"Facing sin and injustice, facing darkness and oppression."
"Which side do you stand on, Night City?"
"I am The Hive. We choose to fight."
"We choose to fight not because it is easy, but because it is difficult."
"Because fighting reminds us why we are human."
"From the West Coast of the Pacific to the Maryland Port, from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico, every person in Night City, everyone who still holds hope in their hearts, we need your help."
"Choose to fight, now and forever."
...In the office, everyone was present.
Berry, V, Jackie, Doctor Viktor, Judy, and even Panam, who had rushed over to assist.
Everyone was there, but no one spoke.
The evening glow streamed into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows, waiting with them.
"You absolutely won't believe it, we succeeded!"
Nancy pushed open the door and walked in, her face full of excitement.
"The video hit three million views in just a few hours and is still rising rapidly! Most people are siding with The Hive, Berry, we won this battle!"
Facing Nancy's excitement, Berry merely nodded calmly.
Public sentiment had shifted to their side.
The ancient concept of justice had once again played its part.
How much impact this would truly have remained to be seen.
But Berry wouldn't forget that they still had a real fight ahead of them.
"Doo-loo-loo-loo..."
The phone finally rang.
Berry, who had been waiting half the day for the call, snatched up the receiver.
Rogue's voice came from the other end, laced with anxiety.
"Berry, the Tyger Claws have moved!"
"A large number of Tyger Claws are starting to gather in Japantown. The NCPD has issued a Level Two Alert. Kabuki and Chinatown will enter a state of silence."
"The war... has begun."
"I understand."
If this had happened a few days ago, Berry might have felt a trace of nervousness, but now, her heart was only calm.
She was ready.
The Hive was ready.
She glanced over: V, Viktor, Judy, Panam... they were all looking at her, their eyes filled with anticipation and fighting spirit.
Let the Tyger Claws come at them.
Berry thought to herself.
She stood up.
"Everyone, success or failure hinges on this moment. Let's go!"
...This night was destined to be turbulent.
On the third night after the Tyger Claws issued their declaration of war, they finally began their brazen attack.
Large numbers of Tyger Claws combatants gathered in Japantown, ready to cross the Cross-River Bridge into Kabuki, and then proceed to the Hive Tower in Chinatown.
As the Tyger Claws gathered, a breathtaking number was reported.
Eight hundred people.
The Tyger Claws had mobilized a full eight hundred people to attack The Hive.
Even a lion uses its full strength when fighting a rabbit; although the Tyger Claws didn't believe The Hive posed much of a threat, they went all-in from the start.
In their eyes, this might not have been a war, but merely a demonstration.
The Hive would be crushed like ants.
Faced with the Tyger Claws' blatant mobilization, the NCPD remained silent.
In fact, the NCPD had remained silent during previous gang wars; as long as no Weapons of Mass Destruction were used and the unwritten rule of not harming civilians was maintained, they were happy to let the Gangers fight among themselves. The only thing they needed to do was ensure civilians stayed home, and afterwards, dispose of the bodies in the river.
A gang war usually doesn't last long, as preliminary skirmishes happen in daily street fights. Once a large-scale attack begins, it means one side is confident of a complete victory.
This rarely lasts too long, maybe a few hours at most.
The NCPD's assessment of this operation was that in one hour, The Hive would be completely destroyed, and the Tyger Claws would once again claim victory.
Meanwhile, Night City's media, like hyenas smelling blood, swarmed in. Hundreds of drones from various media outlets arrived in Chinatown and Kabuki to bring firsthand news to their cruel audience.
Nothing was more stimulating than a gang war.
All of Night City was gripped by frenzy, impatiently waiting in front of their televisions for the fight to start, just like waiting for a ball game. Human lives, at this moment, were merely visual material to trigger adrenaline... Berry led her people to the second floor. On the first floor, everyone had already assembled.
All the Honeycomb Mercenaries, plus a dozen reinforcements from the Aldecaldo Family.
A total of two hundred and thirteen people.
Two hundred against eight hundred.
Everyone was mentally prepared for a tough battle.
Standing on the second-floor corridor, the dense crowd on the first floor was clearly visible. Berry knew all these faces.
Veterans, psychopaths, unstable elements.
Night City had many names for these people, but Berry believed they had only one identity: victims of war.
They had found her, hoping to live normal lives under her protection.
But now, Berry had to push them back into war.
Berry felt an unspeakable guilt.
As if driven by fate, an invisible force always seemed to push people toward agonizing choices, destined from birth.
"Nancy, are you ready?"
Looking at the faces downstairs—some zealous, some calm, but none afraid—Berry gripped the railing, feeling the need to say something.
"Ready. The live broadcast has started, and I've authorized all media to repost it. At this critical moment, all of Night City is watching you."
Mm.
Berry nodded silently, then slowly began to speak.
"Our alliance is strong and vibrant."
"Now, we are being tested, and this is no accident."
"The Tyger Claws have attacked us out of greed and arrogant insolence."
"They bet that we would be afraid."
"They bet that we would drop our guns and scatter, too afraid to fight back."
"They thought our unity would collapse at the first trial."
"They thought we were weak."
"But they were wrong."
Berry emphasized her words.
"Egregiously wrong."
"Even within the city, war has never left us."
"Corrupt corporations, cruel gangs, and betrayal everywhere you look."
"You were once victims."
"You were driven onto the battlefield, dying in trenches for reasons unknown and unacknowledged. You returned, only to be met with lies!"
"This is an age where fear outweighs hope. They do as they please, believing it can last forever."
"But they do not know that the flame of resistance burns in our hearts."
"If the world's suffering belongs to us, then the world should also belong to us!"
"Fight, brothers and sisters!"
"What we lose are our chains; what we gain is the whole world!"
"Aaaahhh!"
"Victory!"
"Fight!"
Berry's roar hadn't even finished before it was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of cheers.
Waving their firearms and pounding the makeshift armor on their chests, the Honeycomb Mercenaries shouted and roared, their eyes bloodshot, their pupils and neck veins bulging to the extreme.
Berry's words struck them right in the heart.
They had fallen into a frenzy.
"Go fight! Follow the plan and give the Tyger Claws a warning shot."
Berry stopped looking at the cheering crowd, wiped the beads of sweat from her face caused by the speech, and looked at V and Jackie behind her, who could barely conceal their shock.
Amidst the cheers, their hearts trembled. Berry's pale cheeks seemed to glow with a sacred radiance, and they felt an involuntary urge to kneel before her.
Under the lights, Berry's skin was now as white as emerald glass, her expression cold, and the frenzy rippling beneath her eyes rolled like magma.
She seemed like a Goddess of War descended to earth; human hearts were like clay to be molded arbitrarily in her presence.
Making allies zealous and enemies terrified.
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