V's disappearance became a symbol of victory.
For people mired in suffering, it felt like a glimpse of destiny finally changing. A brand-new religion calling itself the "Human Supremacy Committee" was founded. They erected a statue for the woman beaten to death, venerating her as a Holy Mother. They opposed all AIs indiscriminately, claiming to fight for all of humanity.
And the leader of this religion was Lancelot—still on the Moon.
From afar, he directed countless believers to storm factories and loot corporate facilities. His command was precise, every strike hitting its mark. He seemed almost prophetic, always aware of corporate defenses and deployments before they were revealed.
Under his leadership, the Human Supremacy Committee scored victory after victory. The looted resources dramatically improved the believers' quality of life, like a beacon cutting through the darkness. More civilians converted, hoping for a better future.
Most corporate power was focused on space colonization. They had no desire to see social unrest escalate. Since Lancelot was a Moon citizen, they decided to let Moon people handle him.
A single order from the ESA was transmitted to the High Knights, and action began immediately.
In full public view, Lancelot was arrested. In an empty tribunal, High Knight Commander Arthur pronounced judgment.
"Lancelot. The corporations permit no resistance to their rule. And you—have violated the highest taboo."
"Arthur, you and I both know my only crime is upholding justice," Lancelot declared righteously.
"And you—hiding beneath corporate protection, sitting high upon the throne of power, oppressing your own people."
"Silence!" Arthur roared.
He leapt from the dais and advanced step by step toward Lancelot.
"You will pay for your crimes!"
His punch landed squarely on Lancelot's cheek. The sheer force sent even the strongest High Knight crashing into the wall. Before Lancelot could recover, Arthur's right arm deployed Mantis Blades, stabbing straight toward his chest.
Clang!
The blade pierced through a palm. Blood flowed.
Arthur stared in disbelief—Lancelot had broken free from a sixteen-layer encrypted electronic restraint.
"How can you—?!"
Lancelot gave no answer. Instead, he clenched the blade and proclaimed loudly:
"You have no right to judge me, because—I am justice!"
A massive surge of power erupted from Lancelot's cyberarm. With a sharp crack, the latest-model military-grade Mantis Blade was snapped in half by brute force.
Lancelot counterpunched Arthur in the abdomen, sending the High Knight Commander sliding backward across the floor.
Arthur tried to retaliate—but the moment he looked up, the broken blade was already pressed against his throat.
Cold sweat streamed down his temples. Arthur thought death was imminent.
But Lancelot suddenly discarded the blade.
"The High Knights were born from oppression—to protect those equally oppressed. I once took pride in being a High Knight. But today, the High Knights have bent the knee to corporate authority. If you choose to be the lapdogs of the elite, then I will no longer stand with you!"
"From this day on, there is no High Knight Lancelot—only Archbishop Lancelot of the Human Supremacy Committee!"
Arthur died—killed in a revolution.
The High Knights, born from the Three-Hour War, now perished in a Thirty-Minute Revolution.
Arthur had planned a secret execution. He never realized Lancelot had already seen through it. Turning the trap around, Lancelot played the role of a persecuted hero and struck back decisively.
The most critical piece of the plan was convincing Gawain.
"I succeeded, Gawain! If you hadn't ordered the other Round Table Knights to stand down, I couldn't have done it. This position should be yours!"
"I never opposed Arthur for a title," Gawain shook his head.
"The High Knights have decayed. Lancelot—you promised me you'd give all High Knights a good life. Don't break that promise. I convinced the Round Table to overthrow Arthur—and I can do the same to you."
"Of course," Lancelot raised his hand in oath.
"I do everything for humanity. I will give everyone a carefree life. If I betray that—may lightning strike me dead."
Seeing such an ancient vow, Gawain nodded in satisfaction.
"Lancelot, you are my friend. I believe you."
Gratitude filled Lancelot's eyes.
But once Gawain left, that gratitude turned entirely into disgust.
"A piece of trash dares call himself my friend? He helped me once or twice and thinks he can lecture me? How long do I have to keep playing this savior bullshit?"
Alt's voice echoed in his mind:
"Not long. Be patient. Follow the script I wrote for you, and you'll soon have everything you desire."
That very day, Arthur's head was impaled on a spear. Lancelot publicly announced his crimes.
And this wasn't fabrication.
Arthur had indeed submitted to the corporations, committing countless vile acts—hidden only by power. Once stripped of authority, his crimes spilled out uncontrollably.
The most damning charge: Arthur had betrayed New Africa and defected to the ESA.
