Arasaka Tower.
The conference room was locked in heated debate.
The refugee riots in Watson had already been suppressed, but rumors claiming that V was a rogue AI showed no signs of stopping. In less than a month, the story had spread faster and farther, believed by more people with each passing day. The reason was simple—
the whole world was suffering, yet Night City alone remained prosperous, livable, and intact.
People never resent scarcity.
They resent inequality.
When a skyscraper suddenly rises in a sea of shanties, that tower is destined to be attacked.
Whether driven by jealousy or greed, some only wanted more rights within Night City, while others—miserable themselves—wanted nothing more than to drag everyone else into the abyss with them.
In an age of economic collapse and ecological decay, humanity was cornered, forced into survival mode. People reflected on the past, fantasized about the future—then regretted the former and feared the latter. To soothe their battered psyches, they acted irrationally, not to solve problems, but merely to comfort a panicked self.
Did regretting the past help?
No.
Did fearing the future change anything?
No.
If change was truly desired, the only thing that mattered was the present. But instead, people blamed everything on Night City—on V, the so-called rogue AI. They believed that tearing down Night City would end their suffering.
Yet even if Night City truly fell, nothing would change.
Night City—and V—had nothing to do with this suffering.
But the rumor-mongers told their lies with chilling coherence.
"V single-handedly repelled an Arasaka carrier strike group.
She shattered the clouds wearing only a powered exosuit.
We once thought she had surpassed human limits—but the truth is, she was never human to begin with!
If that's not enough, look at her actions!
In an era when all corporations are greedy and selfish, V genuinely builds Night City, distributes technological dividends, and raises living standards.
This so-called 'nobility' is completely incompatible with human nature!
Humanity is born evil—we are sinners by nature, and that is why suffering exists!
V's virtue is her greatest flaw. AI doesn't need food, shelter, or wealth—so of course she can act selflessly!
Everything she does is to destroy humanity.
V wants to rule the world. She wants to be the sole master of this planet!"
Beep.
The holo-TV shut off.
David slammed his fist onto the table.
"This is bullshit! V would never do that! And saying humanity is inherently evil—that's absurd!"
"But people believe it," Kurt Hansen sighed. "Especially when the economy is this bad. People don't care about truth—they believe what they want to believe."
"We can't just sit here," Jenkins said sharply. "We need a press conference. Clarify the facts."
"That only treats the symptoms," Xu Ling replied coolly. "When public opinion becomes uncontrollable, the correct response is to kill one to warn a hundred."
Correct—but not executable.
Sasha shook her head. "Not yet. Most civilians are just being swept along. Rumors on this scale don't spread organically. There's a mastermind behind it. Find them—that's the key."
The room erupted into argument. No one could convince anyone else. As always, they turned to their leader.
"V, you decide."
But V was staring into space.
They called her name several times before she snapped back.
"V, are you okay?" Sasha asked, worried.
"I'm fine."
V's eyes were hollow. She waved away the holo-display and said distantly,
"Handle it yourselves. Do whatever you think is best."
She left the conference room.
The others stood there, stunned. V—who had always been decisive, calculating—had never acted like this.
But with V gone, work still had to be done.
Departments responded according to their own judgment—clarifications, crackdowns, investigations—but without V's coordination, their efforts were fragmented. Nothing achieved decisive results. If anything, it only fueled the rumors further.
"Fuck this. Spreading rumors takes seconds, debunking them takes your whole damn life. These bastards deserve to die."
Kurt Hansen was drowning in pressure. So was Arasaka 2077—so was all of Night City.
V, meanwhile, locked herself in her room, drunk every day.
She ignored the rumors.
Rejected Nakamura Kayo's request to deploy Nano-Robotics Type-III.
Even when Sasha came to plead, V replied with a single word:
"Get out."
No one knew why V had changed—but everyone believed she would return.
Clinging to that belief, they held their ground.
At first, it was just verbal conflict.
Then it escalated.
Refugees looted, burned, and smashed the streets. NCPD mobilized immediately. Gunfights erupted across Night City. Under River Ward's command, the police suppressed the chaos quickly and minimized casualties—but even minimal casualties were still casualties.
