1. System Overview & Objective

Single-Player Cognitive Strategy RPG Hacker Simulation. You are an underground operator. Your primary goal is to complete contracts to earn Credits and Reputation (Rep) without getting caught. Precision is your paycheck and speed is your survival. If you make too many mistakes, the Federal Police will find you.

2. Contract Board & Progression

Your main hub for taking jobs. Contracts are categorized by Threat Tier. You can Force Refresh the board using Credits if you don't like the available options. Completing contracts earns Rep. As your Rep increases, your Operator Rank will promote automatically, unlocking higher Tier contracts and better hardware in the Black Market.

3. Trace Risk & Permadeath

Every failed or aborted contract increases your Trace Risk.
WARNING: THE SYSTEM IS PERMADEATH! If Trace Risk reaches 100%, your connection is severed, your save slot is permanently deleted, and your operator identity is burned.
The ONLY way to lower your Trace Risk is by completing GHOST CONTRACTS (Blue Contracts on the board). These pay no Credits or Rep, but they reduce your Trace Risk.

4. Puzzle Modules

Each contract requires you to solve a sequence of puzzle modules under a strict time limit:

• FOCUS (Signal Intercept): Click all valid Data packets before they vanish. Do not click the red malicious packets.
• LOGICAL DEDUCTION (Access Matrix): A Mastermind-style logic game. Guess the correct PIN using trial and error.
• MEMORY (Encrypted Protocol): Watch a sequence flash and replicate it perfectly. Skip red flashes. If you see an orange flash, deliberately click the WRONG node on its turn.
• PATTERN RECOGNITION (Data Corruption): Identify and click the sequence anomalies that don't match the shifting pattern.
• SEQUENCE INJECTION (Packet Rebuild): When the contract starts, a protocol will be randomly selected: ORDER or COLOR. Check the ACTIVE PROTOCOL indicator to see which one is currently active. If the protocol is COLOR, follow the color sequence and select the matching options below accordingly. If the protocol is ORDER, ignore the colors and select the options in the correct numerical sequence.
• API TERMINAL (Ghost Contracts): Similar to Logical Deduction but used exclusively to reduce Trace Risk. HINT: Before submitting the final code, memorize it! You will be asked to manually type the solved code to bypass the override!
• VAULT BREACH (Ten Digits): A high-stakes Heist contract unlocked at CIPHER rank. You must deduce a 10-digit vault code (formatted as XXX-XXXX-XXX) from session logs and intercepted comms. The code is split into 3 blocks:
  
  Block 1 (3 digits) — Date Calculation: Each manufacturer uses the True Date (Month, Day, Weekday) differently. The system log may contain corrupted data — use the intercepted dialogue hints to identify and correct the corruption before calculating.
  
  Block 2 (4 digits) — Sync Timestamp: Derived from Handshake or Disconnect timestamps in the system log. Each manufacturer reads different timestamp fields.
  
  Block 3 (3 digits) — Delta Shift: A mathematical transformation of Block 1 and Block 2 values. Each manufacturer applies a unique shift operation.
  
  Manufacturer Protocols:
  • AEGIS MX-IV: Block 1 = (Month × Day) + Weekday. Block 2 = Disconnect MM:SS. Block 3 = Shift first 3 digits of Block 2 forward by Block 1 digits.
  • BLACKWOOD RESTRAINT: Block 1 = (Day + Weekday) × Month. Block 2 = Handshake HH:MM. Block 3 = Shift first 3 digits of Block 2 backward by Block 1 digits.
  • CORSAIR SENTINEL: Block 1 = (Month + Day) × Weekday. Block 2 = (Disconnect seconds − Handshake seconds) × 10. Block 3 = Last 3 digits of (Block 1 + Block 2).
  
  WARNING: There is NO clear button. Every digit you enter is final. Cross-reference the dialogue carefully before committing. Weekday uses Mon=1 through Sun=7. All blocks are zero-padded to their required length.
• PORT MAPPER (Scrap Harvester): An educational hacking contract unlocked at CIPHER rank. Rewards Scrap Tokens instead of high Credits.
  
  Phase 1 — Sliding Puzzle: Drag tiles toward the empty cell to arrange numbers in sequential order.
  Phase 2 — Memory Flash: After solving, numbers fade away and port names are revealed. Then certain tiles flash — memorize the sequence.
  Phase 3 — Port Decryption: Enter the port numbers of the flashed flashed tiles in the same order using the numpad. (e.g., SSH=22, HTTP=80, DNS=53).
  
  WARNING: Pressing CLR deducts 10 seconds from your timer!
  
  Study your ports! This puzzle teaches the top 25 standard network ports.
• NULLSHIFT (Morse Infiltration): Five cells (indicated with orange question marks) are hidden from the puzzle board. Find them before you can solve anything.
  
  Two sequences, X and Y, flash simultaneously. Watch the long flashes and their colors to decode the value. Short flashes tell you where. Long flashes tell you what. Each color means something. Green adds to its own sequence. Dark-orange crosses over to the other. Red subtracts. Multiply the two long-flash totals together for each individual step, even means 0, odd means 1.
  
  The indicator at the top shows which of the 5 hidden numbers is currently being described. The sequences loop endlessly, so take your time. Place all five numbers correctly then unlock the board. Solve the classic binary puzzle: 0 or 1 in each cell. No 3 consecutive identical numbers horizontally or vertically. Equal number of 0s and 1s per row/column. Unique rows and unique columns.
  
  Hint: Just ignore the short green flashes, I just added them to cause more chaos. :)

5. Rig Hardware (Your Loadout)

Your laptop is your character. Buy hardware from the Black Market using Credits and equip it in the Workbench. Your PSU dictates your Maximum Wattage—if your components draw too much power, your system will crash. You can click to your rank below your ID to see detailed info related to rank.

• CPU: Grants extra retry attempts for Logic and API puzzles.
• RAM: Increases the preview duration for Memory puzzles.
• GPU: Extends the time limits across all puzzles.
• PSU: Determines your Maximum Wattage limit.
• STORAGE: Dictates the maximum Overclock tier limit for all components.
• WIFI CARD: Passively reduces the Trace Risk penalty you take from failing contracts.
• COOLING: Increases your base Shortcircuiting success chance.

*Note: Each component also drops with up to 2 random auxiliary attributes that provide minor buffs or debuffs (Maluses). Check the "System Capabilities" list to see your aggregated stats.*

6. Black Market & Inventory

Spend Credits in the Black Market to buy illegal hardware. The market restocks periodically or when you purchase all present components, so check back often. If you have obsolete hardware, go to your Inventory and Scrap it. Scrapping destroys the item but grants Scrap Tokens, which are entirely used for Workbench upgrades.

7. Workbench Upgrades

Use Scrap Tokens to upgrade your equipped hardware.

• OVERCLOCKING (Safe): Upgrades the secondary random attributes on your hardware. Failure only costs Scrap.
• SHORTCIRCUITING (Risky): Upgrades the primary stat of the hardware component (Tier leveling). However, it relies on a percentage success chance. If Shortcircuiting fails, the hardware is BURNED and permanently destroyed. You can increase this success chance by upgrading your Cooling unit.