Chapter 1020 - 63: The Sun (Part 5)

Arasaka Company and Military Technology are old rivals, especially during the Fourth Corporate War, where contracts from different companies led them to develop new weapons.

Arasaka acquired the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier, capable of deploying from Japan to Night City across the Pacific Ocean even as the maritime regions become increasingly dangerous. On the other hand, Military Technology, aside from the rapidly growing mercenaries and single soldier cyborgs, possesses large fighter jets, bombers, and transport planes capable of transoceanic combat.

The development direction of aerial warfare in this world has always focused on small fighter jets. However, after losing to Arasaka, Military Technology conducted a second reform. In this reform, they unprecedentedly proposed a new development direction:

The newly developed fighter jets began to gradually evolve towards heavy, multi-purpose development, abandoning the so-called design philosophy of small spatial flexibility and agility. They no longer confined themselves to the fuel consumption and operational costs of the fighters but emphasized supersonic cruise and supersonic maneuverability, seeking beyond-visual-range strike capabilities in attacks...

Although the new air force has not yet engaged in direct combat with Arasaka’s forces, based on their performance in the Metal War, Miles is full of confidence in using the new fighter jets for the new air force. What she needs is time to develop...

There is no time left for her to continue conserving her strength. The proud New American Air Force is soaring over America’s skies, patrolling this land.

The Air Fortress B-80 Strategic Bomber, the largest military aircraft in the world, combines transport and strategic bombing functions, has a massive bomb bay, substantial durability, and is equipped with advanced electronic countermeasures and long-range strike capabilities.

The Falcon A-35 Supersonic Fighter, featuring a special coating for interference resistance and radar invisibility, paired with heavy machine guns and missiles, works in conjunction with the Air Fortress.

Twenty-four A-35s and B-80s form a flight squadron, with the B-80s carrying not only nuclear bombs but also 40 small interceptors, a mainstream micro-fighter in the Cyberpunk World, known for their agility despite their slow speed, capable of flying and fighting in urban areas.

Such a "huge" formation is the primary air mission formation in New America, and these fighter jets designed with new concepts are Miles’ pride.

The recording drones behind the flight squadron and the EBM’s spy satellites are keeping an eye on the situation here:

They are eager to see what level New America’s new air force has developed to—

Miles shows the display through her holographic helmet showcasing the air force slicing through the sky straight to Night City. While the fighters swept through the central region, what she saw was shocking even for her, the President of New America:

Three areas hit by nuclear bombs rose with massive mushroom clouds, the city’s power systems collapsed into darkness, wildfires spreading.

The fire in Texas was even more exaggerated. Although there’s almost no oil left in that land, there are still substantial alcohol wheat farms and processing plants built there, and now these structures were all consumed by flames...

Iowa City and Las Vegas each had their unique chaos, meaning that within a few minutes, six states were entirely out of control!

And she’s already received news from the western regions that the cities were not at peace—

There’s no point in pondering whether the unruly citizens want to rebel again, or if local officials and companies are vying for power again, because the way those three nuclear bombs hit their targets is entirely incomprehensible!

Nobody saw airplanes! There are even advisors starting to pin the answer on the least likely, but the only option left:

They were missiles, and they were ultra-long-range missiles launched directly from Night City, putting the entire central and western regions within strike range!

With such deterrent capabilities, Washington’s control would only weaken!

Once, she only thought of those three criminals as insignificant, especially during the time they lost Lille. Although they were formidable, criminals are criminals for a fundamental reason — they can’t build a society, and they can’t control the law, unable to fight against the massive tide...

But she never expected such a massive transformation that left commanders horrified to appear on a macro level as well!

A powerful prosthetic suite, a mysterious Si Anweisitan drive, an awe-inspiring gun, and a chariot... none could compare to a nuclear missile capable of intimidating half of America!

The era has changed...

The only chance the old era has to suppress the new era is to pick the fruit when the new era is just budding. If they can’t pick the fruit, they should use all the powers of the old era to crush the things of the new era!

Yet the situation quickly became abnormal—

A peculiar, extremely bright object shot into the sky from the ground, like a meteor rising from the ground straight into the clouds, directly striking her fighter jet!

Bang—

[Pilot#0045: SOS! SOS! I’ve been hit—]

...

Miles’ pride didn’t mean much in Lille’s eyes.

Since the Second World War, this world has constantly been in a state of conflict, with global wars fought four times back and forth, political chaos, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity causing the population to decline year by year...

Such a flight squadron was already at the ace level. If Military Technology continues to develop and they form three to four squadrons, perhaps New America could become formidable.

From a technical standpoint, these new fighter jets already count as fourth-generation fighters, yet in Lille’s eyes, they remain backward, and the more fatal problem is New America’s productivity.

Seven years have passed since the Metal War. Miles, as the so-called "authoritative" President, has still not completed the reorganization of internal affairs. Outside, countless companies are eyeing covetously, while inside, various greedy bureaucrats secretly and openly control their companies, or take money from outside companies. Implementing a law from the Federation to local states is incredibly challenging, and sent commissioners might even face assassination...

Such a New America is like this world, divided, a world heading towards extinction incapable of doing anything astonishing.

Air was torn apart, the fighter jet’s wings shook violently, in the pilot’s perspective, a humanoid form surpassed the maximum speed a jet could reach on the radar!

[Pilot#0045: This is not right, unidentified target approaching, speed... approaching four Machs!]

[Pilot#0045: He’s too fast, I can’t evade—]

Crash—

The jet pilot’s world seemed to freeze; he felt himself being cut apart, like a bird hit by a bullet, losing momentum, with only images before death left in his eyes:

The world’s fighter jets are based on a kind of man-machine connection technology, which can be simply summarized as directly transferring human consciousness onto the fighter jet, transforming the jet into a prosthetic, with the brain as the central processor of this prosthetic.

Si Anweisitan is a neurological component in the human body, a driver in jet operations, electricity carrying jet information infused into the pilot’s brain in a special way, then returning, as if they’d truly become fighter jets—

This also means they can feel the damage: he was cut apart.

The "person" who cut him had massive metallic wings and dazzling, brilliant thrusters, wielding a plasma weapon radiating sunlight-like brilliance...

But it wasn’t that weapon that cut him apart, it was an armor-piercing missile. The missile pierced the armor outside the fuel tank and hit the core directly, and his once-proud "body" shattered in mid-air.

Along with his comrades: a speed of 2.5 Machs is already advanced in this world, unfortunately, this prideful number lags tremendously behind the enemy.

The jets exploded mid-air.

This couldn’t possibly be won!