It was almost as if it were there to support Kevin's point of view.
Bit then replied to him with a new email.
It's clear that we're still stuck in the tutorial level.
It's just that it's packaged very well, allowing you to gradually delve deeper into this hacknet.
The task is simple: hack into the computer of a guy named Viper and steal the useful tools from this script kiddie's computer.
"Okay... that's more like it!"
Kevin immediately became interested and started stealing data from other people's computers, which was exactly what he liked to do.
As usual, use nmap to scan ports and porthack to crack it directly.
With just two simple steps, this computer becomes a little treasure that you can manipulate at will.
His target file was simply placed directly in the bin folder.
[sshcrack. exe]
As the name suggests, this thing is definitely a new tool for cracking SSH ports. "Damn it, now I'm really a script kiddie."
Kevin chuckled and downloaded the file without hesitation.
In the real world, you have to be careful when downloading things from someone else's computer.
If the other party is also involved in organized crime, adding something to the food would be disastrous.
However, Kevin has now figured out some patterns.
This game won't make things difficult for players unnecessarily.
At least not for now.
Download files, delete log entries, disconnect and run away.
Completed in one go.
It's a realistic terminal environment, Kevin found it very easy to use.
Honestly, even those guys who actually use a mouse wouldn't be as fast as him.
And just as he acquired the new tool, the game appropriately increased its difficulty slightly. From now on, to porthack a target PC with a single click, you need to first crack port 22, which is the SSH port.
Okay, it sounds complicated, but it's really just about running the newly acquired tool one more time.
Kevin also understood the game's main plot and its inherent nature.
Then collect all sorts of new hacking tools or whatever, gradually transforming yourself from a script kiddie into a truly skilled hacker.
To make the game more fun, the developers created complete animation effects for each hacking tool.
To be honest, Kevin had absolutely no idea what these animations were about.
Because they don't usually have anything like that to see.
But one thing is certain...
That's so cool!
Who wouldn't want to see a bunch of cool animations flashing across their computer screen, and then they've hacked the target computer?
This level of expressiveness, compared to real hackers, is closer to what's seen in science fiction movies. Even so, the game still faithfully recreates the operation of a Unix terminal.
"Hiss... By the way, what is Linux?"
Thinking of this, Kevin suddenly paused, picked up the packaging box, and checked it again and again.
The description does indeed say "[unix/linux]", not "[unix/minix]".
That's strange.
Because he had never heard of a Linux operating system before.
But it looks like it's some kind of new kernel developed based on Unix.
"This matter is definitely related to Gamenova."
Perhaps it's a new operating system that Gamenova is about to launch?
If that's true, it would be big news.
It's a pity I couldn't hack into Gamenova's network, otherwise I would definitely have been able to get some information.
A massive internet company like Gamenova couldn't possibly leave no trace online.
As the game progresses step by step...
Kevin suddenly realized that he seemed to have fallen in love with it.
While real-life hacking attacks are more intense and exciting, they rarely involve the intricate web of conspiracies and schemes found in games, which can be either grand or unpredictable.
Not to mention the noble and righteous things involved, such as forging death certificates for certain important figures and helping others uphold justice.
Although they are hackers, the protagonist's team, Entropy, is actually a vigilante group that operates in the internet world under the banner of upholding justice.
To be fair, although Kevin is already 29 years old and about to turn 30, he still retains the passion he had in his youth.
... or rather, it's just being a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur).
This is a story about a vigilante who wields great influence in the internet world, gradually solving the mystery of bit identities and uncovering the truth behind Hacknet.
It really hit him right in his strike zone.
Although the game has a clear main storyline, once the tutorial is completed, which is after the protagonist joins the hacker organization Entropy, the game immediately hands over the player the freedom to move around freely.
Whether you choose to take on jobs that interest you directly from Entropy's task database or simply roam the online world, it's all up to you.
Even the tasks themselves are given a high degree of freedom.
For example, hacking into a news website.
Although the task only requires deleting the other party's articles, players can even directly rm * delete all of the other party's system files with one click if they wish.
After logging back into the website, you'll find that it really is experiencing problems and cannot be accessed normally.
