Plans changed

Delamain's headquarters smart factory.

From the outside, little seemed to have changed, but the interior had already undergone several rounds of renovation and iteration, completely moving beyond the scope of a mere car factory.

If corporate people saw the three fully automated unmanned mechanical production lines inside, they would probably think someone was preparing to start the Fifth Corporate War.

Chen Nuo was currently improving and integrating new kinetic auxiliary equipment for himself; the original rocket pack was a bit outdated, and now it could be replaced with the arc pulse cannon designed by Tony.

This thing was more compact and convenient, and could even be used as a weapon when necessary, packing quite a punch.

Furthermore, combined with titan's neural link technology, it moved away from traditional mechanical control to being controlled by brain waves, making operations more precise and rapid.

As for energy consumption, there was no need to worry; Chen Nuo could simply hand-craft a second-generation miniature reactor.

"The woman has been locked on; she went to the Afterlife Bar."

Sasha, sitting on the Netrunner chair nearby, sent a message to Chen Nuo.

"As expected?"

Chen Nuo stopped what he was doing.

The woman Sasha referred to was, naturally, Evelyn.

From the moment they met, Chen Nuo had secretly implanted her with a daemon designed by Sasha. It was used for tracking and gathering intelligence; it wasn't lethal, but it was exceptionally stealthy.

The goal was to find out who was supporting Evelyn behind the scenes, giving her the audacity to bypass the Voodoo Boys and work alone.

No matter how one thought about it, it was puzzling: how could a Sex Doll possibly get in touch with Netwatch? Was she really not afraid of being eaten alive?

Someone who had struggled up from the bottom of Night City shouldn't be so naive.

And Dexter DeShawn, that fat black guy—he had been hiding outside Night City and didn't dare return. Why did he suddenly have the guts to come back now? Who helped him settle things?

And who acted as the middleman for T-Bug, one of Night City's top Netrunners?

In Night City, there weren't many people Chen Nuo could think of with that kind of network and influence, and Rogue happened to be one of them.

Moreover, she had a motive to do so.

She might not know exactly what the Relic chip was, but she likely knew it had something to do with Johnny.

Because the Voodoo Boys' goal in seeking the Relic chip was to use it as a stepping stone to establish a connection with "Alt" beyond the Blackwall, asking her to help realize their vision of collective cyber-transcendence.

As for who Alt was?

She was Johnny's girlfriend, an extremely powerful Netrunner who had worked at ITS Corporation and became the Director of Software Development. During her tenure, she independently wrote a program that could fully house an AI personality.

An accident led her to discover that the program had the ability to store human memories and even carry a complete consciousness.

Unfortunately, the program was discovered by the Arasaka Corporation. The company kidnapped Alt and forced her to optimize the program, which was named "Soulkiller."

The rest of the story involved Johnny leading a group of companions to storm Arasaka Tower; they were almost successful.

However, due to a small accident, Alt's physical body was destroyed, and her consciousness was left floating in the data streams of Mikoshi.

After a series of subsequent events, Alt eventually became one of the most powerful "entities" beyond the Blackwall.

What people called a rogue AI.

Evelyn clearly didn't know any of this information; all she knew was that the Relic chip was very valuable.

Unwilling to just provide intelligence to the Voodoo Boys for a pittance, she planned to find someone to pull off this job herself, betting big in hopes of a total turnaround.

To this, Chen Nuo could only say her courage was commendable.

This girl didn't realize at all that the Voodoo Boys never intended for her to live; they had planted a bomb in her head from the very beginning.

However, Evelyn's move was a stroke of luck that bought her more time to live. Otherwise, the moment she handed the intel over to the Voodoo Boys would have been the moment of her death.

For a Sex Doll, the best helper Evelyn could think of was the Queen of the Afterlife.

If nothing else, Rogue's reputation on the streets was solid; there were no rumors of her double-crossing anyone.

But after hearing Evelyn's story, Rogue realized this matter was even more dangerous than she had imagined.

The ever-cautious Rogue didn't plan to get involved personally, so she recommended another fixer to her.

It was Dexter, who was once a hotshot in Night City.

