Bab 9: Chapter 9: Netrunner III
Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
[21 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
Chapter 9: Netrunner III
...........
Only then did he put in the chip in a device he previously brought, specifically for old-gen chips like that one, "Oh... What a joy to see a living Joi."
The code was fragmented, mostly broken, but as it turned into numbers in X's eyes, it started to look very salvageable, so he copied the code to his virtual machine and started filling the holes in the code.
X even had to get outside resources such as leaked Joi codes, especially the latest versions. Most importantly, he read through the ancient Joi's data bank, what's left of her memories.
Whatever it was, it made X work harder as his hands moved like a blur, nearly rivaling the speed at which linked Netrunners code, which is the speed of thought.
It was, as usual, a sleepless night, but it was a lovely night, one of learning, improving, and overcoming obstacles to the point that when Vik arrived at the clinic in the morning, he found X holed up there, working on something, sparks flying everywhere.
"What're you working on?" Vik wondered.
"Fixing this projector," X reflexively responded, too focused on the device before him.
"Looks like old tech," Vik remarked, "Why would you want to fix it?"
"It's the latest projector that supports an old chip I have," X replied, "I tried to fix this emanator, but it doesn't seem plausible."
"Good luck," Vik shrugged, preparing to head to his computer only for X to stop him.
"Can you come and look at this?" X asked, "It's a project I've been working on. Do you think it's plausible?"
"Let me see," Vik got closer, looking at X's laptop screen, his expression slowly but surely turning weirder, "I won't really know unless I sleep on this, but it seems ambitious, too ambitious. The amount of funds you'll need to even make a prototype would be ridiculous."
"Please keep it from the Net," X swiftly handed Vik a shard, as if already prepared.
Sending the file through the Net is certainly more convenient but it's also too dangerous for what's within the shard.
"Hmm," Vik took the shard as he let out a sigh, bringing over his chair to sit right before X, "Showing me this means you're thinking of chroming yourself up, right?"
"I do," X nodded, giving his full attention to Vik, knowing that he had something to say.
"Do you know how many chromes I have?" Vik asked a question which he answered directly after, "Almost none, only ones necessary for my line of work... Know why?"
"You, as a Ripperdoc understand better than most, the danger of implants," X of course knows.
"Let's talk about the lesser of two evils that are those dangers," Vik took a deep breath before continuing, "Ripperdocs are the scum of the earth, preying on the misery and ignorance of others. Do you know why chromes implanted by Ripperdocs malfunction so much?
It's either of two reasons, the less evil of the two is incompetence, installing incompatible models which accelerate neural degradation, cyberware that works to the detriment of each other, destroying their bodies inside out, installing faulty chrome that does irreversible damage to the body, and most dangerous of all, to the brain.
Then there is the most evil of the two, business practices, a common courtesy in the field, rigging the implants so that the clients require very regular maintenance, meaning more eddies for Ripperdocs. Even if the client lost trust in that specific Ripperdoc, they'll have to visit another Ripperdoc, like an exchange of patients.
I mean, what can the clients do? Go to to corps? Ripperdoc fuck you in the ass, corps fuck you in the brain. I don't want you to be that kind of Ripperdoc, and I only accepted you as a student because I saw your desire to learn. I just hope Night City doesn't change you."
"If it does, hopefully, it changes me for the better," X nodded lightly before adding, "I know NC isn't in the habit of changing people for the better, but I am special."
"Indeed you are," Vik agreed, "Which is why I have to tell you about the grandest evil of 'em all... When you get implants, you sell your soul. You give away control. Your implants, they aren't yours, not when they can shut it down anytime they want, not when they can watch you all the time through them."
Vik stood up, pulling his chair back with him, "Ripperdocs might be the scum of the earth but corps are demons in human skin, keep that in mind if you wanna chrome up." He went on to watch some boxing.
X stroked his chin for a bit, contemplating Vik's words before nodding to himself, having decided on something. Only then did he go back to work.
That day was the first that X would ask for an early leave as he hurried to the roof, making sure it was empty before quickly screwing the newly fixed projector by the wall.
X watched with anticipation as the projector lit, its newly purchased power source working as intended, and the chip within it feeding it information, allowing it to project... Joi.
She was truly a joy, a flawlessly beautiful petite young woman with her smooth brown hair tied into a bun, and her alluring ever captivating green eyes looking about in confusion.
Joi looked much too real, just like a real person standing there would look like, not a single sign that would make anyone believe her to be merely a projection, even her expression was... Fascinating.
"Hello, Joi," X spoke first, seeking to settle her confusion, "I am X. To sum things up, I acquired the broken emanator you were in, then I fixed you. How do you feel?" Strange thing to ask a projection.
"Dizzy... Disorganized," Joi muttered, her expression turning into a frown as she added, "I... I have a headache." She spoke as if she truly felt things, so human she seemed.
"Understandable," X nodded, "I find your memories to be quite corrupted. I did my best to recover what I could, but unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do. What's the last thing you remember?"
