Chapter 239

"I think it will, but not now."

"Your reasons?"

"Arasaka and Militech are both giants occupying a core share of the international Order. There's an old saying in Kang Tao: 'Even the largest company will perish if it's warlike.' In our assessment, the confrontation between Arasaka and Militech is like a Cold War 2.0 in the 21st century. In this mutual tearing apart of confrontation, we already know some of their plans, they know some of what we know, and they also know some things we don't know. In other words..."

It should be said that this "Tonight's Talk" aligns with many people's assessment of the current situation.

While Arasaka was making his tough remarks, the Barghest Mercenary Group, which was constantly recruiting and growing stronger, fought a major battle with the Lazarus Mercenary Group, which was also continuously recovering its strength and receiving investment from New Mexico, along the interlocking southern border of New Mexico, Utah, Colorado.

The newly reorganized Free State Alliance forces also launched a counterattack along the northern border—Montana and Wyoming —engaging in back-and-forth battles with the local NUSA garrison.

It was indeed intense, employing advanced military technology comparable to the Metal War of 2069-2070, resulting in the deaths of over two thousand people in just a few days.

But it seems like that's all there is to it...

Arasaka refrained from going shirtless. Although everyone knew that the secret battle being waged between the two sides was bloody.

Based on the current results, Arasaka has a slight edge, but Washington has held firm on its core bottom line.

In the north, the Free State Alliance forces achieved a minor victory, advancing their control lines and occupying more than half of the cities in Montana and Wyoming. Helena, the capital of Montana, was captured, and the Liberal forces dropped bombs on the central states.

In the south, the Barghest's offensive was halted by Lazarus at the border between Arizona and New Mexico.

Vera's plan to seize the opportunity to open a land route to the Republic of Texas failed.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Cutting off the land connection between the West Coast Arasaka forces and the Texas isolationist forces is one of the national policies of the New America.

Washington maintains a large military presence in New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma, along with NUSA forces stationed deep within the second line of Lazarus, and even more Militech Corporation.

Losing Montana or even the Midwestern states wouldn't be a big deal; they're just agricultural and pastoral areas with vast land, sparse population, and one of the worst economies in the nation. But if they lost New Mexico, Miles would definitely be impeached.

Then, because Arasaka demonstrated strategic resolve by not sending reinforcements, the 'minor skirmish' in the south naturally came to an end, and the scale of the conflict gradually dwindled over time. The Free State Alliance, which was supporting the Barghest's operations in the north, decided to call it a day, announced that the punitive operation had achieved its objectives, and began to digest the spoils of war.

Just like the back-and-forth between Arasaka and Militech over the past few decades, preparations for war have been made, some quickly and some slowly, but the results are always more bark than bite, and they only scratch the surface.

All other Major Corporations are the same.

Since the end of the Fourth Corporate War, nations and corporations have been licking their wounds, and global warfare has been largely at a standstill for over half a century. During this period, although there have been periods of instability and localized wars, the global landscape has remained largely characterized by peace, recovery, and further development.

Will Arasaka & Militech risk letting other competitors steal its thunder and take the lead, betting everything to fight again?

Everyone knows that a battle between the two sides is inevitable, but no one can guarantee the exact timing.

So, let the music keep playing and the dancing continue!

After the storm passed, Night City remained the same.

Some people rise and some fall; some remain the same, while others reach a crossroads in their lives.

Heywood.

Two o'clock in the morning.

In the night market amidst high-rise buildings, there is a Tom's Diner with an old-fashioned interior.

A wall-mounted booth in a blind spot of the camera.

Splat!

Watching the famous talk show host named Zig Q, dressed in a flashy gold leather suit jacket, with a bronze complexion, blue eyes, and a green rooster-like hairstyle, rambling on about the ins and outs of the 'assassination case' and its aftermath, V, already annoyed by the 'clean-up' tasks assigned by his boss, squeezed the thick paper cup in his hand, his inner malice growing increasingly uncontrollable.

I spilled coffee with cinnamon on my hand.

"I can't fool him for long."

The plainclothes woman, a redhead with the wildness of a leopard, asked, "What are your thoughts, Jackie?"

