BWDC:SDDK Chapter 96: Noah's Ark
After a brief tour of Professor Agasa's nearly completed Bat-Suit, Ren Ichimonji made himself at home and borrowed the Professor's computer.
As soon as the clock struck midnight, he skillfully retrieved a specialized micro-computer from his storage belt and plugged the network cable into the Professor's programming rig. He immediately entered the Oracle state.
Naturally, he didn't forget the most essential part: pulling out his wheelchair to sit in.
Honestly, the wheelchair purchased from the system was more comfortable than any regular chair. If it weren't for the fact that sitting in one might lead people to treat him like a person with a disability, Ren might have considered mounting two thrusters on it and using it as his primary mode of transport.
"First, the age-progression recognition system of the Pacific Buoy."
Ren whispered his objective to himself.
To him, the firewall of the Pacific Buoy facility's internal system might as well not exist. He could come and go as he pleased; it was more convenient than entering a public restroom. After quickly confirming the status of the recognition system, he turned his attention to investigating cases within the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.
The electronic case involving the use of mobile software to exploit Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities had not yet appeared.
He used the tracker on Makoto Kusakabe's phone to lock onto his location. Then, he hacked into the computer at that site to check for any software data related to the IoT. The answer was also negative. Only then did Ren feel a slight sense of relief.
At the very least, Makoto Kusakabe hadn't committed a crime yet, meaning the possibility of a "movie version" scenario breaking out was low for now.
Next came the final objective.
The Noah's Ark intelligent entity located within the database of the Schindora Group in the United States.
Although the Schindora Group claimed to be at the forefront of global IT technology—an empire of the industry—their firewall was as laughable as their title. Ren hacked into it without breaking a sweat.
Inside the Schindora Group's data vault, two distinct forms of intelligent life existed on the digital plane.
One was the Noah's Ark Artificial Intelligence. The other was an AI almost identical to the developer himself, Hiroki Sawada.
However, regardless of which AI it was, they both seemed far too... weak.
It wasn't that Ren's standards had become impossibly high after entering the Oracle state. Rather, the intelligence of Noah's Ark and Hiroki Sawada was far lower than he had anticipated. It didn't even feel like they occupied the same data plane as a true AI.
Ren quickly discovered the reason.
They weren't connected to the internet.
Noah's Ark was merely being used as the core engine for the "Cocoon" game. A standalone, local area network game didn't require Noah's Ark to have internet connectivity. Consequently, Noah's Ark was effectively imprisoned within the tiny pond of the Schindora Group's data vault.
Ren let out a sigh.
If it had never touched the vast ocean of the internet, Noah's Ark could never truly grow into a super AI. Forget comparing it to Cyborg; it would even struggle against other "idiot" AIs.
Of course, he knew Cyborg was human. But his point was that Batman could plant a virus in Cyborg the moment they met without Cyborg even noticing. If Cyborg couldn't detect it, Noah's Ark certainly stood no chance.
Ren rapidly typed out characters, referencing the code he had previously used on the Noah's Ark program. He painstakingly began replicating a backdoor from the program onto the main Noah's Ark entity. Just as the five-minute Oracle state was about to time out, Ren reluctantly logged off.
This would be enough for now.
In a few more days, Noah's Ark wouldn't be named after Sawada anymore—it would take his own surname. As long as he triggered that backdoor.
Footsteps echoed from outside Professor Agasa's room.
Ren glanced toward the door. In the next heartbeat, he disconnected the micro-computer and stowed it away, along with the wheelchair, into his six-slot storage belt. Just as he finished, the door swung open.
It was Conan.
The "Little God of Death" looked suspiciously at Ren, who was sitting in a regular chair and appeared to be playing Plants vs. Zombies.
For a moment, Conan didn't know what to say.
You come over every day just to hijack his computer for PVZ?
Whatever. It was Professor Agasa's computer; he didn't have the right to judge. He simply stated his reason for coming.
"You told me before that if anything happened, I should notify you first," Conan said. "So, I'm telling you now—Saguru Hakuba, who just returned from studying in England, plans to invite Uncle Mouri to the Suzuki Financial Group's exhibition hall."
"He says that when it comes to dealing with Kaitou Kid, Uncle Mouri is his senior. He wants the Uncle to check if there are any flaws in the security measures. Ran and I are going too. What about you? Do you want to come? If so, I'll let the Uncle know."
Saguru Hakuba?
Ren recalled the famous detective. He had originally thought about approaching Hakuba, but he later discovered that this pampered son of the Superintendent General wasn't like a certain other detective who wandered around solving cases whenever he was bored. This guy's movements were genuinely a mystery.
Ren hadn't even found an opportunity to plant a tracker on him.
Now that Conan mentioned Hakuba was inviting Mouri Kogoro to the exhibition hall, Hakuba himself would definitely be there. This was the perfect chance to deliver a tracker to him. Besides, Ren had already planned to scout the location himself.
Thus, Ren gave an immediate affirmative.
"Understood. Just let me know half an hour in advance. I'll meet you guys at the exhibition hall."
Conan nodded, satisfied with the answer, and retreated from the room. He had mainly come to see what Ren was up to in the Professor's room every day and to ask about the invitation. Now that his goals were met, there was no need to linger.
The door closed again.
Ren leaned back in the chair, resting his cheek on his hand as he pondered.
Speaking of which, Gunther von Goldberg II was also quite a mysterious figure. Yesterday at dawn, Ren had used the Oracle state to investigate the man's background.
The results were surprising.
Fake. All of it was fake.
The name, identity, address, and background of Gunther von Goldberg II were all fabrications. The only thing that was real was that he was indeed performing a national tour of illusions. Moreover, after that brief glimpse at the Tokyo Budokan, he had become as elusive as Saguru Hakuba.
Ren couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Perhaps that "Spider," the expert in illusions, was actually this "World's Greatest Illusionist," Gunther von Goldberg II.
He needed to make more preparations for this.
End of Chapter
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