[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-235":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151726,1495,"Chapter 235 - 217 Little Little Octopus","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-235",235,"\u003Cp>Watching Lille construct his own digital image, Blais couldn’t help feeling surprised in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Computational power is the cornerstone of activities in Cyberspace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a comprehensive indicator, determined by factors such as a hacker’s equipment, prosthetics, brain functions, and so on, which then constitute an individual’s image in Cyberspace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Cyberspace, hackers face fewer restrictions, and although physical laws still apply here, they’re not as direct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Computational power builds programs, or images, which as extensions, influence everything in Cyberspace, affecting the real world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could be human, or a lamp god, or a Spider Queen, wielding a web of data fortifications...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can become anyone you wish to be, provided your computational power is strong enough and your skills refined enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Lille... to the Network Supervision Committee, his skills were that of a decent street hacker, but his computational power...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His image was very solid, built brick by brick with sincerity, without trying different structures on a whim because of that sensation of mastering and creating everything, and not adorning himself with things that are flashy but useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The less you understand and the more impulsive you are, the more likely you are to leave vulnerabilities in the program, which seasoned hackers can exploit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that is a mistake almost all hackers make at the novice stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Access pod neural chip model... Military Technology Parallel Line, no memory expansion components, no traces of cerebral matter enhancement, no symptoms of prosthetic stimulation...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost pure computation, brainpower around 12... that’s too exaggerated...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Have you really not considered working for the network monitor? The Network Supervision Committee would provide you with better resources.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blais appeared composed, but observing the foundation Lille revealed, he was becoming less so—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What does a brainpower of 12 imply?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinarily, the human brainpower limit is 10 for purely physical humans who rely solely on their hand and eye movements to operate on a computer panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, even for those who have prosthetics installed, the brainpower of the vast majority of hackers typically doesn’t break past this number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brainpower of 12 would be enough for Lille to apply for a core hacker position at a large company, and the company would be more than willing to equip them with expensive prosthetics—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, assuming he’s willing to sign his name on a \"contract.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not interested—why don’t you mention the catch?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Work in exchange for compensation, you consider that a catch?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I find it’s not worth it, so yes, it’s a catch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whatever you say. Your idea is kind of retro, sounds like those brain-dead hackers from the old net era, controlling themselves and killing freedom all day long.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brain-dead? The hackers of the old net era caused companies headaches and even brought down the old net. If they were brain-dead, what does that make you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blais interrupted Lille’s stinging remarks; just as Lille’s image was fully constructed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A very standard human appearance, but only enough to tell at a glance that this is a humanoid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille didn’t even outline his facial features. Most hackers wouldn’t sketch features in Cyberspace either, but they typically would wear masks or helmets to showcase their individuality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lille didn’t; his image looked like... a person entirely made of digital light flow, without distinctive features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blais’s mouth twitched: \"Don’t you think your image lacks even more features?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille: \"If I’m the only one in Cyberspace lacking features, then that itself becomes a feature.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...All right, try loading your Magic Doll.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic Dolls, their names make sense only when you see them in Virtual Space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most common and basic type of Magic Doll for hackers: \"Ice Cone (ICE Breaker),\" which looks like a sharp blade upon loading in Cyberspace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sole function of the Ice Cone is to break through the enemy’s ICE, a typical example of an extremely specialized program.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of its malleability, it can be combined with other software to pave the way and set the foundation for humanoid-type programs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade crafted from computational power flows with the luster of data, sharp and beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blais nodded in approval:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good choice. If you chose those programs that street hackers love like prosthetic malfunctions and Prosthetic Eye reboots, I would’ve had to spend more time explaining Cyberspace programs to you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I guess you already grasp what I’m trying to say.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The logic within Cyberspace is vastly different from reality, but overall, many aspects still make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the principal aim of developing Cyberspace is to make people \"feel\" those signals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille experimented with combining the Ice Cone onto a prosthetic malfunction, turning the blade into a short dagger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sensation was indeed fascinating; a hacker is like a creator in Cyberspace, with data and electric currents coordinated by nerves visibly transforming in their hands...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s an experience that no virtual reality technology can match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing this scene, Blais was surprised again: This was Lille’s first time entering Cyberspace, yet he had already learned to combine different programs to create a new Magic Doll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille dissolved the Ice Cone, the short dagger shattered into light particles that returned into his body: \"Got any powerful Magic Dolls for me to try?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blais sneered: \"Little brother, you’re just a contract worker. Making it this far is already exceptional, and you haven’t even started working!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, since we’re now somewhat superior and subordinate, I advise you to continue perfecting your digital image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In battles within Cyberspace, the initiator has a massive advantage. A hacker with weak computational power, with the right program, plus a surprise attack, can completely take down a hacker with several times their computational power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the opportunity is right, taking down a hacker with multiple times their computational power is not impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You need to learn to be always battle-ready, maintaining the operation of protective, detection\u002Falarm type programs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it’s even better to have a massive data fortification on hand—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Showboating, Blais shifted to the side, unveiling to Lille the enormous data fortification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Streams of data branched into the high walls, and the mechanically textured digital walls continued to mesh slowly, moving...