"Now that he's run away, there's no need to stay here any longer."
Chen Mo raised his hand.
The dark red substance spread rapidly along the ground, like a growing shadow, and in the blink of an eye, it covered the entire data center.
The server emitted a piercing alarm sound.
Countless red mechanical eyes turned towards Chen Mo simultaneously, the turret relocked to its target, and dense arcs of electricity erupted from the energy lines.
The Joker instinctively took a half step back.
"Wait, could you let me copy the data first?"
"I'm already copying it."
Chen Mo extended two fingers and snapped the Snap lightly.
The data flow on the central motherboard stopped instantly, and then, as if dismantled by an invisible hand, all the cabinets and data were categorized and dragged into the Blacklight Network.
The Joker looked at the rapidly scrolling code on the screen and nodded.
Dude, I told you you had this trick up your sleeve! What else could I have said?
"This isn't copying, it feels more like moving house! You even packed up the cabinets."
"More or less."
Chen Mo glanced at the server.
"Although I don't like bringing furniture, you might find it useful."
V walked over, carrying a pistol, staring at the tentacles that were wantonly bullying the computers all around.
"Now that you've packed everything, shouldn't we be leaving?"
What's the rush?
Chen Mo looked up at the ceiling.
"I haven't finished dismantling it yet."
The next second, the Blacklight suddenly tightened.
All the servers simultaneously cracked open from the inside, their silver casings shredded like paper, exposing the cooling pipes, power lines, and backup batteries.
Then, black and red tentacles burrowed into the crack and devoured all the metal and wiring inside.
The core structure of the data center began to collapse.
There was no huge explosion, nor any towering flames.
The entire building looked as if its interior had been bitten off by an unseen behemoth; the walls, floors, and supporting columns successively lost their function and crashed heavily to the surroundings.
Harley Quinn grabbed the Joker's clothes and pulled him toward the exit.
"Honey, stop looking! If you keep looking, the house will smash into your face!"
"I just wanted to confirm if this counts as the first step in the plan."
The Joker was dragged along, stumbling and staggering.
"This isn't just the first step anymore; they've completely demolished the whole place!"
The group rushed out of the underground passage.
A muffled rumble came from behind, and the entire abandoned platform began to shake violently.
Seconds later, the entrance to the data center collapsed completely, and rubble and steel frames filled the passageway.
Chen Mo was the last to come out, casually brushing the dust off his shoulders.
The Joker Gang stood in the dust, looking at the ruins before them, their expressions remarkably uniform.
Shocking.
There's also a numbness that's hard to explain.
They had been preparing for over a decade, going to great lengths to gather intelligence, devise routes, and research evacuation plans.
As a result, Chen Mo went in and came out in less than ten minutes.
The data center is gone.
The guards are gone.
Even the servers inside are gone.
"Is that all?"
V looked at Chen Mo and asked.
Chen Mo turned to look at her.
"You want to add a post-credits scene? That's a good idea."
V glanced down at his dual pistols.
"But I haven't fired a single shot! This is brand new!"
"That's good, it saves bullets."
"But I always feel like I'm just a visitor."
"Then you can charge admission."
After Chen Mo finished speaking, he walked towards the transport vehicle.
At the same time, Night City's surveillance network experienced a brief disruption.
The communication signals that had been severed by the Batman Who Laughs were quickly restored after he left.
The previously dark surveillance screen lit up again.
However, the data center in District Nine has completely disappeared from the system map.
There is no record of an explosion.
No energy remains.
There weren't even any signs of damage consistent with those caused by conventional weapons.
It was as if that place had never existed.
At the top of the city, the Nite Owl Tower.
In the dark room on the top floor, Thomas Wayne stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
The entire Night City lay at his feet.
Countless billboards float between skyscrapers, flying cars traverse acid rain, and pedestrians on the streets are marked one by one by surveillance cameras.
A notification sound rang out.
Nite Owl turned around and looked at the central screen.
" District Nine Data Center, all connections lost."
"Surveillance footage has been restored."
"No explosion detected, no high-energy impact detected, no trace of conventional intrusion detected."
The image on the screen kept zooming in.
Amidst the ruins, several members of the Joker Gang are boarding a transport vehicle.
Chen Mo stood at the very front, even having the leisure to tidy his clothes.
Nite Owl stared at that face, his gaze gradually darkening.
His first thought was that Luthor had made a move.
In the entire Night City, only the Luthor Corporation has the capability to destroy a data center without triggering any warning and simultaneously erase all records from all devices.
But the thought was quickly dismissed by Nite Owl himself.
It shouldn't be him.
Luthor's technology is indeed advanced, and his military-industrial complex is powerful enough, but he can't be this clean.
Those servers weren't just destroyed; they were completely erased.
Not even residual heat or electromagnetic waves remained.
Luthor isn't qualified.
The Nite Owl stood still, silently watching the screen.
A few seconds later, he raised his hand and brought up all the records of Chen Mo's previous appearances.
Outer perimeter area.
Obsidian Troops.
Buck.
And that Blacklight that swallowed everything.
The Nite Owl's finger stopped on the screen.
"I see."
On the other side, Luthor Mansion.
Lex Luthor sat in the main control room of the military-industrial network, with dozens of data screens floating in front of him.
The military power lines in District Nine are flashing incessantly.
A large amount of information was forcibly cut off, and inexplicable gaps appeared in the backup network.
Luthor's face was ashen, as if he had just swallowed a piece of metal.
"Who did this?"
"I'm sorry, sir, we are currently unable to identify the perpetrator."
The artificial intelligence answered immediately.
"No missile trajectory was detected, no intrusion program was detected, and no large-scale electromagnetic interference was detected."
Luthor stared coldly at the blank area.
Only one person can achieve this level of skill.
Nite Owl.
Only the guy who controls the city's surveillance and network access has the ability to bypass all warnings, paralyze the life-sustaining network, and then clean up all traces at the scene.
As for the others?
They couldn't even get through the door to the data center.
He finally made his move.
Luthor raised his hand and pressed the top-secret channel.
Almost at the same time, Nite Owl also dialed the same number.
Communication established.
Both screens lit up simultaneously.
Nite Owl sat in the darkness, staring blankly at Luthor.
Luthor stood under the cold white light, his eyes equally icy.
Neither of them spoke.
They know each other too well.
Any probing question could reveal your own judgment.
The silence lasted for a few seconds.
Luthor suddenly raised his hand and pressed the red button on the table.
"Activate heavy armored units."
Nite Owl stared at the military mobilization data on the screen, his finger landing on another button.
"Unlock near-Earth orbit weapons."
Their voices rang out almost simultaneously.
The communication channel remained silent.
But the two financial behemoths have already entered a state of war.