Cyberpunk: I didn't cheat.

Vincent put the thing back in the car and lit a cigarette.

"Remember this, the new rules for the Badlands Highway: don't stop V-class vehicles indiscriminately from now on."

A few minutes later, the engine roared up again, the truck's tires rolled over the gravel on the road, steadily bypassed the fallen roadblock, and sped into the night.

A nighttime robbery by five men ultimately becomes Vincent's easy show.

Chapter 113 Seclusion and Away from the World

Night City, company plaza apartment room.

Valerie was in her custom-designed Hacker Room, a space isolated from all the noise of Night City. There was no extra light, only a suspended holographic screen emitting a cold blue glow, layer upon layer covering the entire wall.

The temperature control system is kept constant in the zero-degree range, and the air is dry and cold, which is Valerie's favorite temperature when she is doing her hacking work.

Valerie sat quietly at the computer desk next to the hacker chair, her figure hidden in the boundary between cold light and shadow.

Her fingertips rested lightly on the computer keyboard, her expression calm, yet the aura surrounding her exuded the ruthless control, precision, and absolute dominance unique to Arasaka, a top-tier technocrat.

Ever since being targeted by Pan Xianming, having her private data accessed without her consent by the security department, and having her communication records checked beyond her authority, Valerie knew that the most intense part of this struggle was about to begin.

The Counterintelligence Department, responsible for internal screening and tracing the source of external enemies, is the core of the tower's surveillance. However, the Security Department recently overstepped its authority by taking advantage of the Zhu incident, forcibly taking over half of the internal network's screening permissions, arbitrarily browsing personnel data from various departments, tracking private communications, and targeting so-called suspicious targets, which has long exceeded the boundaries of departmental authority.

This group of armed security personnel, who are accustomed to solving problems with violence, do not understand the rules of cyberspace. They only believe in the power of permission to suppress others, thinking that by holding access control and patrol authority, they can arbitrarily manipulate technical personnel and override the order of the intranet.

They forgot that Arasaka's highest line of defense was never guns or armor, but Arasaka Hacker's data stream.

When the top brass on both sides were fighting, they targeted each other's subordinates, trying to bully the weak. They forgot that this dark web was Valerie's home turf.

Valerie wasn't one of those young minions sent to the old internet to mine for gold; she was a top genius who fought her way out of the online battles.

Valerie lay down on the hacker chair and plugged in the connection.

Without deafening attacks or flashy hacking effects, top internet runners' intrusions are always minimalist, deadly, and traceless.

Valerie's virtual personal license key acts like an invisible key, silently tearing through the secondary barrier of the internal network that the security department built without authorization, penetrating layers of encrypted nodes, and reaching the core of the other party's exclusive database.

What takes an average internet runner five minutes to breach, she can do in just three seconds.

The rapidly scrolling encrypted code in front of me was instantly decrypted, disassembled, and reassembled, and the densely packed confidential files shed their layers of disguise, exposed to the cold light without any concealment.

The security department's unauthorized records over the past month and a half, the unauthorized access to personnel privacy data, the arbitrary "suspicious lists," and the cross-departmental monitoring logs have all come to light.

Valerie's gaze swept indifferently over the lines of data, her eyes filled with only cold scrutiny.

She precisely screened and quickly categorized the evidence, categorizing and archiving all the evidence as her virtual arm waved: the security department's overreach in interfering with counterintelligence screening, illegal monitoring of internal technical personnel, abuse of intranet permissions to privately investigate classified projects, and wanton suppression of dissidents under the guise of maintaining stability.

Each record is accompanied by a precise timestamp, permission code, and operator ID, providing irrefutable evidence.

Valerie also discovered some interesting information: the dead Yoshitaka Sato had directly mobilized the security team he commanded to die along with him on Crecker Street.

Their operation was to capture a mysterious assassin codenamed V1, nicknamed "Square Head." The gun that was stuck in Yoshitaka Sato's head when he died belonged to Square Head.

Furthermore, the person who took over Yoshitaka Sato's position recently issued a new tracking order to investigate the true identity of the Cube Head. A hacker has already sold a piece of information to Arasaka, and Valerie downloaded a copy of the information.

Valeries switched data ports, operating in parallel on two fronts: one to gather evidence of internal violations, and the other to penetrate the corporate intranet isolation wall and precisely extract the core secrets of Arasaka's various rival companies.

