Chapter 596 - 567 EBM Peizhuo Petrochemical Stadium

The underground space turned out to be much larger than expected, and it took Lille and the others a good thirty minutes of roaming before they started to ascend.

In those thirty minutes, the trio weren’t idle and kept chatting.

The main topic was about the origin of Dog Town.

"...So you’re saying Military Technology sent the Netherworld Dogs over here, and they almost reached the gates of Night City before New America suddenly called them off?

But didn’t you say that New America and Military Technology are in the same boat? Rosalind Miles... wasn’t she the CEO of Military Technology before she became the President of New America?

Why didn’t they continue the fight?"

Bang——

V pressed the elevator button, and the run-down elevator made groaning and crackling sounds, which were particularly grating to the ears. Sparks could also be seen falling within the open elevator shaft:

"Is this elevator gonna break down on us?"

The trio had already left the underground parking lot and arrived at the passenger elevator passage, which was also unfinished.

Lille replied, "It’s true that Miles was once the CEO of Military Technology, and Military Technology is indeed part of New America...you could even say it’s the main defense force of New America. However, it was New America that waged the war, and Military Technology is just employed after all.

Despite its financial system collapsing and the US Dollar being worthless, New America still has a sizable market within its borders.

If Miles were still the CEO of Military Technology, she would definitely agree to continue the war. But that’s not the case anymore; she has to consider other economic entities within the market.

Not to mention, if Peizhuo Petrochemical didn’t get the money they were supposed to after the unification war, and started arguing with Military Technology, New America would face division again.

Miles is an ambitious President and her ideas follow her status. She wouldn’t show any old affection towards Military Technology just because she used to work there:

The economy of New America was boosted by the overwhelming unification war, and so was Military Technology. But Arasaka’s arrival would sharply increase the risks: after all, they’d been fighting for several years, and if they continued, they might even have to spit out the Free State they had swallowed.

So she chose to call a ceasefire, adjusting those former Free States on one hand, and infiltrating Night City through other means on the other hand.

But with her gone, Military Technology, which she had adjusted, would think along the original lines, so the actual disagreement is between New America and Military Technology.

Miles believes that continuing the war is an unacceptable risk, while Military Technology sees its market value and revenues skyrocket due to the war, so naturally, they want to keep fighting."

V clicked her tongue in amazement, "Impressive, just like that she sold out her former colleagues. Truly a corporate dog.

I used to think she seemed so decent on TV, and Perares too. Come to think of it, these two are cut from the same cloth."

President Miles’ main selling point was her military background, the last survivor of the United States Space Force, the classic American military-to-politics elite style.

It’s the same with Perares. Although he never enlisted, he loved to wave a gun around in front of the cameras.

The classic American style is that you have to know how to use a gun, be tough with a gun.

But in reality, both are very different from what they appear to be.

Click——

The elevator landed, and the opening doors got stuck due to wear and tear. V and Lille turned their gaze to Jack.

Jack sighed, shook his head, and grabbed the sliding door, "See, I told you I was meant to be a bodyguard."

Bang!

The door was yanked open instantly, but an accident happened.

Jack’s gorilla arm was a type of lightweight, high-output prosthetic, which meant its structure was quite complicated.

When exerted near its limit, the slightly harder outer shell would open up, revealing the steel cables and tension structure inside to prevent these exterior components from being pulled or crushed by the force. Once the force decreased, they would close again to maintain the appearance of the arm.

But now... the outer skin of Jack’s gorilla arm had opened up but didn’t close completely, just like the elevator door before, stuck, with the gaps between the exterior components plainly visible, the inner tension structure slightly trembling, along with electric currents.

Lille immediately pulled a repair screwdriver from her bag and shoved it in; after a burst of electric current, Jack’s left hand returned to normal.

"...I’ve cut the power to the components. Time to get a new hand."

"Huh?" Jack was stunned. "Replaced? Can’t it just be fixed and still be used? This..."

"Jack, since when did you become so stingy?" V teased. "Last time you were complaining about having no place to spend your money."

"That’s not... This hand has sentimental value," he argued.

"Then you can wrap it up and keep it as a collectible. I’ll get you a better one when we arrive."

Bang!

The elevator reached the top with a dull thud.

Stepping out of the elevator, it seemed to be a warehouse, and they had officially entered Dog Town. They could hear the bustling noise from outside.

"A better one?" Jack seemed skeptical. "They say Dog Town is a dump, a dump that’s worse than Taiping State, a place where the market is flooded with the crappiest knockoffs and defective goods."

"Then have you ever thought about where all the good stuff goes?"

The entrance to the warehouse was adorned with a dense array of mechanical limbs, akin to severed limbs in a slaughterhouse.

Pushing aside these prosthetics, Dog Town’s largest black market was revealed—

Zzt!

The clear beat of rap music was drowned out by the sound of crackling circuits, and massive sparks erupted from the exposed high-voltage cables hanging from the ceiling!

"Kick-ass military-grade combat prosthetics! Flame-throwing combat arms! HT-12A high-adhesion, high-energy fuel, XG-500 high-pressure injectors, guaranteed to plaster your enemies’ faces, and the TX-9 transmission system to support arm movements..."

"Netherworld Dog-model combat mechs, a steal for those who get their hands on them!"

"Sadara..."

But the people here showed no reaction, the denizens of the black market each busy with their dealings, not even noticing three people suddenly emerging from the warehouse.

Jack and V were well acquainted with the black market: the one in the Geisha District.

But this black market was different. The Geisha District’s black market was an exquisitely facade market under broad daylight, filled with neon lights and electronic billboards. Although it was called a black market, everyone knew that place was under surveillance: corporations, gangs, NCPD... everyone was looking to dig up something from there.

The items sold might be those Black Market goods unobtainable through legal channels, but they were also, in a sense, permitted for sale.

Dog Town was different. Compared to here, the Geisha District’s black market was less a black market and more a VIP shopping center for various factions.

At the EBM Sports Arena, every corner was piled high with high-spec military prosthetics, various models of weapons were displayed on the walls, multi-legged combat robots that had been dismantled hung at the entrance of shops, the best advertisement a vendor could have suspended in the air. The wreckage of drones piled at the merchants’ feet told buyers what was sold here.

A dazzling array of prohibited items filled the space, with the fragrance of machine oil and welding fumes wafting in the air, the noise of transactions, and the occasional argument resounded in the ears...

The original marketplace was just like this, chaotic yet busy, with nothing hindering the transactions.

Of course