Perhaps it is through your brain-computer interface, forcibly datafying your consciousness in some form before eliminating and plundering it?
Hmm... What an incredible program, exquisitely unbelievable.
Oh, it seems that similar brainwashing actually utilizes this point, condensing certain data into invisible signal waves, then infiltrating human brains via signal waves through the brain-computer interface...
I am such a genius, I actually cracked the secret of brainwashing just like that... Hmm, done."
Ena Tanino could only watch in terror as Mercer used her identity to log into the subnet she was connected to, which was Arasaka's executive internal network.
And then quickly began reading the text in her email and work logs at a speed of three or four pages per second.
Seeing just this, she screamed despairingly in her mind: 'You're not human! You're a rampaging AI!'
"Bullshit, I'm a standard human being, the kind who would get overwhelmed by a vibrant body just by watching Mewtwo!" Mercer was always sensitive to this issue.
'Nonsense! No human can do the things you're doing right now. How much has time slowed down for you in Cyberspace?
50%? 70%? Or 500%, 700%?
This is the difference between humans and AI! No human brain can process and receive this much information in an instant like AI!'
"Hmm... Now that you mention it, I realize why I feel like you guys are moving a bit slow, taking forever to reply, I guess the simultaneous processing of information is too much, leading to losing track of time...
Wow, I'm awesome.
Seems like I have great compatibility with Sianwistan and Synaptic Accelerator-type prosthetics, huh? What do you think, how long can I overclock with the prosthetics you gave me?"
Ena Tanino was almost speechless — yet because of this, she was finally sure that Mercer indeed was human; no matter how ridiculous an AI might be, it wouldn't be proud in this way, only a human would.
But this only made her more terrified, because such a powerful hacker, she had only heard of similar names in legends.
Could his consciousness have been altered by some legendary hacker? Revived?
As for the idea that Mercer was originally a genius hacker...
If he had this skill, why didn't he use it earlier?
Hackers assigned here are typically ordinary geniuses, but Mercer, this type, is a genius among geniuses, such a person couldn't possibly hide during Arasaka training!
No no, could he really be a super genius like Bartmos who connected at four years old?
So during Arasaka training, he might have really altered the evaluation system to deliberately hide his identity, just to escape Arasaka at the right time?
Damn it, these hackers are all crazy, what's bad about Arasaka, why the hell wouldn't they just work honestly and be superior?
She really couldn't tell, she couldn't tell!
'Please, don't kill me, whatever you want I can help you!
At this point, killing one more like me doesn't make any difference; I can help you, no, cover for you to escape far away!
The loss here, I'll just blame it on a rampaging AI, and as for the responsibility for the rampaging AI, I'll just shift it to the former director...
I can help install and debug that set of prosthetics you're after, I'm responsible for supervising their design, please, I really am useful!
You know it was the former director forcing you to send people to their deaths, haven't I always been good to you? I even tried to help you get into the company internally...
With your skills, why do this, after the prosthetic transformation, you can totally become Arasaka's most powerful hacker, the hacker version of Adam's Hammer!
You know his salary and benefits...'
"Shut up!"
Mercer increased the volume fivefold, causing Ena Tanino to scream in pain in her mind.
"You idiot, did you think I only installed this little program? Remember the Lie Detection Chip? Remember the thing you inserted into my brain the first time we met?
When you inserted it back then, I cracked its program inside, guess if you still have that program in your head now?
What's true in all that crap is just 'don't kill me,' truly impressive, old woman."
Ena Tanino fell silent, then watched as Mercer used her identity to start retrieving data from the server, and her eyes slightly brightened.
'You're interested in these design blueprints?
Where are you from? Military Science? New America? Or the Independent State, or Internet Supervision?
How about this, let's cooperate. As long as I can survive, I'd even be a spy, spare my life and I'm willing to leave you evidence enough to get me killed.
And I'll help you with whatever intel you need afterward, how about it?
Just give me a way out afterward!
Look at my resume, my prosthetic development capabilities in the hacking field can definitely rank in the top three at Arasaka!
You military science folks, or whoever you are, just need to check!
What's a dead person worth?
I'm begging you, you implanted the lie detection program, you should know I'm telling the truth, right?
I'll pin it on the rampaging AI and fake your death…'
Mercer was indeed a bit tempted, implanting a spy in Arasaka, and in the hacking prosthetic development field...
But then again, forget it, this woman just wants to live now, even if it was all the rampaging AI's doing, she'd definitely still be held accountable.
Because the base being destroyed doesn't matter, losing one set of prosthetics is bearable, but losing seven relic chips carrying the Soulkiller Program...
She's doomed.
However, she did indeed provide Mercer with a valuable idea.
Let's make you a spy after all.
Hmm... which option to choose?
Mercer pondered for a while, then had an idea.
Why not make them both take the fall?
So Mercer immediately began searching her contact list for anyone possibly related to Military Science or New America, and when he couldn't find anyone, he decided to pin it on her secretary instead.
He first found the secretary's room following the same method and then took over all his programs in the same way.
In his horrified yet helpless expression, he began playing both sides in their chat app, fabricating chat records right in front of him.
[Secretary Inoue: Where are you? Something happened! Our server was hacked! Those little hackers are escaping in the chaos!]
[Ena Tanino: What? Are you joking with me!? Just them, hack our server? Arrange for personnel to handle it immediately!]
[Secretary Inoue: No, no, we need to meet first, I suspect someone's already coming up, where are you?]
[Ena Tanino: You useless! I'm in the room, hurry up! Damn it, I need to immediately... ]
Mercer pretended the network connection was interrupted and then controlled the security robot in his room to fetch the gun from Secretary Inoue's room and bring him upstairs.
Ena Tanino and Secretary Inoue had already realized something; at this point, both were pleading bitterly through brainwaves, but Mercer felt nothing.
Their consciousness had been filtered as junk data by him, and when Secretary Inoue entered the office, Mercer used a robot to personally grip Inoue's hand to aim the pistol at Ena Tanino.
"Alright, so the data transfer from the subnet is just in time, there's quite a bit of useful stuff, damn it, I need to think about how to take them all..."
Mercer said and then started to clear the traces.
Ena Tanino suddenly rolled her eyes and then collapsed weakly onto the bed,
This wasn't some quick hack; it was purely because the data stream extracted by Mercer from her brain-computer interface was too large, knocking her out.
Mercer had lowered the speed on purpose, fearing to fry her brain, causing the brain-computer interface to fail.
Once the data materials were temporarily transferred to the server, Mercer exhaled a sigh of relief, using the robot's viewpoint to look at Ena Tanino, who lay in bed in disheveled pajamas and helpless state, shaking his head.
Forgive me, auntie, this is the last time I'll fleece you.
With a thought, Secretary Inoue could only watch helplessly as the robot holding his hand pulled the pistol's trigger, shooting again and again.
Mercer felt he was being gentle for once, being shot while unconscious, should not feel any pain.
But watching her body twitching with each pull of Secretary Inoue's trigger...
Anyway, Mercer thought she shouldn't be in pain.
Mercer is kind, hating to see such scenes.
So he decisively switched from the main view, concurrently using massive junk data to fill Secretary Inoue's brain, knocking him out and having the robot carry him away, while checking on Lucy and the others' progress.