Chapter 21: Walmart and Burger King

"Please spare me, I'm just a high school dropout with no money, no parents, not even a home! I'm only 17, not even 18 yet, just a kid who doesn't understand things! I was just passing by, please don't have any improper thoughts! If you're upset, please call the police and hand me over to the NYPD—taking the law into your own hands is illegal!" The girl slid on her knees at lightning speed, hands clasped together, pleading for mercy at a rapid pace, leaving Leo and the two bodyguards utterly confused. Leo watched her for a while, and a thought began to form in his mind. In 2011, after the burst of the dot-com bubble, this industry had finally started to pick up again. With the development of the internet, the number of hackers naturally increased, and this girl seemed like a self-taught hacker who had stumbled into the field. But was she the kind of hacker who did it for money or for the so-called justice and truth? "What's your name?" "Jenkins! Uh, Jenkins Walmart! Uh, I mean, Walton!" The girl stammered, glancing toward a convenience store in the distance. Maybe, to make it seem less fake, she quickly associated herself with a large chain store somewhat related to the convenience store. Leo sighed inwardly, "Oh? Really? Nice to meet you, Ms. Walton. My name is Dennis Burgerking!" The girl lifted her head, blinking her big eyes, "Hello, Mr. Burgerking. I really was just passing by..." "Are you joking? You're hacking, aren't you? Who do you work for?" The girl hesitated for a moment, her face showing a struggle. After glancing at the two emotionless bodyguards behind Leo, she suddenly seemed to accept her fate and, with her eyes closed, shouted: "I work for truth and justice! You can't scare me! The truth will one day be revealed under the sunlight. We..." Leo rubbed his forehead and grabbed the girl's face, making her pout as she mumbled incoherently, their eyes locking: "Stop shouting. Do you want to yell until the New York City government shows up? So, you're a hacker with a mission. I'm using this line too. If you're not going to work, can you just leave?" The girl nodded vigorously. "Good." Leo let go of the girl and walked over to the electrical box. On his wrist, along a vein, was a data port, used for human-machine interface connections. The interface reads information, processes the electrical signals, and uploads them to the modified neuro-processor attached to his brain. The processor uses the brain for computing and storage, handling the data. And if you have other cybernetic operating systems implanted in the central nervous system, particularly the spine, you can use other neural pathways for computation. This entire system is one of the fundamental technologies in the Cyberpunk 2077 world, known as a brain-machine interface. Of course, Leo had specifically installed a data conversion port, as the interfaces of the two worlds weren't physically compatible. As Leo processed the data, he twisted his shoulders— Because he noticed the girl hadn't left, but was instead spying from behind. "..." Leo shifted his body again, blocking his personal link interface, but the girl tiptoed to peek around him. The two bodyguards also moved slightly. It was starting to feel like a game of tag. Leo turned back, completely exasperated, "I told you to leave, what are you still doing here?" "Uh, learning some techniques. You're a hacker too, right? Don't you remember the spirit of the internet? Sharing..." "Idiot," Leo muttered, but then a thought struck him. This girl seemed to have some initiative. Maybe he could recruit her to work, help this dropout girl get back on track? "Okay, what's your real name? Seriously, or seriously get lost." The girl hesitated for a moment, "I'm Skye. I guess you're not one of those bad guys, right?" Skye—hearing this name, Leo quickly cross-referenced it with the "Marvel Character Database" in his mind. This girl really was a hacker, known as Quake. Before awakening her superpowers, she was a formidable hacker. It was clear she was now at the beginning of her hacking career. Following her normal life trajectory, she would later hack the wrong person and then get recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D., or something like that. Leo countered, "Which bad guys? How do you figure?" "You know, the ones all over the news about the demolition, those bad guys who kill with toothpicks. Aren't you curious how they do it?" "Not curious—I'll find out sooner or later." Leo tugged at the sleeve of his jacket, conveniently covering the hole at his vein, leaving only the data cable exposed. "If you want to learn some techniques, that's fine, but it won't be for free. How about you come work for me? I'm hired to upgrade the