Chen Nuo overheard the conversation between the two at the Afterlife Bar using the implanted daemon.

The Relic chip was indeed a good thing.

Based on personality transfer technology, it converted human nervous system data into digital imprints stored on a chip.

It was practically a key to the gates of immortality.

At best, it could achieve reincarnation; at worst, it could attempt cyber-transcendence, fully digitizing consciousness.

Alt and Johnny were two prime examples.

As for whether there were any hidden dangers, it didn't matter. Technology could advance, and Chen Nuo was still young, with plenty of time for improvements and iterations.

Even if he didn't use it himself, he could give it to others.

Putting the Relic chip itself aside, the consciousness stored inside was valuable enough.

Just as the Voodoo Boys thought, Johnny was indeed Alt's last link to reality.

Using Johnny really could influence Alt.

The latter could be called a new god of the cyber world, possessing power enough to overturn the world.

As for how to get the Relic chip, there was no rush. He could just let Evelyn scramble for it. Arasaka. had already tacitly allowed all of this to happen.

As long as the Relic chip didn't fall into Arasaka Saburo's hands, he could accept whoever took it.

Otherwise, how many people could hide under Adam Smasher's nose?

"I'm leaving this mission to you. Keep an eye on Evelyn and don't let anyone kill her,"

Chen Nuo said to Valerie nearby.

It was curious to wonder where Dexter would find new suckers without Jackie and Valerie joining in.

Would they be world-famous or nobodies?

The fat black guy had a silver tongue; he could make people go to their deaths willingly.

Dead is dead. What does it matter if you become a drink on the Afterlife Bar's menu? You won't be around to drink it anyway.

Valerie was a bit excited after receiving the mission from Chen Nuo.

Although the difficulty sounded low—just tailing a Sex Doll—it was, after all, her first solo operation.

"What are you doing?"

Chen Nuo glanced at the fully armed Valerie; anyone who didn't know better would think she was going to the front lines.

"What, is there a problem?"

Valerie said as she kept stuffing frag grenades into her pockets, not seeing any issue.

She had just witnessed a major scene with Chen Nuo not long ago, which had left a deep impression on her, causing a bit of a shift in her perception.

"I'm just asking you to tail and protect someone. With this setup, are you trying to attract attention? Just bring a couple of small gadgets."

Chen Nuo was a bit speechless.

"Oh."

Valerie was very receptive to advice.

"Go to Viktor later to upgrade your ICE."

Chen Nuo added.

Normally, the Voodoo Boys shouldn't find Evelyn so quickly, but you never know. It was better to give Valerie some insurance.

The members of the Voodoo Boys weren't strong individually, and there weren't many of them, but almost all were Netrunners, so she had to be on guard.

A few days passed in a flash.

What Chen Nuo didn't expect was that he had overestimated Dexter's abilities.

He had indeed been a hotshot fixer in the past, but after hiding away for all these years, many people no longer respected him.

The Edgerunners who used to work for Dexter were either dead or had moved on to other fixers.

The past was the past; the present was the present.

Dexter was now nothing more than a name.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to find two rookies to do the job.

Everything had been planned properly, just waiting for the Maelstrom to deliver the goods.

That was the Militech experimental robot called "Flathead," intended for the most crucial stealth and net intrusion work of the entire operation.

As for how Militech equipment ended up in the hands of the Maelstrom?

Naturally, the Maelstrom members had performed their traditional "five-finger discount."

But who would have thought? After the money was paid, internal strife broke out within the Maelstrom. The original leader, Brick, was overthrown, and Royce became the new leader.

They took the money but wouldn't give up the goods.

This turn of events made Dexter's head spin; he didn't have the money to buy it again.

He could only send the two rookies he found to negotiate with the Maelstrom, hoping to get it cheaper if nothing else.

Then, Dexter received a package from the Maelstrom containing two heads with eyes wide open in death.

Not everyone had the ability to negotiate with those psychos in the Maelstrom, nor did everyone have the capability to fight their way out of a Maelstrom hideout.

Originally, the job Dexter gave these two rookies was the simplest part: just disguise themselves to enter Konpeki Plaza. T-Bug and himself would handle the rest.

