As an experienced netrunner, Sasha's expertise was evident in her ability to break down complex concepts into simple terms for Lin Mo. She explained things in a way that was both easy to grasp and profound, making Lin Mo feel like he had learned a lot in a short time.
He also realized one thing: the hacking mechanics from the game couldn't fully apply to the real cyberpunk world he was now in.
Even without Sasha's guidance, Lin Mo could have guessed that. After all, the simplicity of game systems couldn't capture the intricate, chaotic reality of this world.
Still, many fundamentals were similar. Concepts like RAM, the role of a cyberdeck, and the use of quickhacks closely matched what he remembered from the game.
However, in the real world, facing different enemies meant that netrunners needed to adjust their intrusion protocols (hacking routines).
Quickhacks, a straightforward and often brute-force method of attack, worked by using the simplest, most efficient ways to penetrate defenses.
Each netrunner had their own unique approach. Some would hammer away at ICE (Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics) like a battering ram, while others would sneak around and exploit weaknesses. These different strategies also affected how much RAM a netrunner consumed. The better the netrunner's method, the less RAM they used.
As Sasha spoke, Lin Mo's mind flashed to the game's "Intelligence" attribute.
It seemed that in this world, just like in the game, the more skilled or intelligent a netrunner was, the more efficiently they could hack, using less RAM in the process. It was oddly comforting to see the overlap.
Sasha smiled at him. "So, what else do you want to know?"
Sitting across from her, Lin Mo looked serious, like a model student eager to learn. He raised his hand, half-jokingly, before asking, "Teacher, can you explain what Self-ICE is?"
Earlier, when Sasha tried to hack into Bruto's cyberware, she was stopped by something called "Self-ICE." Lin Mo knew Self-ICE from the game, but he was curious about how it worked here.
Sasha chuckled softly at his "student" routine. She leaned on the armrest, fingers lightly supporting her head, and looked at him with gentle eyes.
"Self-ICE, or 'Self-Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics,' is a type of cyberware that gets installed in the prefrontal cortex, right next to a person's neural processor."
She took a breath and continued, "Its function is pretty simple. It's a tiny mechanical implant that contains several layers of ICE defense systems. Its job is to protect the user's entire body and cyberware."
Sasha paused, giving Lin Mo a chance to process the information before adding with a wry smile, "But that's not what makes it special. The most advanced feature of Self-ICE is its ability to switch defenses. When a netrunner tries to quickhack someone with Self-ICE, the implant immediately swaps out the current defense network with another, rendering the hack ineffective."
Lin Mo nodded slowly, understanding dawning on him. "So, it's like a gate that can be replaced in an instant. When a hacker tries to break through one gate, it switches to another, making the attack useless."
Sasha smiled, pleased with his analogy. "Exactly. That's why Self-ICE is so difficult to deal with. Unless a netrunner can hack through the defenses in the short window before it swaps out the ICE, the target will be immune to that specific attack."
Lin Mo frowned slightly, then asked, "So, if one hack gets blocked, can the netrunner just use another quickhack right away?"
He'd learned earlier that once a quickhack was used, whether successful or not, it went into cooldown, requiring the cyberdeck time to reset before it could be used again. That meant if an attack was blocked, they'd have to wait before using the same hack again.
Sasha twirled a strand of her dark hair, considering the question. "They can use another quickhack, sure, but it's not that simple. A good netrunner usually has multiple quickhacks at their disposal. But here's the thing—it's rare for most netrunners to have more than a handful of effective quickhacks ready to go."
Lin Mo's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, why does it sound like quickhacks are hard to come by?"
Back in the game, quickhacks were relatively easy to acquire. As long as you had enough Intelligence and crafted the right perks, you could create most of them. And if you didn't want to craft, there were plenty of vendors selling them.
Seeing Lin Mo's puzzled look, Sasha sighed and smiled knowingly. "You must have some misconceptions about netrunners. Quickhacks are like a netrunner's final ace up their sleeve. Do you think we'd just flash those around casually?"
Lin Mo shook his head. "No, I guess that wouldn't make sense."
Sasha grinned, her eyes gleaming as she leaned in slightly. "Exactly. Think about it—quickhacks are physical manifestations of programs called daemons. They get loaded into our cyberdecks. So, aside from crafting them, where else do you think netrunners get these daemons?"
Lin Mo furrowed his brow, racking his brain for the answer. After a few moments of contemplation, he hesitantly ventured a guess. "Maybe... on the black market?"
Sasha blinked a few times, clearly caught off guard by his answer. For a moment, she was speechless.
Finally, she chuckled softly and shook her head, almost as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "You rich kids... You think everything can be bought, don't you? You really want to trust something you found on a shady black market? What if it's full of viruses? And good luck finding top-tier quickhacks there."
Seeing Lin Mo's sheepish expression, Sasha softened her tone and continued, "No, if you really want to get the best quickhacks, every netrunner knows they need to go where it all begins—into cyberspace, the deep net."
Hearing this, Lin Mo's interest was piqued. Finally, a concept he was somewhat familiar with.
After spending some time in this world, Lin Mo had picked up bits and pieces of knowledge about cyberspace. He knew that beyond using regular terminals or jacking into computers, netrunners had another way of accessing the net.
By using specialized neural jacks and cyber-goggles, a netrunner could perceive and connect to the three-dimensional world of cyberspace.
This method of directly interacting with the network gave a netrunner unparalleled access to data but at great risk. The immense data flow could overload an untrained mind, potentially leading to overheating and death, commonly referred to as "fried brain."
Even highly trained netrunners required certain tools to help them manage the risk.
For example, ice baths were a common, low-tech solution to keep body temperatures down during an intense dive into cyberspace.