4. Operation—Lord of the Wi-Fis

Drive to the smart home in the hills south of San Francisco city. Park near the power transformer and start the infiltration.

Infiltration Points It’s important to know what is locked, and what isn’t: The roof skylight is locked by the Closed Circuit Terminal, and has a moving laser trip wire to hack or avoid. The doors are locked by an access key. Vents (for your Jumper or Quadcopter) are not locked. Beware of motion detectors. Hacking from the inside out is advisable. Driveway (South): Though the driveway has a Protector trundling up and down and laser security, the lasers are switched off for a couple of seconds as the robot passes through the home’s threshold (and time the robot powering down so it bisects the laser wire; this keeps the lasers from reactivating until the robot wakes up and moves). This is the opportunity to sneak through (ideally left of the Protector), to the CCT, so you can hack it quickly and easily. To the right of the box is a vent gate, allowing easy drone access into the supposedly secure residence. Deck Railing (Southeast and East): Easily access the majority of the house by hopping over the expansive deck railing and onto the deck. However, with NetHack you can see the entire area has laser security, sections of which can be switched off (target and hack). Vaulting through the lasers alerts the Protectors, and reinforcements (Umeni hostiles) quickly arrive. Vent Gate (Northwest): On the rocky garden behind the house is a ground-floor vent, which is ideally positioned close to the data container (objective). Your RC Jumper is great to use here, as well as your Quadcopter, though it cannot access the container. Roof Skylight: Inspect the side of the house to the southwest, adjacent to the hill. You can easily step from the hillside to the roof. The giant skylight here is perfect for dropping down into the house. It is locked by the CCT. Beware of the moving laser on this skylight, though; drop in the gap after it passes your location.

POIs and Objective Points There are two objectives to find inside this house. Both the CCT and access key can help with these tasks. Access Key Found on a tablet on the sofa in the ground floor living room (north of the carport, on the home’s west side). Hack the tablet, and the door locks become hackable but the roof skylight does not. This is usually hacked using your RC Jumper or via the camera in the nearby wall-mounted TV. Closed-Circuit Terminal This is to the left of the mechanical carport, at the top of the driveway. Unlock this, and the skylight on the roof becomes hackable. Data Container This hard drive is in the ground-floor dining room, on the residence’s north side. Interact with this to restore the power. Server Found upstairs behind a secret moving cupboard in the master bedroom closet (west side of the house). This holds the server’s recordings and must be hacked. After completing objective 1, try checking out the newly-lit house in NetHack view; a data line is visible leading you to the hidden server.

Paths to Completion

Though the routes you take to complete the two objectives vary, the order you attempt them does not. You need to optionally unlock the CCT so the skylight becomes accessible, or optionally hack the access key on the living room table so the door locks become accessible. Since you have an RC Jumper, you don’t need to do either of these, as the vent gates are hackable. Next, interact with the ground-floor data container before downloading the server’s recordings up in the master bedroom closet. Try any of the following:

Jumper for Joy

Drop the RC Jumper on the driveway, and follow the Protector until it crosses the threshold and the lasers disappear for a couple of seconds (A.1). Drive the RC Jumper into the carport, head left to the CCT, and unlock the home if you need to use the skylight at some point.

Alternatively, use the RC Jumper to jump over the railing lasers, onto the home deck, and enter the house via any of the vent gates.

Or, move to the vent gate in the northwest part of the perimeter, and simply open it and let the RC Jumper into the dining room.

Open the vent gate on the ground just right of the carport, and enter (A.2). If this is proving difficult, use NetHack to avoid any motion cameras, and work your RC Jumper around the interior of the ground floor to the data container. Interact with it. The home’s lighting turns on.

Maneuver across the kitchen to the stairs, jumping up to the bedroom above. Dodge the Protector here, working your way past the bathroom (A.3) to the closet. Hack the moving cupboard, then the server, waiting until the download is complete. Then leave the area.

HAUM Star Runner Ahoy!

Use the RC Jumper to leap over the laser railing and reach the carport. Staying off the carport, hack the carport controls, so the vehicle descends. Drive the RC Jumper onto the carport (B.1), and raise it back up so the vehicle is upstairs (its original position). Scurry away from the patrolling Protector, then follow it down the steps into the bedroom (B.2). Maneuver around the edge of the motion camera so your drone isn’t discovered (NetHack view is essential). Then drive the drone down the stairs, across the kitchen, and to the data container. The rest of the route remains the same.

sometimes Using a Toy

These path variations allow you to additionally pick up the money bag on the upper deck. You can:

Use the RC Jumper to unlock the CCT (giving you more flexibility if you’re wanting to fly the Quadcopter)

Follow the robot on the driveway to the carport, passing through before the lasers reactivate, and unlock the CCT

Ignore the CCT or access key and hack a section of laser railing, hopping onto the ground-floor deck.

Ascend the steps (using NetHack view to ensure you don’t step into the view of a Protector or motion camera) to the outdoor sofa seating, and snag the money bag.

At this point, if you didn’t unlock the doors, you must enter using the carport (Path B). Your bulk makes maneuvering past the motion camera in the upstairs bedroom entrance more difficult (but still straightforward).

A Skylight to Enjoy

Hack the CCT (either yourself or using the RC Jumper). Exit the restricted area, and maneuver onto the roof. Hack the skylight, drop down, and head downstairs to the data container before returning to the bedroom closet to finish the second objective.

Doors to Employ

Step close to the laser railings on the deck, enter NetHack, pick the camera in the living room, and pan it to the sofa with the access code in the tablet. Hack the tablet and the laser railings, then vault over onto the deck. Move past the door with the motion camera to the rear door leading into the dining room and data container.

When escaping, you simply need to leave the perimeter circle indicated on your minimap. This is achieved by:

• Running or driving—simplicity itself if you used your RC Jumper and didn’t enter the house.
• Exiting by backtracking—if you’re inside the house. Start your retreat as soon as the download begins.
• Exiting via the doors—if the access key has been compromised, but watch for motion cameras alerting enemies. However, you’ve got what you came for, so you can be reckless.
• Exit by moving to the car parked in the upstairs carport, descending the carport elevator and driving to freedom!