You ask why Dexter didn't go negotiate with the Maelstrom himself?

You're joking. The rookies didn't know how dangerous the Maelstrom was, but did he not know?

Upon learning that Brick was dead, Dexter knew things were going south. Sending the two rookies was just a gamble.

Now, he had lost both his investment and his men. Without the "Flathead," they couldn't breach Konpeki Plaza's security system, making the heist impossible.

The failure of the job had a huge impact on Dexter; his career as a fixer was likely ruined. But for Evelyn, it was life-threatening.

For this operation, she had played the Voodoo Boys. If she lost Netwatch's protection, she would truly find it hard even to die.

Now, the only ones Evelyn could think of to protect her were the Moxes.

But for a member who was always thinking of leaving the gang, Suzie had no interest in helping her. The only one who would be anxious and worried was Evelyn's ex-girlfriend... in Judy's apartment.

"What kind of trouble did you get into?"

Judy looked at the distraught Evelyn and couldn't help but grab her shoulders and demand an answer.

"Don't ask too much. Just let me rest here for a while."

Evelyn didn't want to explain further; knowing those things wouldn't be good for Judy. She just wanted a temporary place to catch her breath and see if things would turn around.

Dexter was still trying to communicate with the Maelstrom, but she didn't know how much patience Netwatch had left.

"Whatever..."

Judy was very annoyed. She had just finished half a harsh sentence when Evelyn, sitting on the bed, suddenly lost focus in her eyes. Her body began to twitch violently, and painful wails came from her throat.

"Evelyn?!"

Judy panicked instantly and moved to support Evelyn, but was pushed away by the out-of-control woman.

"Help... help me..."

Evelyn still had some consciousness, but she had completely lost control of her body.

Without Netwatch's protection, the Voodoo Boys had finally found Evelyn and launched a cyberattack.

You should know that the damage a network virus does to a person basically depends on your cybernetic implant rate. Clearly, as a top Sex Doll, Evelyn didn't have much original equipment left in her body.

"Hang in there, Evelyn. I'll find someone to save you right now."

Judy probably guessed what Evelyn was going through, but seeing her state, she knew ordinary medical supplies wouldn't work, so she hurriedly dialed emergency services.

But just as she heard the customer service voice, the apartment door opened.

Someone had hacked the apartment's security system.

The sudden sound of footsteps made Judy's heart tighten. Realizing the danger, she hurriedly opened a drawer and took out a pistol.

"We only want Evelyn. Just hand her over."

A strange voice came from outside the bedroom.

If Judy were to peek out now, she would see that the intruders were members of the Voodoo Boys.

Their Haitian identity, paired with their conspicuous Netrunner gear, dreadlocks, bone ornaments, and mysterious tattoos, made them incredibly easy to identify.

If Evelyn were hiding in Clouds, the Voodoo Boys might have had some reservations. After all, that was Tyger Claws territory, and they wouldn't dare come to track her down offline.

But hiding in Judy's apartment, there was nothing to worry about.

Evelyn herself hadn't expected the Voodoo Boys to find her so quickly. She thought she would have a little more time, but she had clearly overestimated her importance to Netwatch.

"You want Evelyn? Come and get her!"

Judy shouted angrily, trying to attract the attention of other residents in the apartment building, but the people living here were all mind-their-own-business types.

Just as she gripped her pistol, ready to fight to the death, unexpected gunshots rang out in the living room, followed by the sound of heavy objects hitting the floor.

Before Judy could realize what was happening, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open. Judy reflexively raised her gun to fire, but the person at the door reacted faster, grabbing her wrist and pushing the muzzle upward.

"Calm down. My name is Valerie, I'm with BT."

Valerie identified herself while restraining Judy.

"BT?"

Judy froze for a moment, her resistance weakening instantly, and the gun was taken by Valerie.

"You can call him now to verify, but before that, I need to cool this one down first. You don't want her brain to be fried, do you?"

Valerie said, pointing at Evelyn, who was still twitching on the floor.

As for the cooling method, it was simple: throw her directly into the bathtub and use ice water for physical cooling.