This dramatic yet unexpectedly realistic presentation allows the game to achieve a surprisingly high degree of freedom within limited controls.
Another example is helping a player clear their game save file.
The game's website was actually accessible and playable.
Even after playing the game, players can still find their save files after hacking into the server.
And of course, there are save files for all players.
What happens next... that's entirely up to the players.
Even on various websites and forums, as well as on various users' PCs, you can find a lot of Easter egg-like content. There are even various memes from Gamenova's official website incorporated into them, which are occasionally found on other people's computers and are enough to bring a smile to your face.
Kevin had never seen a game like this before.
To be honest, the game isn't very long. If you focus on the main storyline, it probably won't take more than 10 hours; you can finish it in six or seven hours.
But this sense of fulfillment made him exceptionally satisfied.
Compared to hacking in real life, this game gave him a different kind of satisfaction.
Because I have clear goals, I know what I need to do, and I know what will happen after I do it.
Whether it's helping someone or playing a prank.
At its most extreme, he was even able to hack into government servers and even hospital firmware.
"Let me see, downloading files from Kellls Biotech and uploading them to the pacemaker... requires several layers of intermediaries, and the firewall is surprisingly robust, but it's okay..."
Kevin quickly hacked into the medical company's IP address and extracted the IP address of the target machine he needed from the files.
Just as he was about to continue, he suddenly discovered a text file that looked like a diary in an extremely inconspicuous corner.
Adhering to the principle that not reading it would be a loss, Kevin glanced at the file before leaving. It was a copy of an email.
[to Linus ]
[Hi, Linus, I'm at the hospital getting a medical check-up. I'm borrowing their computer to send you an email.]
[I just wanted to know how Linux development is progressing? You know, many of our Gamenova projects are waiting for it to be completed.]
[Oh, I think I probably shouldn't have said this on a public computer, but it's okay, I'll log out and clear my history.]
[--Forest]
The hospital's email system has an automatic backup function.
The sender was clearly unaware of this, and simply erased traces from other places.
Kevin frowned slightly.
His intuition told him that this was probably not a little story deliberately placed here as an Easter egg.
"Alright, it looks like the mission will have to be put on hold for a while." Kevin decided to check out the situation first.
The message conveyed between the lines of the letter was so compelling that it was impossible for him not to be moved.
Gamenova, a new system, and lots of new projects!
Continuing to dig deeper into the hospital system, he soon found some inconspicuous log files tucked away in a corner.
After a careful scan, Kevin quickly identified a brand new IP.
This IP address wasn't marked on his network map at all, meaning he had never seen it or visited it.
"So strict?!"
As soon as he entered, he immediately sensed something was amiss.
As a side quest Easter egg, the firewall here is a bit too tight.
A complete proxy server requires many botnets to handle the overload in a timely manner.
In addition, there is a complete firewall that requires continuous analysis and attempts to crack.
Even after bypassing proxies and firewalls, multiple ports need to be cracked before a full intrusion can be achieved. During this process, there is a one-minute countdown.
This means that all hacking activities must be completed within one minute, and the remaining time after hacking must be used to try to extract what you need from the PC.
For someone else, it might indeed take some Kung-Fu Master.
But for Kevin, it was as simple as eating and drinking.
As the investigation deepened, Kevin's premonition grew stronger.
He increasingly felt that this matter was not simple.
This seems to be more than just an Easter egg.
Finally, with the incredibly powerful and versatile hacking tool Porthack running, Kevin successfully gained access to the PC.
But after searching the entire system, only one file was found.
The contents inside are even simpler.
There was only one IP address; no other clues were available.
But the trail went completely cold here. Because...
The game cannot connect to this IP address.
When attempting to connect using the IP address listed in the file, the terminal only tells it that no computer was found at that address.
"That's it?? That's the Easter egg??"
Could it be an unfinished product that wasn't completed in time?
Kevin sat there, lost in thought for a long time, and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
It's highly unlikely that Lin Lixin would include something so completely meaningless in the game.
There must be something you haven't figured out yet.
"Wait... could this IP address be...?"
Kevin suddenly paused, saved the game, and then closed it.
He suddenly had a new guess.
What if this IP address doesn't actually refer to the PC in the game?