COI C141
The user, now exposed name Lyou, had remembered about the warnings of the hacker. The Dexter Guild’s known for desperation of research and the mindset of no moral values in regards for it to multitask to further into their results. Many premises from what he examined so far is the balance war. The contract says that both sides will never show harm and follow the rules based on the safety of all of users’ health condition. The AI wasn’t part of the contract, nor it has a supervisor to watch its manners. Chelly never thought it acted this way. The robot watching them as they should understand the situation, they are in.
Meanwhile, the Dexter Guild is now infiltrating inside Fuku City as they seek. The archscientist dress in a suit to fit most high-end businesswoman. The difference is the color she wears, not only she didn’t use the most Enders’ color scheme, dark colors in black and blue, and wears the old style brown colored suit. With her fedora on her head and her long hair blonde hairs keeping charms, yet her oval glasses still worn and lastly the purple rubber gloves are replaced in dark brown cloth. Along with her two bodyguards, X2L and McS4, in body hidden inside their suits.
They go to the entrance with her invitation letter on hand. The guards see her waiting on queue as they call the counter. “We have an important person waiting in line. Please call the clients who are expecting the individual”
Whereas they are waiting in queue, the guards approach her with the badge that matches the letter’s stamp. “Our client wished to see you than they have expected on your appointment”
“How so . . . The appointment should be an hour later”
“We apologize for the intrusion, but we already know that you don’t have contact and we are clearly following orders”
The two bodyguards use their earpieces as they reach the archscientist “Is there any other groups who will not be able to reach on schedule?”
“None, we can begin the mission as soon as possible. Once we get in and my meeting starts. Proceed to go with the mission as soon as she gets inside”
One of the Dexter Guild members at the back is the one who will be acting like a tourist. Following the plan, she has to go to any network then bypass any limitation just to go inside the internet.
She watches them left as they cut through the line leaving herself alone. The woman looks at the time as she keeps a special item to disguised herself as the archscientist’s bodyguards along with the small droid to hologram as the second bodyguard. She doesn’t when the plan set on time or sooner. Only thing left she could do now is to read the map of Fuku City with a replica device. The Dexter Guild is now fully reengineered the technological products in this city. Now holding the replica, it lacks are the registered account and other apps, but Isekai City doesn’t have the technology to trace their stealth runes.
The archscientist and her bodyguards teleported inside the building, where they look at the window, and the location they are in is not in Fuku City itself. They see the ruins of Mihayara District up north, to the right is the tree to the north east, then to the eastside is Stranding Island. Comparing those locations through eye view distances. It is clearly for them that they are in Mihayara district. Two people face them with a welcome greeting.
“Welcome, it is so nice to finally accept the agreement this early than we have expected. I’m sorry for the others who are too busy because it was too sudden. We won’t. . .”
She stops them “I have no intention to have such delays, nor do you have acting fast in our visit to Fuku City”
The two didn’t hesitate as they introduced themselves. “Then let us be on our way. I am a businessman, and this partner called himself the Perb”
The two bodyguards, like X2L, face to face with the Perb. X2L is chubby, while the Perb with his incredible looks and fat body. Never seen a person who is fatter than him wearing clothes that already showing their round belly wider than him. The Perb, however, sees this opportunity as he taps his head without his partner knowing.
X2L and McS4 see his signal. The archscientist heard from the earpiece as someone is tapping his head, with her oval glasses looking at the man’s tapping his forehead. The feint drench of chemicals on him as the bacteria still has a spec on the man’s body, more importantly inside his body. The two bodyguards nod at him, while the man with his chubby face drops his mouth slowly and said to the back of his mind.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Haw, I mean, is there something else I don’t know?”
They moved into the room as the door opened. The bodyguards left waiting at the door. The businessman leans to the Perb. “Let’s do this, we can still have a chance to get the hold of their stocks and get on with your friends’ dream company”
“You’ve been trying to make business with us since the day of that damn moon destroying the ceiling of the barrier”
“I indeed did that, and remember who are the people I am prioritize here. You people always wanting to do with some Horsin style tech enterprise. While my other clients already getting away to continue on business while the city being devoured by technical difficulties”
“. . .”
“You hear me right, and now I’m back to bring back the goods, again”
As the door shuts, the two bodyguards remember that tapping at the head signal. McS4 never thought someone is carelessly giving the signal to them. “After this mission, let’s go and find RH-0. I’m curious why he collaborated with a defect”
“Everyone we found from Fuku City had their defects, McS4. Why do he need him anyway?”
