Chapter 177: Clearing the Stage!
Song Zhaomei's heartfelt confession to V sounded both like her final words and an outcry against the wretched world she had endured.
Hiding just behind the central console, not far away, Reed felt an overwhelming heaviness in his heart as he overheard her.
He could fully empathize with Song Zhaomei's state of mind, for during his own torment-filled days, he too had contemplated suicide as a means of escape.
But Reed still held onto a glimmer of purpose—his ideals of loyalty to the nation and his commitment to serving the New United States of America.
Even if these ideals seemed fragile and intangible, they gave him a reason to endure. Without them, he might have already taken his own life during his undercover mission in Dogtown.
However, Song Zhaomei was not one to deceive herself. If she couldn't achieve the freedom she sought or prove the value of her existence, she would rather die.
"V, please... help me," she whispered, her hoarse voice trembling with a desperate plea.
Song Zhaomei's shattered ideals mirrored the fragmented prosthetic systems within her body, damaged by the Blackwall infection. It was as if those broken pieces had become blades stabbing into her heart.
Her widespread prosthetic failures were causing a critical lack of blood supply, and her tear-filled eyes radiated despair.
The stabbing pain piercing her cerebral cortex and spinal cord made Song Zhaomei feel like a bird plummeting to its death, only to be mangled under the crushing weight of oncoming traffic.
Meanwhile, the program she had developed was now activating the AI neural matrix device. Data streams coursed through the interface at the back of her skull, processed by the device to integrate the Blackwall data infecting her body. This process was meant to alleviate the infection.
Under normal circumstances, the AI neural matrix surgery would place the patient into a deep cyberspace dive, digitizing their consciousness to shield them from the excruciating pain of the procedure.
After all, the AI device would invade the patient's neural network, forcibly separating data—a process likened to scraping soft, fragile brain tissue with icy, sharp blades. Every cut brought soul-wrenching agony.
But Song Zhaomei had bypassed this safeguard, forcibly connecting the high-speed cables and initiating the matrix procedure on herself. Without entering the protective cyberspace state, she bore the torment of the surgery alone.
Her mind had already pushed her pain compiler to its maximum capacity. Yet the onslaught of dizziness, stabbing pain, and tinnitus was rapidly breaking down her will.
This torturous surgery had only just begun, but Song Zhaomei already wanted it to end. She longed to escape the agony, even if it meant hastening her death.
"Don't, Song Zhaomei! You're so close to freedom—just one more step! LA Corporation can save you," V urged, his voice resolute.
"Mr. Li Ang isn't a ruthless dictator like Myers , and LA Corporation isn't the Central Intelligence Bureau you despise. The world has changed—it can still embrace a free spirit like you!"
"Believe me this once, I promise you!"
V's palm, cradling the back of Song Zhaomei's head, was wet and sticky. These were her tears.
But Song Zhaomei, who had undergone cybernetic eye surgery, shouldn't have been able to cry this much. Artificial tear ducts didn't function like natural ones.
The liquid staining V's hand could only be a mix of blood and tears—evidence of the catastrophic impact of the Blackwall data on her brain.
The faint red light of the console's warning lamps illuminated V's bloodied hands, though he hadn't yet realized the extent of Song Zhaomei's injuries.
However, his heartfelt assurances did not rekindle Song Zhaomei's hope. If anything, they deepened her despair.
She had heard countless promises like this during her time at the Intelligence Bureau. Whether it was from Myers or Reed, no one ever kept their word. They all merely sought to exploit her for their own ends.
To Song Zhaomei, even the sincere V was no different from Reed, who had once persuaded her to stay at the Bureau. He was acting out of self-interest.
As she gazed at V with disillusionment, Song Zhaomei stopped sobbing. Broken and resigned, she reached out with trembling hands.
She gripped the cable at the back of her head, preparing to forcibly disconnect it and end the matrix surgery. If V wouldn't grant her release, she would do it herself.
