Chapter 444 - 416: Singularity Particles

Lilton had a headache: big events affecting global situations and trends were occurring in the Marvel World and in Night City...

Well, events that influenced the situation of Night City were also unfolding.

On one side, there was the presidential election. On the other, mayoral tasks and elections; the events on both sides converged.

And now, a huge problem had arisen: Knowing that the source of the Unstable Energy outbreak was linked to high-energy concentrated oil, Rocksen would inevitably increase its production...

If one assumed that the so-called Unstable Energy outbreaks were a byproduct of the high-energy concentrated oil production process,

it would mean that the duration Lille’s main consciousness could stay in any world was becoming shorter and more uncontrollable!

For example, V had just called him, but in another world, his phone was also being bombarded!

Regardless of the outcome that triggered any greater conflict, this time it was a victory for the Atlas Group.

Somalia was now stable, and Africa had also found its footing. It would only take a few days for the rescue team to get people out.

Concerning the radioactive dust near the deposits, workers could wear highly protective Exoskeletons or even use remote-controlled Tanzanian engineering robots to extract the minerals.

As for the radioactive waste, it wouldn’t be a problem as long as the SCFR reactor was activated:

This type of reactor only needed to keep running without dealing with nuclear waste, as the nuclear waste would always remain at a low level within the waste recycling module.

As Lille prepared to leave, packing his things, he began to use a secret line to contact Secretary of State Barnes in another world.

[Lille: Mr. Secretary of State, I would like to know your stance.]

[Barnes: Carter’s stance is my stance. How is she doing now?]

[Lille: Not very well. She lost an arm, has severe burns, and if it weren’t for the Super Soldier Serum, she would be dead by now.]

[Barnes: Those damn... What was it?]

[Lille: A robot that used some kind of high-energy fuel exploded, and her shield was shattered as well.]

[Barnes: That’s impossible...]

[Lille: Nothing is impossible. Howard Stark made that shield, and his son made a robot that could blow it up.]

[Lille: I’ll just say it—I hope you run for President. The Mei Army’s people and ships are held up by Fei Meng, and you can use that as leverage.]

After a moment of silence on the other end, Barnes gave Lille a response he hadn’t expected.

[Barnes: Actually, the Rocksen Group has also contacted me. They want me to run for President as well.]

Although the result was still running for President, the implications of the two approaches were certainly different.

The current President had already completed two terms and had to be replaced. The Rocksen Group had long chosen their candidate and had been leading in the polls against another party’s candidate for the past few years.

Captain Carter’s emergence, however, had clearly caused some crisis for Rocksen.

There was also a bit of pressure on Barnes to choose sides, as they did not want him to be an equivocator.

[Barnes: I’m thinking, maybe I could accept their support publicly, then wait until I run...]

[Lille: That’s too risky for me.]

Lille didn’t want to repeat the kind of judgment errors caused by stereotyping.

Barnes wasn’t the Winter Soldier; he wasn’t the guy who was brainwashed to be a Super Soldier killer for decades, but rather, a seasoned politician.

How could Lille be sure whom he would side with?

[Barnes: Yes, it’s too risky for you, but it’s the only way to win completely.]

Deceiving Rocksen’s sponsorship, kicking them aside at the last minute, and getting support from the Atlas Group, this way Rocksen would lose the opportunity to act arrogantly under the guise of "Mei Government."

Moreover, most of Rocksen’s military resources were tightly bonded with the Mei Army...

If the President didn’t comply, he really wouldn’t be able to mobilize the army on a large scale under the company’s name, and the possibility of initiating war would become infinitely small.

If he chooses to pick another candidate himself...

That would be more troublesome. Lille had no suitable candidate. Even though his personal charisma was significant, a candidate pushed hastily wouldn’t have time for campaigning and preparation, and their chances of winning would be very slim.

Thus, eventually, he might still be forced to collaborate with another party to let them nominate a candidate...

That option was equally frustrating.

Ultimately, Rocksen had long laid out their plans in these matters, and Atlas, having only a year of development time, had always been the challenger.

After pondering for a moment, Lille’s mind flashed through various possibilities, and he decided to adopt Barnes’ approach.

The fact was Lille had few choices and had to take the risk.

[Lille: Fine, you can negotiate with Wakanda, but I will still openly support another party’s candidate.]

[Barnes: Thank you.]

[Lille: But this isn’t safe for you either. The last President to attempt a policy shift had a bullet wound that could pass straight through his forehead without harm.]

[Barnes: That will depend on the level of your support. I see your electric cars are quite impressive.]

After hanging up, Lille stood at the door, taking a deep breath—

He had always lived in two worlds; the Marvel World was like a massive wave about to hit, rushing towards a teetering civilization.

The Cyberpunk World had been swept by that massive wave several times already, leaving behind ruins filled with trauma and conspiracy.

One world required him to connect people and build flood barriers, while the other needed him to carefully pick up the bricks and tiles from the ruins.

In both worlds, he didn’t want to give up and ultimately, he hoped to build equally magnificent buildings in both cities.

From now on, the pressure of this dual-line operation really began to show.

Perhaps feeling Lille’s pressure, the Octopus Arm at his waist tugged at his coat and danced in front of him.

[Little Octopus: Brother, I will support you with all my might! (ง•̀_•́)ง]

Lille smiled and controlled the door to open.

[Lille: Let’s see what new tricks Night City has up its sleeve.]

[Unstable Energy about to erupt]

[Countdown: 48 hours]

....

Houston, Roxon Energy Group large refinery.

"Are you saying Stark has collapsed from exhaustion?"

Dalio stood atop the Energy Tower, a peculiar robot by his side.

[Jarvis: Yes, as Mr. Stark’s AI butler, I will complete the related tasks on his behalf.]

"Interesting," Dalio glanced at the robot, "Are you sure this method can increase production?"

[Jarvis: I am sure. I have recorded all adjustments made by AI robots on the battlefield, and I believe there is still room for improvement in this energy.]

[Jarvis: This is also Mr. Stark’s assessment.]

"Good." Dalio waved to his engineer, signaling to start the experiment.

The engineer nodded and began operating the control panel.

As he completed each unlocking and setting, a line of large text suddenly appeared on the screen:

[Singularity Particles Refinement Experiment Initiated]

[Target Purity: 50%]

[Energy Supply Increase...]

[Estimated Purity: 20%...]

[Estimated Purity: 30%...]

[Estimated Purity: 50%...]

All twelve Energy Towers in the refinery, each over 80 meters tall, lit up at once!

The space in the center of the Energy Towers seemed to be tainted by a peculiar color, which grew more vivid...

Dalio watched this scene with a smile, "50%...the highest refinement concentration so far. Our engineers believe 60% is the limit of today’s materials science, but we haven’t tried that yet."

[Jarvis: We can reach 60% this time.]

"But our scientists have also said that only by achieving a purity above 99% is it possible to extract energy from the quantum field...or whatever else."

[Jarvis: Yes, but advanced material science doesn’t support such experiments, so I strongly suggest you look into Vibranium as a resource.]

"Interesting, Stark has said the same."

[Jarvis: Yes, Mr. Stark has indeed said that.]

Dalio looked at the increasingly vivid colors in the sky with joy—

This robot wasn’t lying or foolish, its improvements were effective.

"Vibranium, huh...I indeed know a place where there is still some. Consider it a retirement mission for that material."

[Target Purity: 60%]

[Singularity Particles Refinement Explosion Countdown: 48 hours]