Cyberpunk Xiao's abilities seemed ordinary at first glance, but appearances were deceiving. There was a reason people called this ability a golden finger.
In Cyberpunk 2077, human technology wasn't stored on the local area networks used today—it was all preserved in the old network.
Back in the Internet's pastoral era, the network was undivided, a singular whole, known as the First Network. Companies had used its power to dominate and control the populace, establishing the early rule of capital.
But then the hacker god Bartmoss released the Rabids virus, and the entire First Network was destroyed.
The devastation was total. Data fused together into a molten mess, network fortresses crumbled like roasted ice cream, and information highways were blocked by endless streams of 1s and 0s.
Worse still, Bartmoss' Rabids virus was self-evolving and self-replicating. Coupled with the countless artificial intelligences released by corporations, it mutated into an extremely ruthless AI virus.
Similar AI viruses multiplied and evolved rapidly, producing roaming AIs that reproduced like rabbits, hunting everything vulnerable on the Internet.
By the end of the Fourth Corporate War, the Internet had become a digital wasteland. Data was damaged, roaming AI scattered everywhere, and cyberspace had become an incredibly dangerous place.
To counter the lethal AI roaming in cyberspace, the world's top ten hackers joined forces with network monitoring organizations in the cyberpunk world to build a network barrier called the Black Wall, separating the Old Network from the New Network.
Humans could now only inhabit 21% of the network space within the Black Wall—the New Network—while the remaining 79% was dominated by roaming AI in the Old Network.
The old order had been destroyed, but Bartmoss had not succeeded entirely. A new network order emerged, harsher and more merciless than before.
The online world was now sealed off from the outside. Every company, government, and gang constructed its own network barriers.
The Internet was like a mirror, reflecting human thought, dreams, and life itself. Bartmoss had thought that shattering it would be enough, but even broken, a mirror only becomes thousands of fragments—it does not vanish entirely.
Now, each organization maintained its own network, unconstrained and ruling within it with absolute authority.
Ironically, Bartmoss' madness led to the regression of cyberpunk technology. Countless advanced technologies were trapped in the Old Network, left behind by the chaos.
Exploring the Old Network was now the most dangerous pursuit in the world. Any misstep, and wandering AI could incinerate you in an instant.
Cyberpunk Xiao's golden finger was his ability to ignore wandering AI and freely browse everything in the Old Network.
At first, his mental power was insufficient, and he craved strength above all. He had limited himself to browsing only mechanical technology.
But Xiao's true potential was different. With his immense mental power, he could connect more persistently and deeply, accessing a variety of knowledge and experiences.
At this moment, Xiao was like a mouse in a granary, freely gnawing at the wealth of knowledge in the Old Network, mastering unprecedented scientific and technological secrets.
These were the core technologies of the world's major corporations. Master them, and you could build a company of equivalent scale—if you weren't killed by the original owners first. In the cyberpunk world, corporate warfare was brutally direct. Companies didn't negotiate with finance or stocks—they simply hired someone to eliminate threats.
"Dinglingling~~"
The doorbell cut through Xiao's immersion, pulling him out of the vast ocean of knowledge.
"Brother Xiao, it's me! I'm here!"
Kirk appeared on the screen outside the elevator.
"Come on in!"
Xiao opened the elevator and gestured for him to sit anywhere.
"Xiao, my brother from another mother, I sold the goods!"
Kirk straightened his back, presenting a credit chip loaded with exactly 50,000 euros—the price of the Dimension Chip.
"Sold to the Whirlpool Gang? Perfect!"
Xiao's eyes glowed faintly blue. He took 48,000 euros, leaving 2,000, and tossed the credit chip back.
"The rest is yours. From now on, this is how we split it."
He then pulled out another suitcase containing ten brand-new Dimension Chips and an electronic contract.
"These are the promised goods. Work hard."
With a subtle lift of his teacup, he indicated that Kirk could take the goods and leave.
"Thank you, Brother Xiao!"
Kirk signed the contract without hesitation, his eyes sparkling at the sight of the chips. Ten chips meant 500,000 euros in total. If sold, he would pocket 20,000 euros.
The Whirlpool Gang consisted of humans tired of the weakness of flesh and blood. They sought to transcend pain and limitation through eternal machinery.
Their initiation was simple but extreme: cut off your face and replace it with LED red-eye prosthetics. They were a gang of mechanical enthusiasts, willing to risk mental illness for the sake of transformation. Some even implanted computer viruses in their bodies to stimulate their nerves, increasing their prosthetic capacity. Nothing was off-limits in their pursuit of mechanical perfection.
Given their obsession, the Whirlpool Gang's leader, Brick, had requested as many Dimension Chips as possible when they were first offered. They could afford these ten chips, even at the cost of family fortune. With the chip, they could install near-limitless prostheses to achieve their ultimate dream.
Now, Kirk worried less about finding a buyer than about being robbed by those who couldn't afford the chips.
He planned to head to Next Life to trade after picking up the goods from Xiao.
The bar belonged to Rogue, the biggest middleman in Night City. No one dared cause trouble there—not even the Whirlpool Gang. It was a sanctuary for dating contacts, dropping packages, or just having a drink. Next Life was Night City's most famous information station.
Taking the subway, Kirk and Big Joe arrived at the entrance—only to be stopped by the security guard, Emeric.
Next Life wasn't open to everyone. It was a high-end club, welcoming only those with introductions. Newcomers couldn't enter without a referral.
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