On the screen, a sarcastic voice trailed off.
The mechanical walls surrounding the hall fully unfolded, and dozens of heavy artillery turrets rose from within the walls, their muzzles simultaneously locking onto Chen Mo and the others.
Red scanning beams crisscrossed through the air, and countless mechanical eyes covered the entire data center.
The Joker Gang members' expressions changed.
This is no longer an ordinary security system.
Each of these gun emplacements was enough to blast them, along with their cybernetic bodies, into pieces.
"Everyone, disperse!"
V raised his two pistols and quickly sought cover.
Harley Quinn dragged the medical kit behind the server, pulling the Joker along with her.
"Honey, this time it seems really dangerous."
Don't be afraid.
The Joker peeked out with half his face and said seriously, "With Chen Mo here, nothing will happen, but this guy's tricks are definitely not that simple!"
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of high-energy beams shot out simultaneously.
A blinding white light instantly engulfed the entire hall.
Chen Mo stood still, without even blinking.
Black and red tentacles rose from beneath his feet, instantly transforming into a seamless wall that easily blocked all attacks.
The beam of light fell on the tentacle, creating only a tiny ripple.
Chen Mo glanced down at it.
That's it?
He thought the other party had prepared something new and exciting, but after all that effort, it was just these tiny fireworks that wouldn't even scratch his skin?
Something's not right.
The laughter on the screen suddenly became even more jarring.
Hahahaha...
The black crystal slowly rotated, and the light in the image began to distort.
A deathly pale face was pressed close to the screen.
His face was frighteningly thin, his lips were forcibly torn into an exaggerated arc, and an eye patch made of dark gold spikes was tightly fastened around his eyes.
He didn't open his eyes.
Yet it seemed as if I could see everyone in the hall.
"Don't be disappointed, Chen Mo, and everyone else."
The black hand, revealing its true form, the Batman Who Laughs, grinned and let out a low laugh.
"These things were never intended to kill you in the first place."
Chen Mo raised his head and looked at him calmly.
"Then why did you display it? Do you prefer an industrial wasteland style for your decor?"
The Batman Who Laughs ignored his taunts.
Please, of course I know they can't hurt you.
He stretched out his finger and gently tapped the virtual screen in front of him.
The next second, a huge 3D projection appeared above the data center.
That's the Night City.
Countless blocks, transportation routes, and underground pipes lit up simultaneously, with dense red dots covering the entire city.
Then, more images were displayed.
People queuing in the slums, pedestrians hurrying by on the street, a woman holding a child and sheltering from the rain, and an elderly person having their prosthetic body repaired.
A faint red glow appeared on their necks and around their temples.
" Chen Mo, you should have already seen what the identity chip here is."
The Batman Who Laughs said, "But I can tell you more. They are responsible for recording identities, locating positions, uploading data, and ensuring that most people in this city continue to live."
The Joker's expression gradually froze.
He stared at the red dots, as if he had thought of something.
"Impossible..."
"Low-grade goods, nothing is impossible."
The Batman Who Laughs shook its head slightly, its fingertips pointing out a tiny distance.
"I spent some time connecting the control system of this data center to the city's life support chips. Now, the motherboards here are linked to the life signals of a total of 1.37 million people."
The hall fell silent.
Harley Quinn's finger froze in mid-air, and the medical needle in her hand fell to the ground.
V gripped the gun handle tightly, his face extremely grim.
"You're insane! You're actually taking the entire city hostage?"
"Hostage?"
The Batman Who Laughs seemed to have heard a very interesting word, and immediately burst into laughter.
"Well said, V. But they're not human; they're born to be cogs in this city, living, breathing code within this system, replaceable screws at any time."
He looked at Chen Mo, his smile gradually turning into excitement.
"Therefore, as you continue to destroy the motherboard here, all the life support chips will stop working at the same time."
They won't die immediately.
"First, the nervous system loses control, then the prosthetic body goes berserk, and finally, the chip releases the stored biological agents."
The Batman Who Laughs paused, then his smile became even more exaggerated.
"At that time, all 1.37 million people will become mindless pieces of flesh, tearing each other apart in the streets."
The Joker suddenly raised his gun and aimed it at the central screen.
"You're crazy!"
"Madman?"
The Batman Who Laughs's laughter suddenly turned cold.
"I'm just more honest than you."
He moved close to the screen, the dark gold spikes almost touching the image.
"You want to overthrow Nite Owl, you want this city to be free, but you've never really asked whether those people are willing to die for your ideals. How many of them would rather die than live on?"
The Joker gritted his teeth, his arms trembling slightly.
Harley Quinn glanced at him, then at Chen Mo, and for the first time, the smile on her face vanished completely.
"Honey, what should we do now?"
The Joker did not answer.
His plan, which he had been preparing for over a decade, was originally intended to destroy Night City's control network.
But now, he doesn't even dare to touch the motherboard.
Because that's not a machine.
That's over a million lives.
The Batman Who Laughs observed the crowd's reactions as if he were watching a meticulously prepared performance.
"Don't worry, Chen Mo, my old friend, I have no intention of going head-to-head with you."
He looked at Chen Mo again.
"You're too strong, so strong that all the weapons I can plant in this world seem laughable. I know that, so I didn't pin my hopes on killing you."
"I just wanted to take a look."
His voice was low, but his smile grew wider.
"Look at your body, this demon that devours heaven and earth, how much of that pitiful mortal remains?"
" Chen Mo, will you stop for the sake of these 1.37 million people?"
"Or will you step over their corpses and continue on your way?"
Chen Mo remained silent.
He stood in front of the central screen, the virus tentacles still spreading beneath his feet, but not moving forward.
The surrounding mechanical turrets remained in a charged state, and red light shone on his face.
On the screen, the Batman Who Laughs's smile continues to widen.
The only sounds in the entire data center were the low hum of the machinery and his constant, shrill laughter.
Chen Mo looked at that pale face, his expression neither angry nor panicked.
He just stood there quietly.