In 2067, a girl at Lizzy Bar was brutally tortured and killed by three Tyger Claws members.
The bar owner, Elizabeth Borden, executed the three offending Tyger Claws with an axe and hung them at the entrance as a display.
But in the eyes of the Tyger Claws, such behavior was tantamount to provocation.
The lives of three bottom-feeding thugs were not important, but the Tyger Claws' face was very important.
So in the subsequent raid, the Tyger Claws razed Lizzy Bar, and Elizabeth Borden was also killed.
This matter should have ended there.
The rampant behavior of gangs in the city should have been something the civilians were forced to accept.
But whether it was fate or the last straw that broke the camel's back, this time the Tyger Claws truly angered the masses.
Mass demonstrations against the Tyger Claws and their businesses erupted all over Night City and lasted for a long time.
This really messed up the Tyger Claws.
It not only caused the Tyger Claws' sphere of influence to shrink but also led to the formation of the Moxes—a new gang with an anti-Tyger Claws stance, composed of those radical protesters.
Simply put, this was the result of the Tyger Claws angering the public.
And Jotaro didn't want this to happen again.
He didn't want Hive to become some kind of lone hero "resisting power" or "fighting gangs."
So what was the best way?
Of course, it was to throw mud at the other side.
Moreover, the fact that Hive attacked his place in anger was a handle delivered right to his door; he didn't even need to deliberately fabricate anything.
As long as he shaped Hive into a similarly despicable and sinful gang, then this war would be a confrontation between gangs, not a fairy tale of justice against evil.
The residents of Night City wouldn't have much of a reaction to this either.
The masses, the masses, the masses with their eyes blocked are the only good masses.
Jotaro thought triumphantly.
This war, before it had even started, he had already won half of it.
Hive had lost the biggest and most likely support: the support of the seven million rabble in Night City.
...
The aftermath of the media frenzy soon blew to Hive.
"According to the research report of our station's independent investigators, Hive should be held responsible for the terrorist attack in the North Oak District on the night of the 14th, and its leader, Viktor, should be held responsible for the fifty-seven lives lost."
"Exclusive news, exclusive news! The predecessor of Hive is suspected to be a Motorcycle Gang, a gang through and through, which once operated casinos under its name..."
"Our citizens should not feel even the slightest bit of sympathy for such an organization. Being weak does not mean they are innocent. While the Tyger Claws' elimination of Hive cannot be called an act of justice, it has indeed eliminated a scourge from our city."
"Based on the intelligence we have obtained, Hive is not only a criminal organization through and through, but it also has the support of the NUSA government behind it. Regarding this, the attitude of the citizens of Night City will be unanimous and singular: Down with Hive! Down with Hive!"
It wasn't just the various media outlets fanning the flames; the comments online were even more appalling.
"Hahaha, I knew it! If you ask me, those people whitewashing for Hive are the scum of the city; they've all taken money from the NUSA!"
"All responsibility lies with the American side!"
"Hive is just a dog for the NUSA. It's here in our city just to collect intelligence for the Americans. The Tyger Claws did a good job hitting them!"
"If Hive hadn't provoked the Tyger Claws first, would the Tyger Claws have attacked them? I think they brought it on themselves! Well hit!"
The appalling comments kept scrolling by. Berry slammed the tablet onto the table, furious.
"What kind of bullshit media, what kind of unruly mob—are they all brainless? They just believe whatever they hear. They're fucking bullying me!"
After throwing the tablet, Berry still wasn't relieved. She angrily pounded the table, her eyes wide as if she wanted to kill someone.
Berry was just too angry.
She was so angry she almost gave herself gastroenteritis.
To take someone down, first attack their personal morality, then question their stance.
It's not that Berry didn't know about this culture of framing people.
But she didn't expect that one day this would actually happen to her.
"Fuck, why me!?"
The feeling of being wronged is terrible, especially when it's such an absurd accusation.
She takes money from the American government?
She would actually like to take it, but no one is paying!
Think about Hive—although it's not some revolutionary organization, it has always minded its own business in Night City, and it has even done many good deeds.
Hive's ultra-low-end cyberware entering the market first provided those trapped in absolute poverty with a healthy, clean way to obtain cyberware.
The clean systems and non-nerve-compressing bone-conduction cyberware saved those who couldn't afford to buy compatible first-hand cyberware from so many potential risks and saved so many families.
Not to mention Hive's high-pressure crackdown on the Scavengers' business and organization in Chinatown and Kabuki, which at the very least reduced cyberware-related assault cases in these two districts by over eighty percent.
It's fine that Night City doesn't give her a banner of merit.
After all, her main goal is to make a profit, not to do good deeds.
But isn't it going too far to splash so much dirty water on her?
Berry was furious.
The Tyger Claws were one thing, but now this posture—the entire Night City is crying out for their blood, wanting to destroy them.
As anger rose, it was accompanied by a violent urge to kill.
If you can't endure it, then don't.
If the enemy opposes me, that means I did the right thing.
If a friend opposes me, then they become an enemy.
If a passerby opposes me, then the passerby is also an enemy.
And the more the enemy opposes me, the more it shows I did the right thing.
How do we deal with enemies? We must look at it dialectically and historically.
The Great Xi Wang once said, arm yourself with my ideology.
Then the enemies are all unfaithful, unrighteous, and unfilial people.
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!
Johnny Silverhand didn't eliminate the enemy with five hundred thousand, so we must expand.
Night City has seven million people, let's set a small quota.
Fifty percent!
...
"I say, little Berry, is there any need to be this angry?"
In the office, Johnny leaned lazily on the sofa. Seeing Berry's face, which was flushed to a soy sauce color from anger, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
She was here to calibrate her body.
She didn't expect to see such an absurd expression on little Berry here.
"Sigh~"
Berry, who was fuming with rage, face red and neck thick, was awakened by this sound and immediately deflated. With a long exhale, she collapsed like a deflated balloon, pale, her little head resting weakly on the table, her eyes empty.
"Wuwu, Sister V, there are bad people among the masses~"
"Heh."
Berry's unpromising appearance made Johnny laugh.
"We're barely anywhere yet, and you can't take it? Do you still think the masses are true, good, and beautiful, pure lambs waiting to be saved? Let me tell you..."
Johnny was about to go on a long-winded rant about her revolutionary history, but Berry already covered her ears with both hands.
"Don't want to listen~"
"Spineless."
Johnny rolled her eyes and gave a middle finger, but then she continued.
"But, what if I told you I have a way to solve your trouble, would you believe me?"
"Huh? Really?"
Berry immediately raised her head, her big eyes wide open.
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