Chapter 146: Uncontrollable Rampage!
Crackle! Sizzle!
The Blackwall virus program, quickly packaged by Protocol codex 6, spread across the armored soldiers like a plague. Their power armor, neural systems, and cybernetic implants abruptly spiraled into uncontrollable chaos.
Dark red electromagnetic currents surged through their bodies, unleashed by the overload of invasive Blackwall data streams. Sparks burst from short-circuiting mechanisms, emitting dazzling flashes of light.
The immense electric currents instantly fried their brains. These soldiers didn't even have time to scream in pain before their souls were shredded into fragments by the sinister AI phantoms of Blackwall.
Under the attack of the invasion program, the soldiers convulsed and fell to the ground without exception. Flashes of crackling sparks danced across their bodies.
Panam and Jackie, squatting in the laboratory as spectators, were stunned and horrified by the scene before them. At that moment, V resembled a cybernetic Grim Reaper, capable of effortlessly claiming lives with a mere wave of his hand.
"Jackie… are you sure V is still human?"
Panam, who had grown up in the Aldecaldo camp, had never witnessed such a bizarre and terrifying spectacle. For the first time, a shiver of genuine fear ran down her spine.
"Uh… probably? This must be some top-secret tech from LA Corp. Yeah… that's gotta be it!"
Jackie wasn't ready to admit that V had become something monstrous. But in just a few months, V's strength had transformed so drastically that even Jackie found him unfamiliar.
In the past, completing a mission required careful stealth and ambush tactics just to take down scavengers. But now, V could single-handedly confront and annihilate dozens of enemies—all of them elite, fully armed corporate soldiers.
Even though these soldiers were equipped with lightweight power armor, in Night City, they would have been unstoppable killing machines in any gang's arsenal.
And yet, V wiped them out in a single blow.
Meanwhile, the Blackwall virus unleashed by V continued its destructive rampage. The deadly data streams rendered all mechs, drones, and cybernetic systems they touched nonfunctional.
For every piece of machinery it disabled, the program immediately infected the nearest cybernetic implant or device. Like locusts ravaging crops, nothing survived in its wake.
Only after the entire power armor squad lay decimated did V swiftly disengage the codex 6 interface, halting the spread of the invasive Blackwall code.
As soon as he stopped, V was struck by a backlash from Blackwall. The overload of his RAM nearly caused him to collapse on the spot.
A tingling sensation of electricity coursed through his body, but thanks to the assistance of the AI White Queen, who dispersed the overflow of data, V's physical condition remained stable. The severe discomfort brought on by accessing the Blackwall gateway quickly subsided.
[V, are you holding up?]
Johnny Silverhand's flickering hologram appeared before V. However, the intense workload placed on the AI White Queen caused Johnny's projection to waver unsteadily.
'Barely. Not dead yet.'
Panting heavily, V struggled to his feet from his crouched position, swaying slightly as he rose.
Surveying the mangled corpses of power-armored soldiers scattered across the ground, Nash, trembling in fear, finally understood the monstrous cybernetic terror he had provoked.
Joanne, meanwhile, clung to a nearby corporate soldier in panic, terrified that V might approach and fry her brain as well.
"Stop him! Don't let him come closer!"
Joanne's voice trembled with fear, but the soldiers around her ignored her orders. They stood alert, weapons drawn, prepared for V to charge at any moment.
While everyone's attention was locked on V, a series of crisp clicking noises came from the electronic restraints binding Ivanov.
It turned out that the Blackwall virus attack hadn't completely dissipated. The residual, highly infectious data stream had reached the military-grade technology used by LA Corp's squad.
Fortunately, the remaining invasive code was less aggressive, merely forcing the soldiers' electronic devices to shut down. A simple reboot would restore their functionality.
"Damn it, Ivanov!"
Meredith, who had just restarted her communication device, suddenly realized that Ivanov's restraints were also rebooting.
If that were the case, then…
Before Meredith could issue a warning, Ivanov had already broken free from his electronic shackles. The iron helmet covering his head was torn apart like paper.
"He's out of control!!"
Meredith's shout had barely left her lips when the enraged Ivanov grabbed a nearby soldier in his massive hands. His veins bulged with fury as he squeezed, crushing the soldier's body into a mangled mass of bone and flesh.
"You corporate dogs are going to pay!!"
Freed from his restraints, Ivanov unleashed his unbridled fury on the soldiers before him, venting the suffering he had endured in the laboratory a thousandfold.
It was only now that everyone saw Ivanov's monstrous face clearly.
He had the build of a stereotypical Russian, but perhaps due to genetic modifications, his pupils glowed crimson, and his facial features were unnaturally large and grotesque.
His horrifying facial scars were all claw marks left by ferocious beasts. A strong, bloodthirsty killing intent surged forward instantly.
V's hacking ability, in a spectacular move, not only wiped out the elite power-armor squad but also inadvertently released this terrifying genetic monstrosity.
"Kill him!"
Both Meredith and Mann issued the command simultaneously. Their soldiers immediately unleashed a torrent of gunfire at Ivanov.
However, most of the bullets rebounded off a layer of subdermal armor beneath Ivanov's skin.
"Holy shit! You guys actually gave him subdermal armor surgery?"
Seeing this, Mann couldn't help but curse. Turning a genetically modified monster into a cybernetically enhanced one? That was absolutely unfair!
Faced with Mann's accusations, Joanne, pale and trembling with fear, could only stammer and stumble backward, her legs barely able to support her.
To ensure Li Ang was fully satisfied with Ivanov, the biotech engineers worked overnight to implant the best subdermal armor into him.