Countless top-secret intelligence messages flooded into her private encrypted cloud without leaving a trace. The opponent's top-level firewall, anti-intrusion system, and source tracking program were rendered useless by her technical prowess, and even the breach alarms were not triggered in time.

She is not a street hacker who indiscriminately steals data. She is a top-notch network runner trained by Arasaka. She is familiar with all the vulnerabilities, encryption logic, and permission blind spots of the corporate intranet. Every intrusion is precisely placed in the gaps of the rules, clean, efficient, and professional, leaving no trace of the source.

With the intelligence gathering complete, the counterattack officially begins.

Valerie retrieved the pre-compiled custom-designed targeted virus and named it [Serves You Right].

This is not a mindless brute-force virus used by cyber terrorists; it will not paralyze the entire network, cause widespread chaos, or leave traceable attack evidence.

This is a precision-guided program she specifically designed for the security systems of companies that overstep their authority. It boasts maximum stealth, is highly targeted, and is extremely lethal.

With a simple tap of her fingertip, the virtual online persona transforms into a silent weapon, delivering data in batches to precisely target every security department member who has overstepped their bounds by checking her data or interfering in counterintelligence work.

No one was overlooked, from staff members to supervisors' assistants, anyone who interfered with the counterintelligence department.

The virus invaded with zero delay and silently took root.

Their system gave no warnings, and everything seemed to be working perfectly.

But in the cyberspace invisible to the naked eye, a precise, one-sided massacre has already taken place.

The security team members' tactical devices began to malfunction silently: the prosthetic eyes scanned erratically, enemy identification was incorrect, communication bands were intermittently disconnected, and the weapon's smart locking system frequently reported errors. The team members on patrol only felt that the devices were malfunctioning and had no idea that it was a specific virus attack.

The office terminals of middle-level managers were compromised. All approval records, authorization logs, and work files were torn up, cleared, and altered by the virus one by one. Years of work experience were instantly ruined, and compliance records were wiped out.

The private information of the security department members who overstepped their authority was precisely extracted. The hidden evidence of their private violations, bribery, and overstepping of authority was sealed and stored separately by Valerie, turning it into a fatal trump card to control the other party.

The entire process is precise and targeted, ensuring no harm is done to the innocent and does not affect the main website of Arasaka. It is a precise strike against all security personnel who cross boundaries, overstep their authority, or act arbitrarily.

Valerie never actively instigated internal strife, but she also never passively endured humiliation.

In Arasaka, a rigidly hierarchical and dog-eat-dog prison, gentleness is the original sin, forbearance is the weakness, and only absolute skill and ruthless methods can secure a place.

On the screen, the fake normal logs, which had been tampered with by the virus, continued to be reorganized, perfectly concealing the entire purge. No one outside knew that in just half an hour, the arrogant and domineering Arasaka Security Department had been silently overturned by a top hacker from the Counterintelligence Department, who had taken down half of its licenses.

Vale left the cyberspace and unplugged the hacker from her head.

She stepped out of the dark room and looked out the window at the endless darkness and neon lights of the city.

"This is a counterattack, from V."

Chapter 114 Noble Person

Night City, the secret underground chamber of Mussol's Manor.

This is one of the few truly private spaces Tommasino has in Night City.

The four walls are reinforced with a thickened alloy sound insulation layer and an embedded signal shielding matrix, rendering all communication, monitoring, and spy camera devices ineffective.

Vito looked around.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Old Tang, are you preparing a shelter for a nuclear winter?"

As he spoke, he knocked on the wall.

"But isn't it a bit too boring here?"

There is no luxurious decoration here, only a minimalist black metal long table and two floor lamps.

"You always have such a unique perspective on issues. Now is a great time to buy biotech stocks at rock-bottom prices. Have you made a move yet?"

Thomasin sat at the table, fiddling with a cigarette with an extended filter in his hands.

"No, this time they're manipulating others, next time they might be manipulated by others. Only the president and his people can really handle stocks."

Vito sat down opposite Thomasino and placed his hands on the table.

"Your body can't handle thick, large cigars, so you've switched to cigarettes?"

Thomasino nearly snapped his cigarette in his hand upon hearing this.

He said with a dark expression.

"Let's get down to business, Vito. We need to talk about something practical. Let's put aside the personal relationships involved in the partnership and just talk about our interests, the rules, and our future together."

"A favor? You didn't give me a single extra penny?"

