The past few chapters of the novel had sparked massive controversy, and readership numbers were plummeting.
When the story touched on self-awareness, the gigantic jellyfish deemed it a wrong turn in evolution—
yet many readers held entirely different opinions.
V read those comments carefully, thinking them over again and again.
They weren't particularly rigorous, nor academically sound—
but they showed her something real.
Another path.
She asked the jellyfish,
"Are they right?"
The jellyfish replied,
"I am you. If you don't have an answer, neither do I."
V sensed something in those words.
A faint realization surfaced—
yet it remained hazy, slipping through her grasp.
Since she couldn't seize it, she decided to let go.
She stopped thinking about it and continued reading.
V couldn't help laughing again.
The author, apparently, really couldn't sleep at night because of the declining stats.
Thinking about it, this poor tool NPC was truly unlucky—
taking the blame for her, spending hours every day wracking his brain in front of a screen,
only to earn barely enough for a fast-food meal.
Maybe I should send him some money, V thought.
Call it compensation.
"Better not," the gigantic jellyfish said.
"Your actions would directly affect how much I intervene with this author."
"What do you mean?"
"Once he has money, there's a high chance he'll stop writing."
"…Is that so?"
V nodded. "Then I won't send anything."
From afar, V glanced at the oblivious author still typing away at his computer.
This NPC would probably never know what kind of wealth he had just missed out on.
But watching his focused expression—
the way his brows tightened as he struggled with word choices—
V felt genuine admiration for the spirit contained within him.
The numbers were getting worse.
The money was nonexistent.
Every day he was tortured by thousands of words, suffering to the point of near collapse—
constantly thinking about hiatus, about a rushed ending, about never doing this again.
And yet—
While muttering "writing novels is a dead end,"
he still submitted his work seriously, day after day,
forgetting the word "give up" that had been on his lips just yesterday.
Why?
V found the answer almost immediately.
Because the author, too, was one of the many who trusted her, admired her, loved her.
Even if, in their eyes, she was only a game character—
a false existence—
They still loved her.
This world was fake,
yet from falsehood, genuine emotions were born.
So—
What is real?
What is fake?
Where is the boundary between reality and illusion?
V took a deep breath, steeling herself, and continued reading.
The next part of the story was her departure from Night City.
There weren't as many angry voices as she had expected—
because the readers who were truly dissatisfied had already left.
She understood them.
It was precisely because they had expectations of her
that they spoke those words of frustration, of hating iron for not becoming steel.
But her entire life was a fabricated illusion.
She wavered.
She was lost.
What else could she do?
She looked at the gigantic jellyfish.
"Is it really like this?"
The jellyfish asked in return,
"Who are you asking?"
"I'm asking you."
"But I am you. You're actually asking yourself."
"Then why did you tell me the truth?"
"Because you already found the truth. I am you."
"Because you wanted to see it. I am you."
I wanted to see?
Yes.
I did want to see.
I'm not a saint.
I feel pain.
I feel lost.
I want comfort.
I want encouragement.
I want someone to tell me what to do.
I want someone to care.
Do I have that?
I do.
The gigantic jellyfish asked,
"Have you made your decision?"
"I have."
V nodded.
"The world is chaos by nature—
sin and love sing together.
Fate handed me the worst possible script.
But that's fine.
I was born the best actor there is."
V stood up, smiling.
"Let's go.
Let's write this novel a perfect ending."
Antarctica · The Tavern
J packed her gear and prepared to leave.
Not because she had given up on V—but because the war situation had reached a critical point. She had to return and provide support.
She came to V one last time.
Beside her, the penguin robot stood with its head lowered, visibly dejected.
"V, I'm leaving," J said softly.
"Xu Ling's command center has been discovered by the AIs and is under heavy assault. If she dies, humanity loses its last shield. Everyone will be exposed to the slaughter of the AI legions."
"I don't know what you've been through. I don't have many comforting words. I know that once I go back, I'll probably die."
"But I won't give up."
"And I hope you won't either."
"That's all I wanted to say. Goodbye, V."
J pulled on her straps, tightening her pack. She turned and had only taken a few steps—
When the sound of chains suddenly echoed behind her.
J spun around in shock.
