Erebus Line 1
It sounds arrogant, but I've grasped the principle to uphold in this cyberspace. You can't blindly trust the phenomena right before your eyes or the sensations at your fingertips. This place is fundamentally a digital world built from 0s and 1s. If you don't interpret every phenomenon in front of you, you'll never understand its laws. If my brain stops, I stop too. It was a mental game board where only those with superior intellect could survive.
The cyberdemon ahead still doesn't know we're here. I need to find a solution in the meantime. The most pressing issue is the hacking squeezing my brain right now. It's meant to suppress the kids, but it's restricting what I can do.
'Can you relay my words to the kids?'
> [Possible.]
'Tell them not to make a single sound. Absolutely.'
> [Command confirmed.]
Data streams spread from me to the kids, thoroughly bypassing the cyberdemon even amid the chaos. Truly capable. I should give it a name later. All the kids look at me. I press a finger to my lips and nod—they do the same.
> [Message relayed.]
'Release the hack.'
> [Command confirmed.]
I feel the headache in my brain subside. True to my request, none of the kids made a sound. Some sobbed with tears streaming down their faces, but that much was fine. Still, this was just a stopgap. Kids aged 5 to 9—they could snap from fear at any moment. I need to come up with the next move.
Suddenly, I turn to gaze at the Erebus Line.
'...That's made by humans too. Can't I make one? I just need to hold out for an hour.'
> [Possible. But insufficient computation to protect all kids. Forming the barrier will draw cyberdemons' attention.]
So I need to drive off that cyberdemon first...
'Fight and win?'
> [Possible for a skilled adult hacker. Impossible for master.]
'Ah, if I weren't just a 5-year-old brat.'
Think. In cyberspace, a bad brain loses.
'Hey, beyond the Erebus Line... isn't that Alphabet's territory?'
> [Correct.]
'How did the cyberdemons survive against Alphabet?'
> [All surviving cyberdemons evolved to avoid Alphabet. Alphabet has no interest in cyberdemons.]
'...You know what I'm about to do, right?'
> [Computing...]
Current Survival Probability: ~30%
> [Great idea. This AI is based on Alphabet's code.]
> [Can fool cyberdemons into fleeing.]
> [Warning: Temporary effect. Once they detect the fake signal, they'll summon even more cyberdemons.]
'Am I the only one coming up with ideas here?'
> [Σ(°△°|||) Form barrier while they retreat. Borrowing kids' brains for parallel processing will create a much stronger barrier.]
> [Warning: Parallel processing puts master's mind at extreme risk. Kids' thoughts will dominate master's brain.]
'That happened during the hack too.'
> [Hacking is like opening and reading a book. Parallel processing fuses the book and brain into one.]
'Such a crystal-clear explanation.' But with the cyberdemon right there and the kids like two ticking time bombs ready to explode at any moment, I had no desire to dawdle. Time to decide.
'I can endure the parallel processing, right?'
> [High difficulty.]
Not impossible—just hard. That's enough.
Current Survival Probability: ~30%
> [Data diffuser formation initiated.]
A speaker materializes before my eyes. Pushing aside the flood of code in one corner of my mind, I stare at the cyberdemon. It reacts, turning its head and scanning all around as if it heard a sound somewhere.
> [Fake signal included, but won't hold long.]
Speaker completion versus the cyberdemon finding me—which comes first? Pure gamble.
The instant the speaker solidifies into a data block, the cyberdemon turns this way. It grips its blade and assumes a stance. Charge position, probably. A red flash from when the man was attacked flickers in my mind. If it charges, I'm dead in seconds.
But how long to charge? No—don't think. Backing down in fear means death. Hesitation means death. Giving up means death. All I can do is stand firm.
The speaker completes right before me, and the cyberdemon vanishes from sight.
"Everyone! Gather to my side!"
The red data blade halts right before my chest. A purple data wave—Alphabet's signature—ripples across the entire cyberspace.
The cyberdemon hesitates, backs away step by step, then flees this spot in a red flash.
Success.
Current Survival Probability: 40%
"Everyone, gather! To my side! Hurry!"
I gesture frantically to the kids around me, shouting. Each time, purple waves emanate from the speaker. Fortunately, the moment they hear my voice, the kids start rushing over.
"Everyone, hold hands! Protect each other. Hurry!"
Like penguins huddling into a mass against the cold, the kids grab each other's hands and cluster around me.
> [Parallel processing initiated.]
The instant I connect with the kids alongside the AI's signal, my mind fills with countless thoughts.
'Save me save me save me save me save me save me save me save me'
'What the hell is that weird red monster? Save me, please, anyone.'
'Neige is doing something, Neige will save us, Neige...'
'Why is my body like this? Why am I listening to Neige?'
'My friends are all okay, right? Right? Aaah... I'm scared...'
"Ha... Ah...?"
My mind is crushed. It's like there's no "me" anymore. My consciousness is being shoved aside by everyone else's.
> [Endure. Recall your most precious memory.]
Precious memory? What's that...?
