It didn't take long for Lucius to obtain the intelligence he wanted—or rather, Arasaka had never intended to hide it from him in the first place. They had deliberately allowed him access to the information.
Lucius had already been chosen by Arasaka. They planned to make him their spokesperson in Night City. In other words, the moment Lucius began investigating this matter, he no longer had any real choice.
He could only accept Arasaka's conditions. Otherwise, there was only one ending waiting for him: a "humane" cleanup.
Lucius let out a long sigh and slumped back onto the sofa.
"Agree to Arasaka… At the very least, they have the highest chance of being the final victor."
Without hesitating any further, Lucius dialed Kuroda's number and accepted Arasaka's terms.
With Lucius's cooperation and behind-the-scenes maneuvering, a small corporation quickly rose in Night City. It began acquiring a large number of companies while also gathering many former Arasaka personnel who had previously been left behind in the city.
This move immediately caught the attention of giants like Militech, though none of them made any obvious moves on the surface.
The other corporations were waiting for Militech to act, while Militech itself was waiting for movements from the New United States. Or rather, they believed they were already in an unassailable position, with no need to rush into dealing with Arasaka right now.
After all, once Night City was officially absorbed into their territory, everything Arasaka was doing would simply end up paving the way for them.
Still, just to be safe, Militech sent out quite a few people to investigate whether Arasaka had made any unusual moves recently. Based on their understanding of Saburo Arasaka—a millennium-old fox—he would never do something so laborious without any payoff.
Yet nothing abnormal turned up.
That, instead, made Militech even more cautious.
So, with corporations unable to openly interfere, the gangs were pushed back onto the stage once again.
This immediately put the entire population of Night City on edge. Memories of the previous gang wars were still vivid.
When one particular gang learned of Militech's intentions, they were downright delighted—and eagerly awaited what was to come.
There was only one reason for that.
They had been having a miserable time lately.
That gang was the Maelstrom gang.
Recently, Pyke had no real missions to deal with, so he had fixated entirely on Maelstrom. The grudges of the original host had long since been settled; now, Pyke treated Maelstrom more like a form of entertainment.
Naturally, such frequent attacks drew Maelstrom's attention. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing they could do about Pyke. He would dive straight into the sewers and disappear without a trace.
Then, just a few days later, he'd come back and deliver them another "gift."
As a result, Maelstrom had suffered heavy losses. Several sub-gangs under different lieutenants had vanished outright—vanished, not disbanded.
At the same time, fewer and fewer people were joining Maelstrom each day, and rumors began spreading about a cyber ghost that claimed lives.
Butz, the current leader of Maelstrom, responded furiously:
"Bullshit! I'm a firm materialist!"
Yes—thanks to Pyke's killing spree, the once-fractured Maelstrom gang had been forced back into unity, reforming into a massive gang that became the true ruler of Watson District. If Pyke hadn't still been active in Watson, Maelstrom would have already rushed out to cause chaos elsewhere.
So this move by Militech was exactly what Maelstrom had been hoping for.
...
"David, after school these days, just stay home. Don't go wandering around. Things aren't very peaceful outside lately."
Before heading out, Gloria turned back and reminded David.
"I know, Mom!"
David replied impatiently, his hands folded behind his head.
Seeing this, Gloria let out a soft sigh and headed off for her night shift.
Since joining PROJECT Corporation, Gloria's workload had eased considerably, and her pay had increased as well. Lately, she had begun thinking about moving somewhere else with David.
The local security situation really wasn't great, and she felt it wasn't good for David's growth—especially with everything going on recently. From conversations she'd overheard among colleagues and higher-ups, Gloria had more or less figured out what was happening in Night City.
It made her uneasy.
She also knew that David had recently made friends with some people on the streets, which worried her even more.
Meanwhile, far to the south of Night City, in the central city of Southern California, its leader was wrestling with a difficult decision.
The New United States' determination in this operation was already clear. The question was whether Southern California should continue its alliance with Northern California and resist to the bitter end.
Burtan, the leader of Southern California, found it hard to say. As an ally, he was well aware of Northern California's military strength. If that was combined with Southern California's full forces…
They might just be able to clash with the New United States' vanguard.
"Sir, it's a communication from Northern California."
Burtan froze when he heard his secretary. Then, as if making up his mind, he looked at them and spoke slowly.
"Tell them I'm in a meeting and don't have time to take the call right now."
"But—"
"Just do as I say."
Burtan's tone left no room for doubt.
"Yes, understood."
After receiving Southern California's reply, Gallie narrowed his eyes. After responding with a simple "Understood," he cut the connection and turned to the people gathered around him.
"Southern California has made its choice. They've chosen to side with the New United States."
"What?!"
"Those cowardly bastards!"
Gallie didn't interrupt the ugly outbursts in front of him. He waited until they finished venting before speaking.
"You all know this already—we have no way out. Once the New United States enters our territory, we're finished."
"...What do you plan to do?"
"I need your support. Support on every front."
Gallie extended his hand toward the leaders of the major corporations before him, slowly clenching it into a fist.
Meanwhile, Burtan had already made contact with the commander-in-chief of the New United States forces, who were steadily expanding westward.
"Marshal Jamde, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Mr. Burtan, may I ask what brings you to contact me?"
Jamde narrowed his eyes as he looked at the politician before him—also the head of Southern California's largest conglomerate—while quietly weighing his intentions.
"Southern California doesn't want to pay too high a price," Burtan said slowly. "So I hope you can give us a promise. If possible, we're willing to abandon resistance and help you deal with Northern California."
"Oh?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected proposal, Jamde's eyes widened slightly. He then rubbed his chin.
"Then it seems we'll need to have a proper talk."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser