Bab 42: Chapter 42: The Deep Dive 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
[22 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
Chapter 42: The Deep Dive I
...........
The faint light of dawn sneaked in through the windows of X's Japantown apartment.
The natural light of dawn illuminated the small apartment, not that it needed much light.
The several lights coming from X's devices were enough of a source of light, the apartment's personal computer, laptop, and tablet, all were lit up.
X had his interface plug linked to his laptop, writing some scripts while taking sips of tea.
He surprisingly slept all night, getting plenty of rest. He had to before deep diving into the Net.
Still, he woke up early as usual, prepared some water and let it boil while he showered, then made himself some tea, and got to work.
It wasn't time for a deep dive just yet. There is still some work to be done on his cyberdeck.
Remember that a cyberdeck is just an operation system. It's a foundation on which you can build either a small house or a skyscraper.
X focused on fortifying the cyberdeck's security by installing an advanced firewall, creating a first line of defense against hostile programs.
Rather than relying on standard protocols, X coded custom layers that target specific ICE threats, such as Hellhounds and Bloodhounds, which are notorious for tracking and burning intruders.
Each subsystem within his cyberdeck would have its own isolated firewall, so if a section is breached, the damage would be contained.
With these shield layers, his deck should act like a digital fortress, equipped to hold its ground in heavily defended networks.
X also developed custom daemons; specialized programs designed to suit his unique tactics and objectives.
Custom daemons could range from stealth programs to bypass alarms without detection to adaptive attack programs capable of breaking through evolving ICE defenses.
Cloaking his digital presence would be another priority, allowing him to remain undetected as he moves through data streams.
X installed signal dampeners and deployed chameleon cloaking protocols, which can continuously alter his digital signature, masking his activities in hostile networks.
This constant, low-level scramble of identifiers would make it difficult for automated security or rival Netrunners to pinpoint him.
In addition, he installed decoy daemons that can act as digital bait, distracting enemy ICE long enough for him to complete his missions.
X went through the cyberdeck's ICE again, reviewing it and looking for vulnerabilities.
There are always vulnerabilities. If you found none, then you've just not looked enough, so X kept trying to crack his personal ICE again and again.
If he succeeds, he fixes the vulnerability and tries again. The process seemed to be unending because often, the mere act of fixing a vulnerability creates another.
He had to work for hours and hours to finally make something he considered to be good enough.
"Let's begin," X took a deep breath as he stood up before his suit, a heat-resistant hybridweave netrunning suit.
It's a specialized piece of gear designed to protect Netrunners from both environmental and digital threats.
It's constructed from a blend of advanced synthetic fibers and heat-resistant materials.
That allows the suit to provide a lightweight yet durable barrier against high temperatures, shielding its wearer from burns or overheating during extended cyberdeck sessions.
To support connectivity, many hybridweave suits integrate signal amplifiers and noise-reduction features.
These components enhance the Netrunner's signal strength, improving reception and clarity, especially in areas with heavy interference.
The suit reduces digital noise, optimizing the deck's performance and enabling smoother, faster network access during complex hacking tasks, even in crowded or compromised network environments.
It's a requirement for most Netrunning jobs, so X put it on and rested on his Netrunning chair, tailored for comfort during extended sessions; reclining and adjusting his neural interface until everything felt seamless.
"Alright, Y. Get ready to capture everything you see. Z, organize the intel as it comes in and keep track of the traces," he said aloud, addressing the other personalities that dwelled within him.
With a slow exhale, he jacked in.
He may have only one cyber eye, but he needn't another to see the deep Net. He can rely on his cyberdeck which can project everything through his neuro-link interface.
The lights in X's home dimmed as he settled into his rig, slipping into netspace for the first major dive of his career.
As he initiated the connection, the world around him melted away, replaced by a pulsing, neon abyss.
Stepping through the threshold of real space into cyberspace, X felt a cold rush ripple over his skin, like a plunge into a cold pool where gravity was little more than a suggestion.
Reality dissolved, replaced by a darkened landscape bathed in faint, pulsing red.
It felt as though he'd stepped into a digital sea, an endless horizon stretching out in sharp three-dimensional clarity, reminiscent of the world seen in Tron, but tinged with Night City's grim glow.
The moment he entered, X felt the Net's weight; a peculiar density, as though he was walking through thick fog.
Shapes materialized around him in the form of angular data paths and nodes, massive, semi-transparent structures stacked like looming towers in a spectral city.
The quality of each object's rendering varied, blurring at the edges or sharpening depending on the available bandwidth of the Net's current.
Data streams flickered past, like light trails in a blood-red haze, carrying coded information to and fro in the constant flow of network traffic.
Each step was strange and surreal. His avatar, a digital construct of his form, felt both weightless and solid, like moving in zero gravity but with the added clarity of enhanced awareness.
The floor was an endless, translucent plane, a red-tinted grid stretching out as far as he could see, rippling underfoot as if it had a life of its own.
Around him, faint outlines of distant nodes and pathways glowed dimly in the red mist, hinting at the vast network beyond, hidden just out of reach.