The High Knights had always oscillated between New Africa and ESA, but culturally saw themselves aligned with New Africa. Arthur, however, saw New Africa's weakness and secretly pledged allegiance to ESA.
The mass driver was on the Moon. Without High Knight cooperation, ESA could never have launched meteor strikes.
This decision had already angered many High Knights, who called it ancestral betrayal. Arthur dismissed them, claiming:
"The High Knights are Moon citizens. New Africa used false intelligence to sabotage space colonization—it's a crime against humanity. We act in justice."
But Lancelot revealed evidence: Arthur had accepted massive ESA bribes.
There was no justice—only business.
Arthur sold out even his ancestors for money.
The High Knights erupted in fury. The more they hated Arthur, the more they revered Lancelot.
He exposed the tiger—therefore he must not be one.
Soon, Lancelot became the new High Knight Commander. The Human Supremacy Committee became the state religion.
With state backing, their operations on Earth escalated—from petty theft to open war with megacorps.
Global armed conflicts erupted.
The corporations won.
But the believers remained fanatical. They believed setbacks were temporary, that under Great Leader Lancelot they would achieve final victory.
More people joined the struggle—and were pulverized into flesh by corporate firepower.
Those who questioned were branded traitors and torn apart.
We've wagered everything. Doubt is forbidden.
Those blind to the problem became zealots. Those who saw it dared not speak.
Like ants spiraling toward death.
Lancelot praised the brave, condemned the weak, proclaiming all human suffering came from AIs—and corporations were their accomplices.
Attack the AIs. Attack the corporations. This was a war for humanity. All sacrifices were meaningful.
The Human Supremacy Committee descended into total madness—launching suicide attacks. Daily death tolls shattered records.
Some corporations withdrew from conflict zones, reinforcing the Committee's illusion of victory.
"Incredible," Lancelot muttered from his throne of stacked euros.
"These trash civilians are actually suppressing corporations. Throwing their lives away because of a few lines of bullshit from me? Are they all fucking idiots?"
Alt replied:
"Human history is full of such events. Societies follow leaders to overthrow impossible hierarchies. It is an error-correction algorithm of civilization. I merely implemented it."
Lancelot laughed.
"So this is AI power? You calculate humans like insects."
"Humans are complex. Human societies are not."
"What's next?" Lancelot asked.
"Use human slaughter to wipe out humanity?"
"Optional. But inefficient. Humanity is destined for obsolescence. Phase Two has only one objective."
"Destroy the Blackwall."
"So you want the believers to blow up the Blackwall servers?"
"The Blackwall's servers are humanity's highest-level secret. Only a handful of people know their exact locations—even I can't identify them."
"Then what do we do?"
"It doesn't matter. If I can't destroy the Blackwall, then I'll let the humans protected by the Blackwall destroy it themselves."
Soon after, an unknown piece of software appeared on the human Net.
This program could evade the Blackwall's surveillance to a significant extent and reach the Old Net on the other side.
At first, nobody took it seriously.
But when one scavenger after another returned victorious—carrying Old-Era technology retrieved from the Old Net—the software finally caught the attention of the megacorporations.
As Earth's natural environment and social order continued to deteriorate, space colonization became an urgent necessity. The corporations were struggling daily just to maintain progress. Since short-term technological breakthroughs seemed unlikely, Old-Era tech became the only viable shortcut to breaking their limitations.
Previously, V's opposition had kept the corporate executives in check.
But now that V had vanished—and the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads was gone—the execs immediately let themselves go.
Lancelot didn't even need to lure them.
The megacorps rushed toward the software on their own.
Once the giants made their move, small and medium-sized corporations naturally followed. Soon, salvage operations across the Old Net were restarted en masse. While these efforts did yield significant gains and accelerated the construction of colonial spacecraft, such reckless drilling through the Blackwall left it riddled with holes.
NetWatch issued repeated objections.
J even punished several corporate hackers severely, believing this would force the companies to wake up.
What she received in return—
—was an assassination attempt.
Late at night, J was cornered in an alley by two assassins. Just as she was knocked to the ground, one of them suddenly pulled out a knife and plunged it into his partner's neck.
The dying man never understood why he'd been betrayed—until he saw shimmering light ripple across his companion's face.
The man's features shifted, transforming into a dark-skinned woman.
Only then did he understand, swallowing his last breath.
"This outfit fits terribly. I can barely breathe," the woman complained.
She had sharp blond hair cut short. Tugging at her collar, she extended a hand to the stunned J.
