Chapter 123

She got up, took an old-fashioned glass from the glassware box on the coffee table, added ice and whiskey, and handed it to Vera as if as an apology or bribe.

After this lighthearted banter that resembled intimate conversation between true sisters, the solemnity caused by the outbreak of war dissipated considerably, and the atmosphere between Vera and Michiko became much more harmonious and natural.

After a brief period of leisure.

"The Arizona Secretary of State was cornered and murdered in his home by your men; the New Mexico Secretary of State was assassinated during a speech in the state legislature clashing with Kurt Hansen; the former governor of Southern California, who was out of work, committed suicide out of guilt; Nevada joined the riots, and the state capitol was stormed..."

After taking a sip of whiskey to moisten her throat, Michiko pointed to the split-screen display of news on the holographic screen.

The report described the neighborhood where the Phoenix City Secretary of State's residence is located as being engulfed in flames of conflict.

Apart from community security guards and a few dutiful cops, there was no sign of PHXPD (Phoenix City Police Department) or fire department personnel. Oh, and a bunch of Trauma Team rescue hovercars were humming their engines as they rushed into the community.

The Arasaka Assault Force, which appeared in front of the media, began to retreat in an orderly manner.

"Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon—the entire Western States are in complete chaos..."

On the holographic screen, as time passed, more and more breaking news was reported, and the issue of the Free State' re-independence was brought to the forefront, even surprising Michiko.

"So, what conditions did you promise them?"

Vera smiled and turned her head to say, "I was just showing them a case study, a future where families and clans can live better, avoid being purged by Washington, and prosper."

To be honest, Arizona and New Mexico were the states she really put a lot of effort into, but she underestimated the inspirational effect of setting an example. Other Western States were originally just playing a supporting role, such as Nevada, spontaneously launched a wave of independence movements.

It can only be said that the people of the Western States have suffered under Washington's tyranny for too long.

They've wanted to rebel for ages! It's just that no one has stood up for them.

Look at the flag of the New America: 15 silver stars and stripes, 1 large silver star, and 14 small silver stars. Only the Eastern States are considered 'silver stars' by Washington, meaning they are their own people. As for the others... well, they're just consumables and an internal market.

Now, guided by Vera's persuasive reasoning, emotional appeals, enticement, and threats, countless people have been united, and all sides are eager to make their move.

In addition, Arasaka's tiger skin is colorful and fierce enough.

Especially after the old emperor Saburo Arasaka, experienced a second spring in his life.

The bloated physique that Saburo and Arasaka had accumulated over the past was so frightening that many people misjudged and even overestimated Arasaka's determination at this moment.

Moreover, Hansen and his hounds, who were recruited, played a good leading and promotional role.

Due to a combination of factors, some local parties that had initially adopted a wait-and-see attitude began to take sides as more and more former Freedom Alliance partners started to join the fight, and they could no longer sit still.

"You must have another plan."

Michiko watched thoughtfully as Vera inputted commands on the holographic screen, constantly switching between video feeds and indexing the list of military intelligence data. After a moment, she spoke.

A tone of affirmation.

Then she saw Vera's smiling gaze.

"You guess."

Vera stood up, stretched comfortably, and downed her whiskey in one gulp.

Standing with her hands behind her back, she gazed at the information bar on the holographic screen, which was constantly being identified and updated by AI.

To be honest, even she herself didn't expect it to go so smoothly, and the scale was even larger than she had anticipated, which shows how unpopular Miles and her American flag with only 15 silver stars were in the Western States.

But things have come to this point, and backing down has never been Vera's style.

Let the entire West Coast burn!

"Someone, prepare the car," Vera called out.

"Shall we go back to Night City?" Michiko asked.

"No." With a calm smile, Vera snapped her fingers and said, "West."

Los Angeles, westward, towards the Pacific Ocean?

Michiko was taken aback.

"Could it be that you called out..."

Seattle, Washington.

Jimmy, the commander of the Special Rapid Response Unit of Arasaka Night City and a former adjutant of the General Security Bureau, stood on the roof of a residential building on the outskirts of the city, looking out over the chaotic city with high-powered tactical binoculars.

"Commander Vera didn't tell me it would be this big."

Jimmy gently patted his head and took a deep breath.

He is still waiting for instructions.

As resistance intensifies in western states and the Lazarus Mercenary Field Corps officially enters New Mexico, engaging in a skirmish with Hansen's Ghosthounds, news of dozens of deaths and injuries dominates the front pages of major media outlets.

The pressure was put on him.

Thump, thump.

When Jimmy learned that the entire West Coast was in turmoil, he felt his chest pounding harder and harder.

It's not fear, but the uncertainty about the future and the excitement of undertaking something big!

Is a full-scale war really going to break out...?

As if fulfilling his wish, drip.

[Vera: Begin.]

The brief command made Jimmy's expression turn serious.

"The order has been given. Tell the senior leaders... to start an uprising."

Tomorrow, uh... today marks the end of the planning phase for Cyberpunk 2076, the final chapter.

Chapter 125: From Stubborn to Two-Pronged Approach (5.5K)

Thump, thump!

The muffled, cacophony of sounds grew louder as it approached.

Bang—boom—rumble—

Tremors... Explosions...