Structures materialized around him in intricate three-dimensional forms, as though he'd stepped into a city crafted entirely of glass and neon, alive with the pulsing hum of data streaming in every direction.
The Net stretched out before him, vast and unending, a matrix of translucent towers, spiraling conduits, and shimmering corridors.
Data streams flowed like rivers of light, weaving between the towers, each thread carrying untold amounts of information to destinations far beyond Japantown.
X took it all in, marveling at the raw beauty of the Net, the sheer scale and elegance of its architecture.
Everything was fluid, yet fixed; malleable, yet powerful. Just being here made him feel alive, like he was tapping into a force few ever truly understood.
"This is where I belong," That thought rose in X's mind.
Ahead, Japantown's network loomed, taking shape as a series of fortified nodes connected by pathways that resembled dimly lit highways, twisting and stretching into the distance.
The outer edges were littered with nodes representing public surveillance feeds; small, dark-red spheres scattered along the grid.
They resembled watchful eyes, each one marking a security camera hidden in Japantown's streets.
X felt as if he was floating, cautiously approaching them, walking the unfamiliar Net... It all felt real.
Reaching out, his fingers touched a stream of data. There was an impact, if ever so slight.
The data scattered around, only to refocus itself again and continue on its way.
I am now a program. The world around me is a system. I can maneuver through that world however I want.
For example, if I give the command, I can teleport. It was instant, just as instant as the speed at which he makes commands; how he appeared hundreds of meters away.
And he didn't stop, he skipped around, seeming as if he glitches around the Net to appear elsewhere; though only staying in Japantown.
I can even do this. What he did was raise his arms, from which an endless tsunami of data flowed everywhere, so much so that it glitched a nearby camera for a few seconds.
X wasn't using any of his prepared daemons or scripts. It's his mind that's writing random data, releasing scripts the limit his brain could handle.
From what it appeared like, X's limit seemed to be unnaturally high, and the amount of control he had seemed to only be getting higher as he familiarized himself with the process.
X halted the process and started just looking around, his eyes soon falling upon a high Net architecture in the distance.
There, he appeared, at the very top, his illusionary eyes wide as he observed the entirety of Japantown's Network system.
He carefully scrutinized each and every packet of data. Though they were encrypted, he could learn something from them, from the traces they left him; to map out Japantown's Net Architecture.
X closed his eyes and basked in the sensation of what felt like absolute power, enjoying the breeze of data passing by him, and the wind sparking from collisions of data.
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 43: Chapter 43: The Deep Dive II
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 43: The Deep Dive II
...........
X closed his eyes and basked in the sensation of what felt like absolute power, enjoying the breeze of data passing by him, and the wind sparking from collisions of data.
X regained his focus as he moved toward the outer cluster of camera nodes, approaching cautiously as they flickered in and out of focus, casting shadows in the ambient red glow.
He activated a stealth program, watching his form flicker and dissolve until he was barely visible, like a shadow slipping through the Net.
His fingers danced over his deck, and he felt a tingling surge as his program latched onto the first camera node.
The system offered a mild resistance, a soft vibration beneath his feet as it pushed back with low-level ICE defenses.
X barely noticed as he worked his way through the code, stripping away the barriers like peeling back layers of thin glass.
He felt the network open up before him, and the camera feed blossomed on his HUD.
The specific alley before the camera appeared, cast in dark, grainy shadows, with silhouettes of people moving through alleyways, unaware they were now under his watchful eye.
The sensation of control surged through him. That was only one camera, but it felt like the first taste of something addictive.
As he moved deeper into Japantown's network, the structures around him became denser, more labyrinthine, like stepping into a cathedral of light and shadows.
Larger nodes appeared, each representing higher-security feeds from busier intersections, commercial plazas, and private businesses.
These nodes pulsed a brighter red, encased in fortified walls of shifting data patterns; layers of code, and ICE that hummed with an almost menacing energy.
The ICE moved with purpose, like serpents weaving through the walls, watching for intruders.
X paused, taking in the imposing sight of the district's core security network.
The sight was beautiful, an awe-inspiring labyrinth of light and shadow. Even now, surrounded by Japantown's inner defenses, he couldn't shake the high it gave him.
This wasn't just a system; this was a kingdom of data, and to familiarize himself with the deep Net, he made claiming the kingdom of Japantown his first target.
There were, however, necessary parameters that he needed to abide by, staying away from any Tyger Claw businesses, properties, and Jig-Jig Street, the latter being Wakako's territory.
They are most definitely many Netrunners overlocking those areas. Therefore, he only targeted small businesses, and 'nobodies'.
X wandered through the Network of camera nodes, cautiously picking his targets, some he could break through in seconds. For most, it took minutes to dozens to weave through their ICE.
Without using his premade scripts and daemons, it was an arduous process, a primitive process.
That's exactly what X wanted, a challenge to adapt to this world's level of tech.
Moreover, in the heat of the moment, when things come to worst, what he will have to rely on is his mind to adapt to unexpected circumstances.
