Chapter 21: The Target—The Chaos Blades Society!

“Yes!” A somewhat muffled voice came from beside his ear.

In this wilderness, external network signals were extremely unstable. This was because, in the current cyber world, there was no longer a public network connecting the entire globe.

There were only city networks built by individual cities and various corporate intranets established by companies themselves.

Across this continent, the Cybersecurity Bureau and New America were trying their best to restore a new network that could once again cover the entire North American continent, but the difficulty was self-evident.

On one hand, everyone feared the collapse of the old network happening again, getting killed by AI along the data lines; on the other hand, it involved corporate interests such as the "Pyramid Network."

Therefore, in this godforsaken wilderness, connecting to the internet was a matter of luck. Sometimes, if lucky, one would connect to a public network of unknown origin; other times, only basic communication signals remained.

Moreover, since it was the end of 2071, barely a year after New America’s Unification War concluded, many public communication devices damaged during the war still remained unrepaired.

Morse clumsily controlled the descending hover car, but in the end managed to land it steadily on the ground. After opening the door and pushing the hatch aside, he took a deep breath, greeted by a strong scent of wilderness.

The smell of sand mixed with the stench of what was probably coyotes—yes, this was the taste of freedom!

“Where is this?” Kyoko asked, struggling to carry a refrigerated box to the ground while curiously surveying the surroundings.

“Some remote wilderness in Montana, near an abandoned town called ‘Gravel Town.’ We’ll get off here, then head into town to pick up a car I’ve reserved. After that, we’ll drive along the highway to Wyoming, then to Colorado.

These states are all members of the ‘Free States Alliance,’ so there are no border checkpoints. We can just drive straight through.

We won’t enter any cities, only stop at small towns along the way to refuel at Petrostone gas stations.

Then, we’ll stockpile enough supplies in Colorado, cross the Badlands into Utah, and finally enter Nevada. From there, we can take the highway directly into Northern California.

Following the highway all the way, we’ll be able to enter Night City directly.”

Morse stretched lazily. Four hours of auto-driving had allowed him to rest fairly well; the headache had eased considerably.

The Relic chip constantly emitted some mysterious bioelectric current, giving him a sensation akin to a gentle massage on his brain—it was quite pleasant.

When Arasaka developed these flashy gadgets, they really did have some merit.

“You’ve already reserved a car? Do we even have the money to buy it?” Kyoko asked, surprised.

“Huh, do we have to pay for things? Haha, anyway, help move the stuff first, I’ll explain the details later.”

“Alright... Montana, is this considered New America’s territory?”

Kyoko wasn’t very familiar with this. The Metal War, that is, New America’s Unification War against the Free States, lasted from 2069 to 2070.

During that time, everyone had long since been sent underground to isolated base facilities.

“Well, barely,” Morse replied as he got out to help unload the cargo, tossing the still-dazed Secretary Inoue aside.

“Everyone knows the main goal of the Unification War was for New America, supported by military technology, to reclaim all the independent states.

Although the Free States Alliance, composed of these independent states, had covert backing from Arasaka, they ultimately lost.

However, from the Free States’ perspective, although they signed the ‘Unification Treaty’ with New America, each state retained autonomy.

Moreover, New America was finally scared off by Arasaka’s aircraft carrier at Night City, ending the war. Those politicians shamelessly claimed victory, insisting they remained ‘free.’

So, if you ask New Americans if this place belongs to New America, they will definitely say ‘Of course it does.’”

“But if you ask the people of these states, they’ll say, ‘Screw New America! We are the independent people of Montana.’”

Morse’s words made Kyoko suddenly realize, “So this place is actually still under Arasaka’s influence?”

“That’s not entirely wrong. Arasaka’s influence here still far exceeds that of the military tech division.

But because Arasaka didn’t dare intervene directly this time and only provided weapons and equipment, after losing the war, military tech’s power in these independent states has grown considerably.”

Morse summarized and finally finished unloading all the luggage, then called over Daichi for help.

“Come on, lend a hand and toss this guy into the cockpit.”

Daichi Tetsuya came over and effortlessly hoisted Secretary Inoue onto his shoulder with a grunt. Morse winked and helped support Inoue’s legs, stuffing him into the cockpit.

Then Morse leaned on the cockpit, pulled out the data cable from Inoue’s hand, and tossed an empty refrigerated box for Relic chips beside him.

He connected Inoue’s data cable to the car’s system, refreshed the software, changed the car’s authentication to his own, and deleted all previous usage records.

After setting an autopilot program, Morse used his network access pod to give Inoue a harsh treatment.

Ensuring he wouldn’t wake before the car reached its destination, Morse immediately began programming.

He linked Inoue’s bio-monitoring cybernetics with the car’s system, then wrote a synaptic meltdown program.

If Inoue’s brainwaves showed any abnormality—meaning awakening—the car system would directly incinerate his brain through the wired connection.

Morse also wrote an auto-deletion program to ensure that when the car system was inspected later, no trace of him would be found.

Only then did he breathe out in relief, crawl out of the cockpit, and close the door.

“All right, our Secretary Inoue—or rather, New America’s FIA (Federal Intelligence Agency) agent—will be on a one-way trip to the heartland of New America and military tech, dying halfway in the car.

When someone finds the car in the wilderness, discovers Inoue’s brain fried by hackers, and the contents inside vanished... well, let them investigate themselves.

If they’re lucky, maybe some wanderer or a member of the Razor Gang will find it first, strip the car, and the clues will become even more confusing.”

Morse watched with satisfaction as the hovercar automatically rose, took off, and sped away at full throttle.

“And us? We’re just a bunch of small-time hackers running away amid the chaos. Some might suspect us...

But who would think a bunch of hackers could secure a server, kill so many agents outright, steal a hovercar, and disappear without leaving a trace?”

Morse wiped off his sweat after unloading, then smiled as he sat atop a refrigerated box containing his cybernetic limbs.

He checked the box’s power indicator—still decent. It could last another week, then he’d find a place to recharge. One full charge lasted half a month.

“What’s next?”

Lucy held her Kensei pistol, climbed to the top of the small hill, lay prone, and cautiously observed the distant town while asking Morse.

“What’s the first step when stepping into the wilderness? Of course, to get a sturdy, reliable vehicle and plenty of supplies.

The stuff is in town. This is territory controlled by a minor leader of the Razor Gang. They usually rob on other highways, then bring the loot here before selling it in the city.

I checked the hovercar earlier; it seems empty for now, but we still have to be careful, just in case.”

Morse pulled out his custom pistol and practiced aiming, disengaging the safety and chambering a round.

Though the ‘Morse’ in his memory had basic shooting training, this was his first time handling a real gun.

He eagerly pressed the charge button. A faint sizzling sound followed as two tungsten-tipped rounds shot out electromagnetically, stirring dust in the distance.

“Wow,” he whispered in awe, then laughed.

“Everyone check their weapons. I’ll scout the town to see if anyone’s around.

If there are people, they’ve probably already noticed our hovercar parked behind the hill for a while.”

“So...” The children’s expressions grew tense again.

“Hmm~ Survival of the fittest, black-on-black conflict—that’s a classic in this wilderness, in this cyber world!”

Morse laughed heartily, grabbed two grenades, and tucked them into his belt.

“When we start firing, be careful. After all, we’re all Arasaka Academy-trained with chip exams. Don’t lose points dealing with a few bandits.”

“We connect our networks among ourselves. If we see enemies, light them up in our cyber-eyes,” Kyoko suggested, raising her hand.

“I brought a laptop. I’ll try to find the town’s network signal now.”

“Good idea,” Morse praised. “With me here, no hacker will sneak into our subnet—a total blackout for them.”

“What if we see someone?” Leon nervously grabbed his rifle, mimicking Lucy, and stood at the hill’s edge, watching the town nearby.

“Don’t worry. Every single one of the Razor Gang here will be killed. No mistakes,” Morse said calmly, standing and joining them at the edge.

The ruined town still lay quiet in their view.

After a while, Kyoko’s voice broke the silence.

“I couldn’t find any network signal, only some fixed device signals. I’m pretty sure no one’s here.”

“Then let’s sneak in and check. Be careful, spread out. Kyoko, you stay at a high point to keep watch and watch over my precious cybernetic limbs. When we get the car, come pick you up.”

“Got it! Be very careful, you guys!” Kyoko said anxiously.

Morse raised his pistol, carrying only one magazine, stood upright atop the hill, then, facing a slope of about forty degrees, leapt down and broke into a sprint.

Lucy hurried to follow, sending him messages through their connected subnet.

[Lucy: What kind of stealth is that?!]

[Morse: Taking out anyone who sees us. Who says that’s not stealth?]

[Leon: Hey, hey, wait for me!]

The four dashed down the hill, heading straight for the town.

“Idiots!” Kyoko exclaimed, eyes wide as she swept the town from above with her cyber-eyes.

Just as Morse reached the back of one of the town’s buildings, Kyoko suddenly looked up toward the distance.

A dust cloud rose far away—that was the sign of a convoy approaching!

[Kyoko: Hurry! Take cover! Someone’s coming!]

[Morse: Roger that.]

[Morse: Get ready! Once I confirm they’re Razor Gang, no one gets out alive!]