Chapter 886 - 165: Black Dog (Part Three)

As the workers returned to their posts, the factory fully engaged, churning out armed Jilafa Type 3 Robots under Munemasa’s guidance, trampling the EBM armored units on the streets and shooting down the Floating Cars and Helicopters in the sky.

Meanwhile, the local workers’ forum servers and other network community servers were also back online, all integrated into Lille’s network attack array, completely overwhelming the inefficient bureaucratic regions, thus preventing the local Black Wall from restarting.

Of course, there were still signs that the Black Wall was about to be activated...

Unfortunately, lacking wireless attack devices, the Black Wall’s signals were isolated within the Inner City, unable to reach the rampaging Munemasa controlled by Lille.

In Bremen, there was a wireless signal "vacuum zone," where the noisy waves completely interfered with the signal’s external exploration, and the outer Black Wall arrays couldn’t get in due to EBM’s interference.

"It’s simply unbelievable..."

Blais originally thought it would be a tough, arduous battle filled with glory and setbacks...

On the contrary, it was almost a one-sided steamroll.

The vehicle wreckage on both sides of the street burned fiercely, the ground smeared with a mixture of blood and engine oil, the dim light casting shadows like some eerie oil painting, unsettling to behold.

The EBM soldiers even had no ability to resist.

[Lille: In most cases, the material strength of industrial equipment is comparable to military-grade materials, and even the design ideas are similar.]

[Lille: Once the software restrictions are removed, most industrial equipment can even be used as weapons.]

"Why do I feel you’re talking about these workers..."

Once their mental restrictions are lifted, they don’t seem as weak as imagined?

[Lille: Returning to Europe, the reading comprehension skills have improved?]

"The European Union’s ’disarmament’ has been so thorough, it surely makes heinous incidents less frequent compared to Night City, but it also makes orderly oppression even more unsolvable...

But indeed, orderly oppression is difficult to resolve, who can define what is ’appropriate’ disarmament? Do you think..."

The situation was so relaxed that Blais even started contemplating, immediately interrupted by Lille:

[Lille: I think the fact that EBM will be destroyed today proves we are right. Move quickly, where is the server you need?]

The street was quiet, with explosions only in the distance, and no living people around.

The police station was sealed shut by Lille: these police, equipped and dispatched by drones, were indeed quite impressive, but with machines so competent, humans indeed didn’t need to be too formidable.

At the moment, they were all trembling helplessly inside the police station, watching the robots execute those company dogs on the street, not knowing what to do.

They had become accustomed to following orders and directives, making it their mission. This attack targeted workers, not them, so they certainly didn’t need to "awaken."

Blais sat atop an industrial robot, approaching Bremen’s government center, with Lille shutting down all electronic devices along the way.

Soon, they entered Bremen’s Inner City.

This area had the best infrastructure network; when EBM launched its attack, the equipment here was already rebooted...

Theoretically, the Black Wall here remained operational, but the servers present didn’t make it especially strong.

The government building towered like a mountain at the heart of Bremen, overseeing all city facilities, connecting with higher-level European Union administrative bodies from here.

The most loyal and highest-ranked police staff surrounded it in rows—

Apart from the capable police, there were also Interpol and even Network Surveillance Agents stationed nearby, unconcerned with workers’ lives but caring about the government center’s security.

Here was the most solid defense...

Unfortunately, tonight, there wasn’t a more powerful cyber entity in this city than Lille.

The Jilafa Type 3 approached slowly, with Blais needing to do nothing.

"Do not come closer! This is the European Union Bremen Government Office, further approach will be deemed as a declaration of war against the European Union!"

[Interpol Detective #0214: Why is it industrial robots coming? What is that...]

[Network Surveillance Agent: That’s not right... that’s... ugh!]

In the communication channel, the Network Surveillance Agent suddenly went offline.

As the robot approached, black and red flashes and lightning started flickering before people’s eyes, large mosaics and static occupied the visual systems, hormone regulators malfunctioned, Pain Editors overloaded, prosthetics spasmed...

Bang... Bang... Bang...

Detective 0214 felt his body completely losing control, consumed by pain all over!

He knelt on the ground, despairingly watching the robot slowly approach, as the world before him turned completely black...

This wasn’t the workers rebelling at all, those EBM fools unleashed a rogue AI!

Sizzle!

The way forward was blocked by a tall isolation blast wall, sturdy enough to withstand a main battle tank’s frontal cannon, made from the highest-grade military concrete, designed to automatically rise using mechanical energy storage devices during urban emergencies.

Once raised, it meant the city had entered its worst wartime state, with this barrier and the building’s exterior blast-resistant steel plate becoming the last defense against the city’s administrative data from intruders.

Yet, what could resist a tank’s main cannon might not withstand an industrial drill’s continuous output.

The equipment on Jilafa Type 3 adhered to the wall surface like a transformation...

BOOM!

The blast resounded throughout the Inner City, making the whole building tremble.

Blais glanced down at the trembling people beneath him, the former colleagues, involuntarily shivering:

"This is terrifying... and you say you’re not a rogue AI?"

[Lille: Stop talking nonsense, EBM can’t keep Bremen paralyzed, we don’t have much time.]

[Lille: Now, tell me, what are you doing in the European Union?]

"Alright..." Blais sorted out his thoughts, "More than two years ago in Dog Town, you confidently claimed you weren’t a rogue AI, and I believed you.

Since I believed you, I had to consider how Network Surveillance regards AI, regards Soul Killer...

You’re right, although Network Surveillance boasts of being the last bastion against rogue AI worldwide, the Guardian of humanity, and strictly regulates intelligent programs and network technology, they have never given up on pursuing this technology."

"The Europeans have always sponsored their exploration of the Old Net, collecting any kind of AI technology worldwide... and they might already be using it—I’m not talking about ordinary AI technology, but AI that can be considered dangerous singularities."

Blais paused: "Fortunately, you didn’t die, and being straightforward, I’ll speak bluntly:

Your first recorded activity was in Atlanta, and before that life... or do you remember what your family was like?

Are you sure you’re human?"

"You said you traversed the Old Net and arrived here; have you heard of... Orion? Has Munemasa mentioned it to you?"

BOOM!

The drilling continued its assault.