2077: V really knows how awesome he is

I'm sorry, Aaron, but to avoid bloodshed, I have no choice but to make you bleed.

V thought about it and felt that simply expressing his gratitude in his heart wasn't enough, so he went on stage and beat up Aaron Wiens.

Xu Ling arrived in the afternoon. She had been having a bad day lately, and Kurt Hansen had told her that this place was a good place to relax, so she left all her work to her secretary and came over.

She's a complete weakling; she definitely couldn't beat Aaron Waynes in a head-on fight. But every Chinese person is a martial arts master. Xu Ling can't fight, but she can run. She darted around the ring like she'd eaten an expired synthetic meat burger. Aaron Waynes was so tired he could practically stick his tongue out, but he still couldn't catch her.

“Xu Ling’s boxing isn’t real boxing, it’s just pure recklessness. Should I make her come down?” V asked.

Old Wei shook his head: "No need, consider it physical training."

At this moment, Xu Ling made a face and provoked Aaron: "Short legs, can't run fast, big guy, laugh! Give up, little black devil, you can't catch me, you should go home and go drink milk from your mother! Hehehe!"

Old Vivi added, "It can also train the mind."

V, speechless, recorded the scene, intending to send it to Xu Shiming so he could see just how trashy his granddaughter's trash talk was.

Xu Ling ran about 200 laps on the ring, worked up a sweat, and felt much better. She hummed a song as she went to take a shower.

Adam Wiens' legs trembled, and his face was pale, as if he had just been serviced by seven or eight Genting Legends in turn.

Physical training is an athlete's nightmare, and Xu Ling's level of terror in his mind instantly rose to first place, far surpassing V and the Dogtown boss.

Just then, Johnny arrived, and he arrogantly put on his boxing gloves, ready to teach the younger generation a lesson. However, less than 10 seconds into the fight, he was punched off the ring by Aaron Wiens, who had just finished his physical training, and passed out with his eyes rolled back.

The crowd panicked, and Old Wei quickly began first aid. Those in the know recognized him as Johnny, while those who didn't thought it was Saburo Arasaka.

V was both amused and exasperated. "You're a bard, why are you insisting on fighting one-on-one instead of playing a support role? You're just throwing your talent away with a pure charisma build."

After such a chaotic day, the fourth day arrived.

V arrived at the prophet Gary's presence on time to receive his teachings.

“Those leaders and executives who want to seize power, dominate, and control you, they are not human!”

"If you ask, then what are they?"

"They are... the lizardmen!!!"

Chapter 94 Imagination

Lizard people? !

V is a really good guy.

This is an urban legend from so many years ago. How did Gary connect it to the communication content of AI?

Gary continued, "You can tell just by looking at their cold blue eyes—they are creatures that were born millions of years ago under the thick ice of Antarctica!"

"They use human faces to cover their true nature; they are two-faced snakes, killers of humanity!"

V couldn't help but complain: "If there really is such a big flaw, wouldn't they use artificial eyes? At least they could use colored contact lenses."

Gary shook his head repeatedly: "It's not that simple. They are lizards. Their nervous systems are completely incompatible with human network equipment. Forcing them to use it will only paralyze them!"

"Then why not let their prosthetic doctors invent a few?"

Gary pointed at V and asked, "Are you sure they didn't do that?"

Without waiting for V's reply, he continued, "You ask me where those filthy reptiles come from?"

"Isn't it Antarctica? You've already mentioned it."

"That's right, Antarctica!"

Gary shouted, "Today, they hide beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, slowly usurping the crown bestowed upon us by the Creator!"

"Millions of years ago, they evolved from dinosaurs, striving to become the first advanced intelligent life form on Earth. Who created them? The necromancers of the Centaur Alpha constellation!"

Well, with observing humans and creating lizardmen, necromancers are really busy.

However, V also understood something from this.

