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Songbird's real name is Song So-mi.
She is a world-class, top-tier Netrunner.
She showed incredible talent from a very young age, making a significant name for herself in cyberspace while still in her teens and completing a vast number of illegal missions.
However, because her career as a Netrunner went too smoothly, Songbird lost her sense of caution. She not only touched the Blackwall but even hacked into the Federal Intelligence Agency's intelligence systems.
The result was being caught red-handed by the NUSA.
Under their coercion, she eventually joined the NUSA and became the 'Songbird' by the President's side.
If it were just working for the NUSA, life might have been manageable.
But because Songbird's hacking talent was so outstanding, President Myers developed other ideas for her, actually intending for Songbird to try and harness the power of the Blackwall.
Although the Blackwall is overseen and protected by Netwatch, with all contact strictly forbidden,
Netwatch itself is a product of compromise between major powers.
How could this prohibition possibly apply to the NUSA?
In fact, it wasn't just Myers; many megacorporations were coveting the power of the Blackwall, secretly conducting research and probes.
As long as such things aren't exposed, Netwatch will simply turn a blind eye.
In this cyber era, whoever can control the Blackwall largely controls cyberspace. While not necessarily ruling the world, they would at least hold a massive advantage.
Setting aside the value of the Old Net blocked by the Blackwall, the power of the Blackwall itself is already difficult to match.
However, no matter how outstanding Songbird's talent was, she still paled in comparison to the power of the Blackwall. Under constant experimentation, her physical organs were repeatedly removed, and even her mind was severely eroded by the Blackwall.
This was a type of irreversible mental damage.
In a sense, it could be considered a form of assimilation.
As the old saying goes: when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
It reached the point where rogue AIs from within the Blackwall could invade her consciousness through neural vulnerabilities, even beginning to compete with her for ownership of her body.
If this continued, it wouldn't be long before Songbird faced death in every sense of the word.
Knowing all this, Myers had no intention of abandoning the experiments; she merely treated Songbird as a tool.
Even if the experiment failed in the end, it would accumulate valuable experience for the next success.
And all she wanted to do was squeeze Songbird to her absolute limit.
Seeing that she would soon be scrapped, Songbird naturally had to find a way to save herself.
As it turned out, she actually found a way.
Back when they were dealing with Arasaka Corporation's 'Soulkiller' technology, Militech launched 'Project Cynosure' as a response.
However, after the Unification War ended, 'Project Cynosure' was temporarily shelved.
But some finished products of this project remained in Night City, specifically beneath Dogtown.
So Songbird secretly contacted Colonel Hansen and reached a cooperation with him. Using his power, she shot down the plane carrying President Myers, briefly breaking free from her cage.
However, Songbird didn't fully trust Colonel Hansen either and decided to hedge her bets.
At the very least, she needed Colonel Hansen to have some reservations, so she approached Kael, asking him to help protect and control President Myers so she wouldn't die.
Kael sat on a rooftop, watching the plane that was originally preparing for an emergency landing get shot down by a sudden missile, crashing not far ahead.
(I've already ejected. The President is in the safety pod. Colonel Hansen's men are on their way. You need to move fast.)
Songbird's message arrived at the same time.
Kael stood up, patted his rear, and ignored the height of the dozen-story building, jumping straight down and landing lightly on the ground.
The attention of the surrounding citizens was drawn away by the plane crash; no one saw his superhuman feat.
The howling of sirens could be heard in the distance.
That was Colonel Hansen's Wraiths units arriving.
The person who had sold him out back then was President Myers.
If Colonel Hansen caught her, President Myers would be in for a world of pain.
When it came to being inhuman, few could compare to President Myers. It was no wonder she could become the president.
President Myers wasn't alone either; although the plane crashed, some of her security personnel survived, each quite powerful, and there were also a significant number of security robots.
When Kael arrived unhurriedly at the crash site, President Myers' people were in a fierce battle with the Wraiths.
But looking at the situation, they probably wouldn't last long.
