Part 11 (1/2)
”What? What did you get?” I got nothing.
He didn't answer me immediately, but waved his arm, opening a window in the air before us. He took out a keyboard, began to type. ”Look.” He moved the window toward me. ”You're a Primary Practice Wizard, you should know something about MUD managing. This is a download record of the MWA's account manager system--through it we can check who's downloaded files.”
”You mean....”
”It's a bug in the MUD interface. h.e.l.l! We found it once, but no-one thought it was important. Every Wizard account in MUD gets a record in the file. It's very simple; it only lists the permission level. For example, your record simply reads: Xingxing (PPW). The system will check your permission from the file when you log in, and then give you access.”
”It sounds reasonable.”
”The problem is...the problem is the system won't remove the record from the file automatically after the user is dead. So the account will still have its original permissions once it is re-registered. Your account,” he said soberly, ”is an example, I think.”
”Unbelievable! How could MWA let this bug exist?”
”On the one hand, it's a historical problem,” he said. ”In earlier MUD, in the original age of MUD, the system was designed like that. At that time, the system wouldn't delete the account, just decrease the user's parameters. There was no real danger, and the account stayed on indefinitely unless a user manually deleted it. On the other side, Wizards usually set themselves as undead. Even if they didn't--like you--”
I scowled.
”--still the possibility of someone else signing in with your account name, in the period between your dying and trying to sign in again, is close to zero. So MWA never worried about it. But now....” He laughed without humour.
I still tried to stay optimistic. ”I'm just a PPW, it's no use cracking my account.”
”Look!” He pointed at the window, which was showing the latest file download records. On the third line from the end, it said, impressively, ”/imm/etc/pa.s.swd->102.36.64.234.7.190.111.1 by Xingxing 11/03/2097 16:24:55 GMT.” That meant a Wizard named Xingxing had downloaded the pa.s.sword file to a machine with address 102.36.64.234.7.190.111.1 just then.
”So what?” I said. ”The pa.s.swords in the file are all encrypted.”
”Right. But you could still compute it in half an hour if you had good tools and a decent machine. If this is true, hundreds of PPW accounts are in danger of being hacked.” His voice was cold.
I was frightened. ”So what should we do?”
”We're lucky that your account can only get the pa.s.sword file of other PPWs, and this account can't modify system modules. So we can keep the account security for upper levels like Wizard, Arch-Wizard, G.o.d, Arch-G.o.d. Unless...G.o.d!” He cried, knocking at the keyboard.
I watched him helplessly.
”Three minutes ago, a PPW was advanced to Wizard. So if someone hacked this account, he could get all kinds of pa.s.sword files and modify the system now!”
I nearly cried out.
”Let's go find this Wizard!” Porket pointed in the air and picked me up. Darkness covered me....
When the light came back I found myself in a palace that was built in a mix of Eastern and Western styles. Pictures flickered and changed on the wall. In the centre of the hall was a statue of Careless--the father of MUD.
About 50 years ago, Careless formed the integrative standard of the MUD system, integrated each divided MUD, and created a worldwide virtual reality system on the Internet--modern MUD. You can find his statue almost everywhere. No-one knows his real ident.i.ty. There were many rumours about him. Some even said he was still alive, and travelled the Worlds using an anonymous account. The original Careless account was reserved. No-one could use it.
”Where is it?” I asked. Porket shook his head. ”I've never been here either. It looks like a secret first-level World. I made us move to the Wizard's World just now.”
A caterpillar half the height of a man came out from a corner, crept over and through us as if we weren't there, and left a trail of multicoloured slime. Porket walked over to the statue. ”d.a.m.n it!”
”What's the problem?”
”I can't get permission to check this World! I actually can't get the permissions!” He shot the statue with a ray of purple light. ”What the h.e.l.l is this place?” Perhaps with his ego bruised, Porket began to show his magical powers. Flames and lightning were flying all around him as he roared with manic laughter. I stepped back quietly. It's best to keep away from a Wizard when he's pouring out his anger. I remembered those glory days when I was still a PPW, and sadness and anger flooded me.
