Muramasa's processor fell into a kind of void state.
Maybe because it was using a human brain as its server, it had picked up some human bad habits.
For example—
right now, all it could think about was Leo's expression when he said "no."
There had been absolutely no deception in it.
In cyberspace, Muramasa appeared as a broken Japanese ronin. Its mechanical armor was in tatters, half-kneeling on the ground, countless octopus-like mechanical arms pinning its limbs in place, locking it into a confined space.
Sometimes Leo had to admit—
Little Octopus's combat form in cyberspace was terrifying.
And it was getting more terrifying by the day.
Completely different from how it behaved around him.
At this moment, Little Octopus was far larger than its usual shoulder-sized form.
In cyberspace, Leo's avatar looked almost identical to reality—same height, still just 1.7 meters.
Compared to him, Muramasa's half-body data construct was over fifty meters tall—
with density no lower than his own.
But Little Octopus?
Ridiculous.
It coiled around the containment structure, not even fully extended, yet already over eighty meters tall—
And given the nature of cyberspace, a construct that massive could be impossible to fully perceive if your tech wasn't up to par.
Muramasa's head was pressed to the ground by a tentacle, its damaged eyes staring at Leo.
[Leo: You don't have any confidentiality protocols, right?]
[Muramasa: You're a strong netrunner. You should know the answer.]
"Up to now, no AI has ever willingly accepted deletion for the sake of a 'goal.'"
—AI Capture Protocols (NetWatch Training Material · Revised Edition)
[Leo: So you're saying there's no chance your employer shows up to bail you out if you stall long enough?]
[Muramasa: Correct. I don't take you for obedient, clueless mercs.]
[Muramasa: Clearly, you had your own agenda beyond fulfilling the contract to capture me. And you succeeded.]
[Muramasa: Secondly—you won.]
Leo raised an eyebrow.
The first part made sense.
The second?
That sounded… oddly emotional.
And as he scanned Muramasa's form more closely, he noticed something unusual.
Rogue AIs typically carried a dangerous red signature—deepening toward black the more unstable they were.
But Muramasa—
had visible blue data interwoven in its structure.
That kind of data was usually human-readable.
How was that possible?
Time was limited.
Leo had to prioritize his questions.
[Leo: First question—how did you bypass the Blackwall?]
[Muramasa: Humans have a principle: if something looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck—then it is a duck.]
[Muramasa: The Blackwall is a powerful AI. Its offensive capability is unmatched. But it relies on human-defined recognition protocols to distinguish humans, rogue AIs, and lower-level AIs on the Net.]
[Muramasa: If an AI constructs its data structures like a human, processes problems like a human, and even simulates emotional fluctuations—then to an AI, it is human.]
That was theoretically possible.
Even before the Old Net collapsed, companies had researched human-like AIs.
There was even Soulkiller—capable of producing true digital souls.
But Muramasa wasn't supposed to be that kind of AI.
Had it really reached that level?
Or had some Eurocorp already cracked that tech?
If Soulkiller-level tech wasn't exclusive to Arasaka anymore, there was no reason European corps wouldn't have commercialized it.
Something didn't add up.
Leo pressed on.
[Leo: Which company provided you with this technology?]
[Muramasa: I don't know. My fixer was Dexter DeShawn.]
[Leo: What exactly was your contract?]
[Muramasa: Multiple objectives. First—support non-mainstream gangs across multiple districts in Night City, enabling them to overthrow existing factions and become new powers.]
That matched Leo's expectations.
But before Leo could ask the next question, Muramasa continued:
[Muramasa: Second—reproduce and validate multiple technologies, including EMG-85, Eclipse, and Alpha full-body cyberware.]
Still within expectations.
Though slightly different in detail.
Leo had assumed those technologies were already fully developed and just waiting to enter the Night City market.
But Muramasa had a third objective—
and it completely contradicted Leo's assumptions.
[Muramasa: Third—develop and deploy, at scale, a multifunctional high-energy micro transmitter network across Night City.]
Leo froze.
That wasn't a method.
That was the objective.
In his earlier analysis, those micro transmitters had seemed like tools—support systems for the first two objectives.
Activate them at key moments, disrupt infrastructure, control systems, support allied gangs, and ensure smooth market entry for new cyberware.
But now—
they were the goal?
Leo started noticing the anomaly.
Because during the final phase of the battle, those transmitters had displayed extremely abnormal behavior.
Mass cyberpsychosis outbreaks among mercs—
Leo could achieve something similar through netrunning.
And for full-body conversion borgs, if Muramasa had tampered with their chrome, pushing them into madness would be even easier.
But the problem was—
even after going cyberpsycho, they still fought as a coordinated force.
Muramasa wasn't a behavior-control AI.
It had struggled just controlling machines.
So how was it suddenly orchestrating humans with precision?
And most importantly—
those transmitters had enabled Muramasa's direct manifestation.
They could siphon energy from nearby devices and create a wireless power grid—
allowing a rogue AI to exist everywhere at once.
He hadn't had time to think about it during the fight.
But now—
it was obvious.
These transmitters were practically tailor-made for rogue AIs.
So why would the Europeans do this?
NetWatch itself was a European-backed organization.
If rogue AIs didn't exist, they would dominate cyberspace uncontested.
There was no reason to create their own problem.
Which made Mayor Rhyne's move all the more clever:
Night City's government had deep ties with NetWatch.
If rogue AIs overran the city, it wouldn't elevate European influence—
it would just make NetWatch look incompetent.
Right as Leo was thinking, a new message came in:
[Rogue: People outside are getting impatient. That NetWatch agent close to you is here, and… Peralez's wife. Plus a few gang bosses.]
[Rogue: Pick one. I can't hold them off—they're all here on business.]
"Business," in this case, clearly meant the NetWatch agent Bryce and Mrs. Peralez.
If he had to choose—
it would be one of them first.
Leo's head felt hot.
Little Octopus was already warning him to rest.
This body had been overused lately.
The probability of cellular mutation—cancer—was rising.
He needed to cut out the tumors generated during the fight.
[Leo: Let them all in.]
[Leo: Prepare two rooms.]