In the heart of the city, where the neon signs pulsed with a life of their own, Tham clutched his resolve and the fresh information he'd acquired. The nostalgic scent of the antique market brought back familiar memories. His primary task: make the most of his remaining $45 for the mission ahead.
As the first light of dawn broke, Tham returned to the antique market.
This market was a small oasis in a world of modernity and advanced technology, a place where he could understand and leverage his skills.
He meticulously explored the stalls, his sharp eyes searching for components to build the "simple hacking device" he'd used in the fallen world.
He found an old antique stall piled with radios, televisions, and vintage electronic equipment.
Tham stopped there, examining the goods carefully.
"Can I help you, young man?" a gruff voice from the old man running the stall asked.
"I'm looking for electronic components—old circuit boards, transistors, or resistors," Tham replied.
The old man raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh, interested in these, are you? It's rare these days for young people to want old things like this."
He gestured towards a cardboard box filled with electronic scraps.
"I've got it all. Take a look."
Tham spent nearly an hour meticulously sifting through the box. It felt like coming home again; his hands, accustomed to repairing and building devices, worked naturally.
He gathered the parts he thought necessary: a small circuit board from an old radio, copper wires from a discarded transformer, functional resistors and capacitors, and most importantly, a small memory chip that could be modified.
Once he had everything, Tham took it to the old man.
"How much for these?"
The old man looked at the items in Tham's hand and smiled.
"All this... $15."
Tham felt relieved.
He paid $15, leaving him with exactly $30.
Before starting to build the hacking device,
Tham knew his remaining $30 wouldn't be enough for long-term expenses.
He needed additional income to access censored information and survive in this different world.
He walked back to the old man's stall.
"I can repair old electronic devices. If you have anything broken, or anything I can modify and sell, let me know."
The old man looked at Tham with interest.
"Really? Well, I have an old radio with a broken screen. I was going to throw it away. Take a look. If you can fix it, I'll give you half the selling price."
Tham took the radio. It was a small portable model with an LED display, which he wasn't very familiar with. But the basic principles of the circuit remained the same.
He carefully disassembled the radio, using the magnifying glass he bought yesterday to inspect the solder joints and internal circuitry.
He found that the display's ribbon cable had slightly come loose and had a small crack.
Tham used his knowledge to repair it.
He didn't have a modern soldering iron, so he had to improvise by using wires from another old radio connected to a battery to generate enough heat for soldering.
He spent about half an hour repairing the screen and testing its function.
"It's done,"
Tham handed the radio back to the old man.
The old man turned on the radio. The LED screen lit up, clearly displaying the time and radio station.
"Wow! You're really skilled, boy," the old man exclaimed in surprise. "I can sell this radio for $20. Here, take $10!"
Tham received $10, bringing his total money to $40. He was glad to have an income, realizing this was a way he could use his skills to his advantage and earn money to continue his mission.
Building the Hacking Device: A Challenge of Different Technologies
Tham returned to his small rented room.
With the acquired components and his remaining $40, he laid out the blueprint he had in his mind. He didn't have modern tools, but his fundamental knowledge of electricity and electronics remained crucial.
He spent the afternoon building his simple hacking device, which he called a "signal jammer." It wasn't a very complex tool in the fallen world, but assembling parts from this era was more challenging than he'd expected.
* Power Source: Tham used an old phone battery he'd bought yesterday as a power source.
* Main Circuit Board: He used a small circuit board from an old radio as the base.
* Memory Chip: This was the most crucial part. He had to modify the memory chip to send specific frequency jamming signals.
* Antenna: He used copper wire modified into a small portable antenna.
He spent hours soldering, connecting wires, and testing the circuit.
Finally, he successfully built a palm-sized device. It didn't look impressive, with wires dangling and various parts haphazardly connected, but Tham was confident in its functionality.
"Alright, time to test it," Tham mumbled to himself.
Tham returned to the CyberNest Hub in the evening.
He spent $5 for an hour of computer rental again, leaving him with $35. He sat down at table number 12 and carefully connected the hacking device to the computer's USB port. This device would help him disrupt certain encryption signals to access censored information.
He returned to the previous search results for "Siren-27" and "biological warfare." This time, he wasn't looking for general information but focused on sections marked "Access Denied" or "This information is censored."
Tham opened the web browser and tried to access the blocked files. When the screen displayed "Access Denied," he pressed a small button on his hacking device. A red LED light blinked.
Suddenly, the computer screen showed strange messages for a moment before the "Access Denied" message disappeared, and the previously blank web page slowly began to load information.
Tham felt an excitement he had never experienced before. Hidden information was about to reveal itself. He quickly began to read. The censored data revealed shocking details:
* Secret Report from 2022: This report mentioned "Project Apocalypse," a top-secret project by an undisclosed organization aimed at developing a biological weapon capable of controlling the world's population.
The project referred to experiments with a virus that could induce aggressive behavior and alter human consciousness.
* Leaked Research Documents: These documents provided in-depth information on the genetic structure of the Siren-27 virus and how it was synthesized. The names of several scientists appeared in the documents, with one name, Dr. Aldous Crane, particularly catching his eye.
* Emergency Meeting Transcripts: These transcripts showed the panic of governments and intelligence agencies worldwide when the Siren-27 virus began to spread. They mentioned public information suppression and the creation of false narratives to control the situation.
Tham felt his heart pound. His fallen world wasn't an accident; it was the result of intent. This was the "mastermind" he had been searching for! Dr. Aldous Crane.
Some information indicated that Dr. Crane had his headquarters in a secret location in New Arcadia, a large city several hundred kilometers to the northeast.
As he was engrossed in gathering information, the computer screen blinked again. "5 minutes remaining."
Tham knew he couldn't gather all the information at once, but he had the crucial data he needed. He decided to commit the essential information about Dr. Aldous Crane and New Arcadia to memory.
* Dr. Aldous Crane: The scientist behind the creation of the Siren-27 virus and Project Apocalypse.
* New Arcadia: The believed location of Dr. Crane's headquarters and potentially the origin of the outbreak.
When the time ran out, Tham disconnected his hacking device and rose from his chair with strong determination.
He walked out of the CyberNest Hub into the dark night, but his mind was illuminated with clearer information and purpose.
Tham walked along the neon-lit streets, his mind processing all the information he had received that day.
* Next Mission: He had to travel to New Arcadia to find Dr. Aldous Crane and deal with him as the source of the catastrophe.
* Travel: Traveling to New Arcadia would require a significant amount of money. He would have to find a way to increase his income.
* Risk: Accessing censored information carried high risks. He had to be even more careful.
Tham returned to his rented room that night, meticulously contemplating his travel plans.
Although the information he had obtained was alarming, it simultaneously ignited a hope within him he had never felt before.
The road ahead was full of danger and uncertainty, but Tham knew this was a mission he had to accomplish to change the world's grim future.