The moment she tugged at the cable, an excruciating pain seared through her head.
It felt as though a spike had been driven into her skull, sending shockwaves of agony through her nervous system. Song Zhaomei nearly blacked out, her ears ringing like countless bells clanging in unison.
Realizing her intent, V quickly stopped her from removing the cable.
In that moment of crisis, V questioned his own actions. If all Song Zhaomei wanted was freedom, why couldn't he grant her that final release?
But within a second, V dismissed the thought. He couldn't give up on a life so easily.
Living was always better than dying. At least, he wouldn't let Song Zhaomei die by his hand.
Observing her actions, V deduced that the cable connected to the AI neural matrix device—the only thing sustaining her life.
If Song Zhaomei pulled it out, she would die instantly, beyond saving.
"Song Zhaomei, hold on! The company's medical team is on its way!" V shouted, tightening the cable into its slot. The action caused her another surge of pain.
"V, I'll hate you for this..." Song Zhaomei murmured weakly, her words a feeble protest. She knew they carried no weight with V, but it was all she could muster.
[WARNING: TARGET ICE SYSTEM COLLAPSED!]
Suddenly, a flood of error messages appeared in V's interface. Song Zhaomei's ICE (Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics) system had completely failed.
Her last line of defense against the Blackwall infection was gone.
Perhaps her earlier attempt to remove the cable had worsened her condition, pushing her fragile ICE system past its breaking point.
It was the final straw.
Before V could react, Song Zhaomei's body convulsed violently, her eyes rolling back as if struck by a powerful electric shock.
Song Zhaomei was now in the final countdown to death.
"Song Zhaomei!"
V slapped her cheeks, trying to keep her conscious. Only then did he realize the bloody handprint he had left on her face.
"What's happening?!"
Reed and Alex rushed to V's side, alarmed by his shouts. When they saw Song Zhaomei's pale, blood-streaked face, they froze in shock.
After V explained the situation, they grasped how dire her condition truly was.
"Song Zhaomei's ICE system has been completely breached by Blackwall data. Unless the AI neural matrix device is fully activated, she won't survive," V said through gritted teeth.
"But none of us know how to operate this thing!"
In his frustration, V punched the console, leaving a deep dent.
He could only watch as Song Zhaomei slipped away before his eyes.
The room fell into a suffocating silence, the weight of despair crushing them.
"Looks like... there's no saving Song after all," Reed muttered grimly.
Reed buried his face in his hands, sighing sorrowfully. He had long anticipated the worst outcome, but now that it had truly come to pass, he felt as though his very soul had been suddenly ripped from his body.
His entire being weakened, his legs nearly losing the strength to support him.
With his faith and his beloved apprentice crumbling on the same day, Reed was overcome by an excruciating pain that seemed to pierce his very core, leaving him gasping for breath.
[V, the AI White Queen in your head can temporarily serve as a neural matrix device to sustain Song Zhaomei's life. However, doing this may also trigger the Relic chip's download program to restart.]
[In other words, you'll be risking your own life to save hers. I doubt you'll die, but the consequences might make death seem preferable.]
[Your call.]
Just as everyone was on the verge of giving up on saving Song Zhaomei, the long-silent Johnny Silverhand couldn't help but speak up to V.
Initially, Johnny had no intention of intervening. After all, Song Zhaomei was neither friend nor ally to him or V—in fact, she'd even tried to exploit V at one point.
But seeing V's grief-stricken and conflicted expression softened Johnny's resolve. He knew that if Song Zhaomei were to die in front of V, the guilt would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Living with guilt was the surest way to break a person's spirit.
"Right! Of course!" V suddenly realized. He still had the AI White Queen. With its help, he could purge the Blackwall data from Song Zhaomei.
Even if it meant enduring backlash from the Relic chip, so what? LA Corp's rescue team was almost here—he could hold out for that brief moment.
After briefing Reed and Alex on his plan, V immediately connected his nanowire to Song Zhaomei's neural port.
