Blue Eyes initiated the attack on schedule when Lille plugged in his personal link, but...
He only harbored a slight suspicion, occupied only a few threads... in less than 50 nanoseconds, an attack occurred.
It was attacked.
In Cyberspace, Little Octopusâs tentacles completely covered the sky in an offensive posture, catching almost every communication detail, and from there, it found the protocol and pattern that Blue Eyes used for remote control.
[Data packet sniffing... capturing effective frequency band... locking frequency band]
[Duration: 3 NeuraTics]
In the ruins, Da Mai fully opened his core Ether Grid, its heart became a signal amplifier, all micro signal arrays activated simultaneously, crossing several blocks, distinctly completed docking, locking onto Blue Eyesâ serverâ
The true body of Blue Eyes was in Ye Group, it was merely communicating through Perares.
Thus, its server must necessarily have the capability for wireless communication with the outside world!
In Cyberspace, steel tentacles donned rocket engines, striking directly at the target!
[Signal amplification array... frequency modulation... successful band docking]
[Duration: 5 NeuraTics]
Those tentacles of Little Octopus, which were incomparably small to Blue Eyes, abruptly enlarged out of nowhere, instantly sending signals to its server with Da Maiâs amplification!
Only upon contact did Blue Eyes realize how greatly it had underestimated Lilleâs attack capabilities...
Or rather, the number of AIs involved in the attack!
[Multi-layer firewall scanning... zero-day vulnerability discovered... exploiting vulnerability]
[Duration: 7 NeuraTics]
[Intrusion detection system evasion... Deep packet inspection circumvention... Access control list cracking]
[Duration: 4 NeuraTics]
nanoseconds passed, the firewall that could defend against the majority of companies and probing intruders was punctured by the Little Octopusâs attack concentrated on a single pointâ
The tips of the Octopusâs tentacles turned into a blade!
Utilizing this vulnerability, Munemasa as a sharp blade rewrote the control of those hardware with all its mightâ
[Electromagnetic shield penetration... signal injection in progress]
[Duration: 6 NeuraTics]
[SCADA system intrusion successful... control of power stations and substations]
[Duration: 8 NeuraTics]
[PLC tampering... equipment overload initiated]
[Duration: 5 NeuraTics]
[Subway control system paralyzed... rail transit system disrupted]
[Duration: 7 NeuraTics]
nanoseconds passed, a series of destructive commands was issued, and Mr. Blue Eyes could only passively sever those pieces of hardware that were already under control!
[Remote Access Tool deployment... false information injection...]
[Signal cut, hacking terminated.]
In the last 5 nanoseconds, Blue Eyesâ emergency severance was completed, but the issued commands, the altered voltage, and the current were irreversible even for an AI.
Bang!
The glasses worn by Perares and the back of Lilleâs head both erupted in black smoke and sparks, though the black smoke rising from Lilleâs head was mingled with the smell of scorched flesh.
One nanosecond is one billionth of a second, fifty nanoseconds...
To humans, even to those humans who have activated Si Anweisitan, itâs just an instant.
In an instant, Lilleâs head got fried, Perares collapsed to the ground, and Ryan didnât even have time to change his facial expression.
But Jack supported Perares, and V supported Lilleâ
It wasnât quick reflexes, just understanding.
Vâs expression was somewhat complex, but Lille gave a thumbs up.
V asked, "Who got screwed this time?"
"Big shots, or rather, a bunch of big shots."
...
The Terrorist Mobile Team had a total of 56 official members, with 28 on normal duty, four to a group, altogether seven teams.
An Anvil anti-tank missile hitting its target would create a towering fire column, and two hits made it even more conspicuous.
The explosionâs blaze and black smoke caused the confused Terrorist Mobile Team to directly sever the network with their office, and the world before them suddenly became clearâ
Scorpion-tailed Lions turned around high above Night City, their roaring engines aimed at this covert Super Dream Club.
Susan stood in the middle of the road, gazing at the warehouse rooftop.
Truth be told, she could understand most mercenaries, but couldnât fathom why a crime syndicate called Burger King would do something like this.
It wasnât just her; probably no one in Night City could understand them.
The Kujila Floating Car burned fiercely, the high heat melting the concrete, softening the steel bars, the building slowly collapsing...
That armored pickup truck that had dived headfirst was gradually buried under the building.
The battlefield fell silent, but the sky over the Watson District was anything but.
Poor people can only shiver amidst the sounds of explosions, gunshots, and roaring engines, but those in Watson District with a little money are well protected, like moviegoers who believe the monsters on screen could never break out, right?
But now, something was amiss: the engine roar of the Scorpion-tailed Lion Floating Armored Vehicles could easily penetrate thick soundproof glass even at low altitudes, let alone seven of them!
Each member of the Terrorist Mobile Team was a medal-adorned madman, and seven of such heavy floating vehicles could easily annihilate an entire street... no, the people of several blocks!
