Along the Rat Trails. Volume I

Young programmer, gamer, and hacker Viant Furnak never stole those unfortunate thirteen million dollars—but he still ended up with 24 years in a general-regime colony for them. An unfair charge is the most offensive, the most unbearable thing. Viant planned to escape, but then some “major” from a government organization offered him to take part in a secret experiment. The deal is shady, but the reward matches it—full amnesty and the removal of a criminal record. Viant barely agreed. How could he refuse, if the mysterious “major” promised to use him as a programmer, a gamer, and a hacker? The most interesting part is that the “major” didn’t lie. He just didn’t tell the whole truth. If only Viant knew on what computer he would have to work—through what computer game he would have to go and as which character. What difficulties he would have to overcome. After all, the stake in that computer game turned out to be nothing less than his own life.