The caterpillar came out again, crept by, burning Porket slowly. Very clearly, I saw him burn, but there was no damage. The caterpillar kept moving. I shouted, ”Stop!”
”Are you talking to me?” Porket and the caterpillar turned back and said simultaneously. Porket was ill-looking and the caterpillar lovely. Porket turned to the caterpillar at once. ”Are you a user? Are you the new advanced Wizard?”
”Of course,” the caterpillar said. ”My name is Babyb.u.t.terfly. It really should be a caterpillar, I guess. It's not a mystery. You looked confused there.” Babyb.u.t.terfly turned to me again and said, ”What's up?”
”Are you yourself?” Porket said, which I didn't at first understand. Without answering him, Babyb.u.t.terfly said to me, ”How did you get here?”
”He brought me here,” I said, pointing to Porket, ”We have something to tell you. Your account may be attacked. You better change your pa.s.sword right away.” Through a whisper channel, Porket scolded me. ”Stupid! Don't tell him anything. How do you know he is not the man who hacked your account?”
”Do not whisper here. As the Master here, I can hear the messages of every channel,” Babyb.u.t.terfly said. Apparatuses were wriggling inside his semitransparent skin. It was impressive. I said, ”Are you the creator of this World?” and he nodded. ”It's beautiful!” I said.
He smiled a little. It was the first smiling caterpillar I had ever seen. ”Thank you.”
”How could you--” Porket interrupted and was stopped by Babyb.u.t.terfly.
”Keeping propriety is very important, even in MUD. Did I talk to you? How could you do this as a Wizard? Peoples today are so....”
Without reason, I liked this guy, and told him everything. ”What can I do? ” I finally said.
”It's easy,” he said, smiling. ”Kill him and rob it back!”
”Do you think that guy hasn't set himself as undead? Are you out of your mind? Which idiot advanced you to a Wizard?” Porket was gnas.h.i.+ng virtual teeth.
Babyb.u.t.terfly smiled and pa.s.sed me a card. ”I don't have time right now. Call me when you find this guy. I'll be there.”
”Thanks.” I accepted the card. ”By the way, how did you make it? Even a Wizard couldn't test this World.”
He laughed loudly, ”MUD is not an unbreakable system. There's no such system on G.o.d's earth! See you!” And he disappeared at the end of the hall.
”Who does he think he is? A prophet?” Porket shook his head. ”Let's go,” I said. Porket caught me. Darkness came again.
The Flower Square. ”See you later!” Porket told me tersely. ”I need to discuss this with the other Wizards and trace that address. You are a common user now, so just wait for our message.”
I nodded and hugged him goodbye. I walked everywhere trying to find Pig Tongue but gave up an hour later, feeling it was pointless. I quit the system instead.
It was midnight, and I felt a little cold. I rubbed my face, turned off the computer, turned off the light, stood up. I stepped into the other room. Here there was only a table and a bed, and badly-printed wallpaper covered the wall. I went forward, then stopped, changed my mind, went to the bathroom. A haggard face stared at me from the mirror. The curve of the falling water was beautiful, and I watched it for a long moment after I flushed. Later, I puked, catching the sides of the sink. Puke everything, puke to death. Through tearful eyes, I saw the world turning round and round. I waited for it to stop.
When it did I brushed my teeth, gargled, and went back to the bedroom, staring at the bed for a whilst. Then I climbed in, slowly. She was lying there, sleeping. She seemed to me like an illusion, although here, there were only real colours, real textures. I stopped trying to remember who she was and hugged her, lying against her back in the dark. Listening to her soft breathing, I hid my face in her hair.
Her body was so smooth and soft. Inhaling her scent, I finally fell asleep.
Light was s.h.i.+ning on the wall. It moved a short distance every time I opened my eyes. I didn't get up until it had moved to the corner. She'd already left. I stood up and opened the blind. Underside, outside, it was another world, a noisy world.
I grabbed something to eat, then sat by the computer and began to work. Every day I had to process nearly a hundred technique query letters about Conix Systems. I earned 2000 points every month. I was a Wire Worm: a creature whose life depended on the wires. There were millions of people like me living on the planet.
We never go outside.