Chapter 234 - 216 Cyberspace

Just as the Yihara-Bragg algorithm was about to finish loading, Lille abruptly cut the connection—

[Evolution Heart: The abnormal emotions caused by the neural component have been soothed]

Just now, his spinal prosthetic’s power suddenly surged!

Si Anweisitan’s malfunction indicator light flickered, as if sighing in disappointment...

Lille almost forgot there was an AI in him...

To be honest, this AI was quite gentle, but the network monitor was eyeing him, waiting for him to connect to Cyberspace just to catch him.

So Lille thought for a moment and began inputting content into the prosthetic:

[Personal Drafts]

[Lille: Hey? Are you there?]

No response.

Lille pondered, reloaded the language translation program, and fetched data from the large language model Skye was developing at Marvel.

[Model Data Loaded: FW-2]

The red light on the spinal prosthetic flashed rapidly, indicating it was learning quickly.

[Lille: Hey? Are you there? I know you’re in the prosthetic system.]

[zß]5Û½ö: Not here! CNM!]

Lille’s face darkened, suddenly realizing that Skye had marked this incomprehensible language model, but it was hidden in the program.

FW: F-WORD, used for implementing cyber-psychological attacks.

Note: Use with caution, it appears uncouth.

So Lille selected a normal language model and loaded it instead.

[Lille: Can you speak normally now?]

[¸ßÍwëÝ: Wasn’t I speaking normally just now? Isn’t this how you usually talk?]

Lille froze...

[Lille: That’s not important, what’s important is that I’m about to connect to Cyberspace, and I’ll limit your activities.]

[Lille: Whatever I do, you can do it by following my example; otherwise, we’ll both be doomed.]

[öï·ãmö: Two questions. First, what is Cyberspace? It feels very comfortable; second, what does ’doomed’ mean?]

[Lille: The first question: You’ll know once you connect; the second question: ’Doomed’ means you won’t be able to perceive anything.]

[w×^6ë]·: (」゜ロ゜)」]

[}t×nµÛ~: Bro, I’ll listen to you!]

[Lille: ...Why do you call me bro?]

[möïuó: Many people call you that. I like this term.]

This AI... had extraordinary capabilities in bodily coordination but...

Seemed quite innocent in other aspects.

[Lille: Alright then, I’m going to connect now.]

Lille set up several power walls to restrict the AI’s core data flow and also limited his own neural connectivity.

This would make his computational power roughly match an intelligence level of 12 theoretically.

Moreover, his method of connecting to Cyberspace was not by directly opening a deep-dive port on his head, but by using modified adhesive electrodes to pick up brainwave signals.

This was an outdated method that reduced sensitivity, but it provided good cover for Lille.

Everything was ready, and Lille lay down in the connection chamber.

[Connecting to Cyberspace.]

...

For the first time, Lille was stable and had plenty of time to observe this space carefully—

Or rather, this universe.

Darkness was his first impression.

Free from the restraints of gravity, the sense of space was utterly crushed in this darkness, as if he were in a void—

[Evolution Heart: Sense of void eliminated.]

[Connection Chamber Prompt: Yihara-Bragg Algorithm Loading]

[Connection Chamber Prompt: Start constructing network coordinates.]

As he looked around, intertwining and crisscrossing radiant lines formed three-dimensional digital landscapes...

With contrast came a sense of distance, enabling Lille to distinguish up from down, left from right like a human—

So he looked up.

[Connection Chamber Prompt: Start adapting to Cyber Modulator.]

The glowing code, like countless radiant meteors, streaked across the pitch-black backdrop of Cyberspace.

These amorphous codes danced in the space, leaping like living organisms, forming mountains, rivers, skyscrapers...

And all kinds of familiar geometric shapes.

But still incredibly strange—

Because within Cyberspace, his form had still not been decided.

Humans emerge from their mothers’ wombs—or, rarely, from a lab.

But regardless, as their cognitive systems begin to develop, their self-image and existence are already established.

Not here.

A hacker must shape themselves from the ground up.

[Connection Chamber Prompt: Please select data body construction mode]

[Load CREATOR Operating System]

[Preset Mode]

[Advanced Customization]

Facing the prompts, Lille knew none of these three options were acceptable to him.

The Creator System (Note 1), developed by Silicart Technology Company in 2014 for network roaming artificial scenery, was akin to Cyberspace’s Windows system.

This system, with its powerful image and animation processing, packaged Cyberspace into a virtual reality for people to enter, creating an online paradise for ordinary people.

A hacker’s basic course was to get rid of dependence on the Creator system and become accustomed to the pure Cyberspace.

The so-called preset mode used stock data and pre-configured simulations that were full of vulnerabilities.

Advanced customization offered some simple customization services—still vulnerable data simulations.

Most hackers started with the Creator system, gradually delving into data layers, making them easy targets for large corporations to monitor.

As for Lille... he could not escape this fate, the good news being the person monitoring him also taught him to skip the novice stage altogether.

A prompt appeared in his mind:

[Short-distance network jump starting...]

He was pulled by Blais.

The virtual world of characters began to shimmer and distort, lines twisted and danced, but in the midst of it all, he could vaguely see himself moving through a high-speed data channel.

His consciousness moved through cables, and Lille saw the distorted world.

Those lines and lights shifted in shape and color with astonishing speed, making him feel as if in an incomprehensible tide, space disordering, expanding, and contracting—

A terrifying character storm slammed into his nerves, then suddenly everything stopped!

A fortress appeared.

[Evolution Heart: Cyberspace mental pollution removed.]

"Surprising adaptability; you might be a born hacker."

The data stream transformed into electrical signals, which were then transmitted through the connection chamber to the auditory nerve. Blais’s metallic voice resonated in Lille’s head.

This was Cyberspace interaction—everything seemed similar to the outside world, but fundamentally different.

"So... first time... scared shitless?"

Lille’s voice was somewhat fragmented, the construction of the voice signal rudimentary.

But Blais understood what Lille meant: So you got scared shitless the first time too?

Lying in the network chamber, Blais’s face darkened: Damn, why is this kid so unmanageable? Anyone entering Cyberspace for the first time should be scared shitless!

Generally, this would be blamed on the AI, but Blais didn’t think Lille was AI.

The reason was simple: Lille’s defenses in Cyberspace were currently very low. Blais had long obtained Lille’s physiological data.

From the physiological data, it appeared Lille was indeed about to puke. The state of his central nervous system was also dire, indicating he was truly human. Humans experienced physiological discomfort when perceiving Cyberspace.

Just pretending to be tough.

Lille ignored Blais, using the earlier voice signal exchange as an example to construct a complete voice signal component.

The data stream gradually constructed a stable form, and following Blais’s method, Lille constructed a voice signal component that was a warped and unstable transmitter.

Blais finally seized the opportunity to mock:

"Smart—but we use network forms adjusted over time to achieve harmonious shape and function. Mimicking a single part just makes you look absurd."

His form was that of a man in digitized body armor, wearing a highly specialized helmet marked with a netwatch label.

Light and digital textures flowed over his body, the digital armor receiving data streams from all directions for monitoring.

"Professional but so stiff it’s boring."

Lille accidentally voiced his thought, setting Blais off balance.

"You..."

"Stop talking nonsense, where are the things I need?"

"...Sending them over."

Internal materials of network monitoring: "Cyberspace From Beginner to Expert," "Things You Need to Know About Cyberspace," "Common Program Construction and Principles"...

The digital lines began to dance, outlining Lille’s digital form.