Bab 39: Chapter 39: Mark of Territory II
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Chapter 39: Mark of Territory II
...........
The minutes turned to hours til something ticked X's line of sight, his eyes narrowing as he stood straight.
X walked down the staircase, calmly walking toward one of the stalls, and took a seat, "Boss, give me the usual, jambalaya please."
"Right away!" The stall owner nodded before asking, "Found the troublemakers?"
"Nope," X shook his head.
"Honestly, don't expect much. Those street ganks are like cockroaches, difficult to squash, and they're endless," The stall owner advised.
"It's alright. Suppose I can't find them on my own. I will just ask Wakako. It should be easy for her to find them and their families," X replied with a faint smile.
"..." Right beside X sat a man who seemed to be in his late twenties, wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, somewhat dirty.
It was raining yet X noted that many dress like that, without a care in the world.
The rain masked the man's gulp of nervousness as he kept his head down, gulping down his bowl of ramen.
"Hahaha, good joke... You wouldn't go so fat tho, right?" The stall owner laughed it off.
"Of course not. He must be one of the people angry and jealous they didn't experience my free service, so they retaliated stupidly."
"There must be something wrong with them, so I will just make it worse... I will make their life a living hell." X somewhat calmly pledged.
"I see," Although the stall owner was surprised by X's unusual cruelty, he soon realized what he wanted to do, "You want to send a message... To use the perpetrator as an example."
X acknowledged with a slight nod, "Yeah, exactly. I heard about a very special kind of braindances... It shows you your family and loved ones."
He smirked as he added, "It shows them to you in hell, being tortured, then dying again and again; right before your eyes."
That turned darker than it already was, "They use it to turn people insane, forcing them to live through it for days to weeks til they completely lose it... Tell me, should I use it on him?" X eerily questioned.
Silence. The atmosphere was dreadfully silent, the depressing rain not making it any better.
The man beside X must've felt it, sweating profusely, although he tried to hide it by keeping his head down.
However, the man's trembling hands couldn't be hidden. He couldn't finish his ramen, not with those hands shaking.
Just who the fuck did he fuck with? And for such a petty reason too. X seemed to him like a monster, like, what the fuck is wrong with him?
He couldn't help but lift his head ever so slightly, glancing sideways. It's a natural urge, especially due to the monstrous words that came out of X's mouth.
It was only a glance, but it sent a chill down the man's spine, his mind buzzing in horror.
Strands of golden hair were close, too close. That was no doubt X's hair inches away from him, meaning he was very close.
Wide Inky abyssal eyes were what faced him from the corner of his eyes, causing him to freeze.
He was close, too close, and he didn't feel it all, no more than a few inches from him, dissecting his expression with his deep vast eyes.
The man was frozen, almost literally. He didn't feel like he could move, struck static out of dread.
He only felt more fear the more he looked into X's eyes, so close by; allowing him to see the coldness within.
X's expression was unnaturally void, his eyes unblinking as he coldly muttered, "Why?"
The man couldn't respond, his brain malfunctioning as he felt the temperature around him go down.
"I am disappointed. I had thought you to be someone with a mission... No, just a nobody with a malfunctioning kidney and a brain." X remarked in a chilly tone.
The man's skin was yellowish, and his eyes also had a similar tint to them. That and all the other symptoms and signs of cyberware allowed X to determine the man's condition.
X got most of that information from scanning him with his cyber eye. He even determined his weight and height, almost exactly the same as the perpetrator, well within the margin of error.
The man's brain, on the other hand, was natural. He was born with a naturally malfunctioning brain.
It was only instinct that allowed the man to move, ever so slightly, opening his mouth to yell, "S-Sta..."
He could scream, his rising cry interrupted by a quick jab to his jaw, "Aghh," The low grunt, however, was due to the needle stabbing into his chest, followed by a knife sliding through his chest.
It was quick, swift, and mostly silent, leaving the man in disbelief, confused at the turn of events.
However, he could do nothing but fall forward. X was kind enough to gently catch his head and help him rest on the counter, seeming as if he was asleep.
The Synthetic coagulant injection from the needle will accelerate the blood clotting process, almost completely blocking the wound from bleeding.
X didn't want to be of much inconvenience to the stall owner, leaving blood everywhere.
The stall owner seemingly saw nothing, fully focused on preparing X's meal... He saw everything, but he kept his head down.
"Hello, yeah. I need your cleaning services. Trash type: nobody. Location: Cheery Blossom Market, stall number 104... Thank you." X made a strange call.
He then made another call, "Lady Wakako, it's been a while... Yeah, I need you to spread the word. Someone vandalized my property. Now, he's gone."
"I don't want any more troublemakers around there anymore, so exaggerate. Include his family too."
"Say the Tygers did it. Anything to keep annoyance off my back... Of course, I will be sending you your fee right away. Oh? Oh, I will be there soon."