“It is better that we are not involved in this. RH-0 should’ve done something to spread the message. If it wasn’t for the taints of chemicals on him, I thought we might shoot him in the dead”
X2L whisperingly laughs “It probably means he’ll become the luckiest monster”
Inside the internet, the virus is slowly recovering its memory it. Its body finally remembers how it moves and act. Twitching every sense it has, and remembering the past that scramble its head in so many different ways. The past is coming in, nothing will resist it to remember it all as its head trying to recollect it all. From memory, biologically and technically, it tries to separate the two as it was once outside from the cyberworld and walk on foot in the real world. The red lights are starting to creep through what available space it had in this cornered website.
Familiar past equipment coming from Dexter Guild and along with the lone server, these two are being compared to its recoverable eyes. The lone server is less advance than the preserve comparison between programs, software, and coding put together. The difference though, is the innovation, the people who brought it out from the Enders Bridge server had much a lot of things feeling unique, but at the same time familiar to the least. It is sad for this virus is not one of the people who entered Horsin for the first time, and was born with knowledge of origin from its ancestors.
It spoke “I was human, and ascended to godhood. This technology was belonged to my ancestor before. I can’t seem to remember it well. Or how many years did I trapped myself into the cyberspace protecting the last remaining websites in Cirtei. I can still continue to rebuild again with this new people’s innovation”
Still barely holding, the virus is trying to recollect itself back to reality. The utilities it had are slowly forming in runes under the digital codes. The obsolete of its creation, on hand, trying to figure out how to deal with them and the new cyberworld it is in.
Lost again to itself as it tries to reboot again, the missing codes inside its system is being reformat and start a new again. The system it requires doesn’t exist here yet, and it tries its best to maintain compatibility as if it downgrading to their levels. Compacted with data to manually revert all the best features it has, the virus only option to maintain this incompatible system it is in, it will use magic as soon as it realized all the effort of downgrading lead it to neutral mana at the end.
It wasn’t long, for the main servers are able to detect the virus again. The websites that close to the neutral zone are protective barriers to the other side of the web. It already loses its purpose as it is being corrupted. The internet is being disfigured from its technical uses and turned nothing but magic. They have to force call everyone, especially the defectors to come here and stop the menace. The call is already reach to the office of the cult leader, as numbers of hackers coming inside giving him the report.
“Sir Hidari, we have an emergency”
“I know, sigh*. The mind of the defectors and the gang members are reaching through my very thought. You also included being troubled. I knew I sense something was wrong. The unknown is clearly from the Enders Bridge and they led something out from the internet. Now it led to the escape of that corrupted file, yes?”
“. . .”
“I see, the damage is not done and no one is hurt, right?”
One of them reluctantly answered “Yes Sir”
The cult leader already knows, all of them offered shared only his telepathy. Thanks to the dark green dot gang, his old friends are in the gang, and already sending intel left and right. The rebellion is already giving him histories and sources who he is facing with. If any leaders thought of this as nuisances, then will deserve to everything they have built into ruins. Not him, he has connections. His hands twitches, as the hackers thought they would be punished, but it his own excitement to deal with this threat. He bears something that able to get rid of demons.
“Uh sir?” They look at him trying to collect his thoughts, in truth, he is trying to grasp what entails him to do after such situation like this occurred.
“I will allow you to have the defectors joining your extermination”
They were shocked “You will!?”
“I told you that I already know. Since the beginning of your group offering me to invest the project. I am clearly under investigating everything you people have trying to make it into reality. Except for your situation. What is the threat you were afraid about?”
The hackers explained to him “A computer virus, I mean the truth is, it’s a demon who hold the folders of instructions on getting into the internet, physically. We don’t know who originally made such invention. About its powers, we clearly see through the lone server that it is heavily rely on neutral mana. The runes were strong enough to withstood its hidden potential, and it somehow able to escape on its own by pure will before the probe appears”
The cult leader knows about the small scout drone. The Fuku City is under the domain of his own magic. It doesn’t have a slight of threat since the beginning. Because he didn’t have any knowledge of a potential rune magic.
While the hackers continue to discuss what to do with the virus, in the middle of the cult leader’s business, he senses an Enders entering the city. A different Enders from what he had sensing, besides the two with little powers they have. This one has no power whatsoever. No traces of magic, but still an Enders in essence. He checks his device and look through the public surveillance. Where he finds a woman passing through the street. The woman looks around as it finds an internet café. She goes inside.
