Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

After the descent of the Mechanic, all media in Nightless City were alarmed.

”According to Station Four’s report, above the Welfare Institute, the great Mechanical Goddess, Mechanic, appeared—”

”Nightless City Main Brain, Mechanic appeared in the Outer City District, possibly linked to a secret inside the Welfare Institute.”

”Why Mechanic appeared is likely related to the hacking of the mechanical eyeliner, this group of crazed hackers, trash, scum, maniacs...”

”Station Nine reports, the 17th Escapee Game will have its forecast on the first of next month, at that time, new faces will appear in droves...”

”For the stability and prosperity of the Outer City District, the Nightless City council decided to expedite the approval process for ’Peacekeepers’, but many social commentators suspect these legislators might have been scared witless by the descent of the ’Mechanic’.”

Baozi looked up, ”Boss, what is ’Mechanic’?”

”The manager of Nightless City, a large Artificial Intelligence.”

”Oh,” Baozi touched his nose, embarrassedly smiled: ”Um, Boss, could I leave a little earlier?”

”You’ve been quite busy lately.”

”A bit, just a little bit.”

Ever since Sister Ji installed the ’Social Bull Chip’, business suddenly picked up, with fights, errands, deliveries, tracking, assassinations, the group had practically become a small-scale release platform.

The tasks were too many, and the group was even somewhat short-staffed. Sister Ji had to reopen the ’Hero Rankings’, recruiting a few Level 4 or higher friends on the forum.

”Go ahead.”

”Alright, I will certainly settle the accounts before I leave.”

After Baozi left, Gao Gong lazily lay back on the recliner, seemingly asleep, yet as if waiting for something.

Finally, a mechanical eyeliner suddenly appeared at the shop door and flew in unceremoniously, landing on Gao Gong’s shoulder.

Dangerous red light continuously scanned Gao Gong.

”Gao Yuanyuan’s guardian, Gao Gong, now acting on the orders of Nightless City’s Main Brain Mechanic, to search your memory.”

A cold mechanical electronic voice sounded, and before Gao Gong could speak, the mechanical eyeliner’s tranquilizer dart was already stuck in Gao Gong’s head. Gao Gong’s head tilted, and he promptly passed out.

When Gao Gong woke up, his forehead was wet, and upon wiping, it was all blood. Looking in the mirror, his head was shaved bald, with four centipede-like suture marks on it.

”Cranial searching, the style is still as simple and brutal as ever.”

The forehead still faintly ached.

Opened the ’Identity Identifier’, and two pieces of information popped up.

’After the search, you are temporarily removed from the suspect list.’

’Please proceed to the Business District’s government hall to pay taxes.’

Gao Gong stood up, directly closed the door, and then staggered back to Staff Lane No. 3-301.

The room inside was empty, giving off a somewhat chilly feeling.

As Gao Gong closed the door, the bedroom door opened, and a mechanical monster stooped and squeezed out.

”You’re here.” the monster rasped.

Looking at the other’s tall and terrifying figure, Gao Gong had a strong sense of déjà vu.

”Dude, you look kind of familiar.”

The mechanical monster said nothing, directly pounced, engulfing Gao Gong.

Reproductive Soldier Body, Carbon Atom Reactor, Mechanical Gun Banner, Shuttle-shaped Mayfly Cannon, these advanced mechanical weapons quickly took position.

Likewise, a large number of neural bundles were implanted inside, the lost memories swiftly restored.

Moments later, Gao Gong exhaled deeply.

”Mechanic is easy to fool, but I don’t know if Mother City will send anyone to investigate. If it does investigate, then that would be a bit of trouble.

Mother City, serving as the planet-level administrative center, has hundreds of departments, with the six core departments being the Memory Supervision Department, Humanity Experiment Department, Electronic Network Department, Machine Consciousness Department, Prosthetic Registration Department, Ghost in the Shell Mobile Division, with each department’s members being the elite of the elite, at level 30 and above.

For example, Ahong’s senior, the one called Xiuyue, the King of Hackers, is the head of the Machine Consciousness Department, and above him, there should be two more levels.

And each department has a different division of labor, corresponding in order to memory, humanity, hackers, AI, human modification, and giant corporation.

If they really want to investigate, then the one to be deployed should be the ’Ghost in the Shell Mobile Division’, this department specializes in dealing with large corporations, every member in it is a monster, famously ruthless.

”If they check, it would be the Cloud Nobility they’d check, unlikely they’d find me,” Gao Gong muttered to himself.

The forearm opened, ten ’Hacker Chips’ popped out, hot and searing, much like a graphics card would overheat, so too would hacker chips.

Small-scale hacking wouldn’t reach this extent, but if it’s about infiltrating some giant corporation’s database, then preparing ’Backup Chips’ is a hacker’s essential task.

”Since they’re a bit burned out, it’s reasonable that I don’t pay up, right?”

Gao Gong muttered to himself, naturally intending to default on this bill.

A million Mechanic Tokens, why don’t you just go rob it!

Gao Gong then pulled out storage chips, altogether twenty of them, filled to the brim.

Gao Gong found a cracked holographic reader, and inserted the chips.

One holographic projection after another flashed out.

All were scenes of various experiments.

And the subjects of those experiments were children who ended up in the Welfare Institute due to various ’accidents’.

Each experiment was equivalent to a grade exam.

In this inhumane experiment, the only one to pass all assessments and graduate successfully was Gao Yuanyuan.

The rest either blew their minds or lost control of memory, suffered personality deficits, or went insane.

In fact, Gao Yuanyuan couldn’t be considered a perfect creation either, as she dispelled painful memories in a unique manner.

That is by creating a second personality in Cyber Space.

A crazed, hysterical AI girl named Gox.

Gao Gong suspected that the reason Gao Yuanyuan could maintain her sanity for so long was largely due to the protection given by the Mother of Data.

This protection sheltered the second personality and also protected the original self.

Without her own timeline, Gao Yuanyuan would inevitably become an ’Electronic Ghost,’ and Gox, after Eliza’s suppression, would likely also fall into the clutches of the ’Black Wing Killers.’

”Not bad.”

Gao Gong muttered to himself.

Creating an ’Electronic Ghost’ is extremely complicated, involving more than thirty plans, which means more than 30 blueprints, half of which are above Level 5, with four being above Level 10: [Advanced Neural Shuttling], [Virtual Personality Editing], [Darkened Artificial Intelligence], [Advanced Electronic Control].

If these four capabilities are successfully developed, it becomes a living high-tech version of Zhenzi.

”So, it’s not Gao Yuanyuan but Gox who is undergoing Network Bionics?”

Although ’Zhenzi’ is terrifying, it’s not the same as Network Bionics.

”This secret might only be revealed after Eliza’s revival.”

The blueprints are one thing, but the virtual technology blueprints in Gao Gong’s memory are many; it’s the professional knowledge that’s crucial, which he needs the most.

[Brain Chemistry], [Brain Structure], [Artificial Psychology], [Electronic Rhapsody], [Memory Datafication].

These five pieces of professional knowledge, [Brain Chemistry] and [Brain Structure], belong to the same Professional Knowledge Chain, named ’Mechanical Brain Technology.’

[Artificial Psychology] belongs to a Professional Knowledge Chain called ’Virtual Personality.’

[Electronic Rhapsody] belongs to a special Professional Knowledge Chain, called ’Electronic Doctrine,’ interestingly, on this planet, this Professional Knowledge Chain is mastered by the Turing Sect.

The first four professional knowledge pieces all belong to a civilization system under the ’Brain Domain Civilization.’

In this Cyber Test Field, there are three civilization systems: ’Transformer Civilization,’ ’Brain Domain Civilization,’ and ’Virtual World.’

[Memory Datafication] belongs to the last, the Virtual World Civilization.

Each of the three civilizations has its characteristics.

’Transformer Civilization’ is akin to a mechanized Spartan society; the stronger the Transformer, the deeper the transformation, the higher the social status.

’Brain Domain Civilization’ belongs to Level 2 Carbon-Based Civilization, and among those, it’s rare to possess a ’hive mind.’ This civilization focuses on brain technology development, skilled at producing freaks, perverts, and geniuses.

As for the ’Virtual World,’ it’s a typical virtual reality, an otaku world.

Notably, in the previous life, Gao Gong made his fortune by crafting faces and started to build civilization influence using the ’Virtual World’ as a starting point.

Gao Gong is sure that Cyber Space is the crystallization of both the ’Brain Domain Civilization’ and the ’Virtual World’ civilization systems.

Similarly, the future Electronic Brain Plan should be a product of the ’Transformer Civilization’ and ’Brain Domain Civilization.’

In the past, there were ’Bionic Men’ and ’Data Concept Bodies’; in the future, there are ’Prosthetic Corps,’ ’Advanced Species Fusion Plan,’ ’Mechanical Microorganism.’ These planet-scale experiments are all products of technical cooperation between different civilizations.

The birth of the Cyber Tide was largely due to playing around with these planet-level experiments.

The reason Gao Gong continuously collects professional knowledge is simple.

He knows one truth.

Only a system can combat a system, an ecosystem can combat an ecosystem, civilization can combat civilization.

If Gao Gong hadn’t ignited the ’Mechanical Hunter’ technology tree, these desert bumpkins would still be fussing around playing with sand.

Of course, if you are a Level 200, or even Level 300 Cosmic Monster, then destroying a planet is certainly not an issue.

But the problem is, you’re not.

As ordinary intelligent life, occupying 99% of the universe, you can only level up step by step.

If you don’t climb the Technology Tree, how are you supposed to level up?

The current level cap for Mechanical Hunters is 30; anything beyond 30 is considered the standard for a Level 2 Civilization.

Just as every powerful monster has backing.

The strongest professions are also supported by civilization, and probably more than one civilization.

”As it stands, ’Brain Domain Civilization’ knowledge can be stolen from the corporate database, while the ’Virtual World’ knowledge can be obtained from Cyber Space.”

With only Gao Gong’s strength, it’s definitely not enough.

But isn’t there the player base?

It’s time to show the NPCs what people’s warfare is all about.

However, he must first craft a large-scale plot to warm up the players and boost their visibility.

”What will attract players? Fighting, storylines, rewards, immersion.”

”So——a crackdown on gangs and crime?”

The Outer City District doesn’t lack much, except for its sheer number of gangs.

Gao Gong decides to make a big move.

Before that, he decides to visit his conveniently located younger sister.

Gao Yuanyuan’s hiding place is so obscure; even sweeping the entire Nightless City wouldn’t locate her easily.

Because she isn’t even in reality.