This subdermal armor was largely modified from lightweight power-armor materials, something only a humanoid beast like Ivanov could endure.
However, this made the already difficult-to-control Ivanov even more violent and unpredictable, influenced by the cybernetic implants.
At this moment, with the combined effects of genetic drugs and cybernetic enhancements, Ivanov possessed strength at the terrifying limit of human physicality.
"Die!"
Ivanov roared like a beast.
Although his subdermal armor couldn't completely absorb the impact of bullets, the sheer pain from the torrent of fire made the already deranged Ivanov even more frenzied.
He took a step forward, grabbed a nearby soldier, and tore him in half with brute force. Bloody organs and cybernetic components spilled from the massive gaping wounds.
Witnessing this gruesome and hair-raising scene, Mann immediately realized he had no chance against this monster. He screamed at his team:
"Run!"
Instantly, LA Company's soldiers fled toward the Behemoth heavy truck, while Meredith abandoned her own soldiers and ran desperately in the same direction.
At such a critical juncture, only a fool would stand still.
Joanne, cornered and panicked, glanced around before reluctantly running toward V. She aimed to hide in the research base for shelter.
One was a cybernetic monster of unknown origin; the other was a berserk genetic beast. If death was inevitable, she might as well choose the one that at least looked somewhat human.
Getting her brain fried by the Blackwall was still better than being gutted alive by Ivanov.
Luckily, V didn't make things difficult for the exhausted Joanne. He merely observed Ivanov's every move silently, analyzing the creature's physical traits.
As the company soldiers scattered, Nash, with a bullet wound in his calf, fell into despair. Crawling on the ground, he wept bitterly, dragging his stiff body toward the research base.
Panam's shot had effectively sealed Nash's fate; he couldn't even run properly to save his life.
He could only crawl using his hands, inching forward with difficulty. But this effort was in vain.
Soon enough, Ivanov, who had just devoured a soldier whole, turned to spot Nash crawling like a caterpillar on the ground.
A shadow, massive like a wall, loomed over Nash. Trembling, he turned his head and met Ivanov's blood-red eyes, the beast still chewing on a soldier's severed leg.
Staring at Ivanov's monstrous face and crimson pupils, Nash nearly passed out from fear.
"No… Yasha, don't kill me!"
Nash, overwhelmed with despair, could barely speak through his spasming stomach. Before he could finish, Ivanov raised a massive foot and stomped down hard.
Splatter!
Nash's brains and skull fragments flew in all directions, resembling a squashed humanoid cockroach.
Hiding in the lab, Panam and Jack gagged at the gruesome sight, nearly vomiting their dinner from the previous night.
Nash's death was absolutely horrific.
[V, run now! You're no match for this thing!]
Johnny's voice rang out in urgency as he noticed V inching closer to the cyber-genetic monstrosity instead of fleeing.
[Did you hear me? Get the hell out of there! Are you trying to get yourself killed?] Johnny desperately tried to dissuade V.
However, V ignored Johnny's warnings. He silently drew his Mantis Blades and activated the thermal plugin, coating them with a deadly buff.
'Johnny, we can't outrun him. That thing is fast. Even if we drive, there's no guarantee we can shake him off. We have to kill him to protect everyone!'
After observing Ivanov earlier, V deduced that while Ivanov was slightly slower than himself, his Sianvistan implant had a cooldown period—something Ivanov might not have.
With that in mind, V decided to use his advantage and eliminate the genetic monster, all while testing his own limits.
[Fine, but be careful!]
Realizing he couldn't change V's mind, Johnny reluctantly wished him luck. [Don't do anything reckless. Stay sharp.]
'Got it.'
V activated his Sianvistan, pushing his body to its absolute limits. Like a bolt of lightning, his shadow darted forward, his glowing thermal-coated Mantis Blades striking Ivanov's Achilles tendon.
Slash!
However, V quickly realized that even Ivanov's Achilles tendons were protected by subdermal armor. The blade didn't cut through!
The real problem lay beyond this discovery. V noticed his Mantis Blades seemed ineffective against this half-flesh, half-cybernetic monster.
"Damn it!"
Sensing trouble, V tried to retreat but was snatched mid-motion by Ivanov, who crushed his waist with overwhelming strength.
As Ivanov's grip tightened, V felt his breathing grow labored under the immense pressure.
Forced into a desperate move, V switched his Mantis Blades to the electromagnetic plugin and cranked its output to maximum before stabbing Ivanov's arm.
A surge of powerful electricity coursed through Ivanov's body, causing his hands to tremble uncontrollably and release V.
Finally breaking free, V was now at a loss. Ivanov's subdermal armor was as tough as a small power-armor suit, rendering his blades almost useless.
[V, this guy is practically impervious to blades and bullets. You'll need heavy artillery to breach his defenses. Your Mantis Blades won't cut it.]
Johnny Silverhand, horrified by the sight of this monstrous being, marveled at the company's technological capabilities but felt utterly powerless as an individual.
Arasaka could imprison human souls with the Soulkiller, and biotech firms could create absolute killing machines with genetic engineering. These corporations were far more terrifying than Johnny had ever imagined.
V racked his brain for a way to deal with Ivanov. If even conventional weapons failed, heavy firepower seemed the only option.
But this was a biotech research facility, devoid of heavy weaponry. The power-armor squad that could have restrained Ivanov had been annihilated earlier.
'I'll try the Interface Port to see if I can hack his cybernetic systems.'
V carefully examined Ivanov again, only to realize the monster only had subdermal armor implants—no other cybernetics at all!
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