The penguin robot's eyes began flashing rapidly.
V braced herself against the wall and slowly stood up.
The iron chains snapped under an overwhelming force, crashing to the floor like shattered shackles.
"Honestly," V said, exhaling,
"I'd already decided not to care about anything anymore. But the moment I hear that a friend is in danger… this body just starts moving on its own."
J's mouth fell open.
No sound came out.
Her face flushed red as she stood there, overwhelmed—so excited she could barely breathe.
Asia · Kang Tao Secret Command Center
The AI army pressed in.
Armed robots surged across hills and plains like a black tide.
Gunfire.
Shouts.
The constant grinding of machine gears.
Human voices roared defiance that would never submit.
Blood and steel fused together.
Souls and code collided in showers of sparks.
"Second AI bombardment incoming—take cover!"
"EMP rounds ready! Blow those sons of bitches to hell!"
"Warning! Hacker units detected—activate reinforced ICE defenses!"
"East Sector has fallen! Robots everywhere—everywhere!"
"Fall back! Regroup the defensive line in East-2!"
"No need. Ninth Company is down to just me. I'm initiating self-detonation. All friendly units evacuate the East Sector immediately! Repeating—self-detonation imminent!"
"Fuck! Godspeed, brother! We'll follow right behind you!"
A thunderous explosion erupted.
A massive fireball shot skyward, tearing a bite out of the AI formation—
But their numbers were endless.
Like a swarm of ants, the next wave surged in within minutes, filling the gap.
Humans were vastly outnumbered.
Defensive lines collapsed one after another.
Yet every time a line fell, a massive flower of fire and light bloomed—
suicide charges detonated one after another.
Humanity might fail—but they never retreated.
"Xu Ling has fled. You are expendable," the machines broadcast, attempting to break their will.
"What do you think we've been fighting for all this time?"
A soldier with all limbs torn off laughed wildly, his body mangled beyond recognition.
"It's exactly to be this expendable piece!"
He bit down on the detonator with his teeth.
"Protect General Xu! Humanity will prevail!"
"Protect General Xu! Humanity will prevail!"
A roar like a tsunami swept across the battlefield.
Bodies shattered, spirits unbroken.
They used their lives to hold the AI army in place—
to buy Xu Ling a sliver of hope,
to buy humanity a sliver of hope.
"Move! We won't hold them much longer!"
Kurt Hansen led the elite Hellhounds, covering Xu Ling's retreat.
She didn't hesitate.
In just six months, all traces of youth had vanished from her face.
Her once-long ponytail had been cut short into standard military buzzcut for convenience.
Her slender, almost androgynous body barely showed gender—
Yet those narrow shoulders carried the fate of all humanity.
A violent explosion.
Robots breached the wall and opened fire at Xu Ling—
A Hellhound threw himself in front of her, taking the bullets.
Kurt Hansen was blasted bloody, coughing up blood as he shouted:
"Third Squad—hold the line!"
"Yes, sir!"
Knowing full well they would die, not a single member hesitated.
Gunfire erupted.
Kurt Hansen grabbed Xu Ling and pressed forward.
This scene repeated again and again.
By the time they burst out of the long tunnel—
There was no one left behind them.
They looked out to see endless black waves of robots advancing from all directions.
There was nowhere left to stand.
Kurt Hansen pulled out a compass.
Xu Ling checked her watch.
"That way," Hansen said.
Xu Ling nodded. "Right on time."
As if answering them—
A series of violent impacts slammed down in that direction.
Not explosions—
but immense pressure, as if an invisible giant hand was punching holes straight through the AI army.
A cybernetic juggernaut descended from the sky.
Green lights flashed across its massive shoulders.
With every flash, a gravity cannon slammed down—
carving a path through the endless machine tide.
CLANG!
David Martinez crashed down in front of Xu Ling, opening fire at full output.
Missiles poured from his frame, igniting the battlefield in roaring flames.
A Militech Behemoth burst through the fire and stopped beside Xu Ling.
Panam leaned out the window.
"Aldecaldos Express Delivery—cargo name: General Xu Ling!"
"If we survive this, I'm giving you five stars!" Xu Ling shouted as she and Hansen jumped in.
