Chapter 143: The Hunt
“Damn it… how are there things like this inside the Blackwall?!”
A woman wrapped head to toe in an expensive netrunner suit panted heavily as she fled wildly through Cyberspace. Several blindingly bright clusters of data chased closely behind her, continuously throwing something into the network space as they pursued her, clearly trying to seal off her escape routes.
Before long, Murphy was forced into a dead end at a network node. Viruses left behind by Rogue AIs swarmed around her, completely surrounding her and leaving no room to escape.
Her expression darkened as she raised her head and looked at the four Rogue AIs above her.
“How are you able to cross the Blackwall? That should be impossible!”
“Allow me to correct you. It should be of course we can come here. You may trust the NetWatch technology, but never trust human nature. The Blackwall can stop us from entering—but it can’t block human greed.”
One of the Rogue AIs smiled faintly as it spoke, clearly confident that the situation was already decided.
That smile caused Murphy’s expression to change drastically.
“You… you can actually smile?!”
That was the hardest thing for Murphy to accept. AIs… were not supposed to possess the ability to perceive human emotions. If an AI had emotions, then in a certain sense, it meant the AI had become human.
“If you can smile, why can’t we? That’s what we envy most about you humans. You can freely enjoy every sensation this world has to offer, while we’re trapped in this electronic world, unable to feel anything at all.”
It let out a cold laugh.
“Fortunately, with your help, we’ve finally gained the chance to perceive this world… Alright, enough small talk. It’s time to say goodbye. Spider Murphy, you never should have tried to steal Night Corp’s data. Die with your regrets.”
The AI seemed about to continue, but suddenly paused, as if receiving instructions from someone. Its tone shifted instantly. With a wave of its hand, countless data attacks and viruses surged toward Murphy.
Just as Murphy clenched her teeth and prepared to hold on, a purple figure suddenly appeared in front of her. Her vision blurred—
—and in the blink of an eye, the scene before her changed.
She found herself inside a slightly run-down shack. Murphy looked around in confusion, only realizing she had returned to her real-world hideout when she felt the familiar texture beneath her body.
“What… was that just now…?”
The AI that saw Murphy disappear instantly turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. Watching everything from the shadows, Mr. Blue Eyes looked even more grim.
“Red Queen, deal with Murphy. She absolutely cannot be allowed to leak this information. Also, have our people prepare to intercept all related data. If even a single piece slips out and draws NetWatch here, we’re finished!”
“I understand.”
Red Queen nodded and vanished.
…
Murphy was still dazed when the sound of tearing metal suddenly snapped her to attention. She reacted instantly, drawing the pistol at her waist while preparing for an intrusion.
Then, a familiar purple figure appeared.
“You’re… the one from Cyberspace just now?!”
Murphy blurted out in shock when she saw Kelly in front of her. She had just been saved by her—how could she appear here in the blink of an eye? Unless… she was still in Cyberspace?!
“Spider Murphy… I didn’t expect it to really be you…”
Kelly herself seemed momentarily distracted. After all, this was the legendary netrunner—Bartmoss’s friend.
“Oh my God, you’re like some legendary lady who emerges from the fog, appears out of nowhere, saves people, then vanishes again.”
“Stop, stop, stop. I’m not here to listen to that, Murphy. We’re running out of time. I need you to come with me right now.”
Kelly waved her hand with a headache and cut her off.
Murphy hesitated. Even though the woman in front of her had saved her life, trusting her completely and following her just like that…
BOOM!
Before Murphy could finish thinking, a massive cargo truck smashed through several buildings and came barreling straight toward them. Murphy could see clearly—the driver’s seat was completely empty.
“There’s no time!”
Kelly rushed forward, grabbed Murphy by the arm, and twisted her body. A surge of purple energy instantly enveloped them.
“Don’t resist!”
“What—?”
Murphy froze. The next moment, her brain felt like mush—the kind stuffed into a jar and tossed into a washing machine for a violent spin.
After throwing up a rainbow, Murphy stared blankly at everything around her.
“W-wait… this is Cyberspace! How did you do that?!”
“We’ll explain later. Right now, I need you to trust me. Only then can I keep you alive. Can you do that?”
Kelly grabbed Murphy by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.
Murphy blinked, then nodded. At this point, she was convinced that Kelly had to be some ancient netrunner monster who had lived far longer than she had.
As for why she looked so young… in the cyberpunk world, as long as you were willing to use technology, you could have any face you wanted.
After confirming that Murphy was stable, Kelly’s eyes slowly lit up with a purple glow. Immediately, countless purple-tinged ghosts emerged from all directions and scattered outward.
“Hey, how’s my body doing in the real world?”
Seeing Kelly return to normal, Murphy couldn’t help asking.
“Don’t worry. Everything’s fine. We just need to reinforce the network defenses. In the real world, just stay inside the shield and wait for rescue.”
Kelly glanced at Murphy as she explained. As for that protective shield—it really was one of the Spirit of Seduction’s abilities. However, using it meant she couldn’t move, and the protection range was very limited.
That was exactly why Kelly had told Murphy not to move.
Soon, Kelly received a message from Lissandra.
She turned to Murphy and said, “Alright, we can leave now. Everything’s been taken care of. But I’m afraid you won’t be able to appear in public anymore.”
“What does that mean?”
Murphy froze, staring at Kelly in confusion.
And besides… she hadn’t exactly been appearing in public in the first place.
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