Just as there are legends of ghosts on Earth, there are urban legends about data ghosts in the cyber world. The chips of the deceased, forgotten data, and electronic devices with residual intelligent programs gradually change in the corners of the cyber network, where no one reads them, transforming into maddening data ghosts that drive people insane upon contact.
As the amount of data in the network increases, so do the abandoned AIs and memory fragments, forming an invisible web that envelops this world. Perhaps one day, they will completely erupt and consume everyone's consciousness.
In the words of the Fifth family's cybersecurity department, these data ghosts are referred to as "barnacles." They cling to the internal system's firewalls of the Fifth family and continuously grow. Just like barnacles in the ocean attach themselves to whales, sea turtles, and ships, eventually consuming them.
The Fifth family's internal system is a castle, built with the most advanced firewalls, forming a solid fortress. In the cyber space, it has no fixed location but drifts constantly. Unless called upon through permissions, it is nearly impossible to find.
On the outskirts of this castle, exaggerated residual data often winds around, resembling terrifying tumors, mindlessly clinging to the walls. Those ghosts are the souls of all who died because of the Fifth family. Although they have long since perished, the cruel memories of their deaths, their resentments, and their grudges continuously grow in the places of their demise.
Initially, these barnacles were merely regarded as harmful data and were constantly being cleared. However, over time, security experts discovered that rather than clearing them, it was better to convert them into defensive weapons, forming a dangerous thorny barrier outside the main body of the firewall.
Thus, when the Fifth family discovered that the ghost could enter their internal system through Fifth Shufeng's permissions, they first revoked his access, then released all the accumulated barnacles, constructing an exaggerated defense line on the periphery of the internal system.
But all of this was in vain.
In just 0.01 seconds after connecting, Qin Xuezhong pinpointed the location of the internal system. For her, that was enough.
She effortlessly passed through the barnacle-formed defenses and the solid firewall, entering inside.
Once in the system, she quickly located the president of the transport company through the transport data and found all the contacts in his communication records. In the Fifth family's subordinate industries, the transport company was just a small segment, and the president held a low position, having little contact with the higher-ups of the Fifth family.
However, in his communication records, there was a private secretary of a senior director. The communication timestamp was precisely the day before the convoy was attacked.
---
Meanwhile, in the security department's server room of the Fifth family.
"Shut down all entrances! Update the drifting coordinates!"
"Doing this will prevent everyone from accessing!"
"Is this really the time to worry about that?! We need to stop the ghost from getting in!"
"Everything has been updated!"
"What about the barnacles?"
"The barnacles have also been redeployed; now, apart from the physical interface, there are no entrances!"
After doing all this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
No entrances, no coordinates, no permissions. Even a god wouldn't be able to enter the internal system.
Then, silence fell.
"Is there any detection of data intrusion?"
"None!"
"Were the barnacles triggered?"
"Not at all!"
"What about the physical interface? If the hard drive was accessed, there should be signs of operation!"
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"
At this point, the security chief's rationality and experience told him that no intrusion had occurred and that there was no data leak within.
Logically, he should have secured the Fifth family's core internal system.
The ghost was merely a hacker with new technology.
Even if the network technology was powerful, it would leave traces in the physical world; that was the rule of this world.
Just as a person walking around always stirs the air.
Unless… the ghost was a true specter.
Thinking this, the unease in the security chief's heart began to expand.
Time ticked by.
In the live broadcast, Fifth Shufeng looked somewhat bewildered.
Under normal circumstances, directly connecting to the human brain would inflict immense pain on both the operator and the one being connected.
Because human consciousness data is vast and chaotic, recklessly making connections would cause significant shocks.
In early research, many researchers experienced complete mental breakdowns and became irreversible lunatics because of this.
Yet Fifth Shufeng felt nothing.
The firewall and anti-intrusion software installed in the chip at the back of his head remained quiet, with no alerts popping up.
Minutes passed like this.
Just as everyone thought everything was safe and sound, a figure appeared on the screen before Fifth Shufeng.
—It was a man with a face full of flesh and a sinister gaze.
Without needing the name or introduction below, Fifth Shufeng recognized him at first glance.
That was his uncle, Fifth Jiu, a permanent director on the board of the Fifth family, a core elder with a slightly higher status than him.
He had heard a few years ago that Fifth Jiu seemed to have developed some brain disease and was in danger.
