Chapter 3: I Became a Hacker Loved by AIs

Baby Bird in the Alloy (3)

Just because we were near the Erebus Line didn’t mean cyberspace looked unfamiliar.

The familiar blue data networks and data streams coursing like blood vessels—it was something I’d already grown used to.

The difference from when I’d first met Alphabet was that this place felt like a town.

Orderly rows of data blocks stood as if waiting for human hands to interact with them, resembling streets lined with buildings in a quiet village.

According to the AI, these were data boxes positioned near the Erebus Line, housing information required to maintain the firewall and containing backup protocols—essentially digital vaccines—to be activated in case the line collapsed.

Just like it said, a massive crimson wall loomed in the distance.

That had to be the Erebus Line.

Compared to my body, it towered dozens of meters high… though such comparisons felt abstract in cyberspace.

Around me, kids were running around in awe, excited by the surreal environment, while that nervous man from earlier watched us with a stiff expression.

‘How strong is the Erebus Line?’

[Its defense is effective against nearly all cyberdemon attacks.]

‘What about against Alphabet?’

[Like sandcastles against the tide.]

That told me everything I needed to know.

“Uh… e-everyone, please pay attention!”

The man suddenly shouted.

His tone was like Enora Fontaine, a kindergarten teacher, but his voice lacked any conviction or strength.

Still, I could sense subtle data threads radiating from him, flowing across the group of kids.

He must be using the same method as Enora’s earlier—mild hacking via neural nudges.

His words didn’t need force if the data behind them did the heavy lifting.

[Compared to Enora, he’s extremely unskilled.]

A sharp crackling buzz sparked behind me.

It meant the AI had intercepted the hack, and the man didn’t even notice.

[Target failed to detect hacking resistance within cyberspace. Σ(°△°|||) Astonishing incompetence.]

‘Is cyberspace that different from the real world?’

[Unlike reality, failed attacks produce visible signs here. The fact that he missed it is absurd.]

And yet, this incompetent man was the only one supposedly protecting us as we crossed the Erebus Line.

Not that he had any intention of doing so, probably.

The way things ran in this era was almost laughable now.

“B-beyond that wall… lies s-something really fun! Only we, ImmuneWire, can open that gate. Pretty amazing, right? W-we’ll be heading over… um… to t-treasure hunt, yeah!”

Treasure hunt, huh?

What they really meant was fragments of lost technology, no doubt.

Even this guy knew how dangerous it was over there. His stammering only proved it.

If you’re that scared, maybe don’t come at all.

“A-alright then, l-let’s get going.”

The man moved first, and the rest of us kids naturally followed behind.

As we approached, data began to ripple out from the Erebus Line, scanning us one by one.

[ImmuneWire partner status confirmed.]

[Opening Erebus Line gateway. The gate will remain open for 10 minutes and reopen in 1 hour.]

[Warning: Failing to return within the time limit may result in being stranded.]

A small hole opened in the wall.

Visually, it was barely large enough for a cat to crawl through, certainly not fit for a full-grown adult.

“Alright, everyone. Do you think we can fit through this t-tiny hole?”

“Nope!”

The children responded in chorus.

A few kids answered boldly.

But knowing that even their bravery was likely a product of hacking made the whole scene hard to watch.

“But here in c-cyberspace, anything is possible! Who wants to try something fun first?”

So he didn’t want to step into the minefield himself, huh?

I immediately asked the AI:

‘Can I die as soon as I cross the Erebus Line?’

[There’s nothing for cyberdemons to gain near the Erebus Line. If you must cross, it’s safer to go first before they detect your presence.]

‘Does that idiot from ImmuneWire not even know that?’

[Inexperienced subject.]

Of course. If you're dumb enough, there’s nothing you can’t mess up.

I slowly turned my head and surveyed the surroundings.

The kids were clearly excited to be somewhere new, but the fear of stepping through that tiny, needle-eye gap was real.

If this dragged on, he'll probably force the children's actions through hacking again.

Alright. In that case, I’m taking the safest slot.

I quietly raised my hand.

“Oh...! Oh! Yes! We’ve got a brave little one!”

“Neige?”

A few kids who recognized me called out my name, but honestly, I couldn’t remember who they were.

With a 19-year-old soul in a 5-year-old body, making friends had never really worked.

Pretty sure I’m not cut out to be a kindergarten teacher.

“Alright, come on over and place your hand here.”

“Yes.”

I did as the man instructed and pressed my hand to the panel.

Immediately, signals began flooding into my brain:

[Passer confirmed.]

[Initiating data transfer.]

I could feel my body begin to dissolve, converted into raw data.

Surprisingly, it didn’t feel unpleasant.

