the participation of the Arasaka Group in the war."
"This is of course a transaction. We don't expect you to give us such power."
Arasaka Hanako stood up and leaned towards Mason in the hovercraft. It was not an ordinary salute but more like some kind of "loyalty" ceremony, but Mason shook his head and said:
"I'm not the master of Gotham, so I'm just giving advice. You still need to discuss this matter with the real person in charge."
"I will, Master Mason."
Miss Huazi said very seriously:
"I will also ensure that all consciousness data in Arasaka Industries will fight for your cause in exchange for our right to be 'reborn as human beings' again."
Mason smiled and stopped talking. Harley also sat back on the sofa, with Quinn and Harley sitting on either side of the sweetheart.
She thought that the aura of control that Mr. K had when he was talking to Huazi just now was so handsome, and he was indeed the man who made her fall in love at first sight.
A few minutes later, four luxurious-looking hovercrafts slowly stopped next to the tallest building in Night City. This was originally the headquarters of Arasaka Industries in this city, but now it has apparently been "expropriated" by Batmos.
"We're here."
Miss Huazi opened the door for Mason personally. She bowed her head and said goodbye in the floating car:
"The God of Data is waiting for you in the tower. I need to go back to the data district city in District 11 to hold a group meeting. I promise you that when you leave the divine sedan chair, there will be an immortal data army that will follow you to the death."
"Um."
Mason nodded and led Harley and Quinn to the carpeted tarmac in front of them.
The master and his group nearby also came over to join them. Each car had its own guide, and from the expressions on their faces, it could be seen that they must have asked a lot of questions and received corresponding answers along the way.
If we only analyze from the expression, the old man's eyes are full of vigilance towards this "future", and Wonder Woman hates this place even more than when she woke up.
The old Green Goblin had no sorrow or joy, but he should have learned some very useful "little tricks of ruling" to prepare for his future life as the king of the world or even the ruler of the galaxy.
John Wick, who was walking at the end and the most low-key, had a cold face, revealing the indifference of an assassin saint.
“It seems like everyone has gained something, which is great.”
Mason said jokingly, then looked at Barbara who was secretly delighted, and said:
"What about you? Sis, what did you learn from your one-day trip to Night City?"
"A total of 17 techniques and procedures taught by the legendary hacker 'Spider Murphy' himself! The girl in the leather jacket is so cool. I like her personality and admire her talent."
Batgirl pointed at her head and said with a smile:
"I just wonder if I can learn a thing or two from Mr. Bartomos. He is Miss Murphy's idol. No, he is the idol of all hackers."
"Well, it seems that this trip is like chasing stars and making a pilgrimage for you."
Mason curled his lips and walked into the French window door of the "Data Tower" in front of them with his master.
Bartmos didn't do anything fancy. He was just welcoming his guests in the well-lit top-floor hall in front of him.
He was still as unkempt as the last time I "met" Mason, wearing a solid-color sweater and slim pants that programmers love most, with black-framed glasses on his nose and short gray hair. Apart from that, he didn't have any special decorations, just the same simple style as Steve Jobs.
Probably all programmers like this minimalist combination, which makes them look very professional and convincing.
He held his worn-out mug in his hands and opened his arms to welcome the guests from other worlds. Then he waved his hand and, like magic, created a circle with chairs that matched the number of people.
This is the venue for this conversation.
"Everyone, please take a seat."
Bartmos called out:
“I’m actually a bit socially anxious. I’ve spent the last ten years of my life hiding in my building, with only cold machines and the Internet to keep me company.
So I won’t waste my time on clichés and let’s get straight to the point.”
After everyone took their seats, the God of Data coughed and said to everyone in front of him very seriously:
“This time, I asked Mason to invite everyone here to discuss with everyone our data life’s preparations and plans .
I think you've all seen the real Night City.
Now that you have a direct understanding of the world we can construct with data, what I want to say to you is that I have always wanted to expand the impact of the mikoshi.
To put it simply, I hope to get your permission to set up the distributed database and host of the sacred carriage in your respective territories..."
"Mr. Bartomos! We are not hackers. In fact, we don't know much about the relevant knowledge."
Wonder Woman bluntly said:
"Please consider our knowledge level and restate your plan in terms that ordinary people can understand."
"What he meant was that our world should also be transformed into a virtual space like Night City."