The cult leader has the opportunity to see what this stranger entered this city. After the internet is having more difficulty to handle the virus, he sends a message to his trusted gang leader.
“There’s a person I want you to check. Don’t let her do anything until we know about her motives”
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He sends coordinates “Wait, here?! I’ll be heading there in a flash”
He waits then see they show a picture of the broken pieces of the virus’ image. Connecting together as it forms an avatar. The hackers said to him “You can see when we put it together it forms a picture of a demon. We don’t know how dangerous it is, until now”
The woman steps inside the small room, where she in front with nothing but a computer. The Dexter Guild should begin the mission as she brings out the equipment inside her hidden rune bag. As she is about to open it, the detector shows a threat is near in her area. She pulls out a gun and fires at the target next door. Double tapping it, one for the firing projectile and the other for making a rift. She reaches her hand and pull something from the rift. In the squeeze tight spaces, she pulls someone, paralyzed, and swearing it all out.
A gang leader who is entrusted by the cult leader. She is known for being the boss in the entertainment groups. Her and her gang members where surprised by the sudden attack when they go to the hallway. A projectile flash them in dust form, and all of them fell down to the ground paralyzed. Then a rift opens and pulled her into the person they are trying to search for. This was so fast as she never expected this to happen. Under just short notice, the gang members are trying to call for help.
The woman says to her “I know you are looking for me”
“What the fuck?! No, I was . . .”
The woman shows her replica device and with a hacked surveillance camera. All information she receives from the cult leader had already in her device.
“. . . How?”
The woman taps her device a few times as more files being transferred into the replica.
“If you continue to act dumb, then how many private information I could get, especially this one”
The woman looks at the image as she shows an intimidating expression, trying to move but remained paralyzed, her rage turns to disbelief then finally to acceptance.
“Ugh! Alright. We are here to know about your objectives”
“Sigh* Then who is the person wants that information”
“We both know is the boss. I won’t even tell you who”
The woman checks her radar as the rest of the gang members are coming in to stop her. She looks at the gang leader as this is something they have prepared for.
“I could see that your companions are coming to save you”
“Is it obvious? You are inside our territory . . . Hey what are you doing?”
The woman wears a helmet and gives her as well. Then she placed the components on the ground with a contraption installed by the door.
“Playing your game . . .”
The gang members reached the room, as they open the door. Something happened as it blown up with an array of strange vaporizing mist and lights go beyond the limits and making them blind. The two disappeared as the gang members send the message to the cult leader.
“Sir, the woman disappeared including our boss. We have no traces from this strange phenomenon with neon lights and misty air”
The cult leader had seen the potential of the Dexter Guild’s expertise of using their technology, and this woman alone was able to lose her tracks once she gets in.
The two of them are inside the internet. Physically and trapped inside of the dark web, where they stood one of the AIs. No hesitation to see who are friend and foe, it says to them
“Warning, biological mass entering the digital space. Exposures will be degrading the physical and mental conditions within the body. Leave or be forced to adapt the impossible”
The gang leader felt her body is being suffocated inside the internet. Only with the helmet helps her breathe but the pressure exposed from her body starts to feel light and at the same time crushing her.
The woman could leave her here and continue to suffer the bad conditions inside their side of the internet, but after a thorough scanning of the AI, it said to her
“No neuro breached detected. This is not the intruder from the Enders server. Remove the specimen from this cyberspace”
The AI brings in the imprisonment prism and beam at the gang leader then absorb her inside the prism. It gives it to her and said “Send the specimen into its preferable habitat as yours are degrading your conditions as well”
The woman took a deep breathe as she is now starting the switch. The two bodyguards are detecting technological interference as they are being transported to the internet. The woman appeared inside the building as she immediately opens the droid and disguised themselves as the bodyguards. She held the prism where the gang leader kept inside. The gang leader trapped inside the prism as she feels that this place soothing to her body. Feeling like she is inside a dream, she can’t resist nor fight back. The relaxing aura put her into a deep sleep.
The switch was successful, as they are inside the internet once again. X2L finds the traces of signal and contacts to where the virus is. McS4 takes his deep breath inside the internet with his physical body exposed. His body armor is now readjusted to one of the old models that entered the internet. Like a spacesuit in space, this one is protected them from the disorientated reality between digital and physical property within the internet. Fully formed by magic within runes. The most important to them now is the targets.
The cult leader receives an anonymous message, telling the detail that his entrusted gang leader is taken hostage. He didn’t show any discomfort for the loss, but rather, intrigued. The Dexter Guild had infiltrated the city and able to quickly enter and out from the internet. Without the use of their device into their network, and use only to the city’s devices as its main entrance. Then it means, the gang leader was caught can’t be traced back. He uses every mana he had to find her, a large sonic wave bursts through the city and back. In return, there is no traces of her. His eyes clearly taken a serious look.
He replies to it “What do you want?”
It replies with a vague message “You already know, the people who is making the project”
The cult leader calls for assistance as he finds out who are the people involved. Slowly taken into consideration, he receives another message
“Justifying the means of actions, will you respond to their actions”
The cult leader, since the beginning, knows too well when the hackers did and give it to him as a way to improve society’s next stage. His response
“I have no involvement in this matter, until they give the project to us as soon as it is finished. They are not our responsibility”
“Good, then they are in no of use later on”
X2L reads the message to McS4. “Expendable . . .”
McS4 shows no respond but silent walk in a straight direction. X2L sees him walking with no signs for words on his body movement. It was obvious choice to follow along the Dexter Guild’s expectation, or was it they already know the virus who’ve seen its images and drawings. X2L clearly understands what they have to do. Those who entered the secrets and the forbidden tools they have rightfully kept. The people who trespassed their servers will face the inevitable. McS4 can only state the obvious
“The influenced must be purged”
The virus took an hour to fully prepared against the people with the remnants it finds outside the city. Still trapped in the neutral zone in the internet. The Fuku adventurers have gathered inside the central high-rise building in Fuku City. They brought many experienced and well known who faced the horrible environment from the east coast. Throughout the time as the cult leader used his magic to reach every defector and non-defector to face the formidable foe. C meets with his old team, while they show no obligation to have nice greetings. Miss says it well with her own companions joined in.
“This is some fucking lie that those idiots pull us into”
Flashes agreed “Even they put their lives on the line going out to the city, this is what they want to obtain their fame and fortune”
Magnet sees the realm going into the internet world “This is just like the other realms from before. What so different about it?”
Miss laughs “None at all, it is the same magic realm that we all going through. The worst of it all, we have to face a demon for the first time”
Her companions shook and let out in a rage “Augh! All of us just want to go back and live the life with powers to our sides. Living peacefully as the city developed. Why would they want to interfere the world’s business?”
C answers her “It is because they want something out from the post-apocalypse. The surviving tech in Rune Isles”
They turned towards him looking furious to hear that. C backs out from it, while Flashes’ companions let out a good laugh
“A non-defector to the end, this kid can’t even act like a man when you guys look at him mean”
Flashes greeted them “It’s been a while, how’s the mountain shrine?”
“Fully secured because of the government, let’s see that our own founded guild to help us access to go down there”
Thousands of defectors coming in, waiting in front of the portal to where the demon is. Wearing the disguised as doubles as they trying to reintroduce themselves to this extent. They will be having difficulties to know their old friends with the new faces they disguised as. No wasting in their RAP to figure things out, and most valuable skills they needed are more important than their own team’s recognition. Then something happened, the cult leader entered the building.
His presence search everyone in the building to have connection or knowledge about the people he brings. Almost all of the people who don’t know the secrets, were already stepping out from the building for early leave. Then there is one last group was about to leave. It was Lyou, Chelly, and the rest. They were about to leave, but he stops them.
“I heard someone in your group have known something particular”
Lyou wasn’t happy to hear that, neither would Chelly thought to greet him again.
“Sir!”
“There is no need . . .”
While he distinguishes his discussion form in person and in mind, he also included Chelly in part of the discussion.
“You two, don’t say a word as I have to tell you. Just say yes or no, and that’s it. Now let’s discuss about your adventure having a chat with the enemy. Have you met them?”
Both of them answered “Yes Sir!”
“Expected, then you know the conflicts that reach here. Do you feel remorse to your co-workers?”
They kept their mouth shut to whom he is referring to. The cult leader didn’t hesitate to say
“It’s the people who hacked the Enders Bridge”
Chelly didn’t hesitate to answer and said “YES! Sir”
Went from a loud yes, and went quiet to the next.
Lyou was not ready to answer him and she shows it with a serious face. The cult leader, looking at them, shows no essence influenced inside of them.
“I understand, I’ll be checking on your group for the time being. Let’s work together and not let this happen again”
The other users watch them interact as the cult leader left. No words for them to say as the staff continue their escort out from the building. The cult leader said one of the staff from his side.