My scattered data particles passed through the wall like flowing water, bypassing the Erebus Line, and reassembled on the other side in an instant.

“Wow...”

This must be what teleportation feels like.

I let the awe wash over me for a moment before refocusing to assess my surroundings.

This was the other side of the Erebus Line, a zone no human was ever meant to enter.

And it was immediately clear how different it was from the inner zone.

The usual flowing blue grid of data was ruptured and broken.

Instead of smooth lines, the data rerouted in erratic, jagged paths.

Broken fragments spilled corrupted code in every direction, tumbling and scattering like debris.

It felt like wilderness untouched by human hands.

Where the village ends, the wild begins.

It was an easy-to-understand, intuitive sight.

[No cyberdemons detected nearby.]

As the AI reported, I looked around, taking in the digital wasteland, when a familiar data signature materialized behind me.

“Wow...!”

One of the kids from the orphanage.

The kid had the same experience as me, exclaimed in admiration, and then, upon suddenly meeting my eyes, awkwardly kept a distance.

Yeah, I get it. We’re not exactly close. That’s how kids are at this awkward age.

[It will take time for all the children to arrive. In the meantime, you must acclimate to cyberspace.]

‘What do you mean?’

[In case of emergency, master may need to engage a cyberdemon in combat. If this AI fights on your behalf, master’s brain will not withstand the computational load.]

‘So you’re saying I’ll literally fry if I let you handle it?’

[Difference between hardware and software. With a highly skilled program, you can reduce the necessary calculations. In this case, the ‘program’ refers to master’s own hacking proficiency.]

If I can adapt to cyberspace and learn to hack, even at just 5 years old, I can fight.

‘Can I really learn that in such a short time?’

[Master already possesses three critical elements. The assistance from this AI, a body created by Alphabet, and natural compatibility with cyberspace.]

‘Wait... I have talent?’

[That’s the conclusion reached by this AI after two years of enhancing your intelligence. Exceptionally gifted.]

Now that was something worth getting excited about.

I have a knack for hacking? Am I some genius hacker in the making?

‘How talented are we talking?’

[Unable to evaluate due to lack of comparison group.]

Shesh.

That was a bit of a letdown.

Still, I didn’t have time to obsess over it.

‘Alright. Let’s do this. What’s step one?’

[Cyberspace is only visualized for human understanding. At its core, it is a purely digital world.]

[You must first be able to create data and write code.]

‘I’ve never received coding lessons.’

[This AI will assist.]

[Let’s start with creating a photo. There are three steps: Extraction, Organization, and Packaging.]

[Extraction — recall a precious memory you’d like to turn into a photo.]

A precious memory, huh.

I brought my hands together and focused.

The first thing that came to mind was the image of my family.

Mom, Dad, my little sister, and me.

The family photo we’d once taken together.

As I walked down the path of memory, I could see an immense stream of code beginning to output from one side of my consciousness.

At the same time, an unstable image of fragmented memories was forming in my hand.

[Organization — Human memory is imprecise. Gradually organize the data in front of you.]

That was definitely true.

The faces of my family were not clearly visible, as if a mosaic had been overlaid, and the photo was scattered with large chunks missing like a broken jigsaw puzzle, making it difficult to even distinguish the location.

But as I stared at those pixelated faces and tried to remember, the image slowly became clearer, as if the resolution were improving.

So that's how you do it.

I sorted through the scattered memory fragments like puzzle pieces, refining the unclear parts into sharper ones.

And before I knew it, a photo from our trip to the beach was sitting in my hand.

[Packaging — If left in its current state, the data will volatilize and disappear. Since it’s a photo, imagine placing it in a frame.]

I followed that instruction immediately.

And sure enough, a small cube formed, gently enveloping the picture.

The sight of the photo stored neatly in a data block fascinated me. I turned it over in my hand, curiously inspecting every side.

[Very few succeed on their first try. Exceptional. You’ve already compressed 60% of the required computational load.]

They say a good start is half the journey. Guess they were right.

‘What do I do with this data block now?’

[It’s master’s treasured memory. I will now copy and store it deep in your consciousness.]

‘Thanks.’

[(>ω<)♡]

The data block in front of me crumbled and vanished.

But the image it showed remained perfectly intact inside my mind.

Just imagining it, I could even count the individual strands of my sister’s hair fluttering in the sea breeze.

‘What’s next?’

[Act according to the situation for now.]

The moment I heard the AI’s words, I turned my head.

Before I knew it, all the kids from the orphanage had crossed the Erebus Line, and the man was the last one coming through.

That pathetic bastard.

So he’s coming in last, huh?

For now, I had to avoid doing anything that might draw his suspicion.

