Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 877. The Lark, Song Zhaomei

As the NCPD and Carl's team began their operation, Bennett and Gago, who had already received Hansen's detailed plan and understood what to do next, realized Hansen's purpose in detonating the reactor.

Colonel Hansen's intention was not merely to destroy the invasion of New America, but also to use public opinion to hold New America responsible for the reactor detonation, and to use the global pressure to force Rosalind Myers to step down.

The logic is simple: the reactor belongs to Hansen, and once it is detonated, it will inevitably affect his soldiers and civilians, and may even destroy most of Dogtown.

In the public eye, Hansen, as the 'King of Dogtown,' had no reason to destroy his own foundation. Therefore, if the stadium exploded, everyone would ask: Who broke in and destroyed the reactor?
Could it be that Hansen had planned to go down with the reactor and modified it himself?

There seems to be only one answer: the new United States took a reckless military action to ensure the elimination of Hansen, and this misconduct led to the reactor explosion.

After all, the reactor was perfectly stable when you new America weren't here. Why did you have to come at this particular time, and then the reactor had a problem and caused a nuclear explosion? How could it be such a coincidence?

At that time, Hansen only needs to present a series of pre-fabricated 'evidence' and stage a 'hero's lucky escape' drama to easily occupy the moral high ground.

More importantly, he will use this to ignite the vengeful fury of the 'Ghost Hound' and truly unite the people – after all, many soldiers' homes are located around the stadium, and their homes and loved ones have been destroyed by the new America, so how can they not fight back to the death?
Some might question: Didn't Hansen detonate it himself?
However, in the international arena, the voices of the two sides are not even in the same league.

Even with his bad reputation, Hansen's reputation was relative to the new America. He betrayed his homeland and ruled Dogtown, and although his methods were harsh, they were considered effective. He built international connections through the arms trade, and although his image was complex, he was by no means a madman.

And what about Rosalind Myers? She is already widely regarded as an FXS advocate, known for her ruthless methods and brutal behavior, with a series of extreme actions in the past as evidence—in the eyes of the international community, she is entirely capable of doing such a thing.

Hansen had long planned to use his escape from the nuclear explosion as a pretext to attack Rosalind Miles.

He never intended to fight Rosalind Miles to the death today. There was no benefit for him in risking his life against Rosalind Miles. All he wanted was for Rosalind Miles to submit.

If the leverage he has isn't enough to make Rosalind Miles submit, then he'll bet even more.

By then, with her elite troops depleted, Washington launching attacks, and the international situation in dire straits, what could Rosalind Myers, whose weaknesses were still firmly in Hansen's hands, possibly do?

The new US president is already in his grasp.

With a touch of smugness in his heart, Hansen glanced at the lark that he carried with him.

When Lark first approached him for cooperation, she hoped to use the neural matrix beneath Dogtown Stadium to heal herself. After falling out with New America, Hansen did indeed have some ideas about treating Lark. After all, without leverage, dealing with the new US president would not be so easy. Moreover, Lark was indeed a highly skilled hacker, and there were few in the world who could compare to her. It would be best if she could be healed.

However, all of this came to naught due to the obstacles posed by the new America.

Hansen had agreed to buy the activation code for the Neural Matrix from two hackers, but the two hackers suddenly disappeared while wandering around Dogtown. Hansen knew without a doubt that it was the FBI's doing. With the disappearance of the two hackers, the Lark was now just a walking corpse waiting to die, barely retaining any consciousness.

Hansen didn't pay much attention to this 'hostage,' who had only a last shred of value left. He had originally planned to use her to extract more leverage after the successful nuclear test and forcing Rosalind Miles to submit. The only reason the lark was still alive was as a bargaining chip in this deal that hadn't been fully exploited. She just needed to live for a few more days—Hansen didn't care how she lived.

Clearly, the lark beside Hansen knew this too, but without the neural matrix activation code, she couldn't unlock the neural matrix. Even if she reacted and made a last-ditch effort to detonate the 'Black Wall' nuclear bomb and connect to it regardless of the consequences, what good would it do?

She knew that if it were exposed that she had taken action against the Black Wall under the control of the new United States, the whole world would want her dead.

The internet surveillance system, which sees the Black Wall as its lifeblood, will not let her go, and the new America that has transformed her into a tool will not lend a hand. Even if they successfully 'reclaim' her, they will only continue to treat her as a weapon—which will only slightly prolong her death. Given the extent of her transformation, she will not live much longer.

The reason why Adam's Hammer is so famous, and why there has only been one Adam's Hammer over the years, is because it is special.

He is truly unique.

Even if the direction of the transformation is different, the lark cannot transform its entire body into machinery like him.

She was nearing her limit; in fact, the previous transformation and the erosion caused by passing through the black wall had already pushed her to the brink of collapse.

She was like a camel already overburdened, its back piled high with straw, just one last straw to fall before it would collapse completely and plunge into an irreversible end.

Moreover, Rosalind Myers has already taken action.

Based on her understanding of the new US president, Lark had no doubt that she had already been put on the purge list, and her death would only be one less piece of leverage for her—something Rosalind didn't hesitate to do at all.

No matter which way she goes, it seems there is only one path: death. Even if she desperately tries to connect with the black wall, given her current state, she will only be quickly devoured and completely annihilated. Since that's the case, it's better to stay with Hansen and wait for the end to come.

At least here, she can still enjoy a moment of illusory 'protection'.

He still had value to Hansen, and Hansen had no interest in killing him; that was enough for him now.

At least before consciousness completely dissipates, one can barely pick up those memories that have been blurred and fragmented by the modification surgery, and take a look back at the past that belongs to 'oneself' that has been almost completely forgotten.

Lark.
Song Zhaomei.

How far will I go before I forget even the name Song Zhaomei?

Perhaps, it won't be long.

(End of this chapter)