Just as X completes gigs requested by others, he can also make gigs of his own for others to complete, and some people specialize in propaganda and spreading information.
X enjoyed his meal, ignoring the two individuals that soon arrived and took the body of the sleeping man beside him, and no one gave a shit.
He stood up and made his way to Jig-Jig Street, soon arriving at Wakako's office, though he had to wait a while because she was in the middle of a meeting.
He wasn't kept waiting for long as he went into her office, finding a shard waiting for him to slot in.
"Take it," Wakako calmly instructed.
X raised a brow as he took the shard to his hand before slotting it into his phone. He scrolled through the Data within, information about a target. It was a gig.
"Militech?" X frowned as he took out the shard.
"It's a big. Considering your last glorious exploits, I'd thought you'd be interested," Wakako nodded with a faint smile.
"My last exploits were a result of opportunities presenting themselves to me. I see no opportunity in facing Militech." X disapproved.
"Then create the opportunity, just as you created your opportunities before," Wakako encouraged, "No risk. No reward."
X contemplated her words, flipping the shard in his hand as he debated the risks and rewards in his mind, "No."
Wakako stayed silent for a while, not reacting much to his refusal, "Keep the shard. If the opportunity presents itself, take the gig. If you get the Data I want, I will be in your debt."
Wakako saw something in X that made her believe he could do it, a nigh impossible gig. Opportunities just seem to present themselves to X, way more than they should.
That's maybe why Wakako tried her luck, pushing to him a gig targetting Militech, That in itself makes it difficult.
The gig, however, targets a special kind of Data, well-protected Data making the operation nigh impossible.
It's after all Militech, Militech International Armaments; one of the largest, most powerful corporations in the world.
Known mainly in the NUSA for their support of the federal government, they provide both manpower and arms to the regime, including weapons and specialist military gear.
Militech's contract for the NUSA is controversial in some political circles; Militech has been accused of attempting to create a monopoly.
The clear connections between former Militech CEO and current NUSA president Rosalind Myers and the corporation's board have only exacerbated corporate and diplomatic tensions.
It's thus clear why acting against them is not a wise idea. Therefore, when X went back home, he put the shard aside, clasping his hands together, and with a frown; contemplated his next course of action.
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
[22 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
Bab 40: Chapter 40: Understanding The Fundamentals
Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
[22 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
Chapter 40: Understanding The Fundamentals
...........
It's thus clear why acting against them is not a wise idea. Therefore, when X went back home, he put the shard aside, clasping his hands together, and with a frown; contemplated his next course of action.
"I have delayed deep dives," X muttered. He delayed diving deep into the Net for a good reason, the space is very dangerous.
You won't know when you stumbled upon some Black ICE, and you're done.
Black ICE are designed to chase down the Netrunner and their Programs throughout the NET Architecture after detecting them.
There are ways to avoid and escape them, but they aren't easy, which is why X delayed for so long.
X has been studying and delving into the field of Netrunning for a while now, and even with his abnormal mind, he still felt inadequate.
"Wakako really put the seeds of doubt in my mind," X ruffled his hair, feeling a bit of a headache.
He's always wanted to deep dive into the Net. He felt a strange urge to do so. It's a fascinating field, the space that attracts most of his curiosity.
However, X held off, until now, "I can start small, prey into insignificant Net Architectures, and progress slowly as I gain experience."
"I don't have enough money to buy the Cyberdeck I want, so I'll have to go into debt to get it from Wakako... Is this what she wants?"
[If we are to preemptively deep dive into the Net, we'll have to change our schedule. We'll have to prepare. We'll have to suffer.] Z clarified.
X nodded, having decided on something. Still, he wouldn't forget about the clinic as he went back to work.
He put the most time and study and being a Ripperdoc. Now, it was time to dive into the dreamy lands of the Net.
He scheduled a work routine of six hours a day, mostly taking care of high-quality and special clients who scheduled their sessions through the site.
The rest will be left to Chiyo, although in case of an emergency, she can contact him. Then it began, X's deep contact with the Net.
The decision to immerse himself in the art of Netrunning wasn't one X had made lightly.
Despite his talent as a Ripperdoc, X knew that becoming a skilled Netrunner would require an entirely different level of commitment.
He couldn't afford any mistakes; Night City was unforgiving, and its cyberspace was a battlefield layered with traps, foes, and secrets that only the bravest or most foolish dared to confront.
X spent a while consuming every bit of information he could find. Old holobooks, stolen corporate manuals, forgotten net archives, and the rare whispers from experienced Netrunners who wandered into his clinic.
He slept little, his mind buzzing with new concepts and intricacies of the digital landscape.
He joined many hidden groups of novice Netrunners, exchanging information and experience.
He also joined and Networked with many experienced Netrunners, learning the secrets of the craft.
Before he even touched a Cyberdeck, X knew he needed a solid foundation.
He studied network architecture, internalized how firewalls functioned, and familiarized himself with the unique properties of ICE.
