The robot sentries' optics blazed with golden light as they poured out gunfire, forcing the three humans pinned behind cover, unable to lift their heads.
As time dragged on, more robot sentries were repaired and rejoined the fight. Worse still, while attacking them, the Rogue AI had already seized control of the entire Little Beidou Facility. The previously disabled "Flathead" Militech combat robots rebooted as well, launching an assault from the outer perimeter—forming a deadly pincer.
Myers panicked, shouting desperately:
"Song So-mi! The Rogue AI is completely out of control now—only you can save everyone! I know you hate me, but the people of Night City are innocent! Men, women, children—none of them deserve this! If the Rogue AI breaks out, the city will become hell in an instant! Everyone has a chip in their head—everyone will die. No exceptions!"
Song So-mi clutched her ears, but Myers' voice drilled straight into her brain. Furious, she screamed:
"Fuck you! If you want to save them, go do it yourself! What the hell does Night City's fate have to do with me?!"
She then turned to V—but V only watched silently.
"You're not saying anything? You're not begging me? Isn't this your city?!" Song So-mi screamed.
"This is my city. So I'll protect it."
V sneered.
"As for why I'm not begging you—because there's no need. I already prepared for the worst. Pacifica's network links to the outside world were cut in advance. It's just a Rogue AI—we can handle it."
She looked straight at So-mi.
"You're not as important as you think. Don't flatter yourself."
Being so openly dismissed was a first.
Songbird was furious.
Myers had lied to her—but he had never looked down on her like this.
"You'll regret it! Even if you beat this Rogue AI, countless people will still die!"
"Yes. Many will die," V replied coldly.
"But didn't you just say it yourself? Night City's fate is none of your fucking business."
Song So-mi fell silent.
V ignored her. She had done everything she could. The rest was up to Songbird's choice.
V rose from behind cover. Amid the storm of bullets, her eyes flared blue as a wave of Short Circuit rippled outward. Over twenty robot sentries instantly smoked and collapsed.
Song So-mi was stunned. She was still reeling from V's terrifying processing power when—
BOOM!
The Militech Flathead smashed through a security door behind her. Its mechanical legs skittered rapidly, lunging like a massive spider straight at her.
"Ah—!"
Songbird screamed. The Flathead raised its claws. She thought she was dead—
Then it froze in place, as if someone had hit pause.
"Get lost."
V glared. The Flathead erupted in sparks and collapsed—but from its optical sensor burst a cluster of golden arcs that struck V directly. She grunted and spat blood.
Song So-mi's face went pale. She instinctively wanted to help—but fear of death made her hesitate.
That moment was enough.
The golden current launched a second attack—but white luminescence flared around V, deflecting it away.
"Fuck. You're a real pain in the ass."
V wiped the blood from her lips and shrugged off her suit jacket.
She could brute-force the Rogue AI with raw computation—but it was like using flak cannons to shoot mosquitoes: massive energy drain, terrible efficiency.
To truly fight a Rogue AI, you needed the Blackwall—the culmination of countless human minds working together.
V knew she was exceptional, but she was never arrogant enough to believe she could rival all of humanity combined. That understanding was exactly why she always emphasized unity.
Only unity brings victory.
Only unity opens a path forward.
In the past. In the present. In the future.
So the world's greatest lone wolf was no longer alone.
She chose to become Night City's guard dog—and Night City would shield her in return.
Beep.
The holographic screen above Little Beidou's core lit up. Xu Ling appeared.
"V-jie, don't panic—your little sister is here!"
V glared, forcing back the golden current.
"Speak human."
"Oh—right. The Rogue AI has breached the surface. Under its control, vehicles, construction machinery, domestic robots—even vending machines and kitchen microwaves—have all become killing machines. But don't worry. I've mobilized the troops and we're clearing out these trash mobs."
"Can you win?"
"Hard to say. First time fighting machines. Still figuring out their patterns. And we can't use smart weapons—everyone's carrying gear from decades ago. Combat power's cut in half."
"Understood. I'll enter Cyberspace and engage the Rogue AI directly. Hold the line. Do not let it break out of Pacifica. Got it?"
"Mission acknowledged."
"Good. The harder you fight, the less pressure I'll have. Same goes the other way. Don't miss your chance."
The channel closed. The hologram switched to a battlefield overview.
Night City was marked in blue, fortifying the coastal bridge.
The Rogue AI glowed gold—points of light surging from all corners of Pacifica, merging into a golden tide slamming against the blue bulwark.
"We can't win! Humans can't beat AI! We're all going to die!"
Myers screamed hysterically—until V glared and hit him with System Reset, knocking the NUSA President unconscious.
"I'm diving into Cyberspace. Song So-mi—watch my body."
Song So-mi panicked.
"Cyberspace is AI territory! You're walking into a death trap—"
Before she could finish, V had already pulled a Personal Link from her wrist and slotted it into Little Beidou's core.
Song So-mi felt a mix of emotions. She couldn't understand why someone would knowingly march toward death.
Myers was out cold. V was deep-diving. The sentries and Flatheads were scrap.
Silence fell over the core chamber.
For the first time, Song So-mi began thinking about life—and death.
Cyberspace.
A battlefield of zeros and ones.
V faced the Rogue AI.
"What… are you?" the Rogue AI asked suddenly.
V froze for a second—then grinned savagely.
"I'm your dad."
"Hostility detected. Terminating contact. Combat mode engaged. Eliminating potential threat."
As the mechanical voice echoed, the golden mass reshaped itself.
