[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-401":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151542,1495,"Chapter 401 - 373: Firepower Upgrade Act","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-401",401,"\u003Cp>Night City Civic Center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mayor Luxius Lane got out of his exclusive floating car, showing no signs that he had just taken a trip to Saint Domingo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he exited the car and entered the building, he saw Bryce, the cyber monitoring agent, standing in the hallway—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This agent was originally a covert special agent in Night City, responsible for Black Wall operations, but due to his recent frequent contacts with a group of mercenaries, he had naturally been assigned more work tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one hand, Ryan needed his experience in dealing with those mercenaries; on the other hand, Bryce’s many encounters with the mercenaries had greatly reduced the secrecy of his identity, eliminating the necessity for covert operations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People only knew that Ryan sponsored cyber monitoring and established a cybersecurity foundation, but from this scene, it was evident that his relationship with cyber monitoring was better in Night City than outsiders imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least that was the case for the Night City branch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be honest, my feelings towards them are quite complex. Sometimes I think Night City should have such a vibrant calling card, but when I see them, I’m reminded of the nuclear bomb over 50 years ago,\" Lane said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lighting a cigar, Ryan spoke as he walked past Bryce, who followed along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At least for now, the psychological assessment of them by cyber monitoring is still within the safe range.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t understand, the behavior of such people is unpredictable,\" Ryan said, taking a heavy drag of his cigar, sometimes acting more like a gangster than a mayor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bryce immediately responded, \"That’s because cyber monitoring uses too few observation methods; more observation devices and data lead to more accurate predictions and control.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough, what would people say about me if I let you go all out with your firepower?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the short walk, Ryan had finished the newly lit cigar, burning through thousands of Euros just like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tossed the stub into the trash bin in front of the elevator, coincidentally seeing at the end of the hallway his assistant mayor, Hot, bald-headed and chatting merrily with two Arasaka employees, looking very close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a lift of his head, the Arasaka employees instantly turned their gaze to Ryan, and this action also drew Hot’s attention this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two Arasaka employees were wearing some type of electronic prosthetic eyes, a device that allowed them to capture more details, and the horizontal red light strip made them look more oppressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They also bore Arasaka’s signature style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing it was his superior, Hot’s smile instantly turned to a polite grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan also nodded slightly at the group before entering the elevator waiting for him, with Bryce following close behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one spoke in the elevator, but Bryce suddenly said, \"This bulldog of yours seems to get along really well with Arasaka, and it seems to be improving.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assistant Mayor Hot, known to the outside as Ryan’s bulldog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A portion of the public believed Ryan was Arasaka’s dog, having taken the company’s dirty money, largely because Hot, his deputy, frequently showed a closeness to Arasaka.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Hot was also called the dog of a company dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan didn’t react much to this, just smiling faintly, \"Ferocious canines aren’t easy to manage; you can’t expect me to keep a tight leash on him 24\u002F7.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jefferson Peralares hasn’t been discharged yet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He will attend the meeting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Excellent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elevator doors opened to reveal a vast conference hall with steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Representatives from various companies had already taken their places in the council. In his prosthetic eye, a holographic HUD marked the companies each seat represented, along with the personal information of the occupants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kantao, Military Technology, Arasaka, Peizhuo Petrochemical, Ye Group, Biotechnology, Zeta Technology, Jianli Group...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were ten seats in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Arasaka personnel took their seats, Hot emerged from the service corridor, brushing past Bryce who was leaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One by one, representatives took their places at the seats designated for their companies. Despite the comings and goings, there was no noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, everyone had settled down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint sound broke the silence, impossible to tell on the surface what device had been activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan approached the center of the conference room, preparing to introduce the first and most important agenda item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cough, cough... Welcome to the meeting. I’ll spare any superfluous words, let’s get into the first item—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arasaka Company wishes to station the Kujira at the Night City port... The rest is up to you to discuss,\" Ryan said, having just introduced the topic before turning the floor over to the Arasaka representative, who seemed all too accustomed to Ryan’s style. A barely perceptible change in the brightness of the prosthetic eye hinted at prepared materials being displayed in the HUD. Such optical changes could actually be technically concealed, but obviously, they saw no need for that now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the past six months, Night City has experienced several serious public security incidents, including but not limited to the blackout at Company Square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just yesterday, a massive EMP struck Saint Domingo, resulting in losses of tens of millions of Euros.