Chapter 268
[V: Maine and Jackie are both people I work with offline.]
After making his pointed remark, V patted David's thick, iron arm and said, "If you have any daily difficulties, you can come to me."
After saying that, she waved to Lucy and led her entourage away.
David waved politely.
But before the person had gone far, a buzzing sound rang out...
The hum of a large, airborne armored transport vehicle grew louder as it approached.
Tap! Tap!
"David!"
It was Katsuo's voice.
The damaged prosthesis was properly replaced and adjusted, the bandage on his forehead was removed, and the implantation of subcutaneous armor and the repair of artificial skin made it impossible to see any trace of injury on Katsuo Tanaka's body. He quickly ran over.
"Your hairstyle?"
David focused his gaze and discovered the blind spot.
Katsuo's original bob hairstyle was styled into a slicked-back look just like her father's.
That's not the point.
He punched David hard in the chest. "Good lad, Power Armor pilot? Your qualification process was faster than mine."
It was a mixed blessing, because Katsuo Tanaka's injuries were the least severe. Although he received verbal encouragement and a war wound medal from Vera, he was still a ways off from undergoing surgery Vera's customized modifications.
They're still lively and energetic, what's the point of reforming them!
"My dad's message: your non-body Power Armor has arrived."
Standing next to David, Katsuo crossed her arms and looked at the multiple airborne armored transport vehicles landing on the helipad at the edge of the training field.
Can I take a look?
"Of course, that's yours."
Katsuo led David over.
Hearing the commotion, the other three medal recipients and other recovered SAT soldiers who were able to get out of bed came out.
Thump! Thump!
Large transport modular units were deployed one after another.
Katsuo led David through the guards' inspection and stopped in front of a scanner in one of the mobile cabins.
AI: [Authentication successful. Welcome. Driver: David Martinez.]
The safety valve opens, and the gate opens.
Looking up, David gazed silently at his mech.
Next time, he will drive it to the battlefield.
Perhaps it was the awakening of some hidden desire in people's hearts that made David unconsciously reach out and gently stroke its unpainted body.
"Hello friend."
Meanwhile, Vera arrived in Sacramento, where she was not loyal.
The Allied closed-door meeting is underway.
"... In the above, the central states are mostly sparsely populated and agricultural states. In my opinion, the southern route, the strategy of vying for New Mexico and establishing a land connection with the Republic of Texas, should be used as a pretext."
"The central line, which is the biggest territorial claim in this Central Offensive, will proceed as planned. The new additions, the breakthrough point for us to truly deploy mobile heavy troops, will be on the northern line."
The holographic interactive table changed with the sound, and the North American sand table outlined by the projected lines moved from the center to the northeast, eventually settling on the Great Lakes region—northeastern Illinois, south of Lake Michigan.
A city.
Chicago.
Chapter 262 Vera Temporarily Takes Command of North American Troops.
Following the closed-door meeting of the Free State Allied Forces in Sacramento.
Buzz—
The air route from the Union capital to Oakland in the East Bay (approximately 130 km).
Inside the airship cruising silently, Vera was dozing with her eyes closed.
Although she could still push through with her energy and stamina, there was no need. Always leaving room for maneuver was her style of doing things. She didn't show her limits unless absolutely necessary. Even if she had to show them at the time, well, the past is the past, and the present is the present. Can't we still improve?
Under the warm, soothing ambient lighting, the Arasaka ninja guarding the core cabin door held their breath on the aircraft chairs, perfectly embodying Arasaka Security's "Three Monkeys, Four Don'ts" principles.
At least on the surface, that seems to be the case.
Outside the porthole, dark gray altocumulus clouds, scattered and densely packed like cotton balls, drizzled down.
It seems that a northwest wind has also picked up, mixing the radioactive dust from the Kinmen nuclear explosion with water vapor and blowing it into the clouds toward the coastal mountains. But these are all minor issues; what does a little radiation pollution matter?
Cyberpunk are all seasoned wasteland survivalists.
In daily life, we are surrounded by industrial waste, and acid rain containing toxic particles is no easier to deal with than radioactive rain.
Thanks to the underwater nuclear explosion, which was a low-yield tactical nuclear weapon, the pollutants mixed with seawater, sand, and water walls eventually returned to the lagoon and were diluted and carried to other places by tides and ocean currents.
Of course, there will definitely be some impact.
Let's not even mention the Golden Gate Bridge and the unfortunate people on it and their families.
San Francisco residents have recently been talking about anti-radiation drugs such as amifostine, potassium iodide, and Prussian blue.
The Bay Area City Council has already activated its emergency response, with a grand plan: to cleanse the entire city of radioactive dust. However, the extent to which this can be implemented—whether it will remain superficial, limited only to affluent areas, the City Center, corporate enclaves, the CBD... or even benefit ordinary citizens—remains a question mark.
Anyway, Arasaka didn't lose out.
