Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Chapter 740: Chapter 265: Discussion

”Graphics Card Huang” apparently heard the last sentence and, somewhat surprised, said:

”Merkel, aren’t you the fourth generation?”

According to business rumors, the now elderly tycoon of the Johnson Group is already the fourth generation clone.

And the fourth generation clones obviously haven’t experienced the changes of the times.

Merkel showed a mysterious smile, ”Yes, this old man is indeed the fourth generation.”

”Graphics Card Huang” and Dr. Manhattan exchanged glances, not knowing what he meant.

Only Gao Gong could somewhat tell that the ”biological information” on the other person was very ancient, not at all the product of normal cloning technology.

Perhaps it was also a kind of clone, but this cloning was definitely different from the common ones on the market.

”So, the Johnson Group has also joined the ’Virtual Helmet’ camp? You guys are on the biological brain-machine route!”

Dr. Manhattan spoke up.

The external ”virtual helmet” of the electronic brain-machine was an electronic product, with no interference.

But whether the biological brain-machine could match the virtual helmet was uncertain.

”Du Gao Technology has already signed an agreement with the Johnson Group, where we are responsible for developing a virtual helmet that can match the biochemical brain-machine.”

”Tsk tsk, Mr. G’s methods are truly unpredictable.”

”Graphics Card Huang” sighed.

First, by assisting the Holy Brain Group, he successfully became the overlord of the Northern Hemisphere.

Then, leveraging the pressure of the ”Mecha Army,” he successfully melded the Southern Hemisphere’s super corporations.

If even one aspect had gone wrong, it could have resulted in a collective backlash.

However, this Mr. G managed to pull it off with his feigned madness and formidable personal strength, surpassing the Holy Brain Group to become the biggest winner.

”I can guess that you, Mr. G, teamed up with Old Merkel to outwit that ’Skull,’ but wasn’t that ’burning Mr. G’ you?”

Gao Gong smiled and said, ”Let’s say it was me, but not me. To be precise, he was created by that ’Skull.’ He himself created a Mr. G and then used the last of his strength to kill that ’Fake Mr. G.’

Of course, in this process, Mr. Merkel also played a significant role. He used some tricks to confuse ’Skull’s perception. Let’s go, I’ll take you to see where the real ’Skull’ is now.”

Gao Gong led the way, and the others followed. Soon, they arrived inside the Mechanical Main Brain, in a large weapon warehouse.

The warehouse was as large as three football fields, and all the weapons, regardless of type, had been completely shattered. Under the effect of an unknown power, metal fragments condensed into loose human forms, with a considerable number in sight.

”These are all ’Artificial Souls,’ right?” Graphics Card Huang’s eyes flashed with a trace of greed. ”We’ve been reverse engineering for so long and still haven’t figured out this technology.”

Dr. Manhattan deliberately said the opposite, immediately saying, ”These are Mr. G’s spoils of war, so someone better not get any funny ideas.”

Graphics Card Huang gave Dr. Manhattan a resentful look. You’re not researching this with your planet’s energy, so naturally, you don’t know its preciousness.

If this thing could be successfully replicated, within the corporation, I could at least get a level up.

Gao Gong smiled and said, ”I’m not a stingy person. You all contributed to this war, so each of you three gets a thousand ’Artificial Souls.’

This weapon warehouse probably had five thousand artificial souls, and now three-fifths had been given away.

Graphics Card Huang rejoiced, flattering without needing to pay for it:

”Mr. G is generous, Mr. G is bold, worthy of being the man who stirred up the entire corporate war single-handedly. I already said, Mr. G will become the new corporate overlord... What’s that?”

The group walked to the center of the warehouse, where they saw a huge transparent vortex appearing on the floor. In the center of the vortex was a faint human figure, vaguely visible as a skull face.

”The boundary between reality and the virtual has been broken; this is the phenomenon of ’sinking.’”

Merkel squinted his old eyes, pondering something unknown.

”Sinking, are you saying linking to the Cyber Network kind of ’sinking’?”

Dr. Manhattan looked shocked. As half an energy lifeform, the ”vortex” felt to him like an abyss without a bottom.

Graphics Card Huang’s expression was also rarely serious; in this regard, he felt it even deeper.

”I’ve finished my affairs, now it’s time for this old man to leave here.”

Old Merkel abruptly said out of nowhere, then left without looking back.

”You two, there’s still some ’Soul Recognition Technology’ in the Mechanical City, I’ll leave it to you to handle,” Gao Gong likewise said without looking back.

Dr. Manhattan and Graphics Card Huang exchanged glances, still wanting to research, but clearly, they were already being shown the door.

’Ding ding ding,’ sounded three times.

[You have obtained the faction-exclusive building: Soul Manufacturing Plant]

[You have obtained Level 2 Civilization Super Technology, [Soul Technology]]

[You have obtained corporate assets: 200 billion Mechanical Coins]

And the familiar electronic cigarette sound rang——

’The Mr. G Research Association you established has completed the integration of the Southern Hemisphere’s ’Electronic Brain Plan’ through virtual helmet implants, automatically entering the third stage’

’You have acquired 5000 points at the Mother City Trading Point’

points?

If Gao Gong remembered correctly, the Du Gao Group assisted the Holy Brain Group to complete the Northern Hemisphere’s ’Electronic Brain Plan’, the reward was 50,000 points.

How unwelcome is the Mother City to the virtual helmet?

This thing can even be used for online gaming.

