Chapter 51

[Your girlfriend?]

Luo Qi cleverly sensed the special fluctuations in the voice.

It seemed that it wasn't just a casual matter.

That Alt must hold a special place in Johnny's heart.

[She's still alive... she's still alive...]

Johnny kept mumbling to himself, crashing around like a headless fly in the dark cyberspace.

For a scoundrel like Johnny Silverhand, whose every cell screamed "Poseidon" under a microscope, even if he said he had been in bed with a woman from an elite unit, Luo Qi would believe him.

But this Alt must have an extraordinary story.

[It's been half a century. No matter what happened to her back then, if someone is now planning to use you to find her, her situation definitely won't be worse than death.]

Luo Qi reminded him calmly.

And Johnny, the "insider", had a sudden realization like a static shock.

[Right, you're right.]

Johnny gritted his teeth, frustrated to the extreme.

If he wasn't existing as data, he would have definitely punched himself.

[Although I can't empathize with your feelings, getting angry now won't help.]

After Johnny was silent for a while and slightly calmer, Luo Qi consoled him.

[I know this, damn... Calm down.]Johnny Silverhand was about to flare up but forcibly swallowed the curse words at the tip of his tongue,[This shitty situation... Well, it's a long story.]

In the following few minutes, Luo Qi filtered out various swear words from Johnny's narration and finally understood the situation back then.

In 2020, Johnny Silverhand encountered a sudden misfortune.

Arasaka Corporation sent a gang of thugs to ambush Silverhand and his girlfriend Alt while they were out for a walk, kidnapping his beloved. Arasaka wanted to use Alt's extraordinary programming talent to design a program called "Soulkiller."

This program could copy and upload the thoughts of anyone connected to a device at will—there was no doubt that Soulkiller was dangerous, as the person whose consciousness was uploaded would be completely dead, becoming a fixed "soul imprint" within the network.

Later, Johnny came up with a plan:

First, he assembled a strike team to infiltrate Arasaka and rescue Alt.

Second, he asked his bandmates for help—Samurai reassembled and held a free concert, right across from the Arasaka building in Night City.

Thanks to the fanatical fans, the strike team successfully infiltrated the building.

Unfortunately, it was too late—Alt Cunningham was dead.

Luckily, it was only her body that vanished; her spirit was uploaded using the Soulkiller program she designed and trapped in Arasaka's mainframe. There, she could not escape, and Arasaka could do nothing to her.

Alt told Johnny not to look for her, but given his personality, such advice was worthless.

He got a thermonuclear bomb, the so-called "Operation Samurai II" tactical nuclear briefcase, and in 2023, sent the Arasaka Tower sky-high.

Since then, Alt fled to beyond the Blackwall, the deep web destroyed by network viruses.

The deep web, or the old web, is forever linked to one person's name.

Rache Bartmoss, the most badass hacker in history.

The virus programs he designed—Daemon, Hellhound, and RABIDS—were deeply rooted in the world's cyberspace without anyone's knowledge. These programs were originally used for system infiltration, data slicing, and virus delivery, his most efficient and versatile weapons.

Kebart Moss died for unknown reasons, and the moment his life support system stopped sending slow codes, the network collapsed.

The out-of-control viruses instantly destroyed the system, corroded and released uncontrolled AIs, and continuously tore the nerves of most network users. Data fortresses were broken apart by self-aware viruses, some data permanently lost, some randomly destroyed or tampered with, and some even corroded to exhaustion. By the time the government and giant corporations' emergency protocols began to be implemented, the virus's destruction had stopped, and the dark web had vanished forever.

After the global cyber attack, people's attempts to rebuild the dark web were in vain, and the wild AIs of the post-collapse era began to threaten the safety of the companies that created them. In many areas, the network infection was too severe, and anyone who logged in would instantly destroy the entire cyber neural system. Those radical rogue intelligent systems—some of which were once out-of-control combat AIs—would hunt down those who ventured into the ruins of cyberspace to retrieve lost data.

So the network surveillance decided to cut their losses—they created what is now called the "Black Wall."

It was a strong and powerful intrusion countermeasure unit (ICE) that could protect the shattered and turbulent but still usable network, resisting the roaming AIs that wandered through the ruins of cyberspace.

The sudden activation of the Black Wall meant that all the stranded hackers on the other side had no way to safely disconnect, nor could they survive endlessly in cyberspace. All that awaited them was destruction.

It's like adventurers or outlaws exploring a dangerous, demon-infested wasteland, only to find that their city has built towering walls that reach the sky—and there are no gates, entry is forbidden.

You could say this:

Before Bart Moss, the network was a free world, connecting everything in the world, with unlimited possibilities.

After Bart Moss, the network was a walled city, isolated from each other, and outside the wall were demons filled with malice.

