Chapter 165: Nightingale
V struggled to keep himself from collapsing, but the piercing pain drilling into his brain overwhelmed him, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Damn... I feel like my brain is about to split apart!"
Seeing V writhing in agony, his face twisted in pain, Johnny Silverhand quickly realized they might have been hacked.
[V, either someone hacked us, or the AI White Queen malfunctioned, triggering the Relic chip in your head to resume the engram download process.]
As an engram, Johnny didn't feel physical pain like V. But as he tried to communicate with V, his voice began to stutter, as if a signal jammer had been activated.
This sent alarm bells ringing in Johnny's mind—it meant someone was targeting them.
Even if the White Queen malfunctioned, it wouldn't interfere with Johnny's engram. This could only mean one thing:
Someone had hacked V's system!
[V, get up! Contact Mr. Li Ang immediately, whether by call or voicemail. Let LA Corp know what's happening to you!]
Johnny shouted at the fallen V, who, despite the overwhelming pain, struggled to his feet. This sight gave Johnny some relief—V could still endure.
[Damn… ignoring the White Queen's defenses and hacking you—this has to be the Blackwall Protocol!]
Johnny was stunned by the sophistication of the attack. The technology needed to bypass the White Queen's defenses was something only the Blackwall Protocol or LA Corp's internal systems could achieve.
But since V worked for LA Corp, it made no sense for someone from the same organization to target him. After weighing the possibilities, Johnny concluded it must be a hacker or organization with Blackwall-level expertise.
"Johnny, I can't call or text Mr. Li Ang . All my signals are being blocked!" V gritted his teeth, considering hailing a cab to escape Dogtown and the hacker's range.
Just then, a dazzling figure appeared before him—a holographic projection of Song Zhaomei inside V's mind.
"Relax, V. I'm not here to harm you."
Song Zhaomei spoke warmly, as if chatting with an old friend.
"Calm down. The discomfort will soon fade. I've established a Blackwall-based communication program in your Relic chip. This will make it easier for us to talk."
Despite her calm tone, V remained wary, his nerves taut.
"Who are you? I don't know you. Get out of my body now!"
Unfazed by V's hostility, Song Zhaomei replied gently:
"My name is Song Zhaomei, a covert agent from the Intelligence Bureau. Codename: Nightingale. I'm here to help you—and I'm the only one who can."
Johnny immediately saw through her ploy and cursed angrily.
[Damn it! Get the hell out! This isn't your playground. If you don't leave, I'll have LA's hackers fry your brain!]
Johnny knew she intended to exploit V for her own ends. He wasn't about to let V become someone else's pawn.
[Did you hear me, you—]
Before Johnny could finish, Song Zhaomei placed a hand on his shoulder, silencing him with a calm remark:
"Johnny, you need rest."
[You son of a—]
Johnny's engram was abruptly suppressed by the Blackwall Protocol, trapping him in the Relic chip until Song Zhaomei released him.
"If I let Johnny remain active, your brain wouldn't handle the strain. I imagine you're feeling better now," she said, scanning V's implants and the Relic chip in his head.
As she analyzed the neural matrix the White Queen had established, Song Zhaomei realized why hacking V had been so difficult. The matrix served as a protective barrier.
After shaking off the worst of the pain, V took a deep breath and eyed the mysterious hacker warily.
"Nightingale... I've heard of you. You work for President Myers. Why aren't you with her? What do you want with me?"
"And how do you know my identity?"
Song Zhaomei didn't bother hiding the truth.
"Your information has been in our database for a while, mostly thanks to Solomon Reed."
"Reed works for both LA Corp and the Intelligence Bureau, collecting intel. He's the one who leaked your details."
Learning this infuriated V. He wanted to hunt down Reed for his betrayal. No wonder NetWatch agents had hinted at the Intelligence Bureau's interest in him—they had a mole inside LA Corp.
"Fine, Song Zhaomei. Since you're connected to President Myers, who has ties to Li Ang , let's just say we're colleagues. But tell me—why hack me? What do you want?"
V masked his anger, knowing she was no ordinary hacker. Picking a fight with her could end badly.
"I need your help, V. In return, I'll remove the Relic chip and restore your health. No more death threats from the chip."
Despite her promise, V remained unmoved. The White Queen's neural matrix had minimized the Relic chip's impact. Besides Johnny's occasional comments, the chip didn't bother him much anymore.
"Why should I trust you? What proof do you have that you can remove the chip? And what do you want me to do?"
Song Zhaomei sensed his hesitation and quickly offered a reply:
"I can secure an AI Neural Matrix device from Europe. It can neutralize the Relic chip permanently."
"But I can only get the device after you help me."
V narrowed his eyes, skeptical. "Who's giving you this device? And what's the deal? If you can't answer, don't bother asking for my help."
After a moment's pause, Song Zhaomei concocted a story to pacify V, explaining the device's origins and the transaction's terms.
"I need your help, V. I'm on your side," she pleaded.
Unconvinced, V calculated his next move. He needed to report this to Li Ang .
Seeing V's guarded expression, Song Zhaomei sighed.
"If you change your mind, come to the open-pit mine. I'll be waiting."
As she spoke, the strain of maintaining the Blackwall connection forced her to cut the signal.
"Remember—open-pit mine. I'll contact you there."
With that, Song Zhaomei's projection vanished. Moments later, Johnny's engram reactivated.
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