Slurp! Jackie slurped down the noodles, eating them like a Japanese double staple, with the broth and fried rice. He glanced at his friend, who looked anxious, and whispered, "I still stand by what I said. If this continues, Esa Chamba Te VaA Matar (Spanish for 'You'll die on this job')."

"I know."

Unusually, V did not resort to his own Arasaka workplace theory to refute this time.

Jackie paused, glancing at V. "What are you planning to do? This is such a despicable and immoral thing. Are you really going to listen to your idiot boss and kill Maine and Panam to get by? I bet he has no friends and a bad reputation."

V raised a thin eyebrow, but still nodded.

"Whispering sound!"

Jackie scoffed, "Leaving aside my reputation, if everything is used and discarded like that... ha, what if one day I know too much, or even know too much?"

"To be so ruthless in his actions and dealings, never knowing how to leave himself a way out, sooner or later... Never mind, let's not talk about that idiot, it's bad luck!"

"I know you can't refuse. Staying in that snake pit in Arasaka for too long will only turn you into a venomous snake, forcing you to do things against your conscience. I won't argue with that, because we're accomplices, we're all whores, and neither of us has a conscience. But this is different. Crossing the river and then burning the bridge, stabbing you in the back, silencing your close friends..."

"Damn it! What kind of bullshit is this? It makes me so angry. We're practically your people, your connections in the underworld after you got promoted. That idiot only cares about himself, doesn't he?"

Jackie finished his complimentary drip coffee in one gulp to cleanse his mouth, wiped his lips, and stared intently at V: "Listen, V, he may consider you a confidant, but he's making you do the work of a rag doll."

"No one will feel sorry for the rag."

He pointed at V, "And you, my friend, you can't be a rag."

"If you're a rag for too long, you won't be able to climb the ladder. Unless you're a rag for a really big shot who's high up in the hierarchy."

"And your boss..."

Jackie gave a sarcastic smile. "I see it now. They're all sycophants. There's a reason he can't compete with his political rivals. He can't even stand firm himself, how can he protect you?"

"A rag, that's certainly fitting."

V smiled wryly, "It's true that he can't walk steadily."

"Abernathy is dead. He got promoted—but only half a rank, temporarily. If his role is just transitional, then he's been working for nothing. So he's working like crazy now, trying to minimize the negative impact and maintain his good reputation with his superiors."

"Can it be saved?"

Jackie chuckled.

"Suspended".

V recalled what he had seen and heard on the floor where the Counter-Intelligence Department was located during this period.

After Jenkins eagerly climbed the stairs to the Special Operations Department to temporarily take over Abernathy's duties, he was as efficient as ever, just like any madman, except he seemed genuinely a bit crazy.

This kept the already stretched Counter-Intelligence Department on edge, with everyone working overtime, leading to widespread complaints and grumbling from the staff.

"That brat, the Director of Special Operations? Him?"

"I don't think Her Your Excellency Vera would really promote that two-faced mad dog. Is he from the security department? Or the research department, the academics, the Todai, or the military?"

"There are many people who want to advance. The long-dormant legacy of the former Crown Prince Kei Arasaka, with so many loyal retainers, which one of them is more qualified than him?"

This is just one of the statements that the agents of the Counter-Intelligence Department made without much hesitation.

Jenkins has a very poor reputation.

In other departments, especially the Special Operations Department, Abernathy's confidants had little opinion of him; their obedience was entirely due to Arasaka's strict rules and the orders of his superiors.

"So, what's your decision?"

He poured a full cup of coffee and handed it to Jackie, then asked again.

"Call."

V leaned back and let out a soft gasp. She opened her eyes, her face showing little struggle, or perhaps she had already made up her mind. All she lacked was to confide in someone and even just one person's support. She looked at Jackie and said calmly, "Subordinate overthrowing superior."

Today, Jenkins orders her to kill the informant he developed under the pretext of secrecy; tomorrow, he'll order her to kill Jackie; and the day after, perhaps someone else will use the same reason to kill her.

It's time for her to give up Jenkins and start a new way of life.

This was not only for her own sake, but also for the sake of her dearest friend.

