Chapter 443 - 415 Destiny

[The mysterious massive explosion at the Mkuju River Mine has raised outside concerns and worries.]

[The huge explosion caused a large-scale collapse of the mine shaft, but your mining robot "Tanzania" acted as a pillar and created a safe area in the collapsing mine.]

[However, you can only wait temporarily for external rescue now.]

An explosion of this scale anywhere would attract attention, especially in a disputed region.

So, how powerful was this explosion?

Throughout the prolonged nuclear war, Lille gradually mastered a "skill": he could estimate the equivalent in TNT just by looking at an explosion.

The power of this explosion was estimated to be equivalent to 5,000 tons of TNT, on par with some small tactical nuclear bombs.

Thanks to the hasty detonation, it was essentially a ground blast, animals and plants within 1030 meters would be severely burned, and the blast overpressure exceeded 1 psi within 2010 meters.

If it occurred in an urban area, buildings within this range would collapse on a large scale and catch fire, with glass and debris causing collateral damage.

The mushroom cloud was clearly visible on satellite maps.

However, despite the unimaginable scale of the explosion, what stopped Lille’s train of thought was something else:

He clearly saw a peculiar black spot at the center of the explosion!

Centered around this black spot, the imagery in the radius of the explosion was tinged with strange colors, like oil floating on the surface of the sea, vibrant and eerie.

And unlike those substances, these eerie colors became clearer and clearer in Lille’s mind, accompanied by intense pain, until they turned into images in reality...

When the explosion ended, his consciousness, along with immense pain, seamlessly shifted to the Cyberpunk World, to a rental room in the H8 Skyscraper!

The discordant colors seemed to vanish completely from memory at this moment, leaving behind the equally glittering cityscape before his eyes.

Meanwhile, in another world, Matt, who was still investigating the abandoned Kate Logistics Company, sent Lille heavy-hitting intelligence:

The manager who, years ago, had illegally transported radioactive and chemical hazards was none other than Kingpin!

The waste that splashed over him and himself was from a secret experiment conducted by the predecessor of the Roxon Energy Group!

An idea suddenly popped into Lille’s head: this meant that his ability to travel between worlds likely originated from there!

Matt was blinded by the waste, but his senses were geometrically enhanced.

And Lille, he gained the ability to travel to other worlds!

The current situation proved that the explosion produced by that high-energy concentrated fuel...

Was indeed the so-called "Unstable Energy"!

[Matt: ...That’s the situation, it could be... fate? After all, we both know now that your dispute with Roxon is out in the open.]

It was indeed fate.

More than four years ago, Kingpin, who was not yet an underworld emperor, had, as usual, arranged for his subordinates to illegally dump hazardous waste; a tired driver at an intersection dozed off.

A young man, who was in a spat with his family, walked across the pedestrian lane. By the time the driver noticed the young man, he turned the steering wheel sharply and slammed on the brakes, causing the car to overturn.

The hazardous waste fell on the young man, Lille, putting his family in a stranglehold of medical bills, his father died of overwork, and his mother continued to support the family until she sold all assets and incurred heavy debts.

More than four years later, the awakened Lille became the biggest obstacle on Roxon’s road to a monopoly—

The young man who was unwittingly injured ended up standing in front of this corporate giant.

The war had begun.

The outside world might only see this as a dispute between the Mei Army and the African Union, but in essence, it was a clash of support representing two interest groups.

And the leaders of these two interest groups happened to have this past dispute between them.

Lille sat up from the bed, holding his forehead, digesting the pain.

[Lille: Does Roxon know?]

[Matt: They don’t know, after all, you and I... the former you, were just another insignificant character in this world, Kingpin has long taken care of everything for his masters.]

[Matt: There are no living witnesses left at Kate Logistics Company, so the lead is broken again.]

It didn’t matter anymore.

Lille looked out the window at Night City, as a holographic advertisement floated past:

"Never wait for rescue, power is in your hands—the Crusher shotgun, your best expert in critical moments."

[Lille: It’s okay, whatever has been done will leave traces, and we will eventually find the result.]

[Matt: You’re not suggesting we bust into Roxon, are you...? I’ve had a feeling things would come to this lately.]

[Lille: Given the current situation, do you think the laws of Mei Country can still judge them?]

Matt fell silent.

After disconnecting the call with Matt, Lille stood up from the bed, intending to organize his thoughts and figure out the current situation in the Marvel World.

Little Octopus gathered a slew of messages from the network for a summary.

The explosion at Mkuju River had caused immense environmental damage, and the explosion could lift radioactive dust into the high atmosphere, to be dispersed by the wind.

So although the high-energy concentrated petroleum had no radioactivity, the explosion would spread radioactivity over an area tens of kilometers around.

The explosion here drew global attention, but what was even more nerve-wracking were the events unfolding in Somalia:

The African Union declared that the Mei Army illegally entered Somalia, attacked three ships stationed at the port of Gellekayu, and abducted 22 port officials.

All news outlets reported the incident, but on social media and the Internet, a completely different truth was revealed:

Three warships, with a total of 50 Iron Soldiers in cooperation with the navy, indiscriminately struck the port first.

To ensure secrecy, the casualties included not only the Al-Shabab militants occupying the port but also local people without any political affiliation, resulting in over 3000 deaths!

An undeniable humanitarian crisis: yes, in the nearly anarchic Somalia, out of ten people, possibly five could be pirates, and another a member of an extremist organization.

But what about the rest?

To a certain extent, those who did not engage in extremist activities despite the harsh environment might even be kinder, but now they’re all dead.

This event caused an uproar, and public opinion boiled over once again:

The pro-war faction believed that the Mei Army went to "seek justice," to eradicate terrorists, and that the African Union supported terrorists, amounting to a declaration of war!

The other camp disagreed: over 3000 terrorists? That’s a joke!

As the new government in Somalia took office and the investigation progressed, it was discovered that General Ross and his Mei Army officers were responsible for killing more than 3000 people and had kidnapped thousands in the basement, including children and women.

The cramped underground conditions caused a large number of trampling deaths, and the scene was horrifying to behold.

However, these were only broadcast on the Internet—

But the traditional media did not cover up the truth at all.

Two factions, two lines of thought, and this situation was not only happening within Mei Country but also manifested globally as two trends due to Rothschild Energy Group’s strong presence and the Atlas Group’s sudden rise—

The global population of 6 billion, as the conflict intensified, was gradually being clearly divided into two camps.

Many were terrified:

Because both sides wielded formidable military power.

But "fortunately," their headquarters were both located in Mei Country...

Perhaps they could digest the contradictions peacefully in the upcoming presidential election?

The only "presidential" pawn Lille knew...

Was one somewhat risky old man.

Secretary of State James Buchanan Barnes.

But Lille’s troubles extended beyond just one world.

[V: Still alive? There’s new developments with the Tiger Claw Gang, the Mox chick came knocking.]