Facing Jackie and V's confusion, Berry patted her chest and assured them both.
"You might not believe it, but have you heard of an organization called 'Hive'?"
Berry narrowed her eyes confidently, thinking that the name of her organization alone would impress them, making them bow down and exclaim that a pearl had finally found its true owner.
However, after waiting a while, there was no gasp of surprise as she expected. Berry opened her eyes in confusion, only to find that both of them also looked puzzled.
"Hive? Do they sell honey?"
It wasn't until Jackie asked in confusion that Berry realized what was happening.
These two seemed to have no idea about the organization called "Hive."
Jackie and V were, first, Mercenaries who used legitimate cyberware, and second, they hadn't specifically collected intelligence about this organization, so they had no idea about "Hive."
Of course, the root cause was that the organization Berry founded had too small a reputation, only gaining some recognition in Watson.
Only V, knowing that Berry had suddenly acquired a lot of cash, had some vague suspicions, but Jackie was truly in the dark.
"Forget it, I'll just explain it to you."
Having failed to impress, Berry, with a darkened face, could only patiently explain to the two, and even pulled in Viktor, the major shareholder of "Hive," to help with the explanation.
After Berry's explanation, the two finally understood the intricacies, looking as if they had just seen the light.
"So that's what it is, Berry, you're amazing! I told you, with your skills, you'd definitely make it big!"
After hearing about Berry secretly dealing in cyberware and forming a small gang, Jackie gave her a thumbs up, praising her repeatedly.
However, V's reaction was much calmer, despite hearing the same thing. Although she smiled with relief, her hands, clasped around her elbow, subtly tightened.
It turned out that, without her realizing it, Berry had already grown to such an extent.
V sighed inwardly, looking at Berry with complex emotions.
But she, herself, hadn't been able to help her at all.
Thinking this, V felt a pang of sadness.
She seemed to have, unknowingly, become the one holding them back.
Watching Berry, radiant and dynamic, recount her experience of creating "Hive," V secretly gritted her teeth, clutching her elbow in unwilling defiance.
However, despite clarifying the facts, proving she wasn't delusional, and receiving praise from the two, Berry felt her hands powerless, completely devoid of the joy of showing off.
It was like telling a joke: the most awkward part isn't when no one laughs, but when you, the fool, are still explaining why the joke is funny.
In the silence, only you stammer about why the joke is funny.
Isn't that just being a clown?
Berry felt exactly like this now.
However, Jackie didn't notice this. He was now patting his chest, guaranteeing that he would definitely help with Berry's venture.
"We're all family, Berry, so don't be polite. If you need help, just say the word!"
Jackie spoke with great swagger, as if Night City belonged to him.
Although there were some twists, the two still agreed to help Berry, which made Berry satisfied.
After all, this was her envisioned arrangement for the two of them.
She didn't plan for "Hive" to just be a cyberware trafficking gang. In her vision, "Hive's" scale and combat power should at least match the strength of those major corporations in Night City.
Otherwise, if they can't even reach the strength of a corporation, how can they fight against them?
And this process, of course, requires support from all aspects: enough manpower, cadres, team ventures that can provide financial support, and enough weaponry... Of course, these are still too far off for the current "Hive." The first step now is to bring Jackie and V into the fold.
V, Berry was sure V would join her.
After all, what was their relationship?
They were comrades who had gone through life and death together, sharing everything, and V was also her girlfriend, so it was a sure thing, wasn't it?
As for Jackie, Jackie was also a powerful lone wolf. Even setting aside the relationship between the three, Jackie could barely be considered a notable figure in Night City.
So, if it were a game, these two would be rare cards shimmering with brilliant light, and how could Berry not be tempted?
Therefore, she immediately began to recruit them.
Fortunately, the results were good; both were willing to join.
Along with that, Berry also told them about the gang moving to a new stronghold.
"Alright, it's settled then, Berry, I'll definitely help."
Jackie nodded, solemnly promising.
He had just returned to the city from Pacifica, looking rather dejected, and was short on money, so Berry's offer was a timely help.
Moreover, he had to work somewhere anyway, so he might as well work for his own sister.
So, Jackie agreed to join.
"Okay, Berry, count me in too."
V, with her arms crossed, also spoke, stating her decision.