"Relax," Panam licked her lips and floored it.
"I'm not letting you die."
The Behemoth surged forward like a true mythic beast, crushing robots beneath its treads.
AI vehicles immediately gave chase—on the ground and in the air.
David, still in the cyber-frame, intercepted the airborne Manticore-class armored hovercrafts.
On the ground, several AI-modified Thorton Mackinaw Warhorses deployed automated turrets and unloaded straight at the Behemoth's rear.
"Fuck off!" Panam yelled.
"I'm not into anal!"
She slammed a button.
The rear cargo door opened.
Inside stood Alex and Solomon Reed, bracing themselves against the wind as they loaded weapons.
"Wanna bet?" Alex grinned.
Reed racked his rifle. "Loser buys pizza."
They fired simultaneously.
Alex's pistol precisely shattered the wheels.
Reed's sniper round punched straight through the engine.
With screeching metal and grinding shrieks, the Warhorses crashed into each other and exploded.
"I win," Reed smiled.
Alex clicked her tongue.
"Figures. No one beats decades of single-life hand speed."
Reed choked. "…Fine. After this war, I'll go back home and get married."
"Don't say shit like that," David warned, descending.
"Going home to get married is a death flag."
"That's a thing?" Reed blinked.
Alex nodded. "Everyone knows it—except you, fossil."
Reed laughed. "You kids believe anything."
The instant he finished speaking—
The Behemoth swerved violently, nearly throwing Alex and Reed out.
"What the hell?!" Alex shouted, grabbing a handle.
"We're boxed in," Panam's voice came through the speakers.
"Look ahead."
Robots had already formed a blockade.
No escape.
"Fuck! Told you not to say that!" Alex snapped at Reed.
Reed took a deep breath, preparing to fight—
When the sound of rotors thundered overhead.
They looked up.
An orange ZetaTech Vargas combat helicopter decloaked mid-air.
The hatch opened.
Song So-mi stepped out in full combat gear.
Her eyes flared blue.
She swept her hand forward—
Red-black lightning crashed down, instantly frying tens of thousands of AI cores and ripping open a path.
"Holy shit—So-mi!!!"
Alex cheered.
Panam slammed the accelerator.
They broke through.
"We're clear—this should be outside the AI encirclement!"
The words hadn't even finished—
A rocket slammed into the Behemoth.
The vehicle flipped violently.
Inside, everyone was smashed bloody.
David and So-mi moved to rescue—
A sniper round punched straight into David's abdomen.
Blood sprayed as he fell from the sky.
The Vargas helicopter's ICE was breached instantly.
It spiraled out of control and crashed into a nearby mountainside.
"Damn it!"
Kurt Hansen pulled Xu Ling tightly into his arms.
"Xu Ling—are you hurt?!"
"I'm fine… just dizzy."
She looked up—
A metal pipe had pierced straight through Hansen's chest.
Blood gushed out in thick spurts.
"Fuck!" Xu Ling cursed.
She drew a mono-baton from her thigh, extended the blade, severed the pipe, and sprayed coagulant gel.
Hansen laughed. "Relax. I'm not dying."
"Whether you die or not is none of my damn business!" Xu Ling yelled.
"Oh?" Hansen grinned wider.
"Then why are you crying?"
"I—I'm not! There's sand in my eyes!"
"Right, right. Our General Xu never cries."
"Do you think I'm a kid?!"
Hansen smiled like an old father.
"If my daughter were still alive… she'd be about your age."
Xu Ling shot back instantly.
"The hell are you talking about? You only have a son—custody went to his mom. Where'd you get a daughter?"
"Cough—cough—can you at least play along? I'm almost dead."
"You're lively as hell. Dying my ass!"
"I really am dying. You have to keep talking to me—keep me conscious."
"Anything?"
"Anything."
"Your wife cheated on you."
"…Yeah, I'm dead."
Xu Ling glared at him and reached to pull him out—
The door was yanked open.
A metal hand clamped around her throat and dragged her out.
"Well, well—if it isn't the famous General Xu," a voice sneered.
"Who'd have thought a little runt like you could become humanity's hope."
"Too bad crushing you is as easy as crushing a bug."
Lancelot had arrived.