The feeling of having your life in someone elseâs hands was far from comfortable!
Just as they planned to complain to NCPD, contact their superiors, or dial any number that might dispel their doubts, something in Cyberspace brought all corporate networks to silence!
Whether it was Military Technology or Arasaka Company, or even Peizhuo Petrochemical and Biotechnology, these large corporations had long thought the matter here settled, as they were all busy dealing with the Arasaka Kujila aircraft carrier making landfall.
The companies were already engaged in frequent communication probes and espionage during this period, and their corporate network technicians were working overtime, fully immersed in Cyberspace.
However, these developments were not apparent to the average wild hacker, who, at most, might notice the public network being sluggish or unusually active, as everything was happening covertly.
The Cyberspace of Night City differed from its dreamy urban exterior because one couldnât see the corporationsâ vast networks, leaving behind nothing but a real tangle of chaos.
The cityâs complicated public networks formed a three-dimensional maze-like illusionary space, while the data fortresses of the corporations secretly hovered above this tangle. Inexperienced hackers could only tentatively dodge those dangerous signals, and if they were smart and lucky enough, they might never see those immensely despair-inducing data fortresses in their lifetimes.
But today...
Today was different.
Several city zones, due to illegal criminal activities, extreme metal racing destruction, and the large-scale destruction of public facilities by Munemasaâs wireless transmitters in recent months, were now data ruins.
Watson District represented an orderly data structure, which stood out even more on such a night.
Many hackers looked up at Watson District from the ruinsâ
Sparse data ruins meant poverty, while dense and complex networks signified secrets, opportunities, and money.
"Sigh," a hacker muttered as he fiddled with Data Blocks, trying to repair his employerâs database.
Two data segments joined in his hands, while his technical expert partner completed the wiring outside, successfully restoring a patch of data.
After finishing the job, he gazed enviously at Watson District, even though they could only see the public network that made up the Cyberspace networkâit was enough to stir their imagination.
It was difficult for those with technical skills to respect the brute-force approach of gang members.
His partner said over the communication line:
[Stop dreaming. See that Burger King? Despite the grand name, they still donât dare touch the wealthy.]
The hacker shook his headâindeed.
The gangs could rage on, but the corporations werenât worried. All they had to do was invest in the winner.
"I say..."
[Technical Expert: Thatâs not rightâAll the Scorpion-tailed Lions are heading towards Watson District!]
The hacker was surprised, but before he could respond, he witnessed a shocking sight:
In the public network of Watson District, the twisted and dense public data network suddenly erupted in uproar, completely rendered red!
In just an instant, a massive black and red steel tentacle sprang from nowhere!
It was a kind of tentacle he had never seen before!
At the tip of the tentacle, a samurai sword, blackened with red, dragged eerie transient lightning through the air as it viciously stabbed into the void in the hackerâs eyesâ
A tower, a towering skyscraper whose pinnacle was simply too high to be seen clearly, revealed its corner!
A huge tower stood in Cyberspace, countless data lines connecting to the groundâs orderly complex maze, and some network technicians repairing public facilities could even see some threads directly connected to the space near them!
The complex data maze flashed by in a glimpse, revealing an exaggerated density and breadth, and the height of the tower was even more unfathomableâ
The terrifying steel tentacle could be over a hundred meters long, but the towerâs height definitely surpassed a kilometer!
With its towering height beyond a kilometer, one couldnât see the top, and the dense circuitry on it was even more eerie...
What was that?
The hacker used all of the limited 3CCU computing power in his equipment to run the data detection module, but still couldnât see the top of the tower.
But he could see a line of fragmented data in the pierced firewall...
Name pieced together:
"Ye Group."
Everybody could see it.
Ye Groupâs firewall was breached!
In the network, complex data structures flickered under the attack, and the whole Cyberspace trembled in the aftermath.
All of this, reflected in reality, was an even grander fireworks show:
Ye Groupâs building immediately erupted in an exaggerated electrical arc, piercing through the buildingâs glass, visible even to those outside the building!
Automated office and residential buildings became uncontrollable mechanical mazes amid the chaos, their doors opening and closing non-stop until the metal deformed.
Following that were explosions at power substations and distribution stations, and virtual billboardsâ neon advertising turned into snowflakes, then completely went darkâ
Subway and rail control systems malfunctioning, piercing brake noises echoing through the skies, the sparks generated from friction falling like rain, blending with the blastsâ flames to add the last glimmers to the city, as trains charged into office buildings!
Fear, real and indiscriminate fear arrived equitably this night in the affluent area of Watson District, striking their hearts equally...
Causing them to unleash uncontrollable screams, confusion sprouting from deep within...
Ryanâs Cyber Implant regained freedom, but what he felt... was exactly all of this.
He was dumbfounded.
How could Watson Districtâs network be as poor as Saint Domingoâs?