176 Is Not Black and White

176. Not Black and White

I'm dying. Help me.

Naturally, the message Songbird sent had not been that blunt.

As an agent with professional training, even in the most urgent secret communications, she still strictly adhered to the principle of conveying the most information with the fewest words.

Every word in the brief encrypted message had been precisely calculated. On the surface, it looked like a string of random numbers, but every character conveyed the same meaning—she desperately needed help.

"What does 'she's dying' mean?"

V watched Reid secretly pull out what was presumably a chip Songbird had prepared in advance from beneath the sofa, then asked as Reid inserted it and received the information.

"Little Song's modifications have already reached their limit."

Reid received the information as he spoke. "The Blackwall is like a bottomless swamp. The more you venture into it again and again, the more likely you are to be buried in it completely. Even a hacker as exceptional as Little Song has already been eroded by the Blackwall. Her body is nearing its limit."

"Mm, that doesn't sound especially surprising. So?"

"So now I know who the traitor was, and why Air Force One crashed in Dogtown with such perfect timing. Little Song did all of it."

"Song Zhaomei did it?"

A trace of surprise appeared on V's face, but on second thought, he said, "That explains why I always felt something was off about her, and why she was the only one beside the president who survived. Still, that doesn't quite add up. If she wanted to betray Rosalind Myles, there was no need to hire us to rescue anyone, was there?"

"Because she couldn't be sure Hansen would fulfill her objective, so she placed bets on both sides. Looks like she learned everything I