Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 966 - 767 Maverick’s Legacy

Chapter 966: Chapter 767 Maverick’s Legacy

"That is to say." Nakamura Mizuki said cautiously, "It was you who killed my father."

"I don’t know how to say this about Mr. Maverick Miller... I don’t understand, more specifically, I don’t know whether you feel sad, upset, or... fearful about this matter. So I can only be honest about the truth, yes, it was I who organized the counterattack. The data offensive that your news called ’Black Tide’ was also done by me." Xu Yang could not figure out Nakamura Mizuki’s temperament.

"When I first heard about my father’s suicide, my initial thought was anger, furious that he chose to die on such an inconvenient afternoon." said Nakamura Mizuki.

"What do you mean by inconvenient?" Xu Yang did not understand. This woman was becoming more and more perplexing.

"I was supposed to sign an insurance policy, catch a train, and redeem several soon-to-expire coupons. Even having a cup of coffee would have been more valuable than sorting out my father’s belongings." said Nakamura Mizuki.

"You..." Xu Yang felt odd.

"Not until I read about the Seven Seals from the documents left by my father did I feel that his death was timely, and my anger vanished." Nakamura Mizuki spoke smoothly, "The world is wrapped in three layers of history: superficial corporate history, intermediate Witch history, and the deep supernatural mystical history. After reading the archives left by my father, I felt for the first time in my life close to the facts and truth, which excited me more than stamp collecting."

"You used to collect stamps? Can you quit?" Xu Yang was surprised.

"To be precise, I have erased the content related to it from my memory, keeping only some necessary sensory memories to compare it with other events." Nakamura Mizuki handed a document to Xu Yang.

Xu Yang briefly checked it and could not help but nod.

This was exactly what he needed.

This was one of the files left by Maverick, a supremely skilled hacker who certainly prepared many contingencies before his death in case something happened to him. Xu Yang thought to himself.

Lucky that Du Qianqian rescued this strange woman from the West Coast, otherwise he would have missed some crucial information.

"Is this one of the files you cracked?" Xu Yang checked; they were actually work documents of Maverick, seemingly casually written shorthand notes that Maverick had jotted down while working, the content messy and hard to understand.

"Yes, my father left about 18780g of content in his apartment’s information system, including a virus program designed to destroy browser search histories and bookmarks; it also tried to delete a folder called ’Study Materials.’ I blocked that virus because I needed to check everything my father left, any information could be valuable. Especially that ’Study Materials’ folder, its filenames were categorized by region, ethnicity, and some specific terminology, which is rare; I have never seen this kind of categorization and I believe I can find important clues from it," said Nakamura Mizuki cautiously.

"Maverick is truly without regrets having you as a daughter." Xu Yang remarked.

"Yes. My father has always been proud of me." Nakamura Mizuki nodded.

Xu Yang carefully examined the log cracked by Nakamura Mizuki.

"’60, 30’, Eden..." Xu Yang noted the repeatedly mentioned keywords.

"The so-called ’Eden Garden’ is a quantum computer used by the Western Seaboard Treaty Organization, boasting the world’s leading computational power," said Nakamura Mizuki.

"I’ve heard of it as well. So this ’60, 30’... must be coordinates," Xu Yang speculated, "It’s located in Petersburg, in the Great Northern Region. According to your father’s journal, there seems to be a connection between Petersburg and Eden Garden."

"The journal was recorded about two weeks ago. I believe it signifies a technical connection. There are three possibilities: first, the technology to make the Eden Garden quantum computer originated from Petersburg; second, the technology to upgrade Eden Garden can be found in Petersburg; third, they plan to set up a subsidiary of Eden Garden in Petersburg," Nakamura Mizuki said, her voice as calm as a reporting robot.

"Petersburg has been submerged in ice and snow, and it’s completely abandoned. The entire city is a ruin atop the frost wasteland, but... I believe the Northern Military Industry conducted their quantum computer experiments there," Xu Yang speculated.

"Perhaps the Northern Military Industry Company left behind their advanced quantum computer prototypes or schematics in a crucial laboratory in Petersburg."

"Yes! The Northern Military Industry was a giant corporation before being submerged in ice. They definitely would have secretly developed their own quantum computers for cryptography, medicine, military, and intelligence purposes... They had also been mass-recruiting programmers familiar with quantum algorithms... right there in Petersburg. If we could find information on quantum computers from those labs, we might solve Heberon’s research deadlock," Xu Yang said excitedly.

"I detect an unusual excitement in you, seven times greater than I see in my own body," Nakamura Mizuki noted.

"Of course—I’ve used a quantum computer to support my mind before. That feeling..." Xu Yang attempted to describe, "is like being above the entire world, where a single thought of yours could become paintings on the earth, owning all the mass and information of the world."

"Yes, that is the experience of using a stamp, I am glad you could substitute it with a quantum computer," Nakamura Mizuki said.

"I need to figure out a way to send a team to Petersburg. I must get more information to completely construct Heberon to counter the Eden Garden system," Xu Yang pondered.

"I am glad to help you. I originally thought cooperating with Nestor Corporation wouldn’t be very interesting, but I’ve found from our previous work that we can make a good team," Nakamura said.

"But your father... would he wish for his daughter to cooperate with ’the enemy’?"

"Interesting, we are contemplating the opinion of a dead man."

"...Okay."

"You need additional support; I heard that the Great Northern Region is almost a no-man’s land now," Nakamura Mizuki said.

