Players Invade Cyberpunk-Chapter 866 - 280: Shout My Name Loudly! Zeta (Not)!_2

Bang! Bang! Bang!

All six shells were prematurely detonated ten meters out by the active defense system, bursting into six balls of fire. The players exposed for the attack were immediately overwhelmed by both the Chimera and the Hellhounds, turned to ash before they even had a chance to escape.

The Chimera wasn't even afraid of running low on ammo, as the Hellhounds had even split off a dedicated logistics squad to handle ammunition resupply.

The Truth Department, seeing this scene, slammed the table in anger.

"FUCK! Are these Netherworld Dogs fucking insane? Such good stuff, instead of selling it, they keep it locked in a museum for what?!"

Players had speculated about what valuable treasures the Netherworld Dogs might be hiding, but they never expected two Chimera armors on par with Great Mount Pill. In street battles, these things are countless times better than tanks, posing even greater threats than the Great Mount Pill on plains.

"Can the air force make another raid?"

Wildman: "It's useless. The air defense systems in Dog Town have been taken over by rogue AIs. Any raiders would be flying to their death if they tried to get in."

"Damn it!"

To break through the active defense system, they'd have to get within a hundred-meter range of the Chimera to fire rockets, but with Hellhound robots all around it, getting close was easier said than done.

Not to mention, the Chimera and all Hellhounds share an information network, leaving no blind spots. Even someone at Brother Ni's highest level of stealth couldn't evade those damn infrared radar systems, and once discovered, they'd be bombarded by a ton of weapons. Not only was their equipment superior, but their information-driven combat efficiency was a whole level above the players'.

Plus, even if they got in, they'd face close-in defensive guns and explosive reactive armor attached to the Chimera, like fighting a damn cheat.

Faced with a heated battle, the command room was an uproar.

"Damn it, if my mom were here, you'd have been blown to pieces by two missiles long ago, you cocky bastard!"

"Why don't you call Hotline 12345, and ask the big brother to send over two rockets and a sports car. Maybe someone on the other side will answer." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"That's his mom, not my mom!"

"A godmother is still a mom, hehe, I used to play Dota."

Some players were goofing around, while others were troubled.

The Truth Department chuckled wryly.

"If we keep fighting like this, even if we dismantle all the robots, Dog Town will be blown to rubble."

He was hoping to invest money to make more money in the future, but if it's destroyed, he'd lose terribly.

Even money not earned counts as a loss.

Seeing Wildman frowning, he asked,

"Haven't thought of a countermeasure yet?"

Wildman shook his head: "Without knowing the opponent's strategic objectives, with weaponry and command systems at a generation gap, it's a losing battle regardless of the outcome."

His reference to losing wasn't about the battle's outcome, but the strategic win or loss.

"We need to first understand the rogue AI's intentions behind invading the Hellhound command system to formulate tactics. Otherwise, even if we ultimately destroy all the robots, we might lose miserably in unseen ways."

Next to him, the PR department muttered: "What else would a rogue AI do? Invade human networks, of course."

Wildman countered: "Where exactly is it planning to breach the network?"

The PR department, eyes wide, said: "I have no idea."

In the setting narrative gathered by players, rogue AIs aren't those manic antagonists who take every chance to kick you—they have extremely clear objectives with each action, not just destruction for destruction's sake.

Like this time, infiltrating the Hellhound control system only gains control over a group of robotic dogs. But with a massive corporate crowd outside, where could these dogs even go?

If it weren't for the players still being entangled with the Hellhounds in Dog Town, they might've long dispatched troops to dismantle all the Hellhounds and Chimeras.

The buildings you destroy and people you kill don't even count as losses in the eyes of the company. They can take the chance to reclaim Taiping Continent and profit greatly.

For the AI, it would just be a futile endeavor.

Wildman constantly updated her observations of the battle situation and any intelligence collected by all players on the official forum, hoping some experts might offer advice. Even if one person's ability is short, combined efforts on the forum might find some hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

Within minutes, someone on the forum @-ed Wildman.

The user arranged the dozen or so Hellhound robot positioning maps he uploaded and marked areas in red.

[Eagle Strike: Look at these movement patterns. Haven't you noticed that in the updates you provide every five minutes, most of the Hellhounds are converging towards the northern gate? Those two Chimeras are advancing in that direction too. We suspect they're trying to break out of Dog Town.]

[Wildman: Break out of Dog Town? The outside is entirely corporate forces. They can't possibly escape Night City.]

And Taiping Continent is south of Night City. If they wanted to run, shouldn't they head south?

[Eagle Strike: Is there a possibility that there's something up north they want, something of much greater importance than the robots themselves?]

Wildman muttered under his breath,

'North?'

'But the north is all corporate plaza. If they attack that place, wouldn't the forces from the Huang Ban industrial park rush over to deal with it? Can those Hellhounds withstand it?'

'Wait... most are heading north, but how come a small portion is moving south? Is it a feint?'

Wildman frowned as he pulled up drone footage from the area.