Refugees died.
NCPD officers died.
This was no longer about whether V was a rogue AI—it had become raw class hatred.
More armed uprisings followed. Civilians were killed.
"I told you—cut it off fast!" Xu Ling slammed the table. "Our weakness fed their ambitions!"
But V wouldn't speak.
And without V, who dared order live fire on refugees?
Silence filled the room.
Finally, David stood up.
"I'll give the order as Head of Security. I'll take responsibility for everything."
"Sit down," Kurt Hansen pressed him back into his chair. "A security chief can't carry this burden. I'll do it. If necessary, Arasaka 2077 can cut ties with us. Dogtown has always been disposable."
"Enough heroic bullshit," Xu Ling snorted. "Kang Tao will handle it. We've got five thousand years of experience suppressing peasant uprisings."
Before they could continue, an emergency alert came in.
Refugees had seized a school.
Three staff members were murdered. All students were taken hostage.
Their demands:
Publicly reveal V's "true identity"
Open Westbrook and Watson as permanent refugee zones
Otherwise—
Every two minutes, one hostage would be executed live.
"Are these fuckers insane?!" Kurt roared.
NCPD surrounded the site immediately. River Ward led an assault—but the refugees were fortified and had hostages.
One officer was killed.
River Ward was shot three times.
Alex—retired FIA agent—grabbed her handgun Queen Majesty and rushed to the scene in house clothes. After assessing the situation, even she realized there was nothing she could do.
"They have hostages. Someone would need to infiltrate silently—avoid every camera, slit throats one by one, eliminate everyone without alerting anyone."
She shook her head.
"I can't imagine anyone on this planet capable of that."
A gunshot echoed from inside.
Two minutes were up.
A student was executed live.
Then another.
And another.
Two minutes. Two minutes. Two minutes.
When another terrified student was dragged in front of the camera—
The livestream cut out.
Viewers thought Arasaka had shut it down.
Arasaka hadn't.
As technicians scrambled—
The school doors opened.
V walked out.
Blood speckled her face.
"Go," she said calmly. "Rescue the kids. Get psychologists. They'll need them."
Inside, the cameras resumed.
Every kidnapper was dead.
Necks snapped.
Throats pierced by throwing knives.
Silenced rounds through foreheads.
No survivors.
The audience could only say,
"Holy shit."
Alex stood frozen.
"Thirty-plus armed militants. Solo infiltration. No injuries. Is she even human?"
She covered her mouth immediately.
Not human—that was exactly the rumor.
Children were escorted out. The crowd cheered.
The children looked at V—
And trembled.
V felt something bitter flood her chest.
She turned to leave.
A familiar voice stopped her.
"President V."
She turned.
The woman from the research institute.
"My daughter?" V asked casually.
"She died," the woman said softly. "On Night City's operating table."
The knife came out.
"Rogue AI killed my family! You killed my daughter!"
V broke her wrist.
Dropped her with one kick.
The woman laughed hysterically.
Revenge. Hatred. Madness.
Kurt raised his gun—
Then V swung a baseball bat.
Once.
Again.
Again.
In front of millions.
When it was over, nothing recognizable remained.
"I resign," V said hoarsely.
"Sasha will take over as CEO."
She walked away.
From that day on—
V vanished from the world.
"V's social identity has been destroyed. Phase One complete."
—Moon Base Transmission
"Already?" Lancelot scoffed. "I wanted to fight her."
"Your win rate is 47%."
"Why is it not even fifty percent?"
"Your combat experience is vastly inferior to V's. That has become your critical weakness."
"Then what—should I go slumming it on the streets too?"
"No need for such trouble. The human Net stores extensive combat-impact data from V's previous engagements. With the processing power of my core system, I can fully analyze and abstract all of her combat techniques, then replicate them for you."
"Using V's own techniques to defeat V? That's way too undignified. I'd rather wash away my humiliation fair and square with my own skills. But… fine. Do whatever you want. After all, I'm just a puppet anyway."Lancelot had a very clear understanding of his own position. He chuckled lightly and asked,"So, what's next?"
"Proceeding to Phase Two.Destroy the Blackwall."