"We have many brothers and sisters there, a guerilla squad. They are the real shining red stars, undertaking exceptionally harsh tasks," Xu Yang reflected.

Petersburg! Almost reaching the Taixi Continent.

Setting out from the Northern Archipelago, it would require crossing the entire Frost Wasteland, forcibly eliminating all scattered forces along the way. Due to the impact of the cold, the entire Great Northern Region is already a desolate wasteland, survivors indistinguishable from animals.

If we take this chance, starting from the wastelands in the east, helping the guerilla troops to liberate the entire Great Northern and establishing a shining, glorious new Northern force would be ideal.

"From what I know, your venture into the Great Northern is likely to be a fruitless return because the intermittent cold waves will destroy anything you attempt to establish," Nakamura Mizuki threw cold water on the plan.

"Alright, alright, go and seek your reward from Kanako. I believe you will need the money; I will also arrange for someone to guide you around the city to get you settled into Shangjing," Xu Yang couldn’t stand Nakamura Mizuki anymore.

He sent her away and then started to plan when to deploy a special task force to Petersburg.

Nakamura Mizuki contacted Kojima Kanako to seek her reward.

Kanako unhesitatingly transferred 1.5 million funds to Nakamura Mizuki.

"I found out she refuses to talk to me, keeping our interactions strictly financial," Nakamura Mizuki told Xu Yang.

"Kanako wouldn’t bother talking to you if it weren’t necessary; you’re just ’an expert,’ merely a convenient tool to her," Xu Yang casually insulted Nakamura Mizuki.

"Good, now that I have the funds, I need a guide to show me around and acquaint me with the general situation of this city," Nakamura Mizuki said methodically.

"I think humans definitely couldn’t stand your temperament and way of speaking, so I will send a very reliable and powerful robot to give you a taste of life in Shangjing," Xu Yang, unable to converse much with Nakamura Mizuki, dismissed her.

Probably only one person could stand on equal terms with Nakamura Mizuki.

...

Meanwhile, after 50 days of digging and adventuring, A40 finally excavated the famous sword "Sakura Passing" from the bottom of the mountain creek.

Along the way, it killed a bunch of apes, white snakes, centipedes, and mutant humans, surprised that such primitive places still existed in the world.

A40, carrying a basket of used spent batteries and shouldering Sakura Passing, returned to the surface followed by Shura and emerged into the sunlight.

"Sakura Passing possesses a fierce aura and is invincible in battle. It’s like the other weapons I’ve used, indestructible in defense and unbreakable, whether it’s being punched by a ton-weight ape or slammed by a several stories high monster," Shura, attached to the armor, floated along with A40.

"Impressive," said A40.

"You are very powerful, but relying solely on swords can’t ensure survival," Shura turned to A40, "In the warring era I lived, there was a swordmaster-level general, a master of martial arts, but still, he was abandoned by all, surrounded by thousands in his own residence. He stabbed hundreds of swords into the ground and sat waiting; when enemies rushed in, he grabbed a sword and killed until the blade dulled, then he pulled another from the ground and continued. Even such courage could not save him from exhaustion and death, crushed into a pulp by illiterate peasants with spears."

If it were the old A40, it would probably have bantered with Shura. But the current A40 was more cautious because it was to confront foes of the Quantum Warrior and A999 caliber, and it couldn’t afford to let arrogance continue.

"So, how can martial prowess be utilized more effectively?" A40 humbly asked.

"Have a sword in hand, and a compassionate heart in the chest. In cutting enemies, there are those who ought to be cut and those who should not; in battles, there are those that must be fought and those that need not. You should understand this well," said Shura.

"I guess you didn’t abide by such rules yourself, otherwise, you wouldn’t have become a Shura."

"Yes, if I could have corrected everything, maybe I would have died with honor and loyalty, at least not letting the beloved die in my embrace while I drove a knife into her chest. You mustn’t repeat my mistakes. You now serve a new master; that’s a good way to utilize martial skills, if he assigns you to the proper battlefield, just like inserting a sword into the right sheath, allowing you your honor and demonstrating your abilities, and for a samurai, that would be without regrets," Shura said.

"I believe my boss is a qualified lord; he will assign me to the proper battlefield," A40 said resolutely.

In the afternoon, it was sent to stroll around the city with Nakamura Mizuki.

"I noticed you wield an ancient weapon, does this imply a conservative setting in your manufacture?" Nakamura Mizuki asked.

"What? Where is the enemy?" A40 asked.

"I don’t understand what you mean by ’enemy’; it’s irrelevant to our current conversation."

"Nothing else works, I just want to know where the enemy is!"

"Your dialogue seems to be restricted to specific formats, I can make modifications to allow for more additional phrases, which would make our communication more efficient."

"Wait, do you mean you know where the enemy is?" A40 asked.

"No. I didn’t express it that way."

"Then where is the enemy? Do you know where the enemy is?"

Nakamura Mizuki stopped on the street.

She stared at A40 for about five minutes.

"I don’t know where the enemy is," she admitted.

"Then you’re really useless. Alright, let me find you a place to sleep. You don’t even know where the enemy is, nor do I understand why the boss brought you here!" A40 led the way forward.

Nakamura Mizuki followed A40 quietly.

Before going to sleep at night, she stared intensely at the ceiling.

Her lips trembled slightly, desperately restraining herself with reason, but still couldn’t help asking aloud,

"Where is the enemy?" Nakamura Mizuki mumbled to herself.