homeowners' security system, including guarding against the potential dangers of something like a toothpick murder." "Hmm? Will I get paid?" "No, but I'll teach you techniques for free and give you a job. You still want a salary? Do you want to take all the good things for yourself?" Leo's response was so justified that it made Skye doubt whether this was just a part of the adult world's rules. But learning some techniques wasn't a bad thing; she could worry about the rest later. Skye finally made up her mind, "Alright! It's decided! You two bodyguards..." "Let her through," Leo waved, and the two bodyguards stepped aside for Skye. Of course, they couldn't hold their cold, stoic expressions any longer. How could they be following Leo around and already witnessing things they wouldn't see in a regular job on the first day? Could it be that this society is just that colorful? Skye moved closer but couldn't see anything since Leo wasn't using a phone or computer to hack. To the naked eye, Leo just plugged in a cable and stood there. The data processing was complete, and the rest was just rewiring, activating the new protocol on a physical level. "All done? And then? Where's your computer? Where are your tools?" "A real hacker doesn't just rely on a computer." Leo quickly unplugged a few network cables, then skillfully and decisively found the interface he needed in the tangled mess of wires. Skye was filled with admiration for his speed, precision, and decisiveness. An old hacker! Definitely a seasoned veteran! "Wow, how did you do that?" "I'm an old hand at this. I can tell how to connect the wires at a glance. Alright—the base station here is now under my control. I need to install a backdoor at the substation, follow me." The security trio gained a chatty new member as Leo explained what he was doing while walking. "When people think of hackers, they usually imagine some gloomy guy squatting in a rented room, surrounded by computers, trash all over the floor, sitting for days on end. But that's not really the case. Those who stay online all day and never leave their rooms are usually just scamming people for personal information. The real players rarely fall for it, so physically locating your target is important." "Exactly! That's what they say on the BBS too! But the wiring here is like a nightmare. I heard an electrician had an accident here before, not sure what happened..." "What BBS?" "Uh, a forum called Rising Tide. You haven't heard of it? Lots of hackers hang out there." "Weaklings stick together. If you're going to follow me, don't bother with those people anymore—" Leo pointed to the substation gate in the distance and said to the three of them, "See that? We're going to walk right in. I'll tell them we're electricians sent to check some odd power readings. Just act natural." "Just walk in?" The three asked in unison. Leo nodded, "Just walk in. Don't talk, don't show too much expression on your face, stay behind me, and act natural." "But..." John and Anthony exchanged glances, seeing doubt and hesitation in each other's eyes. If they got caught... Leo spoke seriously, "Trust me. If we can't restore the surveillance, believe me, sooner or later, someone's going to break into your house and you'll just have to watch." Skye didn't hesitate much—if they failed, they'd just get kicked out. But if they succeeded—oh man, this would be like following a hacker god! The three of them calmed themselves down and followed Leo toward the substation, with all but Leo feeling a bit shaky. Sure enough, the security guard stopped them. Leo said, "We're new here, sent to investigate some strange power readings. It might be someone stealing electricity." Before the guard could ask more questions, his phone rang. It was a text from a senior engineer at the station. "A team of electricians will be coming to investigate the readings, three men and one woman." The guard still felt something was off—they didn't look like electricians at all. "Where are your work IDs, uniforms, and tools?" Leo was about to explain when the guard received another text: "Their stuff is inside. The leader's name is Dennis Burgerking. By the way, their work area is in Zone A2." "...Our stuff is inside. I'm Dennis. The senior engineer should have reported it." Leo's explanation matched the text the guard received, so he had no reason to stop them. "Alright...go ahead." As he watched Leo's group walk in, the guard suspiciously eyed them— If they went to the wrong place, there would be a problem, right? But Leo, of course, wouldn't go to the wrong place—the engineer's phone conveniently had a photo. It was a map of the substation's work areas. The guard shook his head and returned to his post. "Burgerking...what a weird name..."