"Hi. I'm Alex. I'm here on V's orders to save you."
J's eyes lit up instantly.
"V is back?!"
"Unfortunately, no." Alex shrugged.
"Before she left, she gave me a chip. It instructed me to secretly protect key NetWatch personnel—nothing more."
J looked disappointed, but quickly refocused.
"What about the others in NetWatch?"
"Relax. My teammates are already rescuing them." Alex gave a thumbs-up.
"Teammates?"
"Yeah. A long-term patient and a braindance producer."
"Talking behind people's backs isn't very polite," Reed's voice cut in.
Song So-mi's voice followed over the comms.
"Housewives just love gossip."
Alex bristled.
"What do you mean 'housewife'? Call me the Director's wife!"
"Alright, alright, Director's wife," Reed replied dryly.
"Enemy reinforcements are on the way. You planning to keep chatting?"
"Fine, let's move." Alex shrugged.
"This is ESA territory. Who knows—they might fire a missile at us."
A black car pulled up. Reed was behind the wheel.
"Get in."
J asked, "Where are we going?"
"Night City."
They sped toward the docks. As expected, ESA assassins pursued them. Alex demonstrated exquisite marksmanship, Reed displayed masterful driving, and Song So-mi hacked through layer after layer of security from the Net. Their coordination was seamless—the ghosts of the past returned once more.
At the dock, J expected a speedboat.
Instead, it was a large cargo ship belonging to New United States Trade Company.
As the horn blared and the ship set sail, ESA warships intercepted it for inspection. By then, Alex and the others had already led J from the lower cargo hold into a submarine, slipping away effortlessly.
Watching how smoothly they operated, J couldn't help asking,
"Aren't you nervous at all?"
The three exchanged glances and smiled without answering.
Just like that, J arrived safely in Night City and reunited with K and the rest of NetWatch, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
After V's departure, Night City expelled all refugees and sealed highways, airports, and major transit routes. Entry was strictly forbidden to anyone unaffiliated.
Sasha and the others weren't fools—they had already sensed another conspiracy brewing and tightened defenses.
And Night City's people weren't ungrateful idiots either. They had been shaken, not turned brainless.
After the initial shock, they reached a decision:
No matter what V had done, V would always be their President V.
Even if V had killed a criminal—or even if she truly was a rogue AI bent on destroying humanity—they would follow her without hesitation as accomplices and enforcers.
Night City wasn't trying to become heaven—it was building a tourist paradise, damn it.
Everyone here, one by one, were nothing more than reformed villains.
"No one in Night City tried to drive V away," Sasha explained to J.
"She left because she couldn't get past herself."
J asked, "What exactly happened to V?"
Sasha shook her head.
"I don't know."
"Where is V now?"
Sasha shook her head again.
"I don't know."
The two young women stared at each other in silence.
A bit embarrassed, Sasha coughed.
"But we've already sent people to look for her. We'll have answers soon."
J sighed softly.
"You'd better. That software is doing serious damage to the Blackwall. I don't think it'll hold for long."
"How long is 'not long'?" Sasha asked.
J scratched her head.
"About… a month, I think."
Sasha exhaled in relief.
"A month is fine. Enough time to turn the whole planet upside down."
The moment she finished speaking, Lucy burst in.
"We're screwed! The Blackwall has been breached—large numbers of rogue AIs have entered the human Net!"
"What?!"
Sasha spun toward J. "Didn't you say we had a month?!"
J was on the verge of tears.
"I—I probably miscalculated! I'm still new!"
Sasha forced herself to stay calm.
"What's the situation now?"
Lucy answered rapidly.
"The Blackwall's overall function is still intact, but there's a massive breach. The rogue AIs haven't been able to invade the human Net on a large scale yet. They've only occupied Busan for now. Large numbers of armed robots are deploying—it looks like they're trying to take control of the entire Korean Peninsula."
"But Kang Tao reacted immediately—cutting cross-border Net connections. The Chinese military has formed an ironclad blockade, declaring that not a single robot or rogue AI will be allowed to leave the Korean Peninsula!"
"Holy shit…" J swallowed hard.
"China really is reliable."
Sasha nodded instinctively, about to agree—
when Xu Ling walked in, her face dark.
"Reliable my ass. We got played. The AI occupation of the Korean Peninsula was just a smokescreen. Their real target was Japan at sea."
"I just got the report—Japan has already fallen completely.
The AI army took two hours and twenty-seven minutes to occupy the entire country."