Chapter 852 - 131: Hacking Without the Need for a Network

"Just now, there was a second unrest at Factory No. 2. A helicopter affiliated with the European Tunnel Company took off illegally and was forced to stop by Foxstone authorities."

"We can clearly see that the unrest has generated a lot of black smoke at the factory, and three obviously speeding vans can still be seen at the scene."

"But contrary to what we imagined, after entering the Foxton North District, the speeding vans started playing familiar songs like ’Crown and Hammer’ and parading through the streets."

"These songs are not what lawless criminals and illegal immigrants would choose, and their enthusiasm has infected the residents of the city. An eyewitness stated: he even thought it was some kind of event."

"In fact, according to well-informed sources, this can indeed be considered an event, and the main workers participating come from the accident-stricken Factory No. 2."

"XBC News is following up for you..."

[Johnny: No, shouldn’t it be time for classic rock at a time like this?]

[Lille: Rock what rock, it’s good enough if they can sing clearly with their broken voices, let alone rock. This is just ordinary people.]

Although Johnny and Lille have some differences about what song to sing, both are surprised by Elliot and the workers’ choice...

However, Lille doesn’t think it’s a big issue, but Johnny has a slightly different opinion:

[Johnny: It’s already 2077, is there just that great a feeling in praising that pompous British Royal Family?]

[Lille: You can understand it, after all, this is Britain.]

The British Royal Family has extraordinary significance for Britain today.

In this world, after experiencing two world wars, the UK also followed the global trend and underwent large-scale corporate privatization, but it was affected by events such as the Soviet Union transforming into the Soviet Federation, the collapse of the US Dollar, and the collapse of the internet, keeping its economy from picking up.

Against such a backdrop, after corporate privatization, entrepreneurs conducted large-scale layoffs, unemployment soared, and the whole of Britain fell into decades of "decline," remaining in a half-dead state, though police forces continually strengthened—

Until 1997, when everything changed: a rock singer named Jameson Manson publicly spoke against privatization policies, leading to his being beaten to death by Buckingham Palace’s police in the street...

Johnny of course knows this event, as he is from that era.

[Johnny: One line in one of the Martial Artist band’s songs was inspired by this place.]

In "Never Fade," there is a line where the lead singer uses all his strength to roar desperately, marking a turning point in the melody:

"One thing changed everything."

(This part is the author’s BS, but I think it coincides, otherwise it couldn’t have been Johnny writing for 2077 in the early 21st century, right?)

The death of a rock boy triggered the subsequent "Rock Boy Movement," where countless unemployed people took to the streets for voice—

They were once workers, farmers, small shop owners; they once had jobs; they once silently accepted the wheels of the era rolling over their cheeks. But after this event, they were no longer willing to be drifters, they began to voice themselves.

The opposition party joined them for electoral gains, and consequently, the movement spiraled out of control:

Through numerous identity changes, the tumultuous lives of countless people were ultimately swirled by the tide of the era, giving them a common identity:

The revolutionaries.

Scotland and Wales successively broke free of Commonwealth control, and England later suffered a plague attack, which frightened the Commonwealth into immediate martial law status, establishing a National Martial Law Bureau—

In reality, it was about forming a militarized police force and using military force domestically.

Although there were many riot areas and civilians, the Martial Law Bureau used new technology and techniques: the protracted martial law facilitated the foundation of the Network Supervision precursor.

Yes, Network Supervision was not built on virtual networks, but on heaps of corpses and rivers of blood in reality.

Although Martial Law Bureau’s controllers gained technical advantages, they did not immediately wipe out the resistors but turned the fight into a long-term war, constantly awarding medals and promoting generals and officers, gradually hoarding "royal power" in their hands—

A noble’s identity was usually conferred by a stronger noble, now this power had shifted from the King to the Martial Law Bureau.

The Royal Family began to feel resentful, and with the support of the Marine Corps and the few army forces, King Charles...the young King Charles instigated a rebellion to right the wrong.

