Chapter 17: Forgive Me, Auntie, This Is the Last Time

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There was no thunderous roar of gunfire.
Only agents and staff clutching their heads, wailing in agony.
Their cybernetic eyes flickered with a blue light, overwhelmed by data.
Their neural interfaces were engulfed in flames.
They tried desperately to open their eyes wide but saw no trace of their comrades.
Their screams echoed, but could not reach ears long since shattered by the shockwave...
Because on the first floor of the entire base, the greatest number of security personnel—Arasaka agents—had gathered.
So, Morter simply unleashed a virus package from his stored rapid cracking tools.
It contained multiple puppet viruses: cybernetic malfunctions, overheating prosthetics, synapse melting, sonic shocks, ocular failures, and more.
By leveraging the server’s immense computing power, and because these unlucky souls were all connected to the subnet provided by the server,
their ICE was erased by “Death Wish” at speeds nearly imperceptible to humans. The virus quietly infiltrated their brains.
They were defenseless; their wills were shattered and destroyed by the data flood, their minds turned to mush by the sparks igniting inside their heads.
Even the Arasaka agent captain, equipped with military-grade ICE, lasted only a second before his body twisted into a grotesque spiral. With a scream, clutching his burning head, he died amid the flames.
His twisted form was the result of a failed attempt to activate the Steinwstein temporal deceleration system, seeking a last chance to survive.
Due to prosthetic malfunction, the system misfired, causing his limbs to move at different speeds in different directions—twisting him like a coil.
Thankfully, his resilient Steinwstein prosthetics prevented his spine from snapping entirely.
This hellish scene made the oldest children, no more than fourteen, swallow hard and momentarily forget to step out of the elevator.
Then Morter’s figure appeared by their side.
“Move. According to the signal, the hovercar will arrive in about ten minutes. We’ve got time. I’ll keep faking the signal as normal.
Once they land, wait for the robots I control to take out the driver and agents onboard, then you take over the hovercar.
Hmm... while I still can, I’ll have a chat with our director, see if she has any ‘gifts’ for me.
Oh, and when the time comes, just rip off that agent’s Steinwstein prosthetics. The rest of the cyberware isn’t needed. Don’t worry about breaking it.
I bet it’s already partly damaged. Grab it for me to study—see if it’s repairable.
I didn’t expect the attack backed by computing power to be this strong. Maybe I unleashed too many puppet programs? If only I had left out two from the virus package.”
Morter’s expression remained nonchalant as he gazed at the pile of bodies, as if admiring a campfire.
“Got it... Are you okay, Morter?” Lucy struggled to suppress the urge to vomit; the air reeked of burnt smoke mixed with the strange scent of cooked flesh.
“Hm? Oh, don’t worry. It wasn’t hard; they’re all linked to the same subnet. Sending viruses via the server was as easy as pulling the trigger on an automatic weapon. Press a button, and they’re all dead.”
Morter commented, then added:
“No time to chat. See you later. I’m busy monitoring software and trying to talk with our director, while digging for useful data in Arasaka’s servers...
Those idiots even stored the data we mined on their servers. I’m trying to package it all up to see if there’s anything interesting.
There’s plenty of useful info too—I need to figure out how to extract it. They’ve stored all sorts of junk in there...”
Lucy noticed he was speaking purely on instinct, or rather, a stream of consciousness, his mind too occupied to engage in proper conversation.
Multitasking... how is his brain wired? Is he really a rogue AI... or some strange data consciousness born from that accident?
Such feats should only be possible for legendary hacker prodigies like Bartmos or Otter! Could Morter be on their level?
Lucy’s thoughts swirled as she followed his lead.
Then she realized Morter had thoughtfully marked the route on her cybernetic eye’s display, even pixelating the faces of particularly gruesome corpses.
He really is...
Lucy didn’t know how to put it, but just seeing those pixelations calmed her somewhat.
After all, someone who still thinks to censor their comrades’ faces in a moment like this was definitely trustworthy in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Morter was busy sealing off any outgoing signals from the base, connecting to Ena Tanino’s top-floor office equipment.
He quickly scanned and located her hidden turrets, automatic alarms, and emergency rescue buttons.
Unexpectedly, Ena Tanino’s office network was not directly connected to the main servers but linked to another subnet.
Only the surveillance cameras were directly connected, likely to facilitate internal protection for her.
Her personal room lacked any cameras, only showing network signal fluctuations—suggesting other linked devices, possibly defensive systems.
Morter guessed this subnet belonged to a dedicated Arasaka security server in Vancouver, possibly handling executive communications.
He paused briefly in thought before devising a plan.
First, he began programming on the server.
Countless lines of code swiftly converged as he crafted specialized software at lightning speed.
First: signal isolation—he had to immediately block Ena Tanino’s ability to transmit messages outside once hacked.
