Information warfare (1)
Woohoo—
The data center was filled with electronic equipment, emitting hot air and making loud noises.
Special items that have been modified to be usable on Earth like magical tools by incorporating magical engineering.
‘Crazy, what the…!’
But the situation showed no signs of improving even though the precious equipment, which was hard to obtain, was operating at a level close to its limit.
Hesperon frowned as he lay inside a capsule covered in a full-body titanium suit and tangled with dozens of wires.
‘How on earth can you keep up with this computational speed?’
“Machine Eye: Calicas”, who is leading this electronic warfare right now, is not just an ordinary AI.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the dimensions are completely different now from when it was simply artificial intelligence embedded in the prosthesis.
An electronic spirit that becomes one with him through the “Chain of Oath” and grows together with him, evolving in real time.
So far, this partner has never let me down.
Even more so when the Titan’s spaceship-level energy is present.
But now···.
Unlike usual, there were no positive messages.
The only good thing is that this side isn’t being pushed back that much, but that’s not much of a consolation in the current situation.
As time passed, the one who had already solidified their defensive posture was the one who was gaining an advantage.
‘I can’t back out now. I have to find a way out.’
Even if you forcibly cut off the signal now, the other party will immediately follow the remaining traces and find out where you are.
It was necessary to avoid exposing the exact location at all costs.
If a single bomb hit like the one we experienced in Southeast Asia last time, this data center would be reduced to dust in an instant.
He actively fought back by mobilizing all the networks he had been gradually encroaching upon.
But the other person also comes across that way.
No, rather, it was this side that was at an even greater disadvantage when it came to a power struggle.
‘Huh, the scale of mobilization is on a whole other level. How long have they been preparing for this…?’
I could think of only one organization that could pull something like this off.
‘Beoncheonhoe.’
At that time, as if driving a wedge into that thought.
-Hello~?
Amidst the fierce exchange of data, one voice file arrived and was played automatically.
A voice that seemed familiar and a strange way of speaking that made it feel strong even though it was just one word.
There was no need to ponder who it was.
‘So you’re still alive. Are you starting to move again?’
Doctor, one of the highest ranking officials of the Buncheonhoe that Heinz II dealt with in Romania.
He spoke to me from beyond the electronic world.
-This is amazing! Who would have thought you could do this? I’m really impressed!
The sound of applause could be heard over the frivolous voice.
It made me even more excited because it seemed like he was genuinely happy.
‘This place is to die for, but you still have some time on your hands.’
Hesperon frowned.
“Machine Eye: Calicas” had improved performance, but if there was one minor side effect, it was that the more you used its abilities, the greater the burden in return, as it became one with you.
He let out a small sigh, trying to ignore the nagging headache.
‘I’d like it if you gave me some free time.’
I didn’t bother to send a reply.
Because one small piece of information that leaked out could have suffocated him.
Likewise, when you could have gained important information from what they said, you just silently listened to their useless chatter.
-Hmm? Oh! This is… Are you from Calicas? You’ve been to a wonderful world! I also really like your works. It’s a shame that there aren’t many returnees who’ve been there!
Those words instantly gave me goosebumps.
They weren’t meeting each other face to face right now.
They are just engaging in a back-and-forth battle through hacking on the network.
‘But you figured out our technological base just from that?’
His insight was completely different from mine, as he had simply borrowed the power of the machine.
I guess he really lives up to his title as top executive.
-Hey~ There’s a lot I want to talk about, but I don’t have time! Since I have no choice, should we meet up and talk about it in detail? Hahaha!
Indeed, those words were not an empty boast.
As soon as that voice message ended, the pattern of the offensive that had been going on until then completely changed.
‘Wait a minute, this is···!’
A warning message unlike any I’ve ever seen before suddenly came to mind.
It wasn’t that the opponent’s calculation speed became faster or that there was some special attempt.
Only one thing has changed.