The Wraiths were no pushovers, and they had the advantage in numbers.
Kael pulled a holographic mask from his pocket. A 'troll face' emoji was reflected on the translucent material. Under the reflection of the firelight, the Nano-combat Suit on his body quickly cloaked him until he vanished.
Arasaka Corporation's Optical Camouflage technology was the best among the megacorps. Under the cover of night, it could achieve nearly 100% invisibility, and the stealth coating could also evade Cybernetic Eye scans.
Just like that, Kael silently crossed the line of fire and found the wreckage of the crashed plane.
As expected of a Militech product; although the main body of the plane was severely damaged, the safety pod was almost perfectly sealed. This quality deserved praise.
Kael stood still for a few seconds, successfully hacking into the safety pod and opening the door.
Just as he was about to step inside, a gun barrel was aimed at him.
However, in an instant, the barrel was forced in another direction.
Myers clutched her twisted arm, enduring the pain as she looked up and questioned.
"You're not one of Hansen's dogs? Who are you?"
Kael didn't reply, raising his gun butt and slamming it down.
With a dull thud, Myers was knocked unconscious.
This woman wasn't like the powerless politicians in the public's imagination; Myers' combat ability wasn't weak at all.
Despite the small number of cyberware on her body, if measured by the power standards of the major corporations, she was at a level of at least eighteen points.
This level of strength certainly wasn't natural; training alone wouldn't be enough. She must have used some serious enhancements.
The biotechnological enhancements used on a president would surely be the most top-tier technology.
Thinking this, Kael reached out and lifted Myers. Half of his Nano-combat Suit shifted to cover and seal her, and he walked out of the Wraiths' blockade line with a leisurely pace.
Songbird's requirement was simply to not let President Myers fall into Colonel Hansen's hands.
As for how Kael would ultimately handle Myers, that was his own business.
(Nicely done.)
Songbird had already learned that Kael had taken Myers. Along with the text message, she also sent over a package of the cutting-edge Militech technology she had collected over the years.
(BT, have you heard of Project Cynosure?)
(I know a bit.)
To put it simply, if Arasaka's 'Soulkiller' uploads consciousness to cyberspace, then Militech's 'Cynosure' uses virtual AIs to replace the nervous system.
They seemed different, but they were both paths toward cyber-ascension.
(There is a Project Cynosure test site inside Dogtown. However, the Militech people evacuated too hastily back then and didn't have time to take all the experimental successes, leaving behind a Neural Matrix.)
After Kael completed the first transaction, Songbird's trust in him clearly increased significantly. She chose to reveal more information, hoping to facilitate further cooperation.
This was actually a matter of having no choice.
She couldn't achieve her goal alone, and Colonel Hansen was fundamentally no different from President Myers.
One wanted to use her to get the Neural Matrix, and the other wanted to use her to control the Blackwall.
In either case, Songbird would die.
There was only one Neural Matrix. If she gave it to Colonel Hansen, what would she use to save her own life?
Only Kael could barely give Songbird a slight sense of security, as the two of them had no substantial conflict of interest.
(It seems you don't have much time left.)
(Yes.)
Songbird didn't hide this. Both were people who had chipped away at the corners of the Blackwall; she naturally understood the dangers of the Blackwall's erosion.
(So what chips can you offer this time?)
(Myself.)
Songbird paused for a moment before continuing her message.
(After you get the data from the Neural Matrix, don't you need a perfect test subject? I'll be your test subject.)
(You trust me quite a bit.)
(I've looked into you, BT—or Kael. At least you have a bit more humanity than Myers or Hansen. Besides, do you think I have any other choice?)
Even just reading the text, one could feel the helplessness in Songbird's heart.
The Neural Matrix wouldn't cure her condition just by using it.
One must realize that Militech's 'Project Cynosure' stopped at this step. Even the creator, Militech, didn't know what the subsequent experimental results would be.
Theory is theory, and practice is practice.
These are two different fields.
Songbird didn't know what would happen after using the Neural Matrix; she was completely gambling with her life.
