The armored vehicle moved automatically, while outside it, the sound of bullets and shells intertwining never ceased. Dog Town wasn't large, but it still took Miles more than twenty minutes to reach the Gem Cyan Hotel from the crash site by car.
Miles could see the vehicle being forced to take several detours, and on the bypassed roads, Netherworld Dog soldiers and unmanned devices could be seen fighting everywhere.
But Miles also keenly observed that those out-of-control unmanned devices would be quickly hacked and decrypted when they got close to her, returning to normal—this didn't seem to be Lark's doing.
On the contrary, ever since boarding the vehicle, Lark had been clutching her forehead in pain, intermittently letting out painful groans, with her eyes tightly shut, as if she might faint at any moment.
"What exactly happened?" Miles withdrew her gaze, attempting to gather more information from Lark during this brief time in the vehicle.
Lark's reply was somewhat unclear: "A rogue AI... a very powerful rogue AI..."
Miles continued to press, but Lark could provide no further information.
She could only let it go for the time being—when the vehicle entered Gem Cyan, a young woman in pink-green armored gear proactively opened her car door.
Rebecca observed the spirited woman in front of her, feeling a bit excited in her heart—this was her first time meeting such an important figure face-to-face.
"Follow me, Mercer is trying to sort out the situation as best as he can, he arranged a suite at the top for you."
After Rebecca spoke, Miles asked the question she had asked more than once: "What exactly happened?"
"It's an unknown rogue AI launching a global network attack on us, the purpose is still unknown."
This time, Miles clearly heard a calm male voice reaching her ears.
She turned her head to look—standing nearby was a humanoid robot, its cold mechanical eyes sizing her up and down.
"You're Mercer... or is it you controlling this robot?" Miles looked on with interest at the scene: "Able to control it remotely?"
The robot nodded: "I am in a deep dive state, striving to reclaim control of the unmanned devices, President Miles, please go to the top for a brief rest."
Miles spoke directly: "I need you to provide a way for me to contact the outside world, I will immediately apply for Military Science agents to support you."
"No need, this mess is most likely trouble caused by your people for me—we'll discuss this later, for now, the matters in Dog Town are under my command."
Mercer's tone seemed somewhat firm, but Miles was humble, and at the moment Mercer's tone firmed up, she calmly said: "Alright, then let's chat once you're finished with this."
The expressions of the two New America agents were somewhat hostile, but they just silently followed Miles, supporting the unsteady Lark, boarding the elevator with armored Rebecca and the robot controlled by Mercer.
The elevator rose slowly, soon reaching another empty luxurious suite at the top.
After entering, Miles even had the mood to exclaim: "Very nice, no wonder those guys rate Gem Cyan so highly... The specs of this suite are really no different compared to those luxury hotels."
After entering the suite, Rebecca didn't leave, instead, under the gaze of the two agents, she pretended to speak in a deep, self-assured tone: "I will be responsible for your safety here."
Miles smiled and nodded: "Well, thank you all very much. Is this modified tank armor you're wearing?"
"No, it's a new custom-made personal armor." Talk of her armor caused Rebecca's composure to falter, and she spoke proudly: "It's entirely different from mass-produced tank armor, I call it Peacekeeper."
She liked the shotgun Mercer gave her, including the somewhat quirky name—in fact, even her armor model was named Peacekeeper One.
Miles praised a few sentences, commenting on the paintwork and materials, finally, subtly asking: "Is this armor much stronger than regular tank armor?"
Rebecca just chuckled: "I don't know, I don't understand technology, as long as it looks good, right?"
With those words out, Miles immediately changed the topic: "What Mercer Mr. mentioned, that this network attack might be related to us, what does that mean?"
The robot at the side unexpectedly spoke up again, Mercer's voice still calm:
"Li De, Alex, these two hidden agents from the Intelligence Bureau accidentally released a rogue AI trapped in the Neural Matrix while exploring the Little Beidou Facility, causing that rogue AI leader to target us.
Based on currently known information, this rogue AI is likely to be a super AI called 'Moon Mother,' this super AI uses the Moon as its base and has a large number of highly dangerous, anti-human, anti-social high-intelligence AIs under its command..."
Mercer's voice faltered for a moment, then, as if relieved, he said: "Luckily they gave me a bit of time to prepare, with a clear focus on you, preventing Dog Town from completely falling."
Miles frowned: "Super rogue AI? I've heard these guys can often handle a group of top hackers on their own..."
"Yes, so you should be grateful that your crash site was in Dog Town, and Dog Town's current owner just so happens to be me."