Chapter 253
"Let him go. The New Mexico region does need a commander to control the situation on the front lines."
Vera reached out and took the glass, downing it in one gulp. She then lightly flicked the empty glass with her finger. "Where is the Adelheid?"
"Sailing off the coast of San Francisco."
"Tell Katsutoshi Murata (the aircraft carrier commander) to be on high alert, lest he be tricked again."
Vera handed the teacup to the server as she walked away, talking.
"I'll speak with Lord Saburo again in a bit to discuss the details and impact of the Santa Fe conflict. We need to prepare Tokyo. We've been talking about war and revenge for years; this might be the closest we've come, unless Miles pulls some abstract, drastic move. But that's highly unlikely..."
Vera and Thomas entered the elevator one after the other, heading to a higher floor.
That night.
The Night City, Pacifica in neon lights, quietly began an unprecedented and intense crackdown on land previously forgotten by the NCPD.
Some people saw the NCPD mobilizing a large force, with the Barghest and the MaxTac also involved, and even the usually secretive Network Surveillance showed up.
What excited the media most was undoubtedly the successful arrival of the defector Nightingale in Night City.
As the Santa Fe conflict continued to escalate, under the guidance of Arasaka and certain instigators, all the major and minor news media in Night City flocked to the Corporate Plaza like stalkers smelling sanitary napkins.
Amidst a flurry of camera flashes, a weary-looking Song Zhaomei, burdened with worries, was escorted off a special vehicle after a transfer and walked towards the press conference site, surrounded by security personnel from Arasaka.
During the process, countless candid shots from various angles, accompanied by eye-catching or sensational headlines, were uploaded to media columns with fragmented interconnected channels.
The Tragic Santa Fe: Washington's Exploitation and the Crossroads of Peace Amid Lazarus's Atrocities
— WNS News.
"Arasaka explicitly rejects Washington's goodwill, escalating the conflict; could a defecting FIA agent be the trigger for war?"
— News Channel 54.
"The Boy Who Cried Wolf?"
—Night City Inquirer.
Is Arasaka and Militech about to clash again?
—Neon Headlines
Tracing the Secret History of the Former White Mansion Agent "Nightingale": She Was Actually...
—Holographic Bagua.
Amidst a barrage of news reports that diverge drastically due to differing stances, in the eye of the storm, Santa Fe City, Arasaka and the Barghest, Militech and Lazarus, continue to escalate their betting on the open tables.
This is the diversity of the world. If the feelings in other places may not be so clear, then the situation in Santa Fe can no longer be described as being on the verge of breaking out, but rather as being in the midst of fierce fighting!
Boom—!
Amidst the shattered stones and dust, David Martinez raised his eyes wearily, gazing at the ruins that had almost leveled the entire block. "War..."
He murmured to himself.
Chapter 248 Conflict ×, War Begins?
The room was dimly lit but spacious, filled with the smells of concrete dust, mold, gunpowder, moisture, and blood.
Gun parts, repair tools, diagnostic equipment, charging cables, medicines, canned food and field rations, as well as a large number of ammunition boxes are stacked in every corner of the room, giving a messy yet orderly feeling.
This is a safe house set up by the Arasaka Intelligence Department in the western part of Santa Fe City before the 'Lark Defection Incident' occurred.
It has now been converted and used by the SAT as a temporary field outpost.
Bang, thud.
Dust fell in rustling sounds, and amidst the explosions and the rising and falling gunfire, the faint, scattered sounds of heavy objects moving downwards could be heard from upstairs.
"It's Tanaka and Martinez."
Atop a curtain-like tarpaulin, the SAT hacker, operating a rugged military-grade computer, slightly raised his head.
His deep-sea interface at the back of his head was still plugged with a data cable, and his body was piled with multiple monitors, host computers, switches, external heat sinks, and an integrated server rack.
Undoubtedly, he is the Net Admin of Arasaka in this area.
[ID recognized]
Beep, squeak~
Access granted, the sentry turret lowered its cannon muzzle.
After a fierce battle and mobile support, David finally found a brief respite late at night and pushed open the door.
His exoskeleton armor was covered in bullet holes, scratches, and dents.
Inside, another team of SAT soldiers, having replenished their supplies, jumped up, unplugged their charging cables, grabbed their fully loaded ammunition, and carrying large and small individual heavy weapons and ammunition. After nodding to David and his dozen or so men, who were covered in dirt, they left without looking back.
"Hurry up."
The SAT command sergeant who stayed behind at the safe house tossed over a bottle of battery-powered liquor, speaking sparingly.
With a hiss, the mask was lifted, and steam billowed out like from a steamer. David didn't say anything, but simply twisted open the bottle and gulped it down.
He took a big gulp.
The charged pure alcohol explodes in the throat, and the tingling, burning sensation that rushes into the nasal cavity instantly invigorates the spirit.
As he found a seat, he handed the battery pack to the back of his head.
Katsuo Tanaka didn't mind at all. He took the bottle, which was covered in a muddy mixture of dust, engine oil, and blood from David's touch, and poured it into his mouth. After finishing, he handed it back to the person behind him.
Having experienced the baptism of a special battle unlike counterinsurgency warfare, even Kawakami Xiao Fu is usually the most adept at enlivening the atmosphere and finding topics of conversation, did not speak because of the casualties suffered by Tazawa.
After taking a sip of strong liquor, everyone unanimously checked their equipment and the condition of their personal prosthetics.
Beep beep, tap the PDA control screen on the inside of your forearm: standby mode. David takes off his helmet, which is covered in paint, revealing his young face that has long lost its childishness.
The few remaining natural sweat glands on the young man's forehead are working under heavy load.
Beads of sweat slid down the tips of his punk-style hair, a testament to his exhaustion.
