Chapter 256
She's not an all-knowing, all-powerful God, so how could everything go her way? Sharpening a knife always carries the risk of breaking it, and besides, the 'sharpening stone' is Lazarus's Power Armor unit.
In the Cyberpunk world, the so-called Power Armor, officially known as Assisted Combat Personnel Armor (ACPA), is a set of Power Armor equipment made based on a standardized humanoid linear framework and using an external composite armor with an internal control system.
It is humanoid because the pilot is human.
After brain-computer interfaces are integrated with operating systems and consciousness is synchronized, most trained pilots are still better at operating general-purpose humanoid mechs with two hands and two feet rather than bizarre animal-shaped ones.
Of course, animal forms are not entirely prohibited, but the issue lies in the training costs.
Generally speaking, Power Armor comes in life-size and non-life-size versions.
As the name suggests, life-size armor is proportional to the average human body size, typically around 2.2 meters tall, and usually weighs 1 ton or less, making it a lightweight type of Power Armor.
Non-scale models are even larger, thicker, heavier, and more waaagh! They often weigh several tons and fall into the medium, heavy, and super-heavy categories. In short, there are no longer any limitations on size and weight; as long as technology and materials allow, no matter how large they are built, they all fall into the category of non-scale models.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages; there is no best, only what is suitable, depending on the needs.
The main battlefield, however, is clearly the domain dominated by the latter.
Anyway, the newly formed SAT-6 N squad, which was "beating dust" in Santa Fe, encountered Lazarus's non-body Power Armor assault team.
Such a valiant and heroic death is worthy of praise and is beyond reproach.
"What a pity."
Vera shook her head.
"I need to compile the combat logs of the newly formed N squad of SAT-6. I need to know the full picture as soon as possible."
As she spoke, she put down the towel she was using to dry her hair, swiped the communication screen, and prepared to change her contact.
"Ms. Vera."
On the other end of the phone, the voice suddenly rose a little, "Data update, 4 out of 16 members of Squad N are still alive. Just now, Adam Smasher reported that he discovered a rather interesting consciousness."
"After manual scanning, the ID was confirmed to be David Martinez."
"Because the employee's body was severely damaged, the central processing unit was rendered unusable, and the signal generator crashed and shut down, causing the field station's AI to mistakenly determine that his biological signal was offline."
"Status has now changed."
Beep, the list has been updated.
David Martinez [survived]
Tsk, what does this feeling of losing something and then getting it back resemble?
She tightened her pure white bathrobe, her long, pale golden hair cascading down her back. With a flick of her wrist, Vera lit a slim cigarette with a long, thin filter, walked to the curved chaise lounge near the floor-to-ceiling window, stroked the whimpering albino Tyrannosaurus Rex on the cushion with one hand, and held the cigarette between her fingers, looking out the window at the shadow of a heavy drone flashing by, exhaling a smoke ring.
It felt like a dog that had been missing for several days suddenly came running back, all dirty.
A few minutes ago, on the Santa Fe City Conflict Frontline.
A seven-story building housing the newly formed N squad's defense zone.
Boom—bang bang—tap tap tap—!
On the first floor, after a brief burst of blue light, there was darkness and crimson.
The ruins of the fierce battle: The murky air was thick with the stench of blood, along with the smells of burning, concrete ash, ozone, and even the odor of excrement and other digestive waste. A mixture of countless pungent and irritating smells made one want to vomit...
But David didn't vomit; he was even breathing heavily.
Because he was about to die.
Have Katsuo and the others left?
With this question in mind, David's mangled body fell from the edge of the exploding plasma ball, crashing onto the uneven concrete ground with a 'thud,' and the gun in his hand, its casing half-melted, was also flung aside.
"Run! Keep running, you little mouse! Come on, keep using your [Sandevistan]!"
With a deafening roar, the 3-meter-tall steel beast crashed down, its massive iron foot viciously slamming into the knees of the limping SAT operative.
Clang—Snap!
The health detector, which was already reporting errors rapidly, kept beeping.
Including the metal skeleton of the lower limbs of the EXO exoskeleton, David's legs shattered from the knees down. The artificial skin, subcutaneous armor, artificial muscle bundles, Ankle Reinforcement, and Dense Bone Marrow all broke apart. Elastic cables swung wildly, some hissing, some gushing blood and a mixture of fluids.
