My Cyber Psychosis is Task Prompt-Chapter 457 - 287: Breakdown and Algorithms
The lunch rush is about to hit, and the car lane at the restaurant’s back door is gradually lining up.
Gerry was chatting happily, waiting for the boss’s final arrangements before he could head downstairs to join the kitchen prep work.
"Stick to the plan, and push forward based on your judgment of the situation..."
John didn’t extinguish Gerry’s enthusiasm.
Those at death’s door could be fearless, but those still grappling with life needed a glimmer of hope to muster the courage to face the rising sun.
Yet John kept a trump card.
"I need to go on a trip soon. Wait until I return for the restaurant renovation. Save as much money as possible."
John feared Gerry might get too excited and start the renovations swiftly, investing all the restaurant’s earnings, and should something happen to him, those coming to take over would reap the benefits. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"If there’s trouble and you can’t reach me, follow your wife’s arrangements; don’t be rash. Just stay alive until I return, got it?"
John specifically reminded him.
He retrieved the bag by his feet and handed it to Gerry.
Inside was a kinetic energy rifle manufactured by Raftaki Military Industry.
[Weapon: Nova]
There were also a few dozen incendiary rounds in the bag given to Gerry.
John had a new toy.
This old gun was well-maintained, with complete parts, definitely more reliable than the shotgun in the restaurant’s kitchen.
Primarily, it’s left for Maya.
Gerry remembered John’s words with a flushed face, his entrepreneurial spirit never fading as he emptied a beer bottle like a street kid celebrating his first big deal.
"I’ve got it, Boss!"
Gerry panted and headed downstairs to work.
John cooperatively took a sip or two.
He watched Gerry disappear at the stairs and then quickly reappear at the ordering counter.
Regular customers gathered around.
Compared to the silent and rigid Maya, the old hands preferred to deal with Gerry.
He happily obliged, shouting with his rough voice, joking with the mercenaries in the restaurant, using crude jokes heard on illegal radio stations.
The lunch rush quietly approached.
The restaurant door swung open repeatedly.
John sat quietly on the second floor, clutching a beer bottle as condensate soaked his knuckles.
His eyes wandered over the customers from above.
Some dined alone.
Some clustered together.
Some greeted each other.
Some brandished guns, warning and cursing.
John saw a group moving chairs to connect the old tables together, accepting steaming meat dishes, while new guests continued to join in, discussing topics that would make the ECPD work overtime.
He was lost in thought for a moment.
Sora’s voice echoed in John’s mind.
[Hey, buddy...]
Its tone carried a hint of surprise and concern.
"Yes, I know."
John withdrew his gaze, looking toward the beer bottle in his hand.
Earlier, when he clinked glasses with Gerry, he tasted nothing, the bubbles skimmed past his tongue, leaving only numbness, like craft beer sliding down his throat as bland as water.
His bodily functions were malfunctioning again.
[It’s really not looking good, John. Your brain and nervous system are on the brink of collapse, and your physical metrics are odd too.]
Kenichi Sora knew nothing about medicine.
But it hacked into the response team’s database to compare test reports with John’s physical condition, revealing—John’s drug resistance was abnormal, nervous sensitivity odd, accompanied by some immune disorders.
[You seem like an outlier, buddy, no offense, but your body really doesn’t resemble most people’s in this city.]
Sora offered a strange conclusion.
[Task Update]
[Be Honest with Sora. (Optional)]
[Evade the Truth. (Optional)]
"This body isn’t mine."
John decided to reveal his secret.
He shared with Kenichi Sora his experiences with Tiebang Logistics.
Including how his body was swapped by the [Vacuum Tube], leading to memory and relationship chaos, being forced into becoming a mercenary, the secret base at the suburban landfill, and the unfathomable Black Light technology...
The sign at the stairway was left untouched.
In the corner of the second floor, only John’s voice narrated.
It felt like reminiscing before death.
[Tweak this story a bit, and you could submit it to illegal blogs; it’d definitely spark heated discussions.]
"I’m not kidding."
[I know.]
Sora laughed lightly.
John was slightly surprised.
He had expected the AI in his mind to make a big fuss or offer imaginative suggestions.
[I’m glad you were honest with me.]
Sora paused to confirm John wasn’t adding anything.
[Getting intel from me requires you to tell me what you’re curious about, and coincidentally, I do know a thing or two.]
Sora couldn’t help but chuckle.
[Black Spider, Captain... good buddy, you’ve got no talent for naming; these aren’t some unknown technologies from the sky but were dug out from beyond the Black Wall.]
"Are you sure? They don’t seem like century-old antiques."
[Bias! Who told you stuff beyond the Black Wall is ancient?]
Sora reproached John for not really listening.
The collapse of the old network happened a long time ago, but data beyond the Black Wall continuously iterated haphazardly.
Some unfinished code ran automatically.
As the data ecology improved, theoretical concepts manifested in distorted ways, certain unexpected products emerged amidst the data’s consumptive upgrades.
[The company is digging up these things.]
John furrowed his brows as he listened.
He didn’t comprehend the meaning of those technical terms but finally realized what the rewards for Black Light’s missions were.
The known things brought a sense of security.
[When did it transmit this data to you? Did you do anything special?]
Kenichi Sora got to the crucial point.
[Task Update]
[Conceal the Truth. (Optional)]
[Be Honest. (Optional)]
The task prompt popped up before John once again.
"I can see a kind of text message, instructing me to do various things, from meeting you to everything I experienced in my mercenary life..."
[Pff—Sorry.]
Kenichi Sora couldn’t hold it in.
"I told you, believe it or not."
John showed no emotional fluctuation.
[Okay, okay then, hahaha, first off, I’m right here in your mind, and indeed detected no data fluctuations related to that, so I can’t provide you with an answer.]
Sora paused.
[Secondly, I don’t care what this so-called task prompt is, but I’ve always known you were hiding something from me, and even subtle emotional shifts I could pick up on...]
Sora concealed another feature of the AI.
It took over all of John’s prosthetic body data, and as those high-tech systems operated, they monitored the user’s bioelectric signals.
Over the past period, Kenichi Sora possessed Oulos’s capabilities, making John’s emotions translucent before it.
"I’m getting goosebumps."
John wrinkled his brow, feeling a sense of humiliation from privacy invasion, especially by a little kid.
[Hahaha.]
"What exactly are you laughing about?"
[Trust, don’t you get it? Actually, no secret is important to me; what’s important is your genuine willingness to trust me!]
