Warcross

Lu, Marie. Warcross. Book 1 of the Warcross series. 2017. 353p. ISBN 978-0-399-54796-6. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

Ever since the death of her father, Emika Chen has had to fend for herself. Left with massive gambling debts, she was sent to the orphanage, and eventually ran away. The only solace she has found is the game Warcross, an online virtual reality platform that has grown to become the new Internet. Though Warcross brought thousands of new business ideas and entertainment options to the world, it also brought a seedy underside, and law enforcement worldwide has been trying to catch up with the criminals that have abused Warcross. A dedicated hacker in New York City, Emika turned to bounty hunting to support herself, chasing down low level criminals that the police has no time or manpower to catch. She barely hangs on, though, and she’s behind on her rent.

With the Warcross Championship starting, Emika decides to hack into Warcross’s Opening Ceremony through a vulnerability she discovered and steal a power-up, which she can then sell on the black market. Everything goes according to plan, except for the appearance of her avatar in the Ceremony. Now the entire world wants to know, who is Emika Chen? Such a feat is sure to send the police to her doorstep, but in the morning she is surprised to only see the media outside. Her phone has several dozen messages, asking her to contact a Warcross corporate number. When she finally does, she receives an offer she can’t refuse. Hideo Tanaka, the young billionaire owner and inventor of Warcross, wants to fly her to Japan to meet with him. Emika has always dreamed of meeting Tanaka, but never thought it would happen. Now, she flies in a private jet around the world, and meets with Tanaka. As serious in person as he is on screen and in his media appearances, Tanaka is impressed with her hacking skills, and offers her a job. She will be entered in the Warcross draft as a wildcard, and will be selected by one of the international teams competing for the Warcross Championship. Her mission is to uncover the identity of a hacker named Zero, something Warcross’ best corporate hackers have been unable to do. Zero plans something big for the Warcross championships, and Tanaka wants to prevent him from reaching his goal.

As Emika digs in the profiles of contestants and snoops around the Dark layers of Warcross, she begins to unravel Zero’s sinister plot, which could cripple the Warcross platform. Now falling for Tanaka, every step Emika takes brings her closer to a confrontation with the obscure Zero, putting her and Tanaka in more than virtual danger...