The old green devil, who was very knowledgeable in science, explained it softly to Ms. Diana, who had little experience in programming and electronic programs. The latter's eyes shrank, and she immediately shook her head and said:
"No, I cannot accept the Amazon Kingdom falling into this state in the future. All the lives in this city are doomed. It would be much more merciful to give them a sword than to let them live in confusion like they do now!"
"Sir Norman, please don't misinterpret my meaning."
Bartomos pushed his black-framed glasses. He was not angry at Wonder Woman's remarks. Instead, he patiently explained:
"It's just a backup for your world... Well, I mean, you're going to fight the Star Society, but you can't always think about winning. You have to think about the way out in case you lose.
Even if you can win this battle, the impact incident is still an unavoidable problem.
If we cannot ensure that our flesh and blood survive the apocalypse, then it is not unacceptable to transform our souls and minds into another form to survive.
Trust me, Lady Diana.
The launch of all my plans is based on the premise that your resistance in the material world will fail.
As I said, it’s just a fallback to the world we love, maybe not perfect, but it’s still a fallback.”
At this point, the God of Data paused, drank a sip of the data water in the mug, and said:
“Of course, I won’t hide it from you.
Another main reason why I ask you to accept the "God's Carriage Project" is that we need to find a few more backup locations for the main server that is still running but is increasingly overloaded due to data overflow, so that after the main server is destroyed, the "new world" that I spent a lot of effort to create and my data civilization will not perish along with the hardware destruction. "
"But even without our consent, your plan for the mikoshi is already being implemented."
The master stared at Bartmos and said:
“Cyborg…important members of the Justice League have joined your Data Life Alliance and have begun looking for a server storage location for you in my world.
Mariana Trench, Sahara Desert, Himalayas...
Just because I allowed this plan doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware of it.”
"I have no intention of hiding this, but Victor Stone is indeed a very valuable data life."
Bartmos nodded and said:
"He wanted to do what he could for his world, he was a real hero, so it didn't take much for my assistant Otto to convince him.
There's no need to worry that Cyborg will betray his companion, Batman.
He agreed to join us on the premise that we would never threaten your world, and I personally have absolutely no intention of harming any world.
I think this exchange is good for both of us.
You have no reason to reject my proposal, especially since I have decided to stand firmly on your side in your war with the Star Society."
The Hacker God said to Batman very seriously:
“After the war begins, I will fully open up the oracle’s data download permissions, which means you will receive countless reinforcements. Although their combat effectiveness is far inferior to that of superheroes, I believe that quantitative change can bring about qualitative change.
In other words, quantity itself is a kind of quality.
Although this will put the main server under terrible load pressure, after Lord Mason eliminated Brainiac, who posed the greatest threat to us, the Data Life Alliance can now take this risk. "
"I have no objection!"
While the master was still hesitating, the old Green Goblin had already made up his mind.
He raised his finger to Bartmos and said:
"But the management of the distributed server host set up in Osborne Tower must be delegated to me. I will not hide it from you, Mr. Bartmos, I still don't trust you."
"Of course, all we need is a physical world to store the host. I don't care who has the management rights. I can even grant the 'administrator' authority to the world where the split program is located, and invite you to participate in the design and construction of your own world at the data level...
This is your right!"
The Data God nodded and looked at John Wick again.
The Assassin Saint didn't know much about computers, but after seeing Mason nod to him, he also spoke:
"I personally have no objection, but this matter needs to be approved by both the Brotherhood and the Knights Templar. I will return to the Isu world in the near future and make a report."
"We can accept that, too."
The master glanced at Mason and said to Bartmos:
"I believe in Cyborg, and I also believe in Mason. It's just about the permission to download consciousness data. This is a tactic that requires a large supply of bionic carriers to form combat effectiveness.
We have no shortage of resources, but you must show sincerity in upgrading manufacturing processes and technology.
My point is that Wayne Enterprises is in desperate need of some skilled and trustworthy engineers."
"Of course, knowledge needs to be shared to reflect its value. Closed knowledge will only become stagnant water in the end."
Bartmos gave a slightly shy, socially phobic smile, spread his arms, nodded politely and said:
"Our civilization database will be open to you, but how much you can get from it depends on your own abilities. Finally, I wish you all a smooth journey of cooperation."