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the physical world, people feel intimidated by skyscrapers hundreds of meters tall, but in Cyberspace, a powerful data fortification can give the illusion of being kilometers high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you use the right concealment techniques, it could be endless—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And these massive beings seemed to come to life, ready to attack you at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Human discomfort and helplessness when facing gigantic objects is exponentially or even infinitely magnified in cyberspace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Join the Network Supervision Committee and you’ll be able to move around in cyberspace using these data barriers—and oh, there are also these Advanced Demon Dolls.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Blais said this, he reached out his hand—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An image looking much like a little demon descended shakily from the air, holding a burning bow and arrow in one hand and a chain in the other, attached to the other end of the chain was...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vicious bulldog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bulldog came over to Lille, sniffing around as if it were a real dog, identifying the newcomer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lifelike quality of the image was astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When you have control over powerful programs, you can combine them as you wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to integrate complex programs, there’s another type of high-level program that is actually closer to what you’d call a Magic Doll than the garbage software sold on the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We refer to these programs as: Demon Program Sets (Note).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They have a degree of autonomy and, in a sense, could be considered AI, but with very low intelligence, so you don’t have to worry about them burning out your brain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The framework used by this program is called Little Octopus, just like its name suggests, it has the appearance of a little demon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This Little Octopus is mainly in charge of managing the bulldog and Hell’s Arrow, specifically designed to defend against attacks in cyberspace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When your hacking skills are on par with ours, you can also try to write your own...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish, Blais suddenly saw Lille’s digital image begin to undulate and tremble...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small octopus... it seemed like an octopus; he had seen this species on the Science Channel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small octopus crawled over Lille’s digital form, settled on his shoulder, and looked around, bobbing its head to survey its surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cyberspace suddenly fell into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille was panicking inside, but he couldn’t show it, and he couldn’t even talk to the Little Octopus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he played it cool:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is my Demon Program Set, loaded with... several target location systems to help me sense cyberspace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken, the Little Octopus lifted its tentacles, its limp arms elongating and reaching towards the bulldog’s head, even the suckers pulsating...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blais lost his composure at this sight—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was this happening!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had taken him two full years of study at the academy to build his first stable Demon Program Set!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, grabbed the octopus’s arm and pressed it back down: \"Hmm... there’s still some trouble with recognition, I’ll adjust it a bit more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blais started to speak slowly: \"You...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish, the octopus suddenly scurried in fear into Lille’s body, and Blais’s expression drastically changed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The active mechanical walls of the data barrier began to spin rapidly as if engines were starting up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the pitch-black cyberspace, some terrifyingly large weapon was materializing out of nothingness, piercing through the darkness, a red and black trident flickering as it struck toward the data barrier!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red trident seemed to carry some program as well, the black background of cyberspace being rendered in red, as if about to envelop the area—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, it must have happened during the short-range jump a while ago—cut your link now!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had Blais finished speaking than Lille found himself being pushed away, completely removed from the battlefield—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the last scene he saw, the active mechanical walls, not to be outdone, revealed an equally large Ion Cannon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cyberspace trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ha!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille exited cyberspace, taking a breath as if he had just surfaced from water!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His access pod burst into sparks and Lille quickly jumped out, grabbing the fire extinguisher provided in the room before his butt caught fire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Use fire extinguisher: Pay 10 euros.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Please control the fire, contact NCPD if necessary, any damage to the apartment will...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The payment panel also exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the room’s circuits were fried, and if you looked from the outside of the skyscraper, you could see that several rooms around Lille also went dark abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if you shifted your gaze to Taiping State...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You would see that the already sparse lights there had started to flicker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighting in cyberspace can cause extreme instability in electrical circuits, and if the combatants deliberately involve the participants, this can happen, like it did to Lille.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like Lille now owed the landlord a large sum of money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have caused damage to the wiring; estimated compensation for economic losses: 5669 euros.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Please pay the fine within 24 hours, failure to do so will...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Zzt.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of electrical circuits dying out overlapped with the sound of the fire extinguisher, and finally, the fire was extinguished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Contact: V]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[V: Lille, did your room lose power? I was just watching TV! It suddenly blew up, damn the property management, they don’t even know what’s happening.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille sat down on his bed with a thump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: I know.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: Can I borrow two thousand bucks?]\u003C\u002Fp>",1932,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.909Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.802Z",1,"novelbin.me","d4d084d928d8fdcb5b6522ccb886b99e82126a2f77954a94efc6cbd050874f1f","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-236","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-234",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]