Second: signal takeover—he needed to seize control of the communication software within her brain-machine interface.
Third: prosthetic paralysis—avoiding heavy damage to prevent triggering any alarms wired into the cyberware.
Hmm, also a life sign spoofing program.
This was to fool the life detection systems embedded in her cybernetics, preventing trauma teams or automated alarms from being dispatched.
He had to ensure he wouldn’t trigger any alarms connected to this subnet, nor alert any AI possibly overseeing the server.
If exposed, his escape time would drastically shorten.
As Morter coded, he pondered whether the effort was worth the potential intelligence and resources.
But then he realized, even if he did nothing, Ena Tanino could awaken at any moment.
After all, today was the day she was to receive cybernetic upgrades; she might even wake to sign for the hovercar delivery, knowing exactly when it would arrive.
And most importantly...

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Damn it, trying to trap me?
Though he didn’t know what traps she’d embedded in her prosthetics, such a top-tier cybernetic gift for free was impossible from Arasaka.
She certainly wasn’t kindly turning herself into a hacker-version of Adam Hammer for free—she wanted a favor.
So... old grudges and new debts were about to be settled!
Once the program was ready, Morter sprang into action.
Step one: Using computing power, he immediately cracked the subnet’s signals.
After connecting himself, he smashed through the hidden combat robot’s ICE in the office with “Death Wish.”
Then he took control, turning the Arasaka robot into his proxy.
Step two: While taking over all detectable devices in the room, he used the robot’s vision to locate Ena Tanino’s bedroom.
Approaching the password lock by the door, he hacked it using the robot’s built-in network receiver.
In just a second, the automatic door slid open. Inside the vast bedroom, Ena Tanino snapped awake, only to see a guardian robot with glowing red eyes.
“What...” she started, then suddenly noticed the bright red warning messages flashing in her cybernetic eye.
[ICE...]
[ICE failure detected...]
[You are being...]
[Warning...]
The text almost flooded her vision, each message becoming garbled before it fully appeared. This all happened in less than a second!
A hacker! A powerful hacker attack!
Instinctively, Ena Tanino activated the cybernetic alarm function, then swiftly reached to knock over the vase on her bedside table.
The vase shattered on the floor—but it was useless.
The vase was linked to the base’s emergency alarm system; moving it triggered an optical sensor.
But in this Arasaka base, Morter was in control. Her alarm signals reached the monitoring room, then vanished into silence because all alarms had been disabled, requiring manual reset.
As for the cybernetic alarm itself...
“Oh dear, that was close. You almost got your message out.”
Morter’s half-body projection appeared in her cybernetic eye, like a video call. Seeing Morter reclining in his hacker chair, Ena Tanino realized her dire situation.
‘Impossible. How did you break the server’s AI?’
Then, in horror, she found she couldn’t even speak. Her body stiffened like a vegetable; her cyberware was locked down, and even her nerves seemed controlled.
“Don’t panic. You can’t speak because I’ve taken over your brain-machine interface and disrupted your bio-signals. You can’t precisely control your body...
But don’t worry, I can hear your voice—from inside your mind.”
Morter said cheerfully:
“It’s fascinating how human consciousness, the brain, and the signals it emits can be transformed into data.
As a hacker, deep in stealth mode, I can seize your brain-machine interface, observe, analyze, and interfere with these brainwaves...
Your ‘Soul Killer Protocol’ masquerading as a network access pod—how does it capture human data in the real world?
Perhaps by penetrating your interface and forcibly digitizing your consciousness before exterminating and plundering it?
Hmm... what an exquisite and incredible program.
Oh, it seems similar brainwashing methods exploit this too, condensing data into invisible signal waves that infiltrate the human brain via the interface...
I’m a genius—I just cracked the secret of your brainwashing... hmm, done.”
Ena Tanino could only stare in terror as Morter logged into the subnet with her credentials—Arasaka’s executive internal network.
He immediately began reading her emails and work logs at a furious pace.
Seeing this, she screamed in her mind: ‘You’re not human! You’re a rogue AI!’
“Nonsense. I’m a perfectly normal human. I watch cute anime girls and can’t help but feel this youthful vigor. That’s what makes me human!” Morter was always sensitive about this.
“Bullshit! No human could do what you’re doing now. How much slower does time feel to you in cyberspace?
50%? 70%? 500%, 700%?
That’s the difference between humans and AI! No human brain can process this much information instantly!”
“Hmm... I guess that explains why you seem slow, taking ages to reply. You’re overloaded, losing track of time...
Damn, I’m amazing.
Looks like I’m highly compatible with Steinwstein and synapse accelerator prosthetics. How long do you think I can overclock with the set you gave me?”
Ena Tanino was speechless—but precisely because of this, she finally believed Morter was human. No AI would ever boast like that; only humans would.
Yet this made her even more terrified, as she’d only heard of hackers this powerful in legends.
