"I heard you came here equipped with power armor."
"Yes, we got some engineering-grade equipment from the black market, but it turned out not to be very durable, so we left it down below."
"How many people are in the Brain Demon Gang? Where did they get their full-body prosthetics from?"
"I donât know, but the servers are still down there. You could clean up this place; the Ye Group originally does this kind of work, so it shouldnât be a big project, right?"
"Hmm..."
Essentially, the Centaur Mecha is a type of heavy exoskeleton, but it is not short in stature, reaching nearly seven feet when donned and appearing quite massive because of its simultaneous use of a Big Shield and heavy weapons.
However, standing in front of the mecha, Lille did not seem diminished; rather, the NCPD folks felt the mecha seemed somewhat smaller...
Because Jack was eating.
"Whatâs with this guyâs eating? It looks like... like a desperate desert nomad..."
Jack, heavily feeding, looked even more serious.
Jefferson appeared slightly displeased, something Lille could discern.
His complexion was much better than when he had constantly needed stimulant injections, yet would still almost faint after exchanging just a few words.
He seemed more dangerous too.
Lille had two commissions on him, one to investigate the roaming AI Munemasa, and the other to probe into the new supplies at the Night City black market...
Strictly speaking, in the matter concerning the Brain Demon Gang, Jefferson was his employer.
Now he felt like he was deceiving his employerâLille had to conceal the matter of the biological host.
After pondering for a moment, Jefferson asked, "Did you find anything?"
"Yes, the Brain Demon Gang has always been supplying full body prosthetics transformations to the black market. The Slaughterhouse, the Mox Gang... perhaps other gangs ready to make their appearance have already been equipped."
"That could be bad... but why would the Brain Demon Gang have such technology and equipment?"
Lille took some wreckage from the crateâ
"Thatâs not the most crucial issue. The key thing is, theyâve dug a very complex tunnel system down there, and I donât know exactly where it leads.
And there are these tiny devices in the passages, very... efficient information attack devices."
Jefferson took the device, and his prosthetic eye began to scan: "Hmm... indeed, this is quite high-tech stuff. Thereâs no manufacturer information, no clues, but itâs definitely military grade.
Radio blocking, directional electromagnetic pulses... this is what hindered the action recording, right?
This is useful information, but where are the people from the Brain Demon Gang?"
"Only three, I scanned their biocodes, but the place was about to collapse; I couldnât possibly bring three dead bodies out."
"Three?"
"Three."
Jefferson thought for a moment and then said, "This will be problematic: such equipment as an interference source has strong penetrative capabilities. Assuming their tunnels extend under some power station, they could potentially create another electromagnetic pulse attack.
If itâs just the Brain Demon Gang digging for a fallback plan, thatâs one thing, but I fear... they might be digging for someone else."
And this worry completely aligned with Lilleâs judgment.
"Your concern is quite valid; the Brain Demon Gang does not have the capability to manufacture high-precision components, and they must have a supplier, and also, they donât seem like the kind to make payments with money."
Three complete unregistered persons, no account information found in the host machine, couldnât scrounge up a hundred dollars in the entire hole.
They had decent technology, but the hardware they were using was worth much more, and it was a sellerâs marketâ
Any enterprise would control the outflow of such components.
"Tricky, it feels like the mob has gotten hold of tactical electromagnetic pulse weapons, and we canât even pinpoint where theyâve been deployed..."
After Jefferson finished speaking, he looked at Lille, "I must say, you guys didnât do a neat job, clearing the tunnels is quite a hassle."
Moreover, you havenât answered my question. How did the Brain Demon Gang acquire this technology? They only have three members.
Underground dealings, large-scale illegal construction, full body prosthetics...all secretly hidden, with every trace buried underground.
Maybe they just wanted you to bury this place. Have you considered that?"
"It wasnât me who buried it, they still had bombs, single molecule blades... Youâre right, they probably indeed wanted to bury this place.
But I have some guesses about their patron."
"Who?"
"A rogue AI."
The technology used by the biological host shows clear traces of AI.
In this era, AI technology is the exclusive trick of big corporations, also something they offensively probe at the edge of danger behind closed doors.
The origin of this technology is very suspicious, Lille doesnât think three outcasts can master it.
An AI, if not handled by someone technically proficient, canât really be operated properly, especially for a group like the Brain Demon Gang that clearly tinkers on its own.
Furthermore, the most likely to provide them with sophisticated components would be an external European company.
And Munemasa seems to have some connection with the mercenaries brought in by the European enterprises.
Moreover, these three members of the Brain Demon Gang are not ordinary: their brain groovesâ depth and density are very high, and the cellular tests show great activity, which is a sign of high Intelligence, natural hackers.
The problem is, before Lille had contact with them, they were already dead, making it difficult to obtain any useful information from them.
Another point for judgment: the original "Cyberpunk 2077" doesnât have these components; they could be related to Munemasa, who also comes from outside the canon storyline.
However, when Lille said this, he could clearly see a distinct change in Jeffersonâs expression.
"Rogue AI?"
"Yes," Lille nodded, "Remember that mercenary who might be related to Hot? He got his weapons from someone suspected to be a rogue AI."
Jefferson fell silent for a moment, "This should be the job of network surveillance. How do you know?"
Lille shrugged, "I am a very busy mercenary."
"Then this matter gets more complicated, we canât keep dragging this, I will arrange for the engineering team to come in..."
Jefferson paused, "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, I have an ideaâI have been tracking this rogue AI for a long time. Iâm thinking, instead of letting it hide in the shadows, with an unknown range of communication bombs, why not lure it out and trigger the bombs proactively?"
An AI known as a critical danger entity, once its survival issue is resolved, will accomplish its "life goal" with a determination bordering on insanity.
Dragon Hunters who hunt AIs would use this trait to prepare "moral logic traps" for them, implementing capture.
Lille is now preparing such a moral logic trap.
Munemasa considers himself the best weapon craftsman, and weapons are meant to be used.
"How do you lure it?"
Lille took out a chip and handed it to Jefferson.
"An unprecedented unrestricted race."