Chapter 160: The Hook
Invisible data pulses, channeled through protocols constructed around the Blackwall, continuously broadcasted the information Joric had carefully prepared into the chaotic realms beyond.
The signal leveraged the ubiquitous nature of the Blackwall itself, ensuring its content permeated every corner the network could reach, both inside and outside the wall.
Joric did not expect an immediate response.
He knew clearly that both the transmission of information and the decision-making process of the target upon receiving it would take time.
Therefore, after setting the signal on an automatic loop, he reallocated his primary computational resources back to the deep parsing of Mikoshi's data and the continuous optimization of the dimensional teleporter, leaving only a low-power background process running.
This process silently monitored two things: any subtle changes in the network environment surrounding the manufactorum, and the real-time data from the bio-tank preserving Rache Bartmoss's body.
Time passed peacefully in waiting.
The calendar turned silently. After the cataclysm at Arasaka Tower, Night City fell into an unprecedented, suffocating "silence."
This silence was not the absence of sound, but the loss of its usual "vitality"—the ceaseless pulse of the city driven by countless ambitions, deals, conflicts, and conspiracies.
The raging fire and violent explosions at Arasaka Tower, coupled with Maine's crew's unstoppable march that resembled a natural disaster, were like a bucket of ice water dumped over the head of this city of desire.
Everyone was spooked.
The major corporations fell into a rare silence.
On one hand, they were happy to see their rival Arasaka suffer such a heavy blow. On the other, they were deeply awed by the weapons and combat capabilities displayed by Maine's crew, which completely surpassed current technological levels.
Giants like Militech and Biotechnica urgently convened top-level security meetings, not to discuss how to carve up the power vacuum left by Arasaka, but to prioritize assessing the threat level of this unknown force.
Their usual methods of military deterrence and conspiracy seemed pale and laughable before the absolute power demonstrated by that small squad.
Until they figured out the background, no corporation dared to act rashly, fearing they might become the next target.
Street gangs also reined themselves in significantly.
The usually noisy conflict zones became quiet. Those lawless cyberpunks seemed to learn the meaning of "prudence" overnight.
The Valentinos, the Animals, Maelstrom... whether traditional family-style gangs or fanatical groups worshipping violence, their leaders invariably issued similar orders: keep a low profile recently, and avoid any actions that might cause friction with that "Monster Squad" and its related forces.
Weapons capable of instantly evaporating armored vehicles and tearing apart streets with a single shot turned the smart guns and rocket launchers in their hands into ridiculous toys.
Even the news media lost its usual fervor.
Although footage of Arasaka Tower exploding and burning had long spread throughout the city, subsequent reporting appeared unusually restrained.
No experts dared to jump to conclusions, no media dared to dig deep into the truth behind the scenes. All reports stopped at describing established facts, their language filled with uncertainty and even a trace of fear.
They realized this event had gone beyond what they could hype and control.
It was as if the pause button had been pressed on all of Night City.
Superficial order was barely maintained by the NCPD and corporate security, but beneath this fragile calm lay deeper unease and suspicion.
Everyone was watching, waiting, trying to catch a clue about the future direction from this eerie silence.
This city, accustomed to chaos and noise, fell into collective aphasia for the first time due to pure, incomprehensible violence.
At a certain moment a few days later, while Joric was conducting comparative calculations on the fundamental physical constants of the local world versus the Warhammer universe, the background process that had been on standby triggered a low-priority alert.
The source of the alert was the sub-routine monitoring the external network environment of the manufactorum.
Data indicated that an extremely concealed and unfamiliar data stream was attempting to penetrate the outermost network defenses of the Badlands manufactorum.
This stream did not originate from any known corporation or organization. Its coding style and intrusion methods exuded an ancient and precise aura, starkly different from common contemporary cyberattack patterns.
It did not employ brute force to break through. Instead, like a slippery snake, it quietly infiltrated along the cracks of the civilian data network, trying to find an overlooked vulnerability.
Its objective was clear, its path obviously probing. Every touch against the firewall was extremely light, as if carefully assessing the strength and reaction mechanisms of the barrier.
This cautious and seasoned style, along with the characteristics in its technical path that differed from the current era, immediately made Joric realize this was no ordinary netrunner or corporate security probe.
This was exactly the signal he had been waiting for—"something" had received his broadcast and been drawn in.
It came from beyond the Blackwall.
Joric's crimson optical lenses focused slightly. Computational allocation on the main console was readjusted instantly.
Massive resources were freed from other tasks and rapidly invested into the comprehensive analysis and tracking of this intrusive data stream.
He did not immediately take forceful countermeasures to expel or destroy it. Instead, like a patient observer, he constructed a sturdy and airtight logical firewall, firmly blocking the opponent's infiltration attempts.
He wanted to see more clearly: How long would this "visitor" try? what methods would it use? What could its behavioral patterns reveal?
The firewall logs clearly recorded every contact attempt.
Upon encountering this invisible wall, the opponent did not give up but began to shift strategies.
It tried multiple different protocol vulnerabilities, simulated several legitimate access requests, and even attempted to disguise itself as a harmless background data stream.
However, before the defense system Joric built based on cognition far surpassing this era, all these efforts failed to make substantial progress.
The intrusion was effectively blocked at the perimeter.
Inside the manufactorum, only the low hum of equipment running and the steady, monotonous "beep" of the heart monitor from the bio-tank remained.
But in that invisible digital realm, a silent, tentative confrontation had already begun.
Joric's massive body remained still before the console. All the intense maneuvering happened on the ever-changing data plane.
The bait had worked. Now, he needed to judge exactly what had taken the hook, and what it would do next.
(End of Chapter)