In a private room at Lizzy's Bar, Alan, Locille, and Jason are planning a dangerous plan.

Losil first gave some brief introductions to the other two. Lachey Bartmoss is the world's greatest and most gifted cyber hacker, but also the most paranoid. There are various versions of who he was, how he died, and when he died, but no one knows which one is the truth. The most reliable version is that he died of malnutrition caused by prolonged online operations.

Bartmoss is a paranoid. No one knows if he's crazy by nature or if he's lost his mind after spending too much time in an ultra-low freezer, but he's not afraid of death. He knew in his heart that if that day did come, he would make sure that he would die with his enemies, as well as his beloved network.

A complex system similar to the Cold War-era "Dead Hand" unleashes the deadliest creation that Bartlemoss has placed in the network. The moment Rudge physically died, and his life-support system stopped sending sluggish code, the network collapsed. His state-of-the-art virus programs, Devil, Cerberus, and RABIDS, were all unleashed, and they instantly destroyed the system, corroded and unleashed the runaway AI, and constantly tore at the nerves of most cyber actors. The data fortress has been broken apart by self-aware viruses, and some of this data has been permanently lost, some has been randomly destroyed, tampered with, and some have even been corrupted. By the time the emergency agreement between the government and the giant corporations was put in place, the virus had stopped and the old web was gone forever.

In the years that followed, cyber surveillance attempted to rebuild the global network with the help of the European Parliament. In many areas, the network infection is so severe that once someone logs in, the entire system can be destroyed in an instant. Aggressive rogue intelligence, some of which were once out-of-control combat AI, hunt down cyber walkers who rush into the ruins of cyberspace to gain access to lost data. At this point, Cyber Surveillance decided to abandon Cyberspace and launched Project Blackwall, an impregnable ICE wall that would separate the available network from the out-of-control AI-controlled realm.

The human-controllable web of 2077 (shallow web) is a fragmented space consisting primarily of several scattered local hubs. These hubs are public forums for national governments, state governments, city networks, or a combination of private company domain names, and are used for internal communication, work, entertainment, and advertising. Cyber surveillance has rebuilt much of Europe's internet, but has recently lost some credibility in Europe due to accusations of bargaining with runaway AI to build a black wall. Cyber Surveillance is currently rebuilding the North American network at the behest of the new U.S. President, Rosalind Meyers.

The old web, also known as the deep web, is a realm that is broken and dangerous, and no one dares to risk entering. Its vast territory is divided by black walls, and some areas are completely abandoned. However, the old web has a special temptation because it contains old data from banks and allows people who know the guidance system to communicate over real distances.

The Voodoo Gang is a group of top cyber hackers who have devoted themselves to uncovering the infinite mysteries behind the old web.

Losier took out a stereoscopic projection device, and the reality projected on it was a three-dimensional map of Taiping Island. "Based on one of the coordinates of the chip, I speculate that the place we are looking for is in this church, most likely underground."

Alan quickly pulled up some information about the church from the Internet; "The Taipingzhou Meditation Bible Church, where the local Haitian people would hold religious ceremonies, had an intercontinental maglev track underneath the church, which was connected to the world at the time, and was abandoned after the war, just like the Internet."

Locille: "Looks like we're looking for that." ”

Alan: "Alright, we'll meet at the Wolf Bar tomorrow morning and head to Taipingzhou." ”

Locille: "Are the vehicles ready?" ”

Jason immediately raised his hand in a gesture; "Don't worry, I'll arrange the vehicles, weapons and equipment."

"Then let's get here today, I still have to do some preparations, don't be late tomorrow." With that, Losil left the box.

"Jason, let's get out too."

Jason smiled slightly; "I'm sorry, it's hard to come here, I still want to play a little longer, you can go back first."

Seeing Jason's obsession with Mewtwo, Alan only had a feeling of hatred in his heart, so he left by himself. For tomorrow's action, Alan also has to make preparations, the first thing is to upgrade his own level, the previous electromagnetic short-circuit damage is not enough, and the scanner also needs to be replaced.

"Rhaenys, the door should still be open, so I can only ask her."

A few hours later, Rhaenys' clinic.

Rhaenys: "Okay, I see. Come, sit in a chair, don't be nervous, relax. ”

She pulled an eyeball out of a cryogenic container and introduced; "Kirusi Optical Eye Type 3, the best product in my hand, is just right for you now."

"Come on, take it in."

Alan was a little surprised; "Kirusa!? This is serious hard goods! ”

Rhaenys didn't care; "Well, yes, it's very useful."

Alan: "I said I wouldn't pay off, but this kind of high-quality goods..... I can't afford it. ”

Rhaenys glanced at Alan; "I'll talk about the money later, but now, the most important thing is for you to save your life and come back alive - it's better to bring the money."

"Thanks, Rhaenys."

Rhaenys smiled slightly; "Alright, you, I'm going to start."

Half an hour later—

Rhaenys: "You're going to be a little uncomfortable at first, your eyes are blurry, you can't distinguish colors, you have frame skips...... Okay, try it out, is there a problem with seeing things? ”

Alan looked around; "It feels good, it's clearer than before."

Rhaenys: "It may take you some time to adjust, and the scanner will eventually sync with your thought process and comprehend your intentions. I've also installed the NCPD database for you, so now you can just scan a person and you'll know their personal data. ”

Alan: "By the way, how about the quick chip I told you?" ”

"I've got you a ready, upgraded electromagnetic short-circuit chip that can produce a devastating current of nearly two million volts."

"Yes, thanks Rhaenys!"

"By the way, I've put a few pneumatic syringes in the bag over there, just in case."

After leaving Rhaenys' clinic, Alan returned to her apartment, and when she got home, she fell asleep.

In the dream, Alan dreamed that she had crossed a black wall.