First of all, real lizardmen certainly don't exist; Gary's mention of lizardmen is likely a metaphor. Considering that lizardmen are characterized by blue eyes, V couldn't help but think of Mr. Blue Eyes. Unlike ordinary people whose eyes only glow blue when uploading and downloading, Mr. Blue Eyes' eyes constantly emit blue light because he needs to maintain a high-speed connection with the roving AI.

Therefore, the so-called "lizard man" should refer to human traitors like Mr. Blue Eyes, who are highly controlled by AI and have completely sided with AI.

These people's headquarters may be located beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, and "stealing the crown given by the Creator" probably refers to these traitors to humanity secretly seizing control of human society.

The most interesting point is that "the lizard people's nervous system is completely incompatible with human network equipment," because V thought of himself in this respect.

Isn't she unable to use a prosthetic body because of extensive nerve atrophy? Could she also be a lizard person, and be controlled by a rogue AI?

Don't be ridiculous. If she's a lizard woman, then what is Joanne Koch, the one who treated her? A lizard woman's prosthetic doctor?

V chuckled self-deprecatingly, still waiting for Gary to continue, but unexpectedly Gary had already started asking for money.

"President V, you're here again. Your eyes tell me you've opened your heart to the truth. Would you be willing to donate a small amount to help me continue my mission?"

Is this over?

V handed over 1000 euros: "You are doing a good deed for the masses. Use this money to awaken the City of Night."

Gary thanked him repeatedly.

V had already completed the four-day course and paid a "small fee," and the program had been launched. The real data of the Alpha Centauri system should have automatically appeared, but V glanced online and found everything calm and uneventful, with no revelations or changes.

Did I do something wrong?

V was wondering when Gary suddenly spoke up again.

"On the badlands, those people drove through the wasteland city in trucks, but when the full moon rises, they will remove the mask of humanity!"

V's expression hardened, and he immediately focused his attention on listening.

Because Gary always takes a break to drink water after collecting money, and when he resumes his storytelling, it's always the same content as before. But now Gary is telling a new "story," which is undoubtedly a sign that the program is starting up again.

Gary is unaware that everything he does is a program pre-programmed by AI, and continues to promote his theories according to his own "free will."

"What do you think is beneath the mask? A lizardman?"

V: Isn't that right?

"No, it's a werewolf!!!"

V: ...You always manage to come up with something new!

Gary shouted excitedly, gesturing wildly, "At sunset, they strip naked and dance around, completely immersed in animalistic ecstasy!"

"Then, they bared their sharp teeth and set off to hunt, going mad for human flesh and blood!"

"In the darkness, they stretch for tens of kilometers, moving at an astonishing speed, like arrows in the night!"

V couldn't help but frown: "Watch your words, Gary. The homeless are a bit primitive, but to say they eat people is going too far."

“Wanderers do drive trucks recklessly across the Badlands, but not everyone who drives a truck recklessly across the Badlands is a wanderer; there are werewolves too!” Gary asked, “Do you know how these beasts came to be?”

How did it appear?

"Many years ago, a spaceship from the centaur Alpha crashed in the Badlands. Legend has it that it contained a substance that the elite vampires of Arasaka have long coveted."

"It could turn Saburo Arasaka's enemies into werewolves and make them obey his commands, but a fireball falling from the sky with a violent roar shattered his plan. From then on, the werewolves broke free from Arasaka's control, and the most powerful of them was called the Wolf Father, the king of all werewolves. Even Queen Lilith, the noblest among the necromancers, feared its power!"

Wait a minute, we were just talking about werewolves, how come the necromancer and Arasaka vampire have suddenly appeared? Is it really the finale where all the actors have to make an appearance?

And what's the deal with the wolf father and Queen Lilith? Is it foreshadowing for the movie or season two?

In the past, V would have simply laughed it off. But now she knows that Gary wasn't talking nonsense; he had accessed an encrypted channel between AIs and had genuinely received some truths. It's just that his brain couldn't fully decipher and understand this information, so he conjured up a series of bizarre urban legends in his mind.