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is extremely detrimental to the city’s development—if we can’t even ensure corporate safety, how can we guarantee economic growth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suggest increasing the city’s investment in the security sector, and let Arasaka Corporation take charge of this area,\" the Arasaka employee stated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hot glanced at Ryan without a trace, then turned to the empty municipal seat—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was Peralares’ position, he was a mayoral candidate, and in fact an official in Night City’s city governance, and before this, he even served as a congressman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking again at military technology, PR representative Stott still maintained silence—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because she had nothing to say, but because now was not the best time to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed to ponder thoughtfully as she stroked her chin, then used the local area network to send a message to Ryan:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Vice Mayor Hot: I think Arasaka Company’s proposal is very constructive, Night City has the best military contracting companies in the world.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Vice Mayor Hot: However, military technology’s performance in the last six months has been truly embarrassing, maybe we should try some new options.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan murmured thoughtfully, but revealed no emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he knew someone would speak—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Meeting Alert: Jackson Perares requests to enter the meeting]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have approved.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Meeting Alert: Jefferson Peralares has joined the meeting.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long-silent Jefferson walked into the meeting hall, and as soon as his foot stepped out of the elevator, he began:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is impossible, Arasaka’s presence will make the situation in Night City even more uncontrollable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the corruption case involving the deputy head of the NCPD linked to the H8 Skyscraper has not been completely resolved yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We have only eliminated the scandalous Deputy Fort, but he did not say who else was behind him before he died—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we all know that a large number of Arasaka employees were involved in the H8 Skyscraper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hot could no longer sit still and chose to retort instead of using online communication: \"So what? Corporate employees have immunity, this does not break the law.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peralares replied with a smile, \"But it will greatly affect the autonomy of Night City, sending a carrier to Night City? Only you could think of that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what do you think we should do? Continue to use military technology’s security services?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, I think the priority is to allocate funds to repair the power network and infrastructure of Saint Domingo, Ye Group can adopt better equipment to put an end to cybercrime.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s interesting...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stott raised her hand at this moment: \"I think this proposal is feasible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hot looked at this woman and immediately understood the strategy of military technology—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it doesn’t matter who makes the money, as long as it’s not Arasaka.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh, and then have criminals turn it into an EMP bomb again, and have another go?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Firstly, Ye’s Company has sufficient technological reserves and strength, and secondly, everywhere Arasaka goes: Chiba, Watson District...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tell me, after they took absolute control, what did these places turn into?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"People got rich.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Picking through industrial waste for the money you speak of? That’s rich coming from you, Hot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s still better than allowing many pitiful small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to go bankrupt, for if they went bankrupt, they would starve to death!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Perares took his seat, the atmosphere began to heat up, and Ryan continued to remain silent, watching the council debate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the beginning of the meeting to now, he had only spoken once during the opening remarks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if nothing unexpected happened, he would not speak more than ten sentences until the end of the meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Night City, where the biggest contradictions lie between military technology and Arasaka, they will find their own ground to butt heads, and ultimately, they will invest huge resources here on a macro level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what those resources are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time it was slightly different, something over the top had entered Night City, there was one thing they could agree on—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a bout of verbal sparring, Ryan found the place where both sides were about to reach their first consensus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hot pointed at the ceiling, seemingly to enhance the force of his tone: \"...but those terrorists, each one of them carries a superweapon that can penetrate armored units on the front lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All they need to do is pick a spot downtown, and they could blow your head right off!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yours too, Hot, don’t be too arrogant,\" Peralares responded coolly, sounding like cursing and standing firm, but what he said next was a different matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I’d rather arm the NCPD with even more powerful weapons, and even if the NCPD loses control of the situation, we still have the Terrorist Mobile Team.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides’ consensus was formed in a skillful exchange of barbs—Night City needed to upgrade its firepower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Europeans have brought in a lot of outrageous military hardware, and if they don’t come up with something stronger...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s hard to say how things will develop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, both Arasaka and military technology still had one place where they could find common ground: they each had their own customers, their products could not be suppressed by those European companies in the arms race on the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan pondered silently and then slowly spoke up, \"How about this? These criminals are indeed too powerful, and we indeed need to invest more resources to upgrade public safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think it’s time for the NCPD to deploy the Centaur Mecha, and the weapons of the Terrorist Mobile Team can also be upgraded again, I guess you all have more powerful equipment to contribute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the Kujira, if Arasaka and Arasaka’s clients need some sense of security, we can indeed let them dock here for a few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1815,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.910Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.802Z",1,"novelbin.me","7b951256ae5be301281dfeca4c19d2d9a0ee5a6cbe1c2dfca3f7d7ababe5b842","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-402","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-150",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]