Within moments, V successfully linked to Song Zhaomei's cyberbrain and activated the functionality of the codex 6 device.
This time, however, V wasn't using the device to cause destruction. Instead, he directed the AI White Queen to perform something akin to neural surgery.
Previously, Li Ang had upgraded the White Queen and granted V access to some of its functions. Directing the AI to follow specific instructions was well within his capabilities.
Click!
The instant V connected his nanowire to Song Zhaomei, Blackwall infection data surged into his body like an aggressive virus, drawn to a new host.
But with the White Queen in place, the invasive data was immediately consumed and eradicated upon entry.
The White Queen then entered Song Zhaomei's brain, swiftly constructing a neural matrix to block further Blackwall infection.
"Argh... Relic is activating! The pain! It feels like my head is splitting open!"
As the AI White Queen shifted its focus to Song Zhaomei, the stalled Relic chip resumed its download process. Stuck at 50% for so long, it now advanced by 1% every 10 seconds, leaving V with very little time.
The reactivation triggered a sharp pain in V's head, accompanied by nosebleeds, dizziness, and a sensation that his very soul was being torn apart. His hearing was drowned in static, his vision flickered uncontrollably, and his synapses felt ready to burst.
Though Reed and Alex shouted urgently at V, their words were lost amidst the cacophony in his mind.
Johnny had been right—this was worse than death.
"V, just hold on for two more minutes! The rescue team is almost here!"
Reed and Alex tried to steady V's trembling body, deeply moved by his selflessness. Song Zhaomei was practically a stranger to V, yet he was risking his life to save her.
People like V, with such unwavering loyalty, were a rarity.
[V, you're the gutsiest man I've ever met. No contest.]
Johnny Silverhand, in contrast, seemed less panicked. He knew the Relic chip wasn't going to kill V outright, though the pain was inevitable. Saving lives always came with a price.
Hearing Johnny's rare praise, V merely smiled faintly, despite his anguish. He didn't fully understand his own motivation—was it to fulfill Li Ang 's task, or simple pity for this broken little bird?
Whatever the reason, he had no regrets about his choices, even if they turned out to be wrong.
But V was reaching his limit. His body and brain were on the verge of collapse under the Relic chip's torment. If this continued, he would lose consciousness like Song Zhaomei.
At that moment, Reed heard urgent footsteps approaching. His training allowed him to quickly assess the size of the incoming group—about 30 individuals, moving rapidly.
He and Alex turned to see Morgan Blackhand leading a team of soldiers. These were no ordinary troops; each member was over two meters tall, with an agility far beyond human norms.
These were Astartes warriors from Arasaka's "Iron Hands" division, their bodies enhanced through advanced surgeries.
Morgan wasted no time. He ordered Reed and Alex to be restrained and taken into custody without explanation.
As for the kneeling, pain-stricken V, Morgan gave him a knowing pat on the shoulder.
"V, it looks like you managed to save the broken bird. Leave the rest to me. I'm taking you back to HQ for a secret upgrade. When you wake up, everything will be different."
V barely registered Morgan's words through the relentless pain. All he could muster was a weak plea:
"Morgan... Tell Li Ang ... Give Song Zhaomei a chance... I promised her..."
Morgan smiled faintly at V's determination. "You can tell him yourself. Now, shut up and rest."
With that, Morgan barked orders at his men to carry V out. Soon, V and Song Zhaomei were safely disconnected and taken to waiting medevac vehicles.
---
In the aftermath of the operation, peace returned to Dogtown, and key players met their fates.
Myers , the meddling president, was dead. Dogtown's warlords were gone. Song Zhaomei, though battered, was alive.
In the LA Company headquarters, Li Ang stood alone in the grand hall, finally able to relax. His corporate empire had triumphed, securing dominance over all competitors.
From this moment on, Li Ang was no longer just a player in the game—he was the ultimate ruler of the cyberpunk world.
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