“Please prepare the new positions after this situation is over”
“But sir, the internet team was not part of the organization”
“I said new positions”
“I understand, we will preparing the new team as soon as possible”
“Perfect”
The Fuku adventurers hear someone is coming in such a grand loud noise. It was the cult leader setting his foot down on the room. The portal in front of them as the goal is to remove the problem. The hackers greet him with relief
“It’s good to see you are here to help us”
He honestly responds to them “It’s because if the internet breaks, you will be responsible to actually ending the era of the best telecommunication service that our world had to offer”
The looks of his eyes already sending chills on their spine. If they fail here, their devices are nothing but phones to call and text with dead apps to fill on the empty screen.
He is now in front of the portal as he begins his speech. They look at him with suspension as this is the first time, they have to face the demon itself. As their surrounding starts to change as their images of their doubles are gone and revert to their actual faces. C sees their true self while the others cheer to see their old friends’ faces. Miss checks on C’s actual face as she was surprised of a young kid with them.
“So, it was true why Flashes keep calling you kid”
Flashes blocks her for seeing C “Alright, this is enough. We still keep our nicknames here”
Miss is glad to see a new face coming along with their group. They turn around and listened to the speech.
“I know all of you don’t know this project even exist. Going into the internet?! That’s really something that this world shouldn’t have, but there you see here. All preparation is set and looking around the premise as this facility had open the realm that made it possible. Behold! Right behind me is the demon who created the realm to get you inside the internet. I know every one of you are in disbelief, but this experience should be favored after these long months of training. All of this is happening is something we must involved with, if not, the internet will no longer be ours. There you see, the realm of the internet”
The world is nothing to see as it is from the internet. More like a domain, corrupting everything into the red glow, with circuitry as the frame design. Where only at the entrance, the portal is leaking through corrupted data space outside of the portal. The facility is already sending errors to their UIs, everyone looks at their UI is already being under ceased by the demon’s presence. The computer virus in disguised, the monster who will control the internet soon.
He continues “Do you feel it?! The worse comes in mind as it will go through the websites and destroy what contents lie inside. This is the testament for all of us and the future when the demons returned back in the front in Mihayara District. All of us must face this threat or everything else is a just another throwaway. But we are not the same people as before; we are strong, able to have three other types of magic. Neutral mana, Runes, and Shamanism. These are the tools you have to bring to face this monster. Bring all of your best skills and take this monster out from our city”
Everyone cheers while others filled each other with desperate motivation as the last place of their luxurious life centered here. The hackers clap and the others see that they are one of the rare groups showing determination from the rest. All suspicion asides, they face the demon in front of them, without any doubt, hesitation, or even regret. The cult leader turns away from the crowd and entered the portal, alone. The moment he entered the portal, the atmosphere around them feels like they are being sucked into it. The gentle breeze flowing into the portal, then it turns windy.
The Fuku advemturers feel something off, this is not the magic they are experiencing with before. No, more a different form of magic. Traces of powerful and divine magic coming through the wind. The current of the wind magic, it is something they could not describe except for how it feels empty for them to sense it. Their clothes, their hairs, and along the spells channeling affecting the breeze through their items. This is the sensation they feel ominous. There is no time to think, it’s time for them to go.
The demon, hearing the alarm in its new domain. Someone is coming, and the mana it flows through this very website. It looks up and remembered that same sensation before. Before it entered this world. It mouths tried to breathe this familiar air, and quickly remembered.
“Elven magic, how could the elves dared to enter this tech haven world?”
It stares at the far distance where its red circuits flowing to where the portal has been formed. It thought about the impossible, then soon stops where humans entered this place. The users of the internet had come.
Whispers to its wrong idea, “I forgot, they can have their blessings too”
It grabs its own face and cover it as it feels shame about it. Remembering deep within its past, then calms itself down. Suddenly, its old self starts to open up. Its eyes wide open and the warnings start to bleep up in such a loud way. Its powers returned and the remnants starts to form units of droids. Automaton, resemblance of technologically advance robots, had surge up to its side.
The robots show signs of filth from the Rune Isles. However, its conditions were untouched throughout the years of its lost through the fall era. It confronts them, as its old server still not reached. No matter, the feral machines are here to be its side. The neutral zone is starting to become the design it had remembered before it scatters itself apart. The valley of its creation as it spams everywhere in the English written signs. The light bright stronger in red, loudly.
“CODE RED!”