Volume 6: Secret Invasion Chapter 63: To use Night City’s vernacular, it’s… awesome, bro
Batmos is the god of data and also the god of hackers. He has completely inherited the low emotional intelligence characteristics of programmers. He is very direct when talking about things, and after the conversation he doesn't even know how to greet the guests or treat them to a meal.
Just after reaching a cooperation agreement, he said that he was busy writing a few "world upgrade patches" and slipped away, leaving a group of distinguished guests here in the cold.
He really doesn't know how to behave as a human being.
But fortunately, those who were invited here were definitely not ordinary people, and no one had time to haggle over such trivial matters. After Bartmos left, everyone left one after another.
"Too risky, Bruce!"
Wonder Woman complained to the silent master:
"You can't make a decision on your own about setting up a host server in our world that sounds dangerous. You should at least go back and discuss it with everyone."
"Ms. Diana, you actually didn't understand what Bartmos meant by the 'God's Portable Carriage Project' from the beginning to the end, right?"
Barbara asked quietly beside her, causing the heroine's cheeks to slightly redden.
There's nothing we can do about it.
High technology is really not an area that a demigod with the priesthood of God of War like her is good at. Asking her to go to the Cyber Arena and fight against a hundred cyber psychopaths alone would definitely suit her appetite, but it is not easy to figure out something like this that concerns the world's retreat in a short time.
But Wonder Woman is a very proud hero.
She inherited the fine traditions of the Greek gods, and now she pointed at the entire Night City below the tower and said to the Batgirl who was trying to explain the plan of the shrine to her:
"No matter what, I will not allow my world to be reduced to what it is now! If Bartmos's plan is to trap our consciousness and our people in such a virtual cage after our failure, then I will never agree to it."
"Night City looks terrible to you because it was already rotten before it was destroyed."
Mason next to him couldn't help but remind him:
"The overall development of the world in 2077 is a 'crooked' civilization, Diana. The lifeless world in front of you is not caused by the Shinto Project. Their civilization had already reached a dead end before the end of the world.
But ours didn’t.
You should have some faith in your world.
Even if the Shinto Plan, which is the last resort, is really implemented, and our world completes the "data ascension" before the end of the world, their performance in cyberspace will definitely be more than a hundred times stronger than the city in front of you.
Even if you don't believe me and Barbara, you should have some confidence in Bruce's integrity in this regard. His agreement to this plan means that he must have thought about the consequences."
“That’s true…”
Wonder Woman pouted.
She glanced at the master, who made a gesture to her, saying "If you have anything to say, go back to the watchtower and discuss it. It's not safe here." This calmed Diana's stubborn mind, which was particularly stubborn at times.
"Why don't you go back first? I have some 'personal matters' to take care of here."
Mason stood at the highest point in Night City and lit a cigarette for himself.
Although he entered this data world in a conscious way, Miss Huazi said that the realism here has been brought to 100% by Bartomos, so Mason can still enjoy tobacco.
Surrounded by Harley and Quinn, he said to the crowd:
"It won't take too long, and you don't have to worry about my safety. I have the most powerful mercenary in the world to protect me."
"Um."
The master did not hesitate and took Diana to the hovercraft in front of him and returned to the hall of the data interaction point, where he exited the cyberspace.
Green Goblin and John Wick were not in a hurry to leave. They both had their own purposes and didn't mind taking a walk around Night City and checking out the local customs and culture.
Barbara returned to the Data Tower behind her. She really intended to learn some real skills from the "Hacker God" before the war with the Star Society started.
It is a rare opportunity for hackers to meet their "ancestor". The Batmos in front of them is a real boss who can tear up the old network with a homemade virus in the era of keyboard and mouse. If you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again.
In the blink of an eye, only Mason and his two little cuties were left from the group of people just now, but he chose to stay here definitely not because he wanted to play some "little games" with the two little cuties that could not be played in the material world. Although Harley and Quinn were looking forward to it, Mason had to finish his business first.
He winked at the little cuties, and two girls who looked exactly the same but had different personalities walked into the hovercraft hand in hand and waited.
Mason waved to V, who was sitting in a daze on the edge of the data tower not far away. Then he stood at the highest point of Night City, blowing smoke rings. In the blue sky and white clouds, he closed his eyes and blew the simulated data wind, and said to the person beside him:
"Come out, you should be able to appear in person in this place, right?"