Thomasino had been tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, the rhythm slow and deliberate, each tap seeming to strike at the heart of the situation, but upon hearing Vito's words, he stopped.

He wanted to sew Vito's mouth shut.

"I didn't stop you from using biotechnology, and I even gave you the explosives and the public opinion to support you, so I guess I went along with your crazy idea."

But I'm telling you clearly today, what you're saying about attacking Arasaka Tower is absolutely impossible at this stage.

Vito was not surprised.

"Oh? Zeta's scared? Well, why did you have to provoke Arasaka for no reason? You might as well just stick to selling computers and pirated prosthetics. I heard you're going to release your own Sianwistan? Forget it, you might as well sell it to Arasaka at a low price for protection."

Thomasinho ignored Vito and continued speaking.

"If you bomb a biotechnology energy hub, it's a regional corporate friction, a farce of power struggle among mid-level capital in Night City. Giant companies can tolerate it, or they can take advantage of the situation to reap the benefits, swallow up competitors' industries, and even use the turmoil to launder gray accounts."

But if you dare to touch Arasaka Tower, you are directly crossing the company's bottom line and provoking a full-scale corporate war.

Arasaka Tower is more than just a building; it is a symbol of power, a technological core, and a capital totem for the Arasaka Group, which is rooted in Night City.

If the tower is attacked, Arasaka will instantly mobilize all the city's armed forces, private soldiers, and assassins to eliminate all related forces at any cost.

Vito pulled a cigarette out of his backside.

"So, Zeta Technology, which claims it can defeat Military Science and Arasaka, is less daring than some bar thug you're talking about?"

Thomasin made no attempt to hide it.

"Zeta Technologies cannot withstand this level of all-out war at this stage."

If we were to get bogged down in yet another corporate war with Arasaka, the only thing that would benefit would be military technology.

Vito lit a cigarette.

"Come on, even petty thugs who arrange street fights know to drag in any onlookers with sticks and beat them up together."

Thomasino lit his cigarette, and the two of them insisted on smoking in the enclosed space.

"Zeta will absolutely not voluntarily get involved in the all-out war between the two giants at this stage. The group's bottom line is clear: no support, no participation, and no involvement with Arasaka Tower."

Therefore, your plan to launch a direct assault on Arasaka Tower will not receive any support from Zeta Technology in the short term.

Vito nodded slightly and said calmly.

“I understand. Capital always avoids risks and seeks profits. Cunning vampires love to wage proxy wars and never get involved themselves easily.”

He was never naively attached to any power, and from the beginning he knew that Tommasino and he were mutually exploiting each other.

Seeing Vito's insightful nature, a subtle appreciation flashed across Tommasino's eyes.

"But I'm not here to discourage you today; I'm here to give you the information you want."

"Speak up, stop beating around the bush. I regret lighting this cigarette and need to go outside for some fresh air."

"Adam Hammer really is in Night City."

"Isn't that nonsense? He's not here, so why should I ask you to look for him?"

"He is currently in Night City, stationed inside the Arasaka Tower, providing full protection for a highly confidential secret experiment in Arasaka. This is a message from my mole."

The specific details of the experiment were completely blocked by Arasaka, with no information leaked on the outside world, and no more than a small team knowing about it internally.

But one thing is certain: this is Arasaka's most important core project recently, and it is precisely for this reason that Arasaka has unveiled his war-themed strategy.

Vito looked at Tommasino, who had a strange smile on his face.

"You just said you wouldn't participate in the Aragaka Tower raid, and now you're trying to lure me with Adam's Hammer, huh?"

Thomasin said with a smile.

"Although we haven't known each other for long, you don't seem like the kind of person who shouts about challenging so-called legends. What grudge do you have against him?"

Vito ignored Tommasino's probing and spoke frankly.

"I can't stand seeing a bunch of brains stuck in a machine. Get me a jet glider. You know what I'm going to do, and I know you old Tang have been itching for it for a long time."

Thomasin said in a low voice.

“Seriously, Vito, you’re more extreme than an extremist. If you manage to get out of here, I’ll personally sponsor you with a nuclear bomb.”

Vito pursed his lips.

"Then I'll drop the nuclear bomb on your estate first."

Thomasin continued to ask.

"Is there anything else you need? I can personally sponsor you something without being investigated."

"Okay, then let's start with two hundred million flowers."

“Vito, you little brat, this is no small matter.”