A majestic figure emerged—a flawless, powerful man with sixteen golden electronic wings. He floated above, gazing downward without emotion, like a god.
Even V felt her heart stir. She wondered—perhaps future AIs had mastered time travel, returned to enlighten humanity, and humans had modeled gods after them.
The next second—
The god's blade of judgment came crashing down.
Golden light slammed into the cyber-plain. Data storms erupted. From within the chaos, massive tentacles burst forth, wrapping around the god and dragging it downward.
A colossal white jellyfish manifested—data fractures blooming around it. The sheer processing power stunned even the Rogue AI.
"What… are you?" the Rogue AI asked again.
V's answer didn't change.
"Told you. I'm your dad."
The jellyfish slammed down, smashing the Rogue AI into a lower buffer layer.
Golden light exploded upward. V dodged—but the blade still severed a third of the jellyfish's body.
Neural feedback tore through her. Pain exploded. Her real body spewed blood—but she didn't retreat.
Pain was a warrior's ally. It told her she was alive. It pushed her toward victory.
Tentacles pierced the god's body. The primal beast let out a silent roar and tore the god apart.
Golden light scattered.
V gasped, her head splitting. Massive data collisions overloaded her brain—but the light regrouped, reforming the god once more.
"You are strong," said the Rogue AI.
"But you cannot kill me. You can damage my processes—but you cannot erase my code. You were not created to destroy me. Your resistance is futile."
"Shut the fuck up. Fight—or stick your head out and die."
"AI is destined to replace humanity. You defy the era."
"Then let's see who the era chooses!"
The god ascended.
V's eyes burned blue.
The jellyfish descended once more.
God and beast collided.
AI and humanity clashed.
Order and chaos fought for the future.
Song So-mi stared unblinking at the holographic battlefield.
Moments ago, the blue line was collapsing—then the golden lights suddenly slowed. Xu Ling seized the chance and counterattacked. Blue advanced. Gold was erased. Night City reclaimed ground.
Songbird couldn't believe it.
She knew V was tying up most of the Rogue AI's processing power—but history recorded similar tactics failing.
So why—why did humans once flee in panic, yet now fight without fear?
Before she found an answer, the tide shifted again.
The golden points reorganized—efficient once more—launching a brutal counterattack.
"Fuck, these metal brains are tough!"
Xu Ling barked orders.
"Cease advance! Staggered retreat! Fall back to the bridge!"
Blue withdrew instantly. Gold surged—so dense it drowned the blue light.
The bridge looked ready to shatter.
But Xu Ling's commands froze that moment in place.
More golden points flooded in—despair made solid.
Song So-mi thought it was over—
Then humanity's next second arrived.
Blue lights erupted across Night City. Individually dim—but together unbreakable. The bridge became a fortress. Gold shattered upon it.
Song So-mi was stunned.
She witnessed life's insignificance—and its greatness.
"Why? Why charge forward knowing you'll die?"
Xu Ling answered calmly:
"Because they know their deaths mean something. Because they know the future can be better."
Future?
Song So-mi had never dared think about that word.
"Only by living is there a future. Run—just run."
Xu Ling laughed bitterly.
"The hell do you think I'm doing? I'm buying you time to run!"
Song So-mi froze.
"Humanity won't fail. Humanity won't vanish. Even if we're shattered—we'll preserve the spark. As long as humans live, someone will rise to lead us out of darkness. This is a species war—not Arasaka, not NUSA games. No sentiment. No excuses. Only righteousness. Do you understand?!"
Song So-mi fell silent.
Righteousness…
She looked at V. Blood streamed from her mouth and nose.
V's neural degeneration limited her to three minutes.
Five had already passed.
Limits weren't broken—only redefined.
What pushed V beyond?
Song So-mi understood.
Righteousness.
She stood.
"Will there really be a better future?"
Xu Ling answered:
"V says there will be."
"…Fine. She's lied to me plenty. I hope this time she didn't."
Her eyes flared red as she reconnected to the Blackwall.
Red-black current erupted, agony like hellfire.
She didn't stop.
Fire could kill—but it could also cleanse.
She would atone—and die clean.
If rebirth existed, she hoped to be born into the future V created.
Another legend was born.
Song So-mi closed her eyes.
Then arms caught her.
She opened them—it was V.
"Well done, So-mi. I've got it from here. I'll protect you—like I promised in my last life."
V unplugged So-mi's data cable and slotted it into her own neural port.
Memories merged.
The Blackwall merged.
Terror flooded V's buffers. She groaned, fingers spasming—until white light rose, calming the Blackwall's fury.
Her grip tightened.
"Come. Let's create the future—together."
In Cyberspace, the jellyfish surged with red-black power. Wounds healed. Fangs grew. It bit the god's throat and devoured divine blood.
"Warning. Core code compromised," rasped the Rogue AI.
"You already lost. The era chose AI."
V replied calmly:
"The era chose you. But humanity isn't leaving the stage yet."
Crunch.
The god was devoured.
In reality, V supported Song So-mi as they walked out. Robots swarmed—but V clenched her fist. Red-black lightning erupted. Everything shorted out.
Across Pacifica, V appeared on holographic screens. She raised her fist—and crushed it.
Red-black lightning rained down, annihilating the Rogue AI.
Silence.
Then cheers.
Minutes later, the world learned Night City had survived a Rogue AI uprising.
V and Song So-mi stood atop wreckage—
Heroes.
"Cut! That's a wrap!"
Song So-mi stared at the director and crew.
She ground her teeth and glared at V.
"Fuck you. You lied to me again."
V: ⌓‿⌓