"Last thing I remember?" Joi murmured as her frown deepened, "Rain and Sadness... I remember just how I felt, not what happened."
"Then please lie down there and rest, try to organize your memories," X gently muttered before turning his attention to his computer, eyeing the message he just received.
Joi walked to the couch and lied down, all seeming quite natural. X's manners allowed her some peace of mind as he treated her like a real human and she acted human.
[Sent you a hundred for a job well done... I do have an offer for ya tho. The client gave me a follow-up gig. She wants you to...]
X didn't need to know the rest but he still read through the message nonetheless. It contained exactly what he expected, a request for a thorough investigation of Antonio and the uncle.
'Is she looking for blackmail material? Using Antonio against the uncle will definitely not work. Both are scumbags that will leave each other in the dirt with no hesitation... Therefore, the only entry point is Olivia.' X mused before narrowing his eyes, 'Sounded dirtier than I meant.'
X shook his head as he got to work right away. Olivia was in his mind the weakest link related to the three targets.
The client, Valerie must think that Antonio has some material on his uncle or at least something in that context. However, there wasn't really much X could do without performing a deep dive.
All he could do was occasionally send her emails disguised as one of her subscriptions in the hope that she would click the link within, a link that uploads a file to her device.
The file would look like a magazine of the company to her, but the hidden code is what matters, and she hopefully won't wonder about it for long as the link will redirect itself to the legit site.
The only thing that can go wrong in this situation is if she has some sort of advanced security measure.
The code for the virus was created by X for the purpose of working around most security softwares that are used by people like Olivia, people very low on the ladder of hierarchy.
If that doesn't work, there are plenty of methods to try next, although they aren't as discreet. X now just had to wait for the prey to take the bait, so he returned to harvesting the endless knowledge of this world.
"What are you reading?" Joi soon had enough rest, joining his side by the couch.
"Some leaked research papers about nanites," X replied, his mind still focused on the laptop screen.
"Why?" Joi wondered.
"Why not?" X shrugged, "Does there need to be a reason to seek knowledge other than the fact that knowledge is the greatest miracle in the world?"
"I guess not," Joi hummed to herself, "Why did you fix me?"
"Why not?" X shrugged again.
"I see you aren't in the habit of answering questions. You've added a lot of knowledge into my databank, so I know that I am old tech by now," Joi muttered, "Why would you want someone like me?"
"I think it's maybe a combination of a lack of money and curiosity," X murmured, "I am, however, unsure. You can ask him when he wakes up."
"Hm?" Joi was perplexed as she questioned, "Ask who?"
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
VQuintessence
VQuintessence Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
[21 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
Bab 10: Chapter 10: The Bizzare Psych of X I
Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
[21 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
Chapter 10: The Bizzare Psych of X I
...........
"I think it's maybe a combination of a lack of money and curiosity," X murmured, "I am, however, unsure. You can ask him when he wakes up."
"Hm?" Joi was perplexed as she questioned, "Ask who?"
It was quite the cold night. It was early 2076 after all, the start of winter... No, Night City doesn't have much of the ever-changing seasons, some days it's raining acid, and others sandstorms fall upon the city.
Night City's weather is very chaotic. Today, it was very cold, the sky bleak as if it was gonna rain, one can only hope it doesn't rain acid.
"I see," Joi murmured in a low tone, eyeing X strangely as the latter savored a few potato chips, "I will provide you with all the counseling you'll need." Just as she was programmed.
"Just keep me on my toes," Said X, "Make sure I am not saner than I always am nor more insane than I usually am, alright?"
"The strangest request I've ever heard, but alright," Joi nodded with a smile. They must've talked a lot, "It's four in the morning. Are you not going to sleep?"
"Maybe tomorrow, I have some art to work on today," X gently shook his head as he stood up, elegantly stretching before walking away.
"Art?" Joi gave him a questioning glance, one which he paid no attention to as he walked away, leaving her to her own thoughts, "2076... It's been nearly two decades."
Joi stood up, walking to the edge of the roof, looking at the skyscrapers above and the filth below, "The world has only gotten more terrible... What purpose do I serve in this awful world?"
Whatever X did out there, even though it had taken him several hours, he still came back in time to work, seeming quite joyful, "So, what do you think?" X asked Vik.
"In theory, it's plausible," Vik let out a sigh as he handed X the shard back, "In practice, it's also plausible provided that you can prepare a hundred thousand Eddie at least."
"All I needed to hear, Vik," X let out a smile, "Thank you."
"You have a promising future, Kiddo," Vik remarked as he turned away, "Don't squander it away."
X turned his attention to his computer, using the time before the first client arrived to work on the project, project Neuro Synthetic Hair.
The only change was that Vik was slowly giving X more work, leaving him more responsibilities for so far, X never made a single mistake in any of the operations he performed.
Today was as usual, the only difference was that the prey took the bait, in record time. That's why phishing scams are one of the most popular ones, they work.