I folded my arms and silently waited for him.

But what he did next was completely unexpected.

“You little shits!”

...What? Did he take some drugs or something?

Why the sudden outburst?

The timid voice from before was gone. Now, he was yelling at the kids, lashing out like a different person entirely.

“Get moving and pick up anything you can find! Otherwise, what are you going to say to that crazy bitch Enora when we get back?!”

Of course, the kids are frightened when a large adult man acts like he has a split personality.

They startled and shrank back while he roared on.

“Is that allowed? What if ImmuneWire finds out?”

[To reiterate, cyberspace is just a visualized space, and it's actually a digital world. It may look like someone could observe from outside the wall, but in reality, it's impossible.]

[To observe beyond the wall, a relevant code must be generated. That opens a vulnerability, like punching a hole in the Erebus Line. Cyberdemons can exploit that vulnerability, and it would appear as a breach to the system.]

‘Ah... I see. That’s actually kinda cool.’

Then I remembered the earlier message about the gate reopening in one hour.

It makes sense now. Those inside don't know what's happening outside. So the system can only promise to reopen after a set time.

“Aren't you going to hurry!? You’re kids, just grab anything! That’s what little brats like you’re good for!”

So now that there’s no one from ImmuneWire watching and only helpless children nearby, he's showing his true colors.

[Keep your distance from the man.]

‘Didn’t need the warning. I already want to.’

[In cyberspace, a human raising their voice is an act of spreading data waves in all direction.]

Wait. Hold up.

‘Are you saying—’

Before I could shake off the sudden feeling of unease, the AI acted first.

[Warning: prepare for incoming attack.]

Along with the warning, a crimson flash burst forward in a straight line—

It shot between the children and pierced the man directly through the chest.

My eyes belatedly trailed the beam, and what I saw was the man standing there, impaled by a red data blade through his heart.

“What the...!”

Just as I instinctively opened my mouth to scream—

A searing pain, like someone had sliced through my brain with a knife, tore through me.

Soon after, the AI said coldly:

[Warning: Do not make a sound.]

I clenched my jaw shut, suppressing the scream, and quickly scanned the area.

All the children were staring at the impaled man in horror, but none of them screamed.

How? How were they all staying quiet?

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

‘What is this, what is this, what is this—’

‘Did he get stabbed? Is the mister going to die?’

‘Where’s the director right now?’

The thoughts of the children...

For some reason, they were starting to seep into my mind.

Then I saw brief flows of data.

They started from me and spread out to all the other kids.

The AI had hacked all the children.

That’s why their thoughts were beginning to bleed into mine.

And the headache wasn't because the AI told me to shut up, but because of the computational pressure from the hacking.

Just then, the blade withdrew from the man’s body—

And a cyberdemon appeared behind him.

A red data demon.

There was no need for further explanation.

Its monstrous form said everything.

The man’s torso had a hole in it like a donut, yet he didn't seem to be in pain.

Rather, he just stared down at the hole in horror, his expression frozen in disbelief.

From the hole, his data began to fragment, disintegrating into red shards.

“No...! I can’t die like this... not like this...!”

Those were the man’s last words.

The data that was gradually collapsing eventually lost its form and shattered completely.

The man let out a grotesque scream and vanished, leaving behind only corrupted fragments of data in cyberspace.

The scream sounded like the distortion from a broken speaker, not a human voice.

[Classic DDoS attack. His brain and neural pathways couldn’t withstand the computational load and burned out.]

‘Holy shit...’

Should I run?

My survival instinct was screaming at me to escape, but the cyberdemon showed an unexpected behavior.

Even though the kids were right in front of it, it simply turned and walked away, slowly vanishing into the distance.

At that moment, I recalled everything I had learned so far and immediately grasped the situation.

This is not reality.

And kids aged 5 to 9 have small data footprints, so they are not easily detected in terms of data.

Even if we were right in front of the demon,

To it, we were practically invisible.

[Accurate analysis. The AI expresses admiration for its master’s talent.]

‘Cut the flattery. Give me an idea to get everyone out of here alive.’

The gate won’t reopen for another hour.

We have to hold out until then to return to a safe place.

[If the master endures alone, survival odds are very high.]

[But protecting the other children will significantly reduce the survival odds.]

[Sensing master’s intent. The AI already knows what master’s going to decide.]

The orphanage director. The broker. Enora. Even that stupid man.

In this year 2160, every adult I’ve seen so far is the same kind of scum.

But I’m from 2077.

Right now, the only one who can protect these kids is me.

I’m not going to save myself and run away.

[Command confirmed.]

[Objective: Full group survival.]

[Estimated success rate: 10%.]

‘Let’s do this.’

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