‘···All attempts are coming back to the counter. Do you think they’ve already figured out all of our patterns?’
Electronic warfare was a battle where victory was won by finding and attacking the opponent’s weak points in a nearly infinite number of electrical signals.
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But since the counter kept coming back every time I did something, it was only natural that I wasn’t even a match for it.
“Harvey! Report the current situation!”
“···What’s the countermeasure? We can’t just take this for granted, right?”
That was a blessing in disguise.
The idea was that if we could somehow get through this one, we wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate again.
But that ultimately meant that there was nothing that could be done right away.
That was a call to abandon this stronghold.
No, if it had been that far, I could have accepted it somehow even if it was a waste of equipment.
But isn’t that all that’s at stake in this fight now?
‘The Doctor popped out while we were digging into the plot that happened in the Pantheon. That must mean that the Buncheonhoe is paying attention to this operation.’
If we back off here, we will also lose the opportunity to uncover the truth.
Not only will all the clues that could have been obtained be erased, but those who have been traced will also hide even more thoroughly in the darkness.
<4 minutes left.>
I could never leave it like that.
I couldn’t just sit by and watch them prosper, but Heinrich, who had just entered the Pantheon, needed this information so he could function properly.
<3 minutes left.>
While I was struggling like that and trying to find a solution, time passed by without me noticing.
But there was no way a method that didn’t exist before could come into existence now.
What else can you do with someone who is not even face-to-face but somewhere across the network, other than the standard methods?
‘What if there’s a sudden power outage in his base? No, there’s probably an emergency generator, but that wouldn’t be of much use. What if there’s an explosion and everything is blown away…’
All he could do now was to spit out meaningless curses.
Of course, saying something like that won’t actually make it happen…
‘No, wait. A curse?’
Then suddenly, a spark flew in my head.
<2 minutes left.>
curse.
To pray or wish for disaster or misfortune to happen to someone else.
‘I have this, too. It’s a terrible curse created by the fall of the Demon King.’
Hesperon took a deep breath and looked at his right arm.
In fact, the curse was not a power that could be used so carelessly.
Although he was able to survive thanks to his “Cursed Predator” trait, he was also difficult to handle and could easily turn on himself if he was not careful, which was a double-edged sword.
Above all, if you don’t specify a clear target, the probability of failure is extremely high.
If the target was nearby, it might not be known, but in times like now when you don’t know who or where the other person is, you definitely need a medium like a hair, a possession, or even a date of birth.
‘How to set a clear target.’
Hesperon’s machine clearly recognized the enemy beyond the electronic world.
Even though I didn’t see it directly, the object was clearly beyond here.
‘It’s an absurd idea, to begin with. But···.’
The mechanical eye in his right eye and the curse on his right arm were both tied together through his “Chain of Oaths.”
But why can’t the two be linked together?
‘The Internet, and a curse. There’s one thing that fits this perfectly.’
<1 minute left.>
There was no time to hesitate any longer.
He immediately stretched out his right arm to the side.
Gigging—
The titan part of the right arm disintegrates immediately and disappears into thin air.
Beneath it, a white bandage covered in black letters appeared.
and···.
“I didn’t know it would be used like this. But it’s finally the first demonstration.”
The metal blocks that filled his wrists, elbows, and shoulders reflected the light, giving off a cool metallic glow.
A new seal created by combining the power of multiple avatars to ensure a secure seal.
Clank!
As soon as his gaze met, the seams parted like chains, and the seals were all released simultaneously.
Then, at that moment, as if the bandages were coming off and flapping, something black and huge began to crawl out of my right arm.
Saaaaah—
The temperature in the room, which had been swelteringly hot just a moment ago, suddenly dropped.
It’s as if the concept of ‘heat’ has been taken away, to the point where it feels rather cold now.
‘I didn’t accumulate it for that long, but… it doesn’t matter since the original power was so strong.’
Accumulation and divergence.
