[{"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-782":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},1152823,1495,"Chapter 776 - 56: The Legend of the Illuminati","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-782",782,"\u003Cp>Lille is a frequent traveler between worlds, and when necessary, has the rational thinking logic similar to AI. He can clearly distinguish: this is another world, and the same name does not refer to the same thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Johnny: Illuminati? Stuff from dime novels?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Johnny: Back when I was in Night City, there was an old lunatic ranting every day at the street corner about things like the Illuminati and terrifying robots...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Johnny: But I didn’t know the AI in Cyberspace were like this.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnny’s commentary turns into text displayed in Lille’s field of vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Illuminati\" in this world is indeed something that exists, only it’s not human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As far as Lille knows, the Illuminati in this world is a dangerous threshold entity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Munemasa is sharpening a blade on the ground, its two fin-like feet constantly rubbing against the blade, looking somewhat comical and cute. This is it retrieving backup data from the endless sector:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most AIs will back up some important data worldwide, and how they manage to get servers is their own business. However, the boundless is open to all AIs, as long as these AIs do not show aggression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While honing its blade, Sword Penguin said, \"Illuminati... does this thing really exist? However... it seems that only in this way can it be explained.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille glanced surprisingly at Munemasa: Is this thing legendary even among AIs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Munemasa added to Lille: \"The power source of the boundless is a sort of... high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, you understand better than I do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HTGR, a type of advanced reactor operating at an extremely high core temperature, using helium as a coolant. Due to the uniqueness of its cooling system, even if the cooling system fails, it can rely on a passive natural cooling mechanism to avoid core meltdown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A design very suitable for remote areas, and it doesn’t require frequent maintenance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Lille’s view, the atomic technology of this world is relatively primitive, HTGR is a relatively decent technology, but no matter how good the technology is, there are limits:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing is infinite, including nuclear energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boundless had been put into use as early as the 20th century, and today it’s over a hundred years old. How has it maintained operations until now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, it experienced several corporate wars, and the most significant was the collapse of the old net:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The collapse of the old net didn’t just occur in the Cyberspace, everywhere in the sea was AI-controlled military units, these AIs were well-acquainted with network channels and human activity routes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if humans still had the leisure to maintain this isolated AI in Antarctica, they would still have to face those relentless military units to reach Antarctica...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With aspirations surpassing abilities, while everyone scrambled to restore data, who would consider salvaging an AI loaded with penguin activity data?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Actually, it does exist... I don’t even know if it’s them, or it.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Thirty years ago, due to prolonged harassment from highly aggressive AIs, my fuel almost ran out.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[At that time, humans contacted me and expressed their willingness to provide fuel assistance.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Human?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Humans, they dispatched ships and engineers to help maintain me. However, upon later calculations, I believe these humans’ intentions to help me were not comprehensive.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Just like the stories you tell, and the possibility of you reaching here is equally slim.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[They said: they hoped I would maintain surveillance on Antarctica’s ecosystem, preserving ecological data...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This is a paradox, if they truly cared about the ecosystem, the Antarctic ice sheet wouldn’t have shrunk to its current extent.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[And also...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rapid exchange of information is not the only criterion for the boundless making judgments, simply put, it observed many illogical details, and after continuous logical reasoning, it arrived at this most probable result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humans have almost no reason to help the boundless: maybe some humans do care about ecology, but humans who care about ecology are not as powerful or capable as those who don’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondly, these humans possessed a high level of knowledge about AI and the Titan-grade V-type array sector, yet they were not representative of any known major company, nor were they related to network supervision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the boundless had heard many stories from other AIs: the Illuminati had a group of Netwalkers called the \"Alliance\" working for it, this kind of behavior is unique to the entire AI community...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, such logical judgment is very complex, and there’s not enough space to write here. Mainly if I write too much, they’ll say it’s full of water, but the final result is: the probability of these people being under the Illuminati’s command is very high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...In short, the probability of other options has been brought to the same level as the Illuminati.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, the Illuminati is the AI’s own conspiracy theory. It’s just that humans have many conspiracy theories used as slander, AI are clever. So far, this is the only thing they can’t see through, yet they think it relates to everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, unlike humans, who argue over different conspiracy theories they believe in, AIs do not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Munemasa’s fin-like feet brushed against the sword, turning from a ranger with a broken wave scarf to a ranger...penguin with a large red scarf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By this judgment...there really is a high possibility. Will they come again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[They have built a communication array for me, allowing me to request assistance by communicating with them regularly, but every time they have to send some data during the inspection.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In theory, that array can leap to the European Net Domain.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If you want to use this channel, I can help you, but I need to let it know first.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Europe...although it’s not Night City, it’s much better than Antarctica.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...even though the Illuminati operates mysteriously, and it’s impossible to predict what they want to do...but to send fuel rods and maintenance packages regularly to the boundless seems a bit too...bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking for a while, about as long as two seconds, Lille said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What time is it now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Oh...let me synchronize the time for you.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A line of digital characters quickly emerged, while Lille’s brain risked crashing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Time: May 1, 2050]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now...is it more than twenty years ago?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille looked towards Munemasa, only to see it accept the timestamp with a contented expression—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Has he returned to the past? How is that possible?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>North America, Free State of Northern California, Night City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shadow of nuclear explosions hung over the ocean, when the sea breeze blew, colored radiation clouds drifted along the coast...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since the Kujira was bombed, telescope sales in Night City have skyrocketed—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A supercarrier stranded at sea, and it’s Arasaka’s, it’s a spectacle that never gets old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, unlike before, Night City is now more desolate...to be precise, large-scale shootouts and extreme raids have significantly declined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Night City truly has military forces now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taiping State, with the disbandment of the Netherworld Dog and the establishment of the Night City City Guard, this place began to redevelop...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But rebuilding takes time, now the high-profit industry here is transitioning from scavenging to the construction industry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of shabbily dressed young guys on the street flaunting signs and holograms, looking closely, a few of them are even holding footballs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their destination is a square cleared out after debris was removed: four poles and two nets make a football field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A huge industrial-styled floating car rose from a rebooted hotel...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young guys heard the giant engine noise and looked up enviously at the sky:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This ride is a Night City specialty, belonging to Night City’s most famous football star, and in recent years, America’s most capable and popular young football star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matt in the ride looks down, watching those kids filled with desire, feeling dazed...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Son! We’re finally going to Europe!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice of his father from across the seat pulled him back to reality, faced with his father’s excited voice, Matt just gave a tired smile...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Beep.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sender: Dean Fiona]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Fiona: The new serum mix is becoming stable, but there’s still some variance from the version your brother used earlier.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Fiona: Finally...don’t screw it up.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matt gave a brief reply, looked at his father who was still reviewing the schedule, and closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this...the weight of responsibility?\u003C\u002Fp>",1376,"2026-06-03T12:33:36.099Z","2026-06-03T12:33:42.185Z",1,"novelbin.me","cc6169f09b461d7f6af09b531cb1cfe099ad7703dbb3e6ab03b8b41e23873386","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-783","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-781",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]