"Shua"
A piece of data generated garbled code out of thin air, and then formed the figure of Consus in the process of self-adjustment.
This time, the Isu ghost no longer appears in the form of a projection. Relying on the "magical reaction" produced by the interaction between the Isu Shroud and cyberspace, he, an Isu man with only biological consciousness left, can also generate an entity in the virtual world through data reorganization.
But this is very dangerous behavior!
The "virtual" nature of cyberspace is equivalent to the material world. For Isu people like Consus who have completed soul coding, the data world is the "real world" for them.
Because their current form of existence can also be understood as a specially coded data character, if he were stabbed to death by Mason here, it would mean that Consus' biological consciousness stored in the Isu Shroud would also suffer severe damage.
"Ah, this wind..."
Consus, dressed in a white Isu robe and very religiously, stood with Mason. He also closed his eyes and opened his arms to feel the wind blowing towards him.
Wearing an Isu robe, he let his robe flutter in the wind, blowing up his long black hair. His gentle yet dignified face revealed a rare hint of relaxation.
Consus looked down at his left hand, and the fingers that were paler and longer than those of an ordinary human. He said softly:
“Patmos created a miraculous world. Even 70,000 years ago, our photon computers could not compile such a realistic, perfect, and huge data world.
We can only make memories and scenes concrete, but we cannot maintain them for a long time.
But it's alive, Mason.
It is evolving and self-developing. Given enough time, it will eventually grow into a special dimension that is no different from the material world.
Perhaps, we took the wrong path in our initial struggle for survival.
If we had thought of this way to continue our existence, maybe we wouldn't have to have this awkward conversation today."
"Why should I feel embarrassed?"
Mason blew out a smoke ring, then flicked the cigarette butt in his hand away without any public conscience, watching it fly away in the wind. He glanced at Consus and said:
"If you hadn't asked me to help you do something that would make me feel bad, then there wouldn't be any awkwardness between us. You know, I already regard you as a trustworthy friend, just like you have always called me 'brother'.
Even though you knew from the beginning that I was not the Hephaestus you remembered.
I will never be Hephaestus."
“It just feels hard to talk about.”
Consus smiled.
He adjusted the sash of his robe on his shoulders, was silent for a moment, and then said to Mason:
"Mr. Hat's warning to you was correct. I have been trying to help you for other reasons. My motives are not pure. Compared to the good deeds you have done for many worlds, I am a rather selfish Isu.
I know, Mason, that even though you are an Isu half-blood, you actually look down on us.
Deep down in your heart, you feel that the Isu, who hid their bloodline in human history to avoid disaster and try to seek rebirth in a future peaceful era, are a group of 'vampires' and 'parasites'.
Although you and Kassandra haven't had much communication, I believe that you two share the same ideas and concepts. If you have the chance, you will definitely choose to permanently remove the influence of the Isu from the human bloodline of that world.
And that’s what I’m worried about.”
He looked at Mason and said with a hint of pleading in his voice:
“You now have this ability. With your amazing alchemical skills and in-depth knowledge of artistic biotechnology, if you are given enough time, you will be able to create a tool to completely wipe out the last remnants of Isu civilization.
I know this is a bit too much to ask.
But Mason, I beg you...
I pray that you will show mercy to my people when you return to the Isu world."
Consus' words made Mason silent for a moment, then he shook his head and said:
"You think the worst of me, Consus.
Although you chose to strengthen humans 70,000 years ago for the sake of the survival of your own civilization, you only regarded humans as "mission props" to survive the disaster. This starting point is not noble.
But the fact is, without the knowledge, power and ancient artifacts you left behind, with the power system of the Isu world, they would never be able to escape the ravages of the Star Society.
The Aurora system left by Athena and Hephaestus still protects that world today.
It's not that you haven't participated in this confrontation, although it was not your own will. But you are all adults now and you need to learn to look at things based on actions rather than intentions.
Don't worry.
I have no intention of interfering with the entanglement and future outcome . I also believe that Wick and others will be able to find a way to coexist with you at some point in the future without my help.
Perhaps the Isu civilization can regain its glory in the next era after more than 70,000 years of silence. To be honest, I am looking forward to that scene.
The coexistence of the two civilizations is the most prominent feature of that world. Without the addition of legends like you, the Isu world would be nothing more than an ordinary C-level world."
At this point, Mason winked.