Strictly speaking, everything Gary said is true, as long as you can find the real-world counterparts of the abstract characters in his words.

V begins to think.

Based on previous assessments, Necromancer = Roaming AI, Vampire = Human High Command, Arasaka Vampire = Arasaka Force within the Human High Command, and Centaur Alpha = Cyberspace. Let's replace these terms and then look at what Gary said.

The phrase "A spaceship from Alpha Centauri crashed in Badlands, containing a substance that the Arasaka vampires have long coveted" means that a technology has emerged in cyberspace, even attracting the attention of the Arasaka faction among the elite of humanity.

What is this technology?

"This technology can turn Saburo Arasaka's enemies into werewolves, who will then obey his commands." Saburo Arasaka's enemies are the revolutionaries who oppose capitalism and corporate colonialism. These people have been largely wiped out in Japan, but many have sprung up again in Night City. This technology can turn the revolutionaries of Night City into werewolves. These werewolves, however, are not true werewolves, but rather a new life form. In other words, the revolutionaries would transform from humans into another life form, losing their original free will and instead obeying Arasaka's commands.

V fully understands the allure of this technology, because she has already replaced Saburo Arasaka. Even if she doesn't have ambitions to rule the world, but only to rule Night City, possessing this technology would bring her unprecedented convenience. At the very least, the Night City prison in the Badlands can be closed down immediately, because with this technology, even the most despicable villain would instantly repent and become a saint.

It's obvious that Arasaka didn't master this technique, because if he had, V would still be licking Michiko's toes instead of having Michiko lick them for him.

Why didn't you master it?

Because "a fireball falling from the sky with a violent roar shattered his plan"—he was referring to Saburo Arasaka, who shattered his plan... V recalled that Saburo Arasaka's biggest failures, besides her storming Arasaka Tower to perform her aerial acrobatics, were probably Johnny's nuclear bombing of Arasaka Tower in 2023.

Morgan Blackhand leads the frontal assault, while Johnny Silverhand sneaks in by helicopter. A nuclear bomb is dropped, instantly evaporating Night City Center and Arasaka Tower.

The mushroom cloud of a nuclear bomb is a "fireball falling from the sky," and the "raging sound wave" undoubtedly refers to Johnny, the rock star.

So it was the nuclear explosion in 2023 that prevented Arasaka from obtaining this technology. As Arasaka's successor, V had seen all of Arasaka's classified documents and clearly remembered that the most valuable thing Arasaka lost in this nuclear explosion was not the eldest son, Arasaka Kei, nor the victory of the Fourth Corporate War, but the "Soul Killer" program, or more accurately, "Soul Killer 3.0".

As is widely known, the Soul Killer program was written by Johnny Silverhand's girlfriend, Otto Cunningham. This program could digitize anyone connected to the internet, and Otto's original intention was to allow people to explore the internet more deeply. After all, it was the era of the internet explosion, and humanity firmly believed that the internet was the future, which gave rise to many top hackers such as Bartmouth, Spider-Morpheus, and Otto Cunningham.

Ultraman's idea was correct, and his research direction was also very correct, but the Soul Killer had a minor flaw: it would kill the user when creating the user's digital body.

As a network accelerator, this is undoubtedly a very substandard product. But as a weapon, it's a revolutionary leap forward.

Imagine the power of being able to kill anyone online with just a click of the mouse!

So in 2013, Arasaka had Otto Cunningham kidnapped and, incidentally, stabbed Johnny in the kidney with a mantis knife.

But since Johnny's name contains the character "Strong," he's truly as hard to kill as a cockroach. Johnny survives a near-death experience and, in order to save his girlfriend, begins a ten-year-long love-hate relationship with Arasaka.

The end result was that Johnny was turned into a chip by Arasaka, and Arasaka Tower in Night City was blown up by Johnny.

From the outside, it seemed like Johnny had lost. He had even buried the body in the oilfield swamp north of Night City, and the Arasaka Night City branch was just one of Arasaka's branches.