A buzzing sound filled the brightly lit room as the inorganic red indicator light circle swirled and flashed, while the sounds of people talking echoed in the enclosed space. The noise was almost completely drowned out.

"Where the PHXPD (Phoenix City Police Department) guys are?!" said the white, slicked-back-hair, suit-wearing man. "Arasaka, do they want to start a war?"

"They accused you in a public press conference of being a suspect in the March 30th US-Mexico border attack and are seeking to subpoena you..."

"Bullshit!" The volume suddenly increased. "This is a shameless frame-up! Are they trying to summon me?! They want to kill me!"

Tap tap tap, footsteps. "Your Excellency Secretary, I'm sorry, the city's SWAT and National Guard are unreachable by phone. Encrypted commands have gone unanswered. State Police and Marshals say they'll need at least an hour to respond. There's unrest in the city..."

"Damn it! Fuck! Send a distress signal to Federal Intelligence Agency."

"Can the brothers outside hold out? Arasaka's ambitions... the increased security beforehand..."

At this moment.

In the footage, the ceiling shook even more violently!

First came a series of faint, muffled thuds, then the room shook violently, and finally, a sickening metallic clang echoed from the ceiling. As everyone watched in horror, cracks radiated outwards, bulging largely towards the interior, and then—

Rumble!

A deafening explosion pierced through the basement ceiling.

The light bulb shattered, and the monitor, cables, and electronic devices embedded in the ceiling crackled and popped, emitting sparks and hissing sounds.

An irregularly shaped mass of air, compressed and carrying thick debris of reinforced concrete, buried two guards who were unable to dodge in time, then compacted the ground and caused it to sink.

Amidst the splattering blood mist, bone fragments and flesh, transformed into a natural paste, blended seamlessly with the rough-hewn, unpolished floor.

The most unfortunate one was the guard who managed to dodge but not completely.

Half of his body was crushed and compacted, revealing the severed implant structure inside. Electronic muscle cables flickered with electricity, and a jumble of prosthetic organs, whether artificial or natural, all spilled out...

It seems the Pain Editor is corrupted; the howling is extremely eerie.

"Plymouth Devon, you are guilty... Operation Sodehime Hannya, revenge, retribution..."

A hoarse, metallic synthesized voice came from outside the gap in the ceiling.

Faintly visible, a massive steel giant, entirely matte black with dark light strips and unique paint patterns, stands on the foundation of a mansion whose buildings have been mostly cleared and demolished.

Buzzing—! Accompanied by the roar of the servo motor, the crimson indicator light flashed between the gaps in the heavy arm armor where he clenched his fist and slammed it to the ground. The laser recognition signal of the gravity field generator perfectly encompassed the gap in the ceiling of the basement that had been crushed by gravity.

It was staring intently into the basement with its crimson prosthetic electronic eyes.

"Aaaaaahh..."

The surviving guards screamed in despair and tried to fight back, but bullets struck the steel giant's thick exoskeleton armor, sending sparks flying.

The next second, a hail of bullets struck him. As he staggered and fell, several high-explosive fragmentation grenades were thrown down. Boom! Boom! Kinetic fragments rattled and bounced around the room, splattering blood everywhere.

The unlucky guy who was yelling and screaming was blown over and fell silent.

The camera lens was also hit like that, and large areas of the image cracked.

Bang, bang.

Three figures with matte black paint and wearing heavy combat uniforms jumped down from a height of more than four meters and landed on the ground.

Thud! Thud!

The muzzle flashes that followed were very noticeable in the smoke-filled basement.

Finally, the old white man, who was already injured by shrapnel from the explosion and then thrown backward by the kinetic energy of the large-caliber bullet, landed in the center of the basement, covered in blood.

"Devin." One of the men grabbed the old white man's head and plugged in a personal connection cable, seemingly to identify his biometric information. After a moment, he stood up. "Target executed." He raised his gun and pulled the trigger, and blood splattered from where the old white man's head had been.

After dropping a few more thermite incendiary bombs, the three men knelt and jumped out of the basement.

Boom, boom!

Explosion, cyclone, flames, ignition...

Sizzle.

Black screen.

"..."

Miles fell silent.

Her face was grave as she leaned back in her chair, resting her elbows on the table for support. Her brows furrowed, and she squinted as she read through the last minutes of Arizona's Chief State Secretary's life.

Footage showing Devon being brutally murdered in his home by the Arasaka Assault Force.

Miles has watched it more than once.

At the time of the incident, she authorized the Secretary of State to take Arasaka to the International Court of Arbitration.

While the two sides were engaging in heated verbal exchanges on this matter in diplomatic settings, the background, consequences, and investigation findings were unilaterally disclosed by Arasaka.

Revenge.

This is Arasaka's core reason.

They emphasized that it was not an assassination, but a violent killing, and stressed that they were very lawful, based on the principle of reciprocity, using the same methods that Mendoza Laurie used in the attack as Arasaka did.

The chaos in the Western States was naturally reported to her immediately.

Around the same time, New Mexico's Chief State Secretary was assassinated while giving a speech to the state legislature.

The killer shouted at the scene, "Long live freedom! Long live sovereignty! Miles, fuck you!"

They then began waving the state flag.