He turned around, patted Consus on the shoulder, and whispered:
"Seeing how serious you looked just now, I thought you were going to tell me something important, but this is all? This is not the first time you and I have faced strong enemies together, Consus. Do you think I am the kind of person who would cause trouble for myself?"
"You think you are not, but everyone knows whether you are or not."
Consus finally felt relieved. The Isu man teased and laughed heartily in the wind. However, after laughing, he put his hand on Mason's shoulder with a serious expression and whispered to him:
"I did conceal some very important information, my brother, about the access code of the Aurora System... With that thing, Xiao Shan's cosmic treadmill can bypass the blockade of the Aurora System and accurately lock the coordinates of the Isu world.
I didn't tell you this before because I was concerned about your identity as a member of the Star Society, and you lacked the tools to establish a lasting connection, but now with Brainiac's Planar Beacon, all conditions are ripe!
After we get back to the physical world, I promise!
In 24 hours at most, you can set foot on the land of your other homeland again."
"Well, this is really good news!"
Mason's eyes lit up. Thinking of the fierce fighting power of Sister Ka who could beat two great mentors at a time and made them flee in panic, the pressure in his heart was relieved a little.
"Then let's finish this last thing quickly and then rush back."
He let out a long breath and shouted to V who was not far away.
The latter was agile and jumped up from the edge of the sky hundreds of meters high like parkour. After two jumps, he landed next to Mason. At this time, Consus also disappeared with a smile, leaving the conversation space for Mason and his mercenary friends.
"Take me to the asylum for cyberpsychiatric patients. I am very interested in the unique phenomena of your world."
Mason gave V a cigarette and lit it for him himself, then said suspiciously:
"Also, where did you transfer the main server of the sacred palanquin? Bartmos insisted before that he must get Brainiac's Exile. I didn't think much about it at that time, but now I think about it, could it be..."
“That’s right!”
V, full of energy, snapped his fingers, blew smoke rings and pointed at the sky and said:
"We are now traveling between different planes. Brainiac's ship is really great for using as a database host. Patmos has enough redundancy to mobilize.
He is planning to add a few more weather and terrain mods to Cyberspace, and is also considering introducing more diverse races and appearance options, which would add a little more color to this lifeless world.
This is all thanks to you, otherwise the Afterlife Team would have found it very hard to find a similar perfect data carrier no matter how hard they tried."
"I worked so hard to kill a Hope director, but you guys took all the benefits."
Mason curled his lips and said:
"I don't care. You have to make some compensation or something. I don't ask for anything else. Look, our brothers are going to have a fight soon. I've heard that your Next Life team is very powerful. Don't embarrass yourself when we need you to fight."
"Tsk, just tell me who you want to kill?"
V waved his hand dismissively, patted his chest proudly and said,
"Do you understand the value of Night City's legendary mercenaries? Let me tell you this, I am invincible below level A, and I can trade with anyone above level A!"
"Awesome, bro!"
Mason gave a thumbs up and waved, then walked towards the hovercraft with V, chatting and laughing.
As soon as the scissor-shaped door opened, four snow-white arms reached out and grabbed Mason by the collar, and pulled him into the cabin amid the captain's screams.
This scene was very similar to the brutal scene in which a poor mortal was captured by two female demons and taken into a cave to be their captive.
V, the legendary mercenary of Night City, the famous cyberpsycho, the powerful figure of the A-level team, and the mechanical swordsman who mastered the time-stop secret technique, was startled. He took a step back vigilantly with a cigarette in his mouth, and as a result, he saw Harley and Quinn, who were wearing very "cool" clothes, glaring at him at the same time.
Harley was about to let the dogs bite people, but unfortunately the two dogs were not brought over.
"It's none of your business, get out of here! Come back in thirty minutes! If you eavesdrop, I'll break your legs!"
Quinn, who had put on heavy cyber makeup and looked like a surreal sex doll, roared angrily.
Then the car door slammed shut, and then Mason's panicked scream was heard , revealing a sense of misery as he was unable to resist and could only be ravaged by two female monsters.
"Did Mason find himself a pair of twins?"
V pursed his lips, not knowing what he was thinking about, but then a sly smile appeared on that bionic face.
He cheerfully stepped back a few steps, took a deep breath of smoke, and gave a thumbs up to the luxurious hovercraft that was swaying in the air several hundred meters above the ground, praising it:
"Tsk tsk, you really know how to play... Awesome, brother!"