People didn't want to lose their freedom, but the increasingly massive roaming AIs and constantly mutating cyber viruses that grew wildly outside the wall were no longer opponents that could be dealt with just by wishing.

What's even more terrifying is that even the strongest walls will eventually be destroyed by the ever-growing giants.

This is the world of cyberspace.

So the question arises.

This creepy Voodoo gang, not only knows that the relic holds the imprint of Johnny Silverhand, but also knows that they can use the relationship between Johnny and Alt to find the latter.

"A hacker gang looking for a consciousness that's been roaming outside the Black Wall for half a century," Rogue rubbed her temples, "It's not like they're working for a better tomorrow, right?"

"How the fuck would I know?" Johnny was furious, "Anyway, find that damn Voodoo gang, shove a gun up their **, and make them tell me everything, even their childhood bed-wetting stories."

"Do you even know our situation?"

Rogue was helpless with this self-centered and inconsiderate bastard.

"What situation?"

Johnny stopped his endless complaints, but there was still a fire in his chest, listening to Rogue's explanation.

There was a moment of silence in the communication channel, with Rogue, Maelstrom, Johnny, and V on the other side.

Only the shallow breathing in the background noise proved that everyone was there.

"We stole the relic from Konpeki Plaza," Rogue's tone became slightly lower and somewhat disheartened, "Do you know how much that thing could sell for? Even if we sold it at scrap prices to a third party company, we could get over a hundred million euros."

"We're not wandering heroes in Night City, we're just mercenaries who can barely afford the damn rent."

He slowly leaned back, the cold wall seeping through his thin clothes, providing a slightly cooling sensation to his body and mind.

"In this city, if I use my talents, study hard, get a diploma, compete for a job, and start fighting against colleagues in an environment of political strife, the best outcome I could get is... becoming a damn corporate dog! I'd have to work myself to the bone and be exploited by the company, turning into a tool for exploiting others. I'd have to use my own hands to directly or indirectly strip the flesh from the people."

"But that's not acceptable..."

"We may have nothing in Night City, but at least we can't let others take away our dignity."

"So we chose to fight, and it's not just my choice."

His body sat up straight, but in those eyes, endless exhaustion was etched.

Night City devours people.

First, it forces you to bow down with its brutal laws of survival, then strips away your dignity and character, and finally shatters your spirit and body, turning ordinary people at the bottom into soulless walking corpses. Jack is already thirty years old, V is twenty-seven. They are not wealthy tycoons who can afford to fly around in levitating cars like Harusaka Saburo at over a hundred and fifty years old.

As for Rogue, she still owes Regina some money. If it weren't for taking on some jobs and scavenging cash from fixers, she couldn't even afford the cost of Moewr's medical bills.

He loves coffee but never dares to set foot in luxurious cafes, only searching for his favorite cheap beverages in street corners and alleys.

He likes to collect guns, but only dares to choose the cheapest Pulse DS1 for customization.

He's fond of action figures that most boys like, saving up for months just to buy a slightly damaged one.

He enjoys being surrounded by music, having reserved countless events just to be lucky enough to win a Wintermoon Electronics speaker.

But all these things were destroyed in Harusaka's attack.

He doesn't regret it - this is the risk that comes with dancing on the edge of a knife.

But he still can't see hope.

Hope, that faint light, has been extinguished in Night City.

For the average life expectancy in Night City, they have already lived more than half of it.

Whether it's dying from a lack of medicine, perishing from hunger and cold, or dying suddenly from a freak accident in the streets, their work as mercenaries is a death-seeking profession - either causing others to die or dying themselves.

To escape from the hell of Night City and become an extraordinary person, one must first venture into the deepest part of hell.

Challenge and opportunity coexist; the Azure Tower is such a place.

Succeed, and you may become an elite overnight. But the best outcome among the punishments for failing a challenge is death.

"So we went, without any hesitation."

Two soft little hands held his palm, gently squeezing it, transmitting a soothing warmth.

It was Moewr, who remained silent, expressionless, just holding his hand like that.

"If it weren't for the damaged relic, pulling it out might have killed you, and you wouldn't have gotten the complete relic. By now, you might be lying in some company's data network being researched," Rogue said indifferently, but without a hint of heartlessness or self-interest.

The two of them had only met by chance, and the fact that he had preserved Johnny this long was already a remarkable act of kindness.

Johnny was not just Johnny; he also represented the only gain everyone had risked their lives for.

"Damn it."

Johnny spat out these few words from his throat.

He didn't know if he was cursing Rogue, himself, or...

This rotten world that hasn't changed for half a century and only grows worse.

But he didn't blame Rogue.

However, he couldn't bring himself to say "thank you."

He wanted a smoke!

To cover up the stench that pervades and flows throughout this city.

That kind of smell doesn't require a sense of smell.