Unfortunately, time was tight and the task was urgent, so the rest was short and David had to make the most of it.
While plugging the charging cable into the [EX0-2 Improved Version] exoskeleton, he pulled out the personal connection cable from his wrist and connected it to the diagnostic module port on the seat: [Weak AI Diagnosis: Diagnostic scan in progress.]
[Combat System Diagnosis: Adrenaline release control normal Pain Editor normal, inertia control normal...]
[Statistics on CNS/CPU response time...]
[Basic System Diagnostics {System Compatibility 98.7% Main Memory Block Readiness Cyber Components...}
While watching the system diagnostic process on the retinal visual interface, David activated the energy core of the human-powered cybernetic implant: the receiver for the micro-battery. The Combat Cybernetics began charging.
Although Santa Fe, like Night City, has many public places equipped with wireless charging stations, where users only need to approach the charging station and the receiver inside the prosthetic body will automatically start charging, it should be noted that Santa Fe has become a war zone, and cutting off power is a basic tactic for both sides.
Moreover, with wireless charging stations, no one would dare to turn on the receiver without knowing its capabilities.
The battle in Santa Fe is not an asymmetric war. The opponent is Militech and Lazarus. Who knows if bombs or drones will come crashing down while you're charging in, or if hostile hackers will secretly plant the Puppet Virus in your weapon.
Therefore, replenishing supplies at one's own field outpost is the safest option.
While waiting for diagnosis and maintenance, David wasn't idle; instead, he was munching on energy bars.
"Hey, Martinez, relax. Your diagnosis is out, I'll give you some simple treatment."
The SAT technical support team's technical expert then walked over with a tablet.
He tapped the tablet a few times.
Whoosh! With access shared, the exoskeleton drive core on David's back shuddered, the plug-in compartment shell unlocked, the chair's robotic arm extended, and pulled out a module device from the side to check spare energy packs and replenish stimulants, sedatives, inhibitors, painkillers, and hormones.
This is one of the downsides of using a full exoskeleton: it makes it inconvenient for soldiers to manually administer medication.
After all, the metal skeleton is covered by an armor shell and is also fitted with a high-strength polycarbonate combat suit. There is no exposed skin. If you want to administer medicine, you need to integrate an automatic medical device into the drive core of the exoskeleton, which is controlled by a motor and injected internally.
Oral administration is another matter.
In addition, technical experts maintained the Self- Intrusion Countermeasure Unit (Self ICE) that David had responded to multiple times, and calibrated, cleaned, and lubricated the electric drive system of the exoskeleton for the robotic arm. Even if it's still usable, it needs maintenance.
Before long, the technical experts' attention shifted away from David.
Katsuo and Xiaofu's diagnoses have also concluded.
The four technical experts were very efficient.
In other words, wartime rest procedures are streamlined and standardized, making it impossible to provide the professional and detailed prosthetic maintenance services offered by Cybernetic Doctor. This is unless one is severely wounded and fortunate enough to be transported to the rear while still clinging to life.
Those who come here to rest are all in similar condition.
Those in worse condition, such as those with broken arms or legs, damaged exoskeletons, or malfunctioning prosthetics, are classified according to the severity of their injuries and placed in other military stations.
Less than five minutes.
David put his exoskeleton back on, donned his helmet, and chewed on a special kind of highly concentrated caffeine gum as he deftly loaded the bullets.
The room was quiet, except for the noise from the equipment and the response of the electronic software, as well as the sounds of the charging handle, magazine loading, magazine cover and other gun-related parts rubbing and colliding with each other.
It was also mixed with the sounds of lighting cigarettes, smoking, and eating and drinking.
A few minutes later, "Graves and Caudel came down."
The hacker suddenly turned his head.
David and Katsuo exchanged a glance and stood up.
Whoosh! The whole team grabbed their guns and rifles and stood up.
Beep, squeak~
Another group of soldiers, travel-worn and weary, pushed open the door and entered.
Multiple people were injured, and their armor was stained with blood.
Judging from their condition, they are much worse than David.
"Watch out, Lazarus's reinforcements may have arrived."
The leader of the group reminded them.
"Received. Thanks."
David nodded, carrying an M2067 Defender machine gun in one hand and a box of anti-tank rockets in the other, and followed Katsuo out of the outpost.
After passing through the crossfire line of sight of the automatic turrets and the concealed laser tripwire minefield, they arrived at the outpost at the underground entrance. After interacting with the visible sentry, the group returned to the surface.
The closer you get to the surface, the louder it gets.
The clamor of gunfire.
The rumble of vehicle engines, the muffled thuds of shells and rockets falling, the creaking of collapsing ruins, and the crackling of flammable materials gradually filled David's ears.
The evening breeze blew in through the gaps in the concrete wall.
Tonight in Santa Fe, the scorching sandstorm carries a choking, murky air.
David stood against a wall stained with bloodstains that could not be completely cleaned off.
Everywhere you look, there is ruin and devastation.
The day before it was quite lively, just like the old town of Santo Domingo in his childhood Remembrance, but now all that remains are broken walls and charred vehicle wreckage, with raging flames staining the countless anger and chaos with a blood-red color.
Their location was on the first floor of a large shopping mall.
A large number of deployed military robots are fortifying positions under the command of the Barghest soldiers.
Further west, what was formerly a semi-open indoor shopping plaza is now equipped with Barghest anti-aircraft fire, electronic warfare systems, and light rocket artillery vehicles, the latter of which are providing fire support to a certain location.
On the highway, several armored vehicles and drone pods sped by.
"Hackers beware of anti-drone measures."
Katsuo glanced at the drones roaring overhead, pointed to the seven-story commercial and office building complex two blocks away, its engines blazing and explosions resounding, and waved her hand emphatically, "Let's go!"