Originally, she had contacted a ripperdoc clinic on the Moon, planning to use herself as capital and act as an experimental subject for them to save her.
But now Songbird had changed her mind.
Rather than trusting a shady clinic, it was better to trust Kael.
At least someone who could take over the Biotechnica Water Plant would have a higher chance of saving her than a ripperdoc clinic.
(Since you've put it that way, I see no reason to refuse this deal. I'll follow your arrangements.)
Kael nodded in agreement.
But before that, he needed to deal with President Myers on his hands.
"Delamain Cab Service at your service."
A Delamain cab stopped in front of Kael.
Delamain's taxi network had long since penetrated Dogtown.
Kael stuffed President Myers into the trunk, preparing to pack her off and send her out of Dogtown.
After the business in Dogtown was settled, he would consider how to handle this woman.
It would simply be a matter of the highest bidder winning.
He believed the major corporations would be very interested in President Myers.
Until then, he would just keep her frozen and fresh.
...
...
Afterlife
A landmark building in Dogtown, a giant skyscraper with over ninety-nine floors, looking very grand and spectacular from the outside.
The interior decor and layout were even more luxurious to the extreme.
This was the most famous club in Colonel Hansen's hands, frequently hosting grand and lavish parties that continuously attracted powerful figures from all walks of life to gather here again.
Although Colonel Hansen came from a military background, he also had a great business mind. He seized the unique political and geographical ecological niche of Dogtown to build his own black market trading network.
Dogtown was like a transit station. The arms leaving from here were found almost all over the world.
Colonel Hansen also used this to establish trade links with various powers, consolidating his own position and maintaining the existence of Dogtown.
But at the end of the day, he was just a local warlord.
That was why he so desperately craved the 'Neural Matrix,' hoping to use it as a chip to seek a breakthrough or at least self-preservation.
Otherwise, if the NUSA and Night City went to war again one day, Dogtown would be the first to be sacrificed by both sides.
His sense of crisis was well-placed; he was a formidable, ambitious figure.
Kael had naturally been to the 'Afterlife' before; how could Colonel Hansen's invitations possibly miss him?
Furthermore, Dogtown and the Water Plant had commercial cooperation.
How could Kael miss out on such a profitable smuggling business? Some of the latest arms exported from Dogtown came from the Water Plant, and they were all high-grade smart weapons.
The entertainment here was more high-end than Clouds, though more business-oriented, attracting celebrities and socialites, emphasizing elegance and class.
Kael actually preferred things a bit more vulgar and direct, so he didn't come often, and mostly for business, but his face had long been on record at the 'Afterlife'.
"Welcome to the Afterlife, distinguished guest."
The receptionist at the front desk gave a standard smile, her attitude very respectful.
When no parties were being held, the 'Afterlife' was also the best hotel in Dogtown. Kael had no reason to stay anywhere else.
Colonel Hansen learned of Kael's arrival immediately, but he chose not to go and disturb him. After all, it wasn't time for the party yet, so it wasn't appropriate to go over.
Moreover, Colonel Hansen's mind was currently full of President Myers.
Without catching her, the plan could only be considered half-successful.
No one knew what kind of trouble she might cause him. Colonel Hansen knew President Myers' methods all too well.
But who on earth had rescued her?
Colonel Hansen instinctively glanced at Songbird beside him. The two were merely using each other; just as Songbird didn't trust him, he didn't trust her either.
It just wasn't the time to drop the pretense yet.
"Do you need me to pick out a new dress for you? You can't miss tomorrow's party; I've invited quite a few stars to attend."
"Whatever you want. I just want to rest as soon as possible,"
Songbird said with some exhaustion.
Repeatedly utilizing the Blackwall naturally took a toll on her that went without saying; auditory hallucinations were constantly surfacing in her mind.
"Take Miss Song upstairs to rest."
Hearing this, Colonel Hansen gave his subordinates a look.
Regardless, since Songbird had fallen into his hands, Hansen had a certain level of confidence in dealing with whatever might happen within his territory.