A heap of old grievances was lined up in Gao Gong’s mind.

But soon, he was drawn to the [Soul Technology] and ’Soul Manufacturing Plant.’

Without a doubt, this is a supporting technology and product, and its role is to transform ’Artificial Souls.’

According to the system introduction, the role of ’Artificial Soul’ is manifold, enhancing consciousness, creating virtual life, manufacturing virtual weapons, and most importantly for Gao Gong... building an Information Security House.

The ”Roof Beam Skeleton” of the ’Information Security House’ is composed of the ’Planet Host Firewall,’ but to ensure its absolute safety, the internal building materials are equally important. Otherwise, even the slightest gap would allow a Memory Worm to burrow in.

Among all the ’information building materials’, the ’artificial soul’ is the most suitable one.

’Gao Yuanyuan will be quite busy next.’ Gao Gong thought to himself.

”Brother,” as soon as the person left, Gao Yuanyuan emerged and said softly, ”That old Mr. Merkel is a bit dangerous.”

”What did you sense?” Gao Gong asked.

”I just used the ’Rewind System’ to investigate, but strangely, I couldn’t find much about ’Merkel’s’ past. It seems his past is obscured by some special force.”

”Special force?”

”Yes, this force seems very familiar with our Destruction Form. Just as I was about to investigate, the other party disappeared directly.”

”Oh? Really.”

Gao Gong thought for a moment, without any leads, and said:

”These old monsters who run the information route are always very dangerous, so I’ve made precautions.”

”That’s good.”

”Alright, now it’s time for the real harvest, Yuanyuan, open the backdoor of this ’Skull’s’ brain, I need to go in.”

”Okay, brother.”

...

Merkel walked with deceptive slowness out of the Main Brain Area, one hand holding a cane, the other seemingly clutching something.

On his old face, he seemed to be pondering something.

Finally, he shook his head, sighed, flicked his fingers, and the item was flicked into the sewer.

Then, a flying device approached, Merkel stepped into the cabin and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

In an alleyway behind him, another shadow passed through walls, went directly to where he had just stood, and with a grasp, retrieved the item the other party had discarded.

It was a pill.

A white pill.

...

The news that the three giants obtained ’Soul Recognition Technology’ quickly spread, astounding all spectators of this war.

Because once the situation became clear, it exceeded everyone’s expectations.

No one would have thought that this corporate war would end in such a dramatic result.

Especially with the surrounding side bets on the corporate war, everyone but the house lost heavily.

”What’s going on? The Northern Hemisphere is Mr. G’s Mercenary Group, the Southern Hemisphere is the Corporate Association organized by Mr. G, how can they fight now?”

”The Holy Brain Group will be very embarrassed, its orders probably don’t matter in this situation.”

”Isn’t this against the employment contract both parties signed?”

”What’s the compensation? What’s the benefit of this corporate war? Can’t you calculate?”

”So if the opposite happens, with the ’Mecha Corps’ joining the ’Research Association’ to bring down the Holy Brain Group, could that be possible?”

”Seems very possible, I have to place a bet quickly!”

...

Not only in the streets and alleys, but at some high-end parties in the Other Shore of Freedom, some bionic people with impossibly fine features were also discussing this topic.

Deep Pit Hotel, one of the best hotels in the Other Shore of Freedom, during a party.

”Whether it’s the biological brain machine or the virtual helmet, they’re not very pleasing to the eye,” a bionic lady lamented while touching her face.

”It’s okay, our bionic technology will make them look great, just like how we replaced the Primordial People,” a bionic manager smiled.

”I do hope the ’family’ can sort these out soon, I don’t want to change parts this year.”

In the corner of the party, a tall bionic man full of masculine charm was gulping down drinks, the liquor trickling down his mouth, making him look even more carefree and unrestrained.

Many bionic ladies saw him, with their ’love modules’ constantly lighting up, but alas, this bionic man paid no attention to any of them.

”Sir, this is the last bottle,” the waiter said cautiously.

Bionic A gave a bizarre smile, his mouth split open, and only then did the waiter notice that the man’s tongue seemed to have disappeared, replaced by a bizarre thing made up of countless ’worms.’

Fortunately, this illusion was fleeting.

The waiter forced a smile, allowing the man to rudely snatch the glass and gulp it down.

As he reached the door and glanced back, his eyes suddenly froze, seeing every bionic person, regardless of type, had a ’worm’ crawling on some exposed part of their body, whether it was a shoulder, face, or shoulder blade.

Fortunately, this too was an illusion.

When the waiter looked again, the ’worms’ had disappeared once more.

...

Beyond the Other Shore of Freedom was one of the three Mother Cities, the Deep Web.

Every city has its landmark buildings.

The Mechanical City is the ’Main Brain Area’, or the headquarters of a large corporation.

The Mother City similarly has its landmark buildings, and among the three Mother Cities, there are only six landmark buildings, which are the headquarters of the Six Ministries.

The headquarters of the Ghost in the Shell Mobile Division is a peculiar building filled with electric wires and data lines.

What’s more interesting is that on the ground of this building, there are countless data channels, and from time to time, a virtual phantom appears from the channels, heading to the elevator or directly towards a ’mechanical body’s storage warehouse, then riding the mechanical body out.

The mechanical bodies here are all lightweight, emerging from below the body are bionic legs covered in tattoos, or tight combat suits clinging to well-defined figures.

High mobility, high performance, adept in virtual combat and special operations, is the hallmark of this department.

Someone should like this place.