The outcome was not hard to predict: "The humble King Charles betrayed the country, and the great Martial Law Bureau overthrew the monarchy, eradicating the final vestiges of feudalism."

But, due to some unexpected circumstances, the Martial Law Bureau’s attempt to eradicate the Royal Family wasn’t entirely successful, and after several years of their reign of terror, two princesses were eventually found in America and in 2016, the great British King began planning a counterattack.

This time the rebellion was just as grand as the one decades ago, but this time, the rebels succeeded:

The big enterprises that had always supported the Martial Law Bureau withdrew funding in large numbers, while the returning British King received support from an economic union turned "Cartel."

This meant the rebels got support from the Cartel.

The Martial Law Bureau began to collapse, and within a few months, they who had imposed oppressive terror on Britain for over a decade vanished just like that, with two of its executives even announcing an end to martial law, welcoming back Princess Beatrix...

Welcoming back Queen Victoria II.

The glorious British King ended the decade-long terror over these lands, restoring Britain to its former glory, and those who contributed meritoriously once again became nobility under the British King’s banner—

For instance, the two executives of the Martial Law Bureau.

Therefore, Queen Victoria II is considered this country’s savior.

However, there was a minor twist: right after returning, Queen Victoria II immediately announced the privatization of all domestic armed forces, which now belong to the United Kingdom Joint Department Co., Ltd.

This minor twist explains why the British King is so popular here and why the British King is so important:

Because even though the UK later joined the European Union, local military, police, and other roles were nominally under the EU, but actually belonged to the United Kingdom Joint Department Co., Ltd.

Officer positions are honored by the glorious British King, but the weapons, theoretically private, belong to the glorious followers of the British King...

This long explanation is just to clarify why everyone loves the British King, and why praising the British King by Elliot is a wise move—

Singing the wrong song, who would know which side you are on?

In this country, you have to learn to love those you should love, sing praises to those you should sing praises, like Elliot, he is a worker, he should love the British King, it was the British King who led this country back on track and overthrew the Martial Law Bureau.

If he praises someone else, then he praises the wrong people.

Praises the wrong people...

[Lille: It could cause the surveillance system to raise his danger rating, only within an appropriate range will it not attract the attention of Network Supervision.]

[Johnny: Headache—always feels like something is off.]

[Johnny: So singing is a technical issue?]

[Lille: You can think of it that way... It’s a strategy a hacker should think about, directly attacking the European Union’s network is very risky.]

[Lille: A hacker must learn social engineering, it’s the basics of the basics.]

The European Union’s surveillance network is very powerful, and Lille had encountered something strange before even entering:

Someone is controlling an AI in Antarctica, which clearly doesn’t seem right.

Caution is important, and the most cautious approach is to completely sever this surveillance network.

[Johnny: Murphy and Bartmos seemed to have not considered that.]

[Lille: That’s why they both died. One achieved nothing, the other made a big mess for the world.]

[Johnny: So now? Are we just going to keep praising that old queen and rebel?]

[Lille: If the deviation happens slowly, the end’s macro results will likely diverge greatly from their anticipated control targets, when a singularity appears where the rate of change of events dramatically shifts, they will be unable to prevent it from spiraling out of control.]

[Munemasa: It’s like boiling a frog slowly.]

Lille was surprised to agree with Munemasa’s description: he was just about to say that, didn’t expect Munemasa to put it so nicely.

[Lille: Correct, it’s like boiling a frog slowly.]

When things spiral out of control, is the time to use the communication array to make a transoceanic transfer.

Before that...

[Johnny: The frog’s quite happy, here he comes.]

Elliot and his coworkers lay on the ground of the factory, though each was bruised, possibly even internally injured by ultrasonic waves, they were all very happy.

And the happiest person was already at the door.

"Elliot! My friend! You’re amazing!"

The voice of Sevens was heard from outside the door.