The Giant Corporations that Started in Night City

Chapter 108: Spider Murphy

"Mr. Li Ang, it's a pleasure to collaborate with you!"

At this moment, Zuma was overwhelmed with excitement. Among the numerous corporate forces, he had finally found an ally for the Knights High.

Regardless of whether Li Ang was truly dedicated to exploring the universe, the fact that LA Company wanted to build an aerospace port indicated their intentions.

"Actions speak louder than words," Zuma thought. He didn't care if Li Ang might betray them in the future to collaborate with the EuroSpace agency. What mattered was that partnering with LA Company could change the Knights High's current predicament.

The partnership was a perfect match.

"Zuma, I'll arrange someone to discuss the specifics of our cooperation later. For now, let's enjoy this moment of leisure," Li Ang said with a smile.

A flying device like the ornithopter was not something Li Ang planned to sell directly to the Knights High. The most he would offer was a lease agreement, with extra charges for regular maintenance.

It wasn't about being stingy but about creating value through scarcity. If it were too easy for them to obtain, they wouldn't appreciate it. Raising the threshold would make them cherish it more.

Li Ang had spent half a month in the Crystal Palace. Though he initially planned to take a month off, he decided to cut it short, considering that the company's progress was still too slow.

It was time to speed things up and roll out the next corporate template.

"Indeed, that sounds like a plan," Zuma responded as the two clinked glasses, gazing out at the infinite expanse of the cosmos. The stars seemed to shine brighter than ever.

---

Night City – LA Company Headquarters, Core Operations Room

Deep within cyberspace, Alt Cunningham had just seized a mid-level rogue AI from a hacker codenamed "Nightingale."

Outraged, Nightingale had retaliated with the Blackwall Protocol, launching a lethal counterattack. Fortunately, Alt managed to escape unscathed with the help of her AI companion, White Queen.

"That lunatic! Touching the Blackwall Protocol is a death sentence. Mark my words, one day, she'll be swallowed by the Blackwall, leaving nothing behind!" Alt muttered to herself.

The Blackwall Protocol was a taboo technology for hackers, with most users ending up brain-dead, their neural networks fried.

"Thank you, White Queen," Alt said, addressing her AI companion. Represented in cyberspace as a dense data cloud resembling a shapeless mass of clay, White Queen had absorbed the rogue AI, significantly boosting its capabilities.

Watching White Queen's experience bar shoot up after devouring its prey, Alt felt a sense of accomplishment. It was addictive, almost like nurturing a virtual pet.

"Let's keep going. We need to wrap this up before Mr. Li Ang returns," she said.

White Queen twitched slightly in acknowledgment, clearly enjoying their partnership in hunting rogue AIs.

Just as Alt prepared to dive deeper into the Blackwall to continue her hunt, a foreign data entity rapidly approached her.

She was about to command White Queen to consume the intruder when a familiar voice interrupted her:

"Alt, long time no see."

Startled, Alt immediately recognized the voice. It belonged to none other than Spider Murphy, the legendary netrunner who had gone missing for years.

"Murphy, is that you?" Alt asked in disbelief. From Murphy's current form, it was evident that she had become some sort of rogue AI herself.

"How is this possible? You were killed during the Arasaka Tower raid!" Alt asked bluntly. The two shared a close friendship, and Alt wasn't one to mince words.

"I was shot by Arasaka's guards, but at the last moment, I uploaded my consciousness to cyberspace using a neural jack, just like Rache Bartmoss did," Murphy explained.

Uploading one's consciousness to cyberspace as a means of escape wasn't unheard of among elite hackers. However, this process came with a heavy price: the loss of a physical body, leaving the consciousness to roam the Infinity digital expanse, vulnerable to rogue AIs and data corruption.

Over time, rogue AIs absorbed these consciousness fragments, evolving into more complex entities with distinct personalities—some rational, others violent, but all unique.

"What about Bartmoss? Is he roaming cyberspace with you?" Alt inquired.

Rache Bartmoss, the legendary netrunner, was considered a god among hackers. However, his death had been as ironic as it was tragic: a power outage in his cooling unit led to his physical demise.

Despite this, many in the hacker community believed Bartmoss had intentionally abandoned his physical form, uploading his consciousness to cyberspace to achieve a higher state of existence.

"He's here. In fact, I owe my survival to him. Without his guidance, I would've been consumed by rogue AIs long ago. Thanks to him, I've managed to retain my original consciousness," Murphy said.

To demonstrate, Murphy displayed her unique data container—a program developed by Bartmoss to safeguard her consciousness from corruption. This program allowed her to assimilate rogue AIs without losing her sense of self.

While this protected her identity, it also meant she could never evolve into a more advanced entity.

"I knew it. Bartmoss was too smart to die like that," Alt said thoughtfully. "What has he been doing all this time?"