Chương 14: Chapter 13 - The Arena (IV)

July 31, 2024 - Headquarters of the United Nations, New York, US Elena stared deeply at Viktor before continuing, "Well, if there are no more questions about the first trial, we can proceed to the third and perhaps most problematic point that will be discussed here today: the links. I believe you all are aware of a link that goes simply by: The Tower. In brief, this link allows anyone who encounters it to observe in real-time what is happening inside to a specific climber or a random one.

Now, concerning the link itself, I will hand the word over to Pasindu Patel, representing the UN Group of Government Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security."

"Hello everyone," Pasindu began.

"Let me quickly go over the details of the so-called link. First, I must point out that calling it a link may not be entirely accurate, as it has no protocol or domain, meaning it is not technically an address somewhere on the web. And to quickly answer your main concern, no, it is not possible to block it or hide it."

"What if we turn off the internet altogether?" General Thomas Reed interjected. Pasindu sighed inwardly, the type of sigh every IT professional experiences on a daily basis.

"Well, besides the global implications and difficulties that that may bring, probably collapsing modern civilization as it is, we did some interesting tests yesterday to better understand this link," Pasindu continued.

"The first of these tests involved exiting the... domain, let's call it, exiting the domain you are sent to after pressing the link. We first tried any combination of keyboard or mouse commands but they did not work. For all intents and purposes, we could say the mouse and keyboard are as much as useless after you enter the live feed. The solution that did work, however, is turning off the device. After you do so, and you turn it back on, you are out of this domain.

Now, this may be known to most of you, but the interesting part was the next test: we disconnected the computer from the internet after entering the domain," he paused, aware of the deep focus on his words from those seated in the hall.

"And... nothing happened. The live feed continued normally." A murmur of surprise rippled through the audience. General Reed leaned forward, his brow furrowed.

"Are you saying it operates independently of the internet?"

"Precisely," Pasindu replied.

"Our hypothesis is that the link establishes a direct connection to an unknown source, bypassing conventional internet protocols entirely. This means traditional methods of cybersecurity and internet regulation are ineffective against it."

"Then how do we stop it?" General Reed asked urgently.

"As I said before, we can't," Pasindu reiterated.

"Now, that was not the last test we tried. We proceeded by sending the link to a device, then disconnecting it from the internet, and then clicking on the link, and... it still worked. The link functioned completely offline." Viktor frowned and spoke after a brief silence, "I can understand, in a way, the first case: a connection is established through the web and then maintained even without it. But the second case means establishing a connection without the internet. Does that mean...

every link has already established an individual connection?"

"That's our working theory," Pasindu said, nodding.

"It suggests that the link embeds some sort of self-sustaining connection protocol, independent of traditional internet infrastructure. This would mean that each instance of the link operates as a standalone network node." Elena took a deep breath.

"This raises several critical issues. First, if we cannot control or shut down this link using conventional means, then we must focus on how we are going to regulate its spread. As you may be aware, The Tower has already become one of the main focuses of social media, and it will keep gaining popularity as time goes on. Soon, if not already, we will have streamers going through the live feed of certain climbers as a form of entertainment.

And I can assure you, based on the nature of these trials and what we have seen and been told, that this will be extremely enticing based on human nature. Humans love a real show—a show of violence, struggle, and survival. And The Tower is giving them that, with mystery added on top." She paused, looking around the room.

"How are we going to manipulate the public's reaction to this? Will we paint those in The Tower as heroes? Will we give them fame and power? What about when they come back?" Dr. Lee leaned forward, his expression serious.

"We can develop a multi-faceted approach. First, we must ensure that the narrative surrounding The Tower is controlled. This means working closely with media outlets to shape the story. We can highlight the bravery and resilience of those inside while downplaying the more violent aspects." Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Secretary-General," Marshall Viktor's voice suddenly cut through the murmurs.

"Are you sure we are the ones to decide on granting them power and fame? Perhaps fame to a certain extent, but power?" He looked directly at her.

"Are we perhaps going to discuss what we have seen of the rest of the trials here today? I am very interested in hearing your opinion on the second test, popularly called ' The Cage' online. Dr. Samantha Lee, our leading biologist, surely has much to say about the... inhabitants of this second floor." S#ag# 1 - 0. #29% That was the fifth of them. The image was becoming clearer with each orb he absorbed. He could faintly guess what it was saying now: Stage 1 with a certain progress. But… what did it mean?

Was it the stage of the test or the stage of him, of his body? And… why was the progress so low? The circle was blue now. His expression turned more serious this time. The creatures were growing stronger with each iteration: they were faster and more skilled. While it was true that he was also growing in strength and technique with each orb, the gap between him and the creatures was growing smaller. While he could confidently say the first couple of fights were easy, it was not so much for the last one.

The creature stood before him, a mirror image of all its predecessors—fully white, 1. 60 meters tall, sword in hand. He gripped his sword tight and went inside the ring. The creature lunged first, its blade whistling through the air. He parried, the clash of metal ringing out. He countered with a swift slash aimed at its torso, but the creature sidestepped effortlessly and retaliated with a series of rapid strikes. Steel met steel in a flurry of motion.

Each move was met with a counter, each strike blocked or dodged by the narrowest margin. His eyes narrowed as he focused, his world shrinking to the rhythm of the fight. He ducked under a horizontal slash, spun the sword, and delivered an upward strike. The creature blocked and responded with a quick thrust, forcing him to pivot to the side. They circled each other, both seeking an opening. He feinted a low attack and, when the creature moved to block, brought his sword down in a powerful overhead slash.

The creature caught the blow, their blades locked in a test of strength. Muscles straining, He twisted his sword free and stepped back, immediately launching into another series of strikes. The fight grew more intense. Alonso's movements were a blur, his enhanced reflexes pushing him to the limit. The creature matched him blow for blow. He dodged a sweeping cut, then retaliated with a quick slash that grazed the creature's arm. It didn't react to the wound, pressing its attack with renewed vigor.

Sweat dripped down his face as he deflected a thrust aimed at his chest. He shifted his weight and swung his sword in a wide arc, forcing the creature back a step. Seizing the moment, he launched a relentless offensive, driving the creature toward the edge of the circle. With a final, desperate push, he sidestepped a thrust and delivered a powerful kick to the creature's midsection. The force of the blow sent it stumbling backward, and it teetered on the edge of the circle for a heartbeat before falling out.

As soon as it crossed the boundary, the creature dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind an orb. Alonso dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, his grip on the sword relaxing. It had been a hard fight, brief but intense, pushing him to his limits. Despite the short duration, the sheer ferocity and precision required had left him exhausted. He took a moment to calm his breathing, his heart pounding in his chest. The orb lay on the floor, glowing softly.

Gathering his strength, he rose to his feet and walked towards it. With a deep breath, he touched the orb, which dissolved into a warm energy that invigorated his body and sharpened his mind. He felt a surge of power, the faint image in his mind growing clearer. Stag# 1 - 0. #53% He shook his head and looked around as always.

'What …' He looked again to make sure he wasn't mistaken. No, there it was: the staircase. For some reason, this made him relax and breathe a sigh of relief. It made him feel proud of himself. Which man never had the dream of fighting in an arena, sword in hand, odds against him? As fucked as these conditions were, he had stood tall. He was victorious. He had passed another trial. He then went to the barrel to throw some water over his head and have a drink, but he noticed something odd.

There was another creature standing in the ring. The circle had changed color. The circle was now purple.