The Safeguard.
The Safeguard (セーフガード, Sēfugādo) are a program independent of the Netsphere. The Netsphere was designed as a means of providing service to those who could log on. However, the Netsphere was thrown into chaos (the actual reason is not exactly known, but the prequel manga NOiSE implies that a small group of humans is at fault) and the Safeguard changed their modus operandi from preventing unauthorized users from entering the Netsphere to killing off anyone who does not possess Net Terminal Genes. The Safeguard have nine levels of hierarchy, Level 9 being the most powerful. However, their Exterminator (originally the lowest level Safeguard) system has a different form of hierarchy where "First Class" is the most powerful.
Background[]
Before the Administration lost control of the City, the Safeguard was a security operation that maintained order, protecting the City and its human inhabitants from harm. However, once the "infection" began to spread among humans that made it impossible for them to access the Netsphere, the Administration lost control of the City's systems, including the Safeguard.
Since the Safeguard were programmed to eliminate "non-citizens," it determined that every human without a Net Terminal Genes was "illegal" and had to be destroyed. In effect, the modus operandi of the Safeguard became the extermination of all humans and Silicon Life within the City.
The Safeguard exists in nearly every stratum of the City, constantly monitoring for traces of human or cyborg activity. When a anything is detected, it takes action by "downloading" a Safeguard unit (also called a Safeguard) to the area, wherein the matter in the area of the downloading is rapidly converted into the necessary materials and parts to make the unit. In this respect, Safeguards can effectively "grow" out of any object large enough to accommodate them.
Within many strata appear Structure Conversion Towers. These structures act as banks of raw material for Safeguard units to materialize out of, and also act as security beacons; touching one is enough to provoke an immediate response. In many strata, the towers serve as the only way to access the Megastructure to the next stratum, making any attempt to even get near the Megastructure incredibly difficult.
Safeguards are divided into 9 "levels" that roughly describe how powerful they are, with 1 being the weakest and 9 being the strongest. Safeguards are deployed based on the size/scale of the triggering action; a group of humans is a minor threat, so only a few Exterminators are summoned.
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