This was the ability of the newly created seal.
While wearing it, it blocks the curse inside almost perfectly, and the curse that is suppressed in this way continues to pile up endlessly, and the poison overlaps.
And the core of this seal was to make it so that the more strongly it was suppressed, the more powerfully it would be released.
<30 seconds left.>
“Okay, then.”
Hesperon took a deep breath, holding a single cable in his right hand that was rippling with black energy.
And I wished with malice.
Immediately after that.
Phagec—!
A single ray of curse seeped into the electronic world, along with sparks flying from his palm.
***
Jiiing—
“Oh? Is this finally a reply?”
The doctor, whose arms were connected to mechanical devices, opened his eyes wide with interest.
His arm was not human, its surface split into several pieces exposing the metal inside.
While remodeling the body, even this was completely torn down.
He printed out the data information he received on his eyeball and snorted.
As expected, it wasn’t a normal file.
“Virus? This is really a cheap trick! Even if you’re cornered, it’s like that. It’s really disappointing!”
“Deus Ex Machina”
Such tricks will not work on him, who is no different from a mechanical god.
He immediately ran his security program to clean out the virus and opened the message.
A virus is a virus, and I was curious to know what this interesting friend who had been entertaining me for so long had to say.
“Huh? What is it?”
The content was nothing special.
…No, it was really nothing.
At the end of a meaningless sentence that begins with something like, ‘This letter began in England and…’, there is a picture of a black young man smiling sinisterly while pulling a card out of a deck of cards.
The moment when the doctor just blinked in bewilderment.
The variables had already started.
Phagejik—
A small spark flew from the arm connected to the machine.
“Huh? What is this!”
One side sent it, the other side received it.
With that, the connection between the two was established.
The fact that the delivery method took the form of a virus or spam email was the bare minimum.
And so the curse was cast.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Tit ti ti ti!
Wheeing—!
All kinds of alarms rang out loud.
The numbers on the machines everywhere began to jump around abnormally.
“Huh, a curse? A curse? You sent a curse through the network?”
It wasn’t difficult to figure out the cause since he had a unique perspective on not only engineering but also all of the science of talent, but it was already too late to respond.
The level of the curse was so extraordinary that it was too late to take action.
As the founder of the compound technique, the doctor’s workshop was no ordinary place, and it goes without saying that it was possible to penetrate all the defenses that were like an iron fortress and reach him directly.
“···Phew.”
Phagec!
Bam—!
The loud siren was mixed with the sound of sparks and explosions.
“···Tch, kyukyahahaha—! As expected! I didn’t know this kind of application was possible! This is really fun. It’s really fun!”
But even in the midst of all that chaos, the Doctor just chuckled and laughed.
The joy of encountering new, unexpected knowledge was more overwhelming than the resentment.
thud!
After giggling like that for a while, he fell forward in place.
With the smell of burning and black smoke rising from all over his body, he reached for his temples with difficulty and chuckled as he looked at something he had taken out from there.
“···Kick, this one hit the jackpot. It was a good thing I didn’t end it right away. I almost missed this.”
A complex magical engineering circuit that burns black and spews smoke.
Soon it was completely reduced to ashes and scattered beyond recovery.
“still···.”
Hwaruk—
And it ended with fires breaking out all over the workshop, fiercely burning the surrounding area.
His consciousness faded into darkness.
***
Sending a curse through the electronic world was never an easy task.
Hesperon tried his best to control it using the “Chain of the Oath” and “Machine Eye: Callicas”.
So that the curse doesn’t go off in the wrong direction and reaches its intended target.
What suddenly came to his mind was a message that woke him up from his deep concentration, forgetting everything else.
《The entity grows by achieving the conditions. It acquires the special skill “Deus Ex Machina.”》
“···huh?”
He forgot what he was concentrating on and stared at the words in front of him.
That name, for some reason, sounds incredibly cool.