ICE or Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics is what protects data across most corporate servers.
He noted the different types: Black ICE, capable of dealing physical damage to hackers; White ICE, which simply tracked intruders.
Then there was Gray ICE, a complex hybrid that could slow down, trace, or even incapacitate a Netrunner if not carefully countered.
He learned how the matrix; the cyberspace landscape; was organized, breaking it down into tiers, or depths.
Each depth was harder to navigate and came with progressively stronger defenses.
This layered security meant that only the most skilled Netrunners could reach the darkest, most lucrative parts of the Net, where corporations kept their most valuable secrets.
For days, X practiced visualizing these concepts, imagining his approach to each node as if he were already inside the digital world.
Every time he jacked into a simple training module, he'd visualize bypassing a firewall, understanding each step of the process.
He didn't want to just know how to hack; he wanted to feel the rhythm of cyberspace, to become one with it.
That continued until a certain evening. X sat cross-legged on the floor of his home, his Cyberdeck placed in front of him.
He'd chosen the Netwatch Netweaver MK.V, a highly advanced deck capable of running multiple daemons at once, perfect for his unorthodox mind.
This wasn't just another tool; it was an extension of himself, and he needed to understand every circuit, every piece of hardware.
X disassembled and reassembled the Cyberdeck several times, studying each part until he could almost feel its inner workings.
He experimented with its components, wiring in additional backup capacitors to give him extra processing power during long runs and creating unique daemons that would give him an edge in hostile networks.
He spent hours programming scripts and testing new daemons; custom programs that he could run while inside a network to assist with different tasks.
One daemon he named Veil, a cloaking program that helped mask his trace, would be his first line of defense.
Another, Rift, was a powerful icebreaker script that could force open decently strong firewalls, but it came at a high energy cost.
By the time he finished, his Cyberdeck felt like a piece of him; perfectly calibrated to his needs, his mind, and his strategy. He just needed to have it installed... For later.
With the fundamentals and his hardware under control, X turned his attention to studying the most common threats he'd face on the Net.
He downloaded old training programs from a defunct corporate Netrunning school and used them to simulate encounters with different types of AI watchdogs, a common presence in corporate networks.
Each type of watchdog operated differently. Some relied on pattern recognition, scanning for unusual movements or fluctuations in a Netrunner's code.
Others tracked intruders by their unique digital signature. X used his external cyberdeck for practice.
He spent days practicing his evasive maneuvers in these simulations, seeking to slip past most watchdogs without triggering an alarm.
Another study area was counter-tracing, a critical skill to avoid capture. He memorized how to reroute his digital path through backdoors and proxy nodes, creating complex digital loops to throw off pursuit.
He practiced for hours on end, until re-routing his signal became a reflex.
X knew that deep-diving wasn't just about getting in and out.
Once he breached a network, he would need a way to navigate quickly between layers.
With Z's help, he began setting up a series of strategic backdoors; hidden pathways within networks that he could use to retreat or relocate in case of an emergency.
He identified a network of interconnected nodes within several lesser-known systems in Japantown.
After carefully mapping them, he started placing dormant codes along his routes.
Each backdoor was crafted to be invisible unless activated by a specific key sequence that only X knew.
With these in place, he'd be able to jump in and out of systems with decent agility.
These backdoors were dangerous to leave open, as even a skilled Netrunner could potentially discover and exploit them, but they were his failsafe.
X honed his reflexes to the best of his ability. The Net is a complex infrastructure of infinitely changing code.
Information passes by and changes at every second, and even a moment of distraction could compromise him.
The failsafe he left could only help him against some low to mid level opponents. Anything else, and he would be done.
Therefore, he needed to hone his ability to remain undetected, to quickly find vulnerabilities in Net architectures, and to escape unscathed.
Most importantly, he needed to prepare a lot of programs, systems, and Demons before wandering the Net.
The Demon is especially important. It is a generic program with the ability to incorporate several other programs as subroutines; in short, two, three, four or even five programs in one.
To use the program, you must activate the Demon, and then specify the chosen subroutine it carries.
There is a subtype of Demons known as Daemons, which when deployed destroy and subsequently replace a program in the target system, borrowing the system's own operating power to implement its subroutines.
The Daemons are what X value most, just the potential of what they could accomplish... It left him dreaming for countless nights.
X's dreams, however, were short. He couldn't sleep much, finding himself to be obsessed and also anxious.
Since he had decided on preemptively deep diving into the Net, he also found himself obligated to prepare.
He set a deadline for himself which he can only accomplish if he largely gives up on sleep, thus the meds and drugs by X's bed.
They forced him to stay away and alert, allowing excellent cognitive abilities with merely four hours of sleep a day, sometimes less.
Such an abnormal routine isn't so abnormal in Night City, with many corpos having to take similar drugs to keep away depression and sleep.
The only good news was that X is about to have his Cyberdeck installed, finally a breather... Maybe?
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
[22 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
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