V admits she's not a good person, her hands are stained with blood, but compared to Jenkins, she feels ashamed that she can't be as crazy or eccentric.

"How do we counter it? Just kill it outright?"

Jackie made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Too rough."

V shook his head and said seriously, "Jackie, I can't go into the details of the strategy. Trust me, contact Maine and Panam and tell them to stay hidden for a while longer. Also, tell them not to worry about the missing teammates for now; I'll take care of it."

"No problem."

Jackie nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Having been exposed to it from a young age, he knew Arasaka's rules: what he shouldn't see, he shouldn't see; what he shouldn't smell, he shouldn't smell; what he shouldn't ask, he shouldn't ask; what he shouldn't go hungry for, he shouldn't go hungry for. Some things, knowing them doesn't do him any good.

After a satisfying meal, a consensus was reached.

Before parting, Jackie raised his fist. "It'll be alright."

"Thank you for your kind words."

V bumped fists with Jackie and forced a smile, saying, "Remember, don't let Maine and the others ruin things."

"I will. See you later."

After saying that, Jackie drove away in his car parked on the side of the road.

V watched silently as he disappeared into the distance.

A moment later, she turned around and looked around. At 2 a. m., most of the customers who had been eating at the night market had left. Some were preparing to work all night, while others seemed to never leave the streets.

Just like she won't leave Arasaka.

"Resign?"

V naturally noticed the unspoken message in Jackie's eyes. If she could, she would also like to—but it was just a thought. How could she possibly resign without injury in Arasaka, let alone her dream, given the immense burden she carried at that moment?

"Lucy?"

Whispering to herself, she pulled an encrypted terminal from her pocket, lit up the screen, and activated the Delamain taxi service she had subscribed to in advance. While waiting for her ride, she browsed through the information she had recently come across.

The screen shows the main gate of the Arasaka Academy, with several people walking out.

Security Department special agent named David Martinez, a tall, blonde female hacker with a bob haircut, a green-haired girl with twin tails, and a Japanese-American mixed-race second-generation with light rainbow hair, currently identified by Arasaka as Kushinada Lucina.

"Tsk. What's this? A young lady going to the countryside to experience rural life?"

V truly hadn't expected that among Jackie's downline, the naive female hacker with the Deepsea interface in the back of her head would have such an identity.

Her identity was confirmed by Vera, a director who was present at the scene.

Then, because of her old file in the Paris Tower area of Europe, it was like a godsend. Vera, who was fiercely competing with Sano Arasaka and needed her identity as a pretext to intervene and expand her influence in Europe, transferred her file to Night City. And then this girl became the director's confidante?!

Even if they are only nominally confidants.

This made V very jealous; she wanted to be a dog but had no good way to do it.

But that's fine too. This person has the authority to call Vera's board of directors, and she happens to know him. By using his connections, she might be able to sell Jenkins out without revealing a single secret.

Maintaining confidentiality is of paramount importance.

Because of Lucy, V was somewhat apprehensive.

Being in a unique position, connecting the company's counterintelligence with the mercenary team, means that contact with both superiors and subordinates is inevitable.

If Lucy confessed the whole story of the robbery and murder, how much of the truth did Director Vera actually uncover? Don't tell me this was an executed plan, and that Jenkins and her every move were actually being watched by those above...

If that's the case, why did the Vera board condone Jenkins's subversive behavior towards Abernathy, which was arguably crossing the line?

Why aren't Jenkins being dealt with now? Was Abernathy's death a purge in response to Sano Arasaka?

Why stage such a Badlands attack in a dangerous place? Why ignore or even erase other information and deliberately focus on Washington? Was the Federal Intelligence Agency New America target from the very beginning?

If the above holds true, is Vera's board of directors trying to provoke a war with this escalating pressure? Why is the Tokyo Headquarters also tacitly approving of this?

The more V thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

This is also why she chose to keep it a secret from Jackie; knowing too much is not a good thing.

Let her face it alone.

"I hope your new identity will be useful."

V dialed a phone number.

Correspondent: Lucy.

Beforehand, just in case, she specifically obtained the encrypted address book of all members of Maine's crew from Jackie.