Hmm...
Mercer clicked his tongue, yet his eyes continued to flicker with a golden glow. He neither unplugged the data cable connected to the tablet nor halted his actions.
At this moment, the heat of the tablet began to escalate rapidly, and simultaneously, the number of program windows continuously appearing on the screen grew.
Until the program windows before his eyes suddenly vanished.
[Arasaka Mk.3 Network Access Vault rebooting...]
[Arasaka Mk.3 Network Access Vault reboot complete, action log missing, recover and report?]
[Cancel...program compromised, warning...]
[Self-check in progress...]
[Reboot...]
Ten minutes later, Mercer finally stopped his actions, expressionless, unplugged the data cable, then clutched his head, rolling on the bed.
"Ouch ouch ouch... damn."
Mercer couldn't help curse twice, then breathed heavily, touching the somewhat scorching port behind his ear, but finally couldn't help revealing a brilliant smile.
Done!
He not only succeeded in completing the Sorcery Puppet Virus but also compressed it into a rapid cracking program added to the co-processor.
From now on, he could, just like in the game, scan a device with his prosthetic eye and directly send a virus to seize control of the target device, and it's covert control.
Most importantly! He also successfully 'optimized' Arasaka's network receiver!
Among the features optimized out were employee usage permission monitoring, automated log reporting, network browsing history logs, quick cracking usage protocol, Arasaka's planted backdoor, and several virus monitoring programs lurking within the ICE program.
He also took the opportunity to delete the usage record of his tablet and disguised it as a regular usage record.
And all this took only thirty minutes!
Simply... incredible!
If the original Mercer were here, perhaps writing the former would take over half an hour, and the latter... the original Mercer probably wouldn't even dare to attempt it! Because if the device alerts, what might arrive would be Agent Arasaka!
The protective programs within Arasaka devices are all written by programmers grinding away for more than 14 hours a day, wanting to crack them open in fifteen minutes? Dream on!
And what Mercer accomplished is more than just this, he intercepted the device's signal transmission before it alerted, breached the device's ICE system, successfully rewrote the program code, optimized out unimportant garbled functions, or more accurately, shielded them.
Shielding is harder than optimizing. Optimization merely requires deletion, but shielding necessitates finding the core code in the mountain of garbage code, rewriting it, integrating it into the original code, and ensuring it is disguised.
The purpose of doing this is naturally to pass inspections.
Furthermore, Mercer rewrote a Sorcery Puppet Program using the code from this cracking session.
He named it 'Free Assassin V0.1'.
The sole function of this program, or virus, is to erase the monitoring programs and backdoor on prosthetics, first eliminating the original program code, then using the virus to disguise it as still operating normally.
Although the current program is quite simple, likely only targeting the MK.3 type network access vault he currently breached.
However, Mercer is confident that given him up to two more hours, he could develop a universally applicable cracking program capable of automatically seeking enemies and eliminating disguises for all prosthetics.
And this program not only kills off simple monitoring but also completely eliminates the insurance Arasaka installs on employee prosthetics.
Arasaka Company arranges an extremely rigorous monitoring system for all its employees.
This system ensures that the instant the company decides to terminate an employee, it can lock down all of the employee's prosthetic permissions, making the prosthetics turn into scrap metal in an instant.
Arasaka's agents also equip themselves with special rapid cracking takeover programs, specifically designed for hunting their own.
Agent Arasaka can effortlessly lock down prosthetic capabilities with this rapid cracking—even most breached prosthetics can still be sealed again by this assassin-like rapid cracking.
Yet Mercer's Free Assassin program achieves completely killing these backdoor programs while disguising, simultaneously overlaying new programs over original ones, completely isolating the possibility of being rapidly cracked by assassin-like programs!
Mercer clutching his head, while smiling, couldn't help but start thinking.
Is this something he can accomplish?
To be precise, such a level of programming ability has surpassed the standard of an ordinary genius hacker entirely!
Before crossing, although everyone joked about Lucy in anime being weak, completely another dimension compared to the game hackers V and Lark.
But undeniably, in the real world, hackers at Lucy's level are already considered advanced among ordinary people hackers.
The reason she can't be termed top-tier is that after fleeing from Arasaka, Lucy was constantly on the run, living on the edge, displaced, with hardly any technical progress, and her equipment likely unable to be upgraded.
Yet even so, David in the anime would marvel at her hacker skills at this young age as incredible.
Though David isn't really a worldly person, he at least is an honor student at Arasaka Academy, speaking of which, possesses basic judgment skills.
And Mercer...
Through the common sense in his mind, he can conclude.
Even if Lucy starts diligent study henceforth, by the age of thirty, she might still not achieve his current technical prowess.
Yet what restricts Mercer's technical ability now is not hacking talent, just the pure accumulation of theoretical and practical technology, and as a human, the computational power provided by the brain as 'wetware'.
Everything Mercer does when programming... is almost instinctual!
Like the moment the network receiver alert triggers, the solution to the loophole manifested in his mind—this instinct prevents even the slightest tension or fear, completely forgetting the possibility of triggering an alert if the cracking fails.
Because in his view at the time...
Eradicating the program alert was as easy as extinguishing a cigarette butt, then cracking was merely a matter of course, acted upon an idea, and he actually succeeded!
"Being a hacker... isn't all that difficult."
Mercer exhaled deeply, feeling the joy and satisfaction of the moment, as he lay down on the hospital bed, pushing the scorching tablet far away.
The still-stinging head told him it wasn't the right time to program 'Free Assassin', he needed rest.
However, he hadn't closed his eyes to rest for long.
"Click."
The door opened.
A man with a cold expression in a suit, accompanied by a woman with the same cold expression, walked in.
"Mercer Han."
Mercer opened his eyes.
"Company Review."