The pharmaceutical business, which involves both collaboration and fierce competition with biotechnology companies, is raking in huge profits. Sales of radiation protection clothing produced in collaboration with Jinguji (a Japanese luxury clothing brand company) have reached new heights. The new "FamilyKabuto" single-person shelter, developed entirely in-house, is selling extremely well in the Pacific Rim region.
Unless all companies perish together, this is a world where companies win all.
'Buzz-Clang!'
Amidst the calm, predictable ten-minute-long cruise control hum, a continuous, undulating whistling sound quietly emerged.
Vera instantly regained consciousness and opened her eyes.
She threw off the blanket and sat up.
"Miss, she is a soldier."
The ninja at the cabin door stood up upon seeing this.
"Yes, I saw it."
Vera walked to the porthole and looked out.
In the sparse, intermittent rain and wind, a massive convoy of transport airships sped eastward at low altitude, while hundreds of rotary-wing Vargus manned patrol drones and Octagon heavy attack drones passed by the convoy.
At higher altitudes, sonic booms echoed as multiple matte black Arasaka Navy carrier-based aircraft and their unmanned wingmen pierced the sea of clouds in a patrol and escort formation.
The outermost ring of the escort formation, heavy aerospace fighters painted in silver-gray streaked across the horizon, leaving gleaming Mach rings in their wake, visible in the distance.
Ding-dong.
Shipboard AI: "There are two visit requests, ma'am."
Vera silently brought the referral pop-up to the retina view interface.
After identity verification, the access requests are as follows:
[Arasaka Navy / Seventh Fleet / CVW-5 (Fifth Carrier Air Wing)]
[Arasaka Air Force / North American Task Force / 1-AF (First Air Wing)]
The former needs no further explanation; the latter, the Air Force...
[Allow.]
Before long, the naval and air forces, having obtained permission to visit, each dispatched a manned fighter jet, which gradually slowed down and approached the custom-made airship where Vera was located in the center of the airship formation, maintaining a safe distance and becoming parallel to the Hiss airship.
After the visit was approved, they already knew which side of the machine Vera was on.
Sizzle!
Vera saw it clearly.
At the nose, the rectangular metal sheets of the nano-armor layer converge like ripples on water, revealing the cabin. The adjustable smart polarized glass quickly becomes transparent, and inside, the pilot in an anti-G suit raises his hand in a solemn salute.
[Naval carrier-based aircraft pilot: Salute to you, Your Excellency Vera.]
Following closely behind was the Air Force.
In the same process, in addition to the piloted aircraft being larger in size, the anti-G suit being thicker and more exoskeleton-like, similar to wearing a spacesuit.
Vera could see his heavily cybernetically modified face, with numerous cables connected beneath his enclosed high-altitude flight helmet.
In the Cyberpunk world, high-performance aerospace fighters are so powerful that ordinary people would basically fly them without making a sound.
[Air Force pilot: Salute to you, Officer Russell.]
"Thanks for your hard work."
Vera returned the greetings one by one as her pupils flashed with the communication cursor.
Soon, the two fighter jets returned to their formation and continued their patrol and escort missions.
After watching them leave, Vera turned her head and said, "Lower the altitude."
Shipboard AI: "Yes."
As the airship descended and approached the ground, a corner of the landmass of Guobing was revealed.
On the ground, military trains with tracks roared past.
On the long-neglected interstate highway, countless vehicles sped along, kicking up clouds of dust.
Armored vehicles, squads of combat robots, and a nominal soldier rode eastward in them.
There were those from Arasaka, those from the Free State Alliance, and those from Arasaka mercenary groups... clearly distinct yet ultimately converging on the same goal—
It is under her control.
"But, a war that will end everything?"
Unexpectedly, Vera's high spirits vanished as she recalled some media outlets' comments on the Fifth Corporate War.
This is something you can't talk about.
"Logistics and control."
She sat down with a sigh.
This will be the focus of her work going forward.
Generally speaking, Corporate War differs from warfare between conventional military and political entities.
Because the mission of a company's military forces differs from that of a nation's armed forces, companies typically need to protect information and facilities, rather than territory.
When a company launches a military operation, it is typically a rapid strike aimed at crippling a competitor's project or seizing valuable information. These operations are often conducted covertly by special forces.
Most Corporate War take place 90% of the time on Board of Directors, in global financial and stock markets, and online, with only a small fraction occurring on the actual battlefield.
However, Arasaka and Militech are exceptions.
Both sides are superpowers that control their own military and political entities. Historical ties have led to long-term hostility at the top, and their allies are also sworn enemies. Their territories are adjacent and they have territorial disputes...
Once a conflict breaks out, it may not be as swift and decisive as a typical corporate conflict; it could even be described as slow and protracted, but it will certainly be powerful and heavy. This is because both sides know that minor skirmishes will not harm the other.
The costs involved, or rather the 'price' lightly attached to the administrative gazette, were enough to devour everything Vera had seen on this trip.
"We must not let our guard down."
With her chin resting on her hand and her fingers tapping on the table, Vera gazed quietly at the gleaming metal wall. In its faint reflection, a tall, blonde woman with blue eyes sat, resting her chin on her hand and looking at her.