Could he have been altered by the consciousness of some legendary hacker? Resurrected?
As for the idea Morter was a genius hacker himself...
If so, why was he here?
The hackers assigned here were typical prodigies. Morter was a prodigy of prodigies—he couldn’t have hidden that during Arasaka’s training!
No, no—could he really be a super-genius like Bartmos, who connected to the net at age four?
That would explain why he sabotaged the evaluation system and hid his identity during training—to find the perfect moment to escape Arasaka?
Damn, these hackers are all crazy. Why wouldn’t he just keep a steady job and rise through the ranks?
She was utterly confused. Truly confused!
“Please, don’t kill me! I can help you with anything!
At this point, killing me won’t do much. I can help you—or no, cover your escape!
I’ll pin the losses here on the rogue AI, and blame the former director for the AI’s actions...
I can help you install and debug that cyberware—I supervised its design. Please, I’m really useful!
It was the former director who forced you to risk your life. I’ve always treated you well, even tried to help you infiltrate the company...
With your skills, after the cybernetic upgrade, you could become Arasaka’s top hacker—the hacker-version of Adam Hammer!
You know his salary and benefits...”
“Shut up!”
Morter’s voice amplified fivefold, making Ena Tanino scream painfully in her mind.
“You idiot! You think I only installed those programs? Remember the lie detector chip? Remember the first time you implanted that thing in my brain?
I cracked the program inside right away. Guess what? It’s still in your brain.
All your talk, but the only true thing you said was ‘don’t kill me.’ Well done, old woman.”
Ena Tanino fell silent, then watched helplessly as Morter used her credentials to extract data from the servers.
Her eyes brightened faintly.
‘You’re interested in these blueprints?
Where are you from? Military science? New America? An independent state? Or cyber-monitoring?
How about this—we cooperate. As long as I survive, I’ll be your spy. Spare my life and I’ll keep evidence that could doom me in my hands.
Then whatever intel you want, I’ll get it for you. Deal?
Just arrange an escape route for me afterward!
Look at my resume—I’m top three in Arasaka for cyberware development!
Your military science or whoever you are can check!
What use is a dead person?!
Please, you implanted a lie detector program—you know I’m telling the truth, right?
I’ll pin the blame on the rogue AI and fake your death...’
Morter was tempted. A spy inside Arasaka, especially a cyberware expert...
But then he thought better of it. This woman just wanted to survive. Even if the rogue AI did this, she’d be held accountable.
The base’s destruction was one thing; losing a set of cyberware was acceptable. But losing seven relic chips carrying the soul killer program...
She was doomed.
Still, she gave Morter a valuable idea.
Fine, you’ll be the spy.
Hmm... which one?
Morter pondered, then had an idea.
Why not let them both take the blame?
He immediately searched her contacts for anyone linked to military science or New America. When he found none, he decided to pin it on her secretary.
He located the secretary’s room and used the same method to take over all his programs.
With the secretary’s horrified, powerless expression, Morter manipulated their chat software to fake conversations.
[Secretary Inoue: Where are you? There’s trouble! Our servers have been hacked! Those little hackers are fleeing!]
[Ena Tanino: What? Are you joking? They can hack our servers? Send people to handle this immediately!]
[Secretary Inoue: No, no, we need to meet first. I suspect someone’s already inside. Where are you?]
[Ena Tanino: Useless! I’m in my room. Hurry! Damn, I need to send...]
Morter feigned a network disconnection, then controlled the security robot in the secretary’s room to retrieve a gun. Escorting the secretary upstairs,
both Ena Tanino and Inoue realized the truth, desperately pleading through brainwaves, but Morter was unfazed.
He filtered their consciousness as junk data. When Inoue entered the office, Morter used the robot to grasp Inoue’s hand, aiming the gun at Ena Tanino.
“Alright, the subnet data transmission is done. There’s quite a lot of useful stuff. Damn, I need to figure out how to take it all...”
After speaking, Morter began erasing traces.
Ena Tanino’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed weakly onto the bed.
This wasn’t a rapid hack but pure data overload from Morter extracting too much from her brain-machine interface, dazing her.
Morter had deliberately slowed the process to avoid frying her brain and disabling the interface entirely.
Once the data was temporarily stored on the server, Morter exhaled deeply, viewing Ena Tanino’s bedraggled, pajama-clad form through the robot’s eyes, shaking his head.
Forgive me, ma’am, this will be the last time I milk you dry.
With a thought, the robot coldly pulled the trigger again and again as Inoue watched helplessly.
Morter considered himself merciful—she should feel no pain in unconsciousness.
But seeing her body twitch with each shot...
Morter preferred not to witness such scenes.
So he switched perspectives, flooding Inoue’s mind with junk data until he was dazed, then had the robot carry him away, turning his attention back to Lucy and the others’ progress.

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