She would do anything to help Berry, and this time was no exception.
Berry nodded in satisfaction.
Jackie and V agreeing to help was the best outcome, meaning the work she needed to prepare for next would be much easier to carry out.
After all, if you want to take down corporations, you can't do it without some serious leverage.
And one of the serious leverages Berry was talking about was the relic chip.
Since awakening Silverhand last time, Berry had made great breakthroughs.
Through the analysis and deduction of the data from that time, Berry had many conjectures about how to package human consciousness and stuff it into a chip.
Berry's enthusiasm for the relic chip had a reason.
She believed that this relic chip, along with the Soulkiller program, was the wedge to a new world.
There would be no need to harvest all consciousness from the brain, only a small part, and then build a large enough "sea of consciousness" to accommodate the consciousness of countless humans.
Finally, a consciousness with absolute dominance would control all of this.
Humans would evolve from pseudo-social animals to truly social animals like ant colonies or beehives, completely leaving relativity behind and embracing absolutes.
At that time, all conflicts would cease to exist. In that "sea of consciousness" where billions of human consciousnesses converged and merged, that Human Lord, that Supreme Will, would hang high like a full moon in the virtual sky, absolutely ruling everything.
Humanity would end its constant state of anxiety since the birth of its species, and under the cold moonlight, find warm peace of mind.
This was everything Berry wanted to construct. Although it was still theoretical and required many things to build the world she desired, she clearly knew that this was the future, and this future would be created in her hands.
A closed system cannot undergo complete self-transformation. Humans themselves cannot save humanity; all of this requires a Supreme Will to break through.
To end all tragedies.
Of course, for now, this was just a crazy idea.
Many problems had yet to be solved.
The secrets involved in the relic chip were simply too many, and Arasaka Corporation's application of this technology was crude and simplistic.
Berry must further explore its secrets and possibilities. The best way would be to get an original design blueprint of the relic.
However, although progress on the relic side was limited,
There had been great progress with the consciousness inside the chip, Johnny Silverhand. Under benign stimulation, his awakening frequency was increasing, and the duration of his conscious state was getting longer.
Soon, he would be able to fully revive.
Berry was very confident about this.
However, the downside was that Johnny Silverhand's mouth was truly foul.
"If you fucking make me suffer this agony again, I dare you! You little punk!"
The next day, in the building's underground repair room, Berry was starting her daily routine
—messing with Johnny Silverhand.
Listening to Silverhand's cursing, Berry rolled her eyes speechlessly.
"Hey, I'm telling you, you don't recognize good intentions. I'm clearly trying to save you here, alright?"
Seeing Silverhand awaken, Berry stopped stimulating him with the Memory Frequency Band.
"Go fuck yourself, you're just a fucking asshole!"
Of course, just like always, even though Berry claimed to be saving him, the awakened Johnny Silverhand kept sending constant "telegrams," and combined with the electronic sounds being emitted, it was truly rhythmic, melodious, and captivating.
How should one put it?
Neither of them had a good impression of the other.
Although Johnny Silverhand was irritable, he was at least not a severe manic-depressive patient who would curse at anyone he caught; his behavior had its reasons.
When he first woke up, he disconnected in less than two seconds, so he barely felt anything, to the point where he didn't even know he was in the Afterlife then, or that Rogue was present.
When he woke up later, he was in this small, dilapidated, shoddy workshop, with this little woman present.
And he, he fucking realized he was only a virtual program, only able to perceive the outside world through this projector-like device, but even then, he could only see and hear; he lacked smell, touch, and everything that made him human.
He had become a virtual person who only glowed.
The woman in front of him told him this was fifty years later; if that was true, his physical body would have already rotted into ash.
That old bastard Saburo Arasaka succeeded in packaging, compressing, and stuffing his consciousness into the relic chip, and the woman in front of him somehow acquired this chip and released him.
Moreover, the other party claimed they wanted to save him and give him a new body.
If it were just this, Johnny would have accepted it; after all, he was thick-skinned.
But due to the chip's inherent stubbornness, Johnny's consciousness was difficult to release for long, and he was forced into "unconsciousness" almost every so often.
And here came the kicker.
This woman's so-called method of saving him was to use memories from Arasaka Tower to stimulate him, especially the segment where he was killed by that bastard Hammersmith.
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