X can not expect to have daemons and scripts for every scenario. He has to learn to adapt to all circumstances quickly.
He didn't want to just be a great Netrunner, he wanted to lord over the Net.
If the competition is AIs, then that's going to be a nigh impossible task.
Even if he can now achieve very inhuman things, such as seemingly reading through three HUDs at the same time as if he has three brains; that still doesn't amount to even a percentage of the capabilities of AIs.
X started with the apartment complex he lives in, attacking the camera nodes within, slowly but surely.
Then, he just settled in and listened. Like a god, he manifested a comfy chair and sat down, several HUDs appearing before him, all showing a live feed from the cameras he now controls.
It isn't difficult to create things in the Net Architecture. It may seem like a thing only a god could do, but it's in fact very simple. The chair is just a piece of code.
X watched and through some of the cameras' audio captures; listened to the whispers of Japantown's residents.
He filtered the information he didn't want to hear or see, and just enjoyed the process.
"Fuckin' finally, son of a bitch deserved it!"
"Hey, don't be so harsh. At least he gave free services sometimes... Certainly not preem services, but ay, good enough."
"Shut the fuck up you fucking retard! The bitch wanted me to loan him ma wife for a fuckin' broken shoulder! Greedy bitch."
"Ya, you know nothing choom. I heard once that he 'helped' a Joytoy for some sexual services. The problem is he fucked it up, he fried the Joytoy, and sent her to the Tyger Claws to be used as a fleshlight."
Joy toys are humans. They are sex workers. The word Joytoy is merely street slang.
"Didn't know that, fuck him then. By the way, who killed him?"
"It's... It's actually an ironic story. It was someone he fucked up, leaving him in pain and weakness. Hachirou, I think is his name. Heard X fixed him. Hachirou then put a bullet in Fingers' head."
"Fuckin' karma, exquisite!"
"Now, you'd think he's done after that... No, the motherfucker survived!"
"How? Fingers have connections to the Tygers, no?"
"No idea? With how much of a sewer pipe Fingers is, would the Tygers want him?"
"Got wind of how. A new gang, or I think cult? They helped him disappear! They're like the Mox, ya know?"
"Oh? What gang?"
"Little Monsters, they call them!"
"One of those edgy gangs?"
"Ya, they're usually very peaceful though."
X raised a brow, surprised by the news. The death of Fingers is an anomaly, something he seemingly indirectly participated in.
What attracted his attention most, however, were the Little Monsters. He'd heard of them before, a newly rising cult, "Z, make a note to investigate them later."
X listened a bit more before Steeling himself, launching a counter-attack program to pierce the security on one of the mid-tier nodes, initiating his first real challenge of the dive.
The challenge was taking over the apartment complex's security systems, a very difficult task.
The moment he made contact, the ICE bristled to life, spinning and warping into razor-edged barriers around the node.
He marveled at its complexity, the deadly elegance of its form. Each strand of ICE moved with fluid precision, weaving through the code with a predator's grace.
He carefully deployed a decoy program, sending a flickering copy of his avatar sprinting down a virtual corridor.
Some of the ICE peeled off in pursuit, clearing the path just enough for X to slip through and access the node's feed.
That's only the start, however. To rummage through the node's systemic code is the challenge.
He'd to look through hundreds of lines of codes to even thousands and more, seeking vulnerabilities that he could exploit to gain deep access.
Most Net Architectures are compromised of floors. X just scratched the first floor of a well-built system.
He didn't need to go deep through. X's target was only the building's surveillance system.
X had to do so fast before the ICE restructured itself. It did before he finished the job, forcing him to slip away and restart the process... Till he finally saw it, the vulnerability, upon which he injected his script.
His HUD bloomed with new video streams; angles from even the apartments within, the hallway, elevator, and quiet corners of the place.
Each feed appeared in a small, translucent window overlaid on his vision. He could practically feel the power growing with each one he captured, the sense that he was weaving the building's very fabric into his own private network.
He had only begun to scratch the surface of what he planned to achieve.
Japantown's inner core; a maze of corporate networks, private feeds, and encrypted data servers; was still beyond his reach, its defenses too heavily fortified for a single dive.
With every dive, every captured feed, he'd wrap Japantown tighter and tighter in his own network, if that's possible.
Sensing that he was reaching the limit of what he could safely accomplish tonight, X withdrew, moving back through the shadowed corridors of the Net.
The nodes dimmed behind him as he severed each connection, but not before he left his mark; code signatures embedded in the captured nodes, giving him a foothold for future dives.
As he moved back, he took one last look at the glowing architecture around him, marveling at the surreal beauty of it all.
Each step back felt like leaving a palace of light and power, a kingdom that he felt more like home than the real world.
Finally, he broke free, disconnecting from the Net, the digital world dissolving in a shimmer as he returned to the quiet, dim stillness of his apartment.
The thrill of the dive lingered, leaving him feeling more alive than he had in a long time.
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]
Status Power Mingguan
200+ Peringkat
Power 
3 Power
stone Anda mungkin juga menyukai
Komentar Paragraf