In my crumbling mind, I blankly behold a vision. A hospital room. I'm sitting there, my parents watching me with worried eyes. In one corner stands a man in a suit.
"Mom, Dad. There's no other way besides this."
"But son..."
"I'm not scared. I've even thought about what I'll do if it succeeds."
On the bedside table sits a piece of cyberware. Ah, the time they implanted it in my spine.
"...What will our healthy son do then?"
"Look, people like me might live thanks to this new tech. I should be the kind of person who does that. Saving lives... whatever it takes."
The suited man claps at my words. "That's right, kid. Cool attitude! You were born to do cool stuff like that."
The me from 2077 had that kind of courage.
"...Okay. Mom and Dad will trust you once. You'll come back healthy and achieve your dream, right?"
"Yes!"
Ah, right. I had that talk before I died. Saving lives.
I feel the kids' hands gripping mine tightly. Mom, Dad. I'm doing it right now. I can handle it alone.
> [Self-barrier formed.]
"Gasp...!"
My crushed mind returns as if by magic. The voices pouring from others' minds shrink to mere faint noise.
I look around—every kid is holding hands, staring only at me.
No time to waste.
Current Survival Probability: 50%
'Let's begin.'
> [Command confirmed.]
> [Barrier formation initiated.]
A translucent hexahedron forms and expands. Once large enough to enclose me and all the kids, unique honeycomb grids begin materializing on its walls. Then another layer beneath, and another. One layer, two, three... and on. A barrier built solely for defense takes shape successfully.
> [Barrier formation complete at max computation limit.]
'Can this hold for an hour?'
Current Survival Probability: 50%
Varies by number of nearby cyberdemons.
Betting on there not being too many, huh? I grip the kids' hands tight and take slow breaths.
> [Cyberdemons approaching.]
> [Analyzing current numbers.]
'I want to see outside.'
> [Data shared.]
Far off in the cyberspace depths, red dots approach. The problem is... there sure seem to be a lot.
'...Hey, what's that?'
> [Cyberdemon vanguard. Estimated ~100 entities.]
'What? 100? And that's just the vanguard?'
> [Follow-up cyberdemons expected to exceed 5000, numbers still rising.]
Not a zombie horde or anything, but those numbers? And cyberdemons aren't simple zombies. Recalling how the one that killed the man moved—comparing it to a regular zombie would be an insult.
'Are cyberdemons all on the same side?'
> [Basically mutually hostile.]
> [In reality, all one entity possible. Temporary alliance due to Alphabet signal also possible.]
Either way, not good news.
'Can the barrier hold?'
Current Survival Probability: 0%
We're toast. The cyberdemon vanguard surges to the barrier in an instant, with over 5000 more massive red dots closing in behind.
Alphabet, couldn't pick a nicer orphanage? How'd you choose this hellhole and make me witness this nightmare. 5000 demons charging to kill—yeah, actual hell. Haha, fun.
Wait—Alphabet exists on every continent, right?
> [Thought detected. Valid strategy.]
Thud—the cyberdemons slam into the barrier. Amid terrified kids' screams, computation diverts to repairs.
Calling Alphabet—the cyberdemons' boss beyond the Erebus Line—is suicide for anyone else. But not me.
The barrier just needs to hold a bit longer. I divert some repair computation to enlarge the pre-made speaker.
'Keep expanding until it collapses. Warn me.'
> [Command confirmed.]
I don't know where Alphabet is, but bigger speaker means higher chance the signal reaches. Must push to the absolute limit.
Data blades slash the barrier right before my eyes. Kids' screams grow louder, but I pour everything into the speaker.
The barrier tears; one demon squeezes through a gap, only to be pushed out as it repairs. But new demons wedge in.
Even watching the barrier crumble in real time, I chant inwardly: A little more, just a little more. Don't fear—the AI decides timing. Fooled them with fake Alphabet code and pissed them off? This time, I'll call the real deal.
And just as the honeycomb structure fully collapses—
> [Limit reached.]
I shout.
"Alphabet! If you don't want to ruin your experiment, get here now!"
A massive data wave surges through cyberspace like a tidal flood. In that instant, every cyberdemon freezes.
Parsing what my signal contains? If so, they know it's calling 'Alphabet.'
The demons hesitate, then start backing away. Even the distant red dots do the same. They look downright terrified, like they have emotions.
The next moment, an intense purple light rises from cyberspace's depths like a sunrise.
> [Alphabet approaching.]
Current Survival Probability: 100%
All demons flee for their lives at full speed. They attacked in unison, but now scatter in disorder due to speed differences—like routed soldiers with broken morale.
What happens when Alphabet arrives? The purple data wave crashes in like it's engulfing the universe, and the cyberdemons shatter, scattering like red petals.
"Wow... so pretty."
My words are sincere. I shift my gaze to check on the kids. They're all worn out from the emotional turmoil and parallel processing fatigue, but...
I didn't lose a single one.
A faint smile spreads across my lips. Cyberpunk dystopia of 2160? I won.