Chapter 648 - 619: The Opportunity for a Surprise Attack

Bang!

The small server unit behind Lille’s wheelchair suddenly exploded!

In cyberspace, a violent black wave swept through all the networks and devices involved in the attack, like an unstoppable tide, destroying all facilities and equipment, leaving a mess behind.

Fortunately, Lille reacted quickly—

Munemasa issued a warning immediately, and Lille was very familiar with this kind of attack:

The Black Wall!

Honestly, Munemasa’s warning was a bit late, but Lille was more cautious because he had identified the attacker.

Lark, a character from the original "Cyberpunk 2077," belonged to the New America Intelligence Department, directly under the President, and was also a big weapon jointly developed by New America and Military Technology—

She was caught in hacker activities at a young age by New America, where her potential was discovered, and she was recruited to become an official hacker, not only executing the most dangerous hacking activities but also assisting in the development of the old web, using the most advanced implants and computing technology equipment.

After the old web, the most advanced networking technology was AI technology; this chick’s specialty was tinkering with the Black Wall, breaking through the Black Wall, and interfacing with AI.

This work experience, backed by a wealth of military implants from Military Technology, made her one of the top network techs of this generation—

Of course, in terms of network technology, Network Surveillance was the sole top organization of this era. Lark was very bold; her technology and equipment were good, but when tinkering with AI, the Black Wall from Network Surveillance couldn’t be avoided.

Based on her AI, she developed a very potent network attack, using her resident AI to induce Black Wall attacks, directing network attacks toward the enemy she needed to target. The most powerful creation of this era’s network technology—the Black Wall—would completely eliminate the enemy as if they were AI.

Lille was not only familiar with this attack in the game but had also played it himself—

Moreover, his method was more controllable because Lark needed to use her unstable and uncontrollable AI to complete the gateway connection, while Lille had tried this operation in Atlanta. Although the scale was not large and the destructive power was limited:

Lark’s use of the Black Wall gateway would cause the Black Wall to erupt fully on the line, completely burning and penetrating electronic equipment, but Lille’s initial application only caused signal blockage and delays.

However, the former might go crazy or lose self-awareness at any time; the latter was still fine. If it wasn’t for fearing being tangled by Network Surveillance, he would have wrecked havoc using the Black Wall long ago.

So when Lille saw that peculiar mechanical brain-bird data body and received that inexplicable communication, he immediately realized that the attacker was Lark.

In the original, Lark’s consciousness was eroded by the AI inside her body, and New America had no intention of reversing her condition. President Miles even hoped to use her as a cyber weapon, permanently storing her in New America’s secret arsenal as a weapon unknown to the outside world.

Lark also realized this, so she began seeking self-rescue methods, partnering with Dog Town’s boss Kurt Hansen, aiming for an underground Military Technology AI project buried in Dog Town, hoping to steal it and then go to the Moon to meet her contact and cure herself.

In the original, this plan deceived many people. First, she betrayed the President, revealing his itinerary to Hansen, causing Hansen to launch anti-aircraft missiles directly at Air Force One, forcing it to land at Dog Town;

Second, she deceived Hansen. Hansen hired Lark at a high price to help him recover the underground AI project, hoping to use it to become a reputable figure instead of his current dubious status. In the end, little did he know, Lark was targeting that project.

Lastly, she found a mercenary also suffering from technical erosion, hoping to survive, which was V from the original, a person cornered by the relic chip, deceiving V that this technology could save them both when it could actually only save one person—that person being Lark herself.

Obviously, due to Lille’s various actions over the past year, the plot had undergone significant changes. First, it was now the end of 2076, and second, the original plot’s starting point was Arasaka Saburo’s sudden death, which hadn’t happened now.

However, this woman’s actions were still based on the desire to survive, which was definitely unchanged—she just arrived at Dog Town a year early, and a different situation wouldn’t change her existing in Hell waiting to die.

So Lille concluded that no matter what she said, there was definitely an element of deception in it.

It definitely wasn’t due to being overwhelmed—

[Munemasa: That’s the Black Wall! We almost got burned!]

Lille lifted his hanging head. The wheelchair’s shell sprung open, and red-hot cooling fins fell off one after another.

Disengagement had started the moment Lark sent the message, and the subsequent attacks were probing, or else it would have been difficult to retreat unscathed.

"Damn..."

V, sitting on the sofa, covered her head, feeling the world spinning in front of her, nausea continually assaulting her brain. She touched her neural interface but found some device attached to it.

Looking at Lille, whose originally human-like form now had most of its circuits flickering with weak currents, he looked more like a robot.

"Was I attacked?"

Lille nodded, indicating for Jack to replace his cooling fins and portable server. "Dog Town is really a hidden dragon and crouching tiger place now. Although the commotion was big, the opponent didn’t succeed. The competition wasn’t disrupted, but we still need to investigate their exact location."

"Damn..." V shook her head, "When are we hitting back?"

"No rush on that..."

[Sss—]

[Contact: Fiona]

[Fiona: The game is over! Your little star performed well! Some teams are interested!]

[Fiona: Also, some...colleagues want me to give them some technical and equipment advice. You’ve achieved your goal; many are asking about Matt’s prosthetics...]

[Fiona: Luxor Sports Academy is back alive!]

[Sss—]

[Sender: Mr. Hans]

[Mr. Hans: I have the breakthrough and intel you want. If you want to take down Long Beach Junkyard... I can provide some necessary assistance.]

[Mr. Hans: But first, I want to know what just happened?]

The battle in cyberspace and the eruption of the Black Wall made multiple lines in Dog Town waste away instantly. It was now dusk, and in the streets of Dog Town, which originally had few public streetlights, now not a single light was on, incredibly dark.

Many homeless people affected by the attack lay paralyzed from prosthetics errors on the streets, Netherworld Dog soldiers scattered around. The officers and elite soldiers who could still stand kept calling headquarters, but due to severe electromagnetic turbulence, could only barely communicate, shouting furiously.

Naked wires kept sparking, high temperatures burned insulation covers and sleeves, a stench spread, and flames grew more intense in the darkness...

Everyone would ponder one question:

Why does fire follow the Burger King wherever he goes?

[Lille: Something bad happened.]

[Mr. Hans: ...]

[Lille: Forget about helping with Long Beach Junkyard. Before I came to Dog Town, I heard there was a world-renowned club, Jewel Azure Nightclub. Get me some invitations.]

[Lille: Hansen needs to understand the situation now. If he doesn’t, you explain it to him.]

As for why no help was needed for Long Beach Junkyard...

Lark’s physical address initiating the attack was near Long Beach Junkyard, making it the most affected area—

The electronic equipment there would be paralyzed by severe electromagnetic turbulence, and considering the place was full of trash, a fire might have already broken out.

Now was the best time to attack.

Lille removed the protective device from V’s neural interface: "We attack Long Beach Junkyard, now we strike the Scavenger."