But as an insider, V knew that Arasaka had lost. Arasaka imprisoned Ultra Cunningham to develop Soul Killer 3.0, but the genius female hacker took advantage of Johnny's attack on Arasaka Tower to successfully digitize herself and escape into the depths of cyberspace.

Without Ultra, Arasaka's scientists and programmers were unable to complete the subsequent development of Soul Killer 3.0. They could only piece together a makeshift structure, Kamiko and Relic, from the mess left by Ultra.

Why does military technology have "Little Beidou" and biotechnology has "Goddess of Spring"? It's all to compete with Arasaka's "Soul Killer." But that's not enough. Military science and technology directly participated in the 2023 nuclear explosion, and other companies provided various conveniences. Why are they all joining forces against Arasaka? It's because they're afraid Arasaka will actually release "Soul Killer 3.0."

As the major companies had hoped, Ultra Cunningham ran away, Soul Killer 3.0 died, and version 2.0 was not enough to break through the major companies' ICE. Arasaka completely lost his qualification to compete for the world.

These points generally correspond to Gary's words, but what puzzles V is the meaning of the wolf father.

As the previous analysis suggests, the so-called werewolves are simply humans digitized by the Soul Killer. These individuals are indeed stripped of their free will and act like game NPCs following instructions. For instance, the creation of the biological AI was the result of Nakamura Kayo's collaboration with numerous digitized scientists within the Kamikochi community. However, without V's commands, these digitized scientists would neither work nor think. They might answer questions, but that's about it.

This kind of existence is very similar to the weak artificial intelligence of the early days. If they are not given clear and specific instructions, they would have difficulty writing a 500-word essay. How could they possibly give birth to a wolf father who "makes even the noblest necromancer, Queen Lilith, fear him"?

V doesn't know who Queen Lilith is, but she does know that the Necromancer is a wandering AI.

A human digital entity that even roaming AIs are terrified—V can only think of one name for such an amazing person—Bartlemos.

Although V disliked this guy, he had to admit that the guy was strong.

Arakasaka once launched an assassination attempt against Bartelmos, even deploying hundreds of hackers, and the result... well, let's just say, no one knew how formidable Bartelmos was before, and no one knew after.

Arakasaka unleashed the company's strongest attack, combining all its network resources, and even laid a trap to gain a strategic advantage, yet he couldn't even test Bartmos's limits.

V was shocked when she saw the report and complained to Sasha that no one in the world could challenge the company single-handedly. For some reason, Sasha just rolled her eyes at her.

If there's one digital entity that could instill fear in roving AI, it would probably be Barthes.

Either the werewolf doesn't necessarily have to be created by the Soul Killer, or Bartmos digitized himself using the Soul Killer program.

Regardless, the digitized Bartommos successfully transitioned into a werewolf father, gaining the ability to lead werewolves. This reminded V of CN-07, an AI evolved from a human digital entity, who was also assigned by Bartommos to infiltrate Night City.

Therefore, CN-07 is "Werewolf," and "Werewolf" refers to AIs that evolved from human digital entities.

V gradually formed a general idea in his mind.

Vampire = the upper echelons of humanity.

Alpha Centaur = Cyberspace.

Necromancer = Roaming AI.

Lizardmen = Traitors among humans who have sided with AI.

Werewolves = AI evolved from human digital entities.

Wolf father = Bartmores.

As for Queen Lilith, let's just call her Ultra Cunningham.

V went over it in his mind again and felt it was pretty close to the truth. This world is truly chaotic; there are humans, AI, people who have sided with AI, and AI that has been transformed from humans.

They each have their own demands and their own propositions. In some places, their interests overlap, while in others, they conflict. The complexity is comparable to the sex workers on Twisted Street—you think she's a cute girl, but she turns out to be bigger than you; you think she's a man, but when she takes off her pants, you find that this man doesn't have a penis.