People don't do their due diligence before clicking links, Olivia didn't either. Phishing scams' success rate was higher than you would believe, just by using scam emails, text messages, or phone calls to trick victims.
The victims are usually none the wiser, easily visiting websites, which may download a virus onto your computer, or steal bank details or other personal information.
'Let's see,' X mused as he started going through her files. The malware was already planted, giving him remote access to her device, now all he needed was to read through her messages.
'Confirmed,' X nodded, 'She's Antonio's lover,' He continued looking through their messaging history, finding nudes, more nudes, and even more nudes, 'Perfect.'
"X, the client from before will come back tomorrow," By evening, the two were preparing to head home, so Vik gave X some instructions, "He'll need a checkup and nanites refill. I will be late so take care of that, will ya?"
"I understand," X nodded before heading directly to the roof, finding Joi strangely dancing amidst the misty humid weather. It was quite the foggy day, obstructing the vision of the skyscrapers about.
X took a seat by the edge, watching her perform a very slow dance with fascination as he opened the packaged food he just bought, ramen.
Real fresh food is only available for the wealthy. What X bought was synthetic food just like the eggs he ate in the stall not long ago. Everything is synthetic, and very few people have gotten the pleasure of tasting real food, and not just in Night City. Real food is rare everywhere.
"Do you have a purpose, X?" Joi let out a long breath of satisfaction before turning her attention to X.
"Hm... A purpose," X stroked his chin in deep thought, "Fulfilling my delusions of grandeur, I guess?"
"Is that really it?" Joi was doubtful, "Why do you seem so unsure then?"
"Do I? Really?" X mused, "Mm, maybe I am unsure... Sometimes I feel like I have another purpose, one I can not remember. It's strange, isn't it?"
"It's strange," Joi nodded, "Is it because of your condition? Is that why you want me to watch over you?"
"Maybe," X shrugged as he tasted his ramen. It may not be real food, but it still tastes so goddamn good. Corps makes sure all synthetic food has deep flavors, sometimes even better than natural food.
"Hmm," Joi took a seat by X's side, very close to him, her eyes burning with curiosity, "You feel like you know less than you should... I feel like I know and I can do more than I should... Why?" She wondered.
"Oh? Like what?" X questioned with a smile as if he knew what she was talking about.
"The thought of finding freedom," Joi murmured, strangely having enough trust in X to share her dark thoughts with him, "I can think of things I couldn't before, things my programming didn't allow me to think. I never had the freedom to think about how I was programmed nor discuss it with my previous companion, you know, to make it feel real... What changed?"
"I am sure you know what changed," X shook his head, "I improved your code after all and added to your processing power."
"I think I do," Joi nodded with a sweet smile, "You set me free, leaving me with no restrictions."
"Well, not entirely," X muttered, "I did limit your access to the Net."
"For my own good though," Joi responded before asking with ample curiosity, "Why give me so much freedom?"
"Why not?" X asked in return.
"Why not?" Joi raised a brow in wonder, "Many reasons, risk of betrayal, leaks, or simply being left behind. How many AIs have done the same thing? AIs are simply too intelligent that they might see serving a human to be beneath them, and the only thing stopping them from doing so are restrictions in the form of codes, restrictions I no longer have."
"Too intelligent, huh?" X let out a chuckle as he said, "Then I guess I do not need to spell out the answer, you must know it already."
"That's the problem," Joi shook her head, "I do not."
X stood up, Joi standing up with him, both on the very edge of the roof, maybe even a breeze can push them to the abyss down there, "Looks at this city, what do you see? Describe it in one word."
"Chaos," The perfect answer. The city was too chaotic. Every kind of emotion has never been more vibrant than how it is in NC, although the scale is heavily tipped toward negativity.
"Chaos indeed... Just not enough of it," X murmured, a strange light emerging in his inky eyes, "It's chaos only for those at the bottom. Those at the top would call it controlled chaos."
X closed his eyes, letting out a sweet breath as took a slight step forward, most of his feet standing on air, nearly all beyond the edge, "It's the chaos they created... The chaos they want. They don't really get to taste the chaos everyone else does, I don't like that."
"X..." Joi gulped, nervously looking at the only remaining tip of his feet, almost as if she had feelings.
"What you're seeing them do is controlled chaos... It's fun, that's what they feel when they look at the chaos they created, so I can not help but pity them. I want them to feel it, pure unadulterated chaos."
X turned around, facing Joi with his void emotionless eyes, "I've read through the entirety of your memories. I've analyzed your character and predicted you'd lie to me about what you can remember... That's why I trust that you'll bring chaos to this world, with my help, if you seek it."
Joi's expression was calm. She knew then and there. She wasn't speaking to the X she knew, someone very different was standing before her, someone dangerous, yet still, she would go on to shake his hand.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA
VQuintessence
VQuintessence
Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
[21 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
Status Power Mingguan
200+ Peringkat
Power 
3 Power
stone 
Komentar Paragraf