In Creek Valley City, although most of the bodily organs could be replaced, problems in the brain remained very tricky.
If Fifth Jiu was truly near death, he might indeed gamble everything on Tang Kede!
Beneath the photo, there were communication records found by the ghost—conversations between the secretary and the president of the transport company.
[00234521: Make sure to have the best bodyguards on alert at all times.]
[00234537: Yes! I understand!]
[00234543: These are Jiu Dong's things; don't forget.]
---
[00234600: Of course, you can rest assured.]
This scene appeared on almost every screen in Creek Valley City. Everyone realized that the clones of Yue Zhao, the brains of the victims, and those funding Tang Kede were most likely this Fifth Jiu.
Unlike the reactions of other onlookers, Fifth Shufeng and the security department felt a chill. How could anyone steal information from the Fifth family's internal system without leaving any traces? Were these people... truly ghosts?
"Hmph..." The interrogator's voice reappeared. "It seems our conversation today has been quite productive." Then, as if announcing to all the viewers of the live broadcast, he said, "Alright! You all see it; if you want to find Tang Kede, you need to find this man. Security department and Fifth family, what are you going to do now?"
Finally, the interrogator stretched lazily, smiled gently, and ended the broadcast.
Only Fifth Shufeng remained, sitting alone in darkness.
As the broadcast ended, Xiao Qin's subway also arrived at the station.
Given the gravity of the situation, everyone was excited, animatedly discussing everything about the ghost organization.
The real ghost, Xiao Qin, walked among the crowd, feeling a bit tired. Even though her consciousness was quite strong, connecting to another person's consciousness for such an extended period and entering a heavily guarded space was still very exhausting.
She could only comfort herself internally; with a clear suspect identified and such a significant commotion, she could finally take a breath.
At this moment, the members of the ghost organization in the dark space began discussing their next steps. If the Fifth family and the security department didn't act promptly, they would gladly return for another armed raid to teach those who disrupted the peace of Creek Valley City for their own selfish desires a lesson.
Xiao Qin felt reassured. She finally experienced the feeling of being a leader; as long as someone else was handling the tasks, she could relax. She was grateful to all the members for their contributions to her leisurely endeavors!
Today, she also earned a little reward.
—By connecting to Fifth Shufeng's chip, she seemed to have unlocked another segment of the original owner's memory.
She discovered that as long as she read someone else's chip—whether they were alive or dead—it would stimulate the dead silence light sphere left by the original owner. Moreover, from the two previous unlocking experiences, it appeared that they both contained moments that the original owner found particularly memorable.
For instance, the earliest residual fake identity information, which was crucial for an undercover agent and marked the beginning of the original owner's new life.
The second unlocking involved a military training simulator, likely something the original owner used frequently, perhaps training daily, thus making it a strong impression.
So, what would it be this time?
After buying food downstairs and returning home, she touched the newly appeared fragments on the surface of the dead silence light sphere.
Indeed, new images emerged.
"She" was walking on the street, the ground was wet, reflecting the dazzling neon lights of Creek Valley City.
The visuals in her eyes adjusted to a semi-transparent mode, allowing her to browse news while walking.
Through the rapidly sliding news before her, Qin Xuezhong saw a massive sign ahead that read "Muzi Bank."
Her heart skipped a beat—was the original owner going to handle banking business?
According to what Qin Huaigui had said before, the original owner had an anonymous account with a 1 million credit point bonus transferred from the "boss"!
In an instant, Xiao Qin thought about what clothes to buy and even considered getting a small car.
She eagerly continued to watch.
The original owner kept scrolling through pages until she finally stopped at one.
[Today's Cyber Joke] [How does an emotionally intelligent intermediary explain a task to a killer?] [Low Emotional Intelligence: Only a fool would take this task.] [High Emotional Intelligence: You're the only one who can do this task!]
The original owner laughed, genuinely happy.
Since the memory fragments contained all the sensations and emotions, Qin Xuezhong could even feel the joy present in the memory.
Amidst the light-hearted laughter, the memory abruptly ended.
Xiao Qin was bewildered.
What was that? At such a crucial moment of uncovering key information, why show her a mediocre joke???
Perhaps her earlier deduction wasn't wrong. The unlocked memories of the original owner might indeed be those profoundly impactful moments.
For example… a joke that the original owner found hilarious.