David tensed up completely, then suddenly let out a painful scream, "Ah!!"
As the pain gradually subsided, he realized that the Pain Editor component was malfunctioning due to external damage.
When trying to administer pain relief and sedation medication, a pop-up window appears on the blood-stained retina. "The medication in the integrated automatic medical module has been exhausted."
My body instinctively tried to move my fingers to do something, but found that there was no response at all.
Only then did David recall that his left arm had been torn off by a large-caliber machine gun while he was overclocking [Sandevistan] to evade the pursuit of Lazarus Power Armor soldiers and accelerating the slaughter of Lazarus infantry.
His right hand, which was holding the gun, had just been burned by the plasma cannon and melted.
With not a single part of his body intact, [Sandevistan] had reached his limit.
Out of ammunition and food!
That's all.
"Cough cough... Ha... Haha..."
Blood was seeping from his mouth and nose when David suddenly burst into laughter.
"Why are you laughing?"
Bang! A shot ripped David's only remaining intact right arm from the root, completely chopping it into a human stump. The leader of the Lazarus Power Armor pilots asked with murderous intent.
"Who wants to tell you... you bastard..."
"Whispering sound!"
The man operating the Power Armor's sensors glanced upwards. "Are you buying them time? Hmph, an EMP attack of this scale? Petty tricks. Don't worry, they'll be here to keep you company soon."
Click, click, he aimed the laser cannon at David at his feet.
Farewell.
Buzz—
As it charges, the blue light gradually brightens.
David closed his eyes.
Mom, I'm so sorry, I have to break my promise...
Whom do you want to say goodbye to forever?
A cold, inorganic, deep, hoarse male voice pierced through the building like a bullet.
Boom—!!
The wall shattered, Lazarus's pilot urgently activated the plasma cannon. However, the speed of the approaching figure was clearly beyond his expectations. The shockwave struck, and with a clang, the arm of the heavy Power Armor was bent completely, emitting a tooth-grinding metallic twisting sound. The plasma cannon was deflected and fired to the other side.
Boom! The plasma exploded, sending dust flying.
"Who are you!!"
Looking at the newcomer's over 3.7-meter-tall, monstrous, and ferocious Power Armor: jet-black paint, scarlet lines, the iconic horned helmet, and the Arasaka logo— Lazarus's pilot exclaimed, "A new type of giant demon?! Oh no, it's Adam Smasher!!"
"So noisy!"
The next moment, boom!
With a piercing bang as it tore through the air, the terrifying black metal giant moved, tearing apart the enemy that even the combined might of the Ghost Hound and Squad N couldn't defeat. The terrified Power Armor operator was forcibly dragged from the cockpit and had his head crushed.
With blood splattered on his face, David felt his mind go blank. After enduring the brutal killing of the three by Adam Smasher, he breathed his last, his head lolled to the side, and he passed out.
Interesting, did Adam Smasher save David Martinez with his hammer?
It's truly amazing how unpredictable life can be; it's quite disheartening.
"Call..."
With a cigarette between her fingers, Vera walked with a faint smile to the large floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the entire Corporate Plaza through the adjustable tempered polarized glass.
The Night City was unusually noisy at night.
High in the sky, Arasaka's new Scorpion-type heavy-duty drones hovered outside the thick explosion-proof structure and fortress-like glass curtain wall. The menacing front of the drone, resembling the chewing mouthparts of a scorpion, flashed warning lights, contrasting with the small and exquisite patrol drones, together depicting Arasaka's aggressive and ruthless posture.
On the ground, the agents and security personnel belonging to the 'Plaza Residents' were clustered together, NCPD police lights were flashing, hovercars were hovering, and teams of miserable police officers got out of their vehicles and lined up at the central circular hub, forming a human wall fully armed to prevent any possible accidental clashes between the mega-corporations.
Besides these, there were also people who came to watch the spectacle and enjoy the extravagance of the funeral procession, as well as demonstrators holding signs against war and calling for peace.
"So, after this feigned attack, what will you do, Miles?"
Chapter 251 The Fifth Corporate War Begins!
The brief incident of Adam Smasher saving David Martinez didn't waste Vera's time much, nor did it delay Lazarus and the Hound of the Underworld. As news broke that Power Armor Unit from both sides had appeared on the front lines of the Santa Fe conflict, the accelerator for the deteriorating situation in North America was clearly pressed.
As Vera sat in her executive chair in the Americas Regional President's office on the 120th floor of the Arasaka Tower, openly and frankly discussing the issue of Level 1 combat readiness with her subordinates, colleagues, and allies, the Ghost Hound reinforcements, under the command of Kurt Hansen, launched a retaliatory counterattack against Lazarus's "lack of martial virtue" from thousands of miles away.
Although Arasaka and Militech have not completely broken ties, but rather exchanged hypocritical ultimatums, appearing outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, there are also mediators from the outside world who are constantly calling for peace and offering ways out.
But the true controllers of the world—the giant corporations—remain silent, offering no substantive stance beyond empty rhetoric...
Silence is a statement.
In Night City, some well-informed individuals who had caught wind of the situation had already quietly transferred their assets and fled with their families.
This is not an isolated case. For example, a political broker who donated to Deputy Mayor Wilton Holt recently revealed in conversations that he intended to seek refuge there.
For example, the Nomads in the Aldecaldo Tribe recently split up due to the infrastructure construction project in the new district of the Arasaka Research Center in the north of the city. Family leaders, who are also contractors, and many of the smaller Nomads chose to stop work and take their tribesmen away from the big city to avoid trouble.
The outside world's turmoil clearly had no effect on Song Zhaomei, who was the catalyst for this conflict.
The next day.
[AI: Visitor verification complete and approved. Director Valerie, Ms. Song Zhaomei.]
In the stillness, through the scanning corridor of the 120th floor, Counterintelligence Director V entered the hall with his protector, who had red hair. After nodding to the security supervisor standing guard at the side, he turned and said, "Thanks to you, I was able to reach the 120th floor. The board wants to see you. Go ahead."
After a brief rest and safety check, and a quick wash, Song Zhaomei, looking much better, took a deep breath and said, "Thank you."
After thanking V for his protection, she climbed the steps towards the president's office area under scrutinizing gazes, both overt and covert.
The gate opened, and after reporting in, I entered. There I saw Arasaka Cybernetic Ninja Servant, dressed as a waiter, skillfully preparing tea.
The atmosphere did not appear particularly grim or severe.
"どうぞ(please)."
After brewing a cup of tea, the servant gestured for Song Zhaomei to wait quietly in the reception room while she drank her tea. "Miss is currently presiding over a security meeting."
They addressed themselves as "Miss" rather than by their official titles, and considered themselves as servants or retainers.
Song Zhaomei knew that these people Arasaka Family Estate in Tokyo, Japan.
She is in the same league Cyber Ninja who met her in Santa Fe and escorted her all the way to escape the relentless pursuit of the Federal Intelligence Agency and Militech Agent.
Having an elite lone wolf of this caliber as a servant, how incredibly extravagant...
However, she is from the White House, so she shouldn't be nervous.
Taking advantage of the lull before her summons, Song Zhaomei sat down with her legs to the side, sipped her tea to soothe her throat, and began to think about Vera again.
In fact, she had seen quite a bit of Militech in the White House, including the Federal Intelligence Agency's plans against Vera, even before she rose to prominence.
In addition to basic tactics such as surveillance, enticement, and assassination, in order to win over Vera, who was then a promising newcomer in the Security Department, some Militech personnel even resorted to using their good looks to their advantage. When Vera went to a high-end bar in the City Center with her team, they sent a handsome male idol to flirt with her.
As it turned out, it ended without any resolution.
After initially judging that the other party was a conservative, straightforward woman, various strategies were changed.
Sigh, it must have been tough for them. In order to test Vera, they tried all sorts of handsome men of different skin tones, from pretty boys to mature men, strong men, ladies, and little girls, and even two-way plugs.
The conclusion is that the target may be asexual, has obsessive-compulsive disorder, violent tendencies, is significantly more rational than emotional, focused, energetic, power-hungry, and has a mixed personality disorder of moderate narcissism (narcissistic personality is not narcissistic, but emphasizes a lack of empathy and care for outsiders) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (emphasizing Order, perfectionism and control).
For working Corporate Dog, these comments are not meant to be derogatory.
As Vera rose to prominence, this earliest targeted analysis file, created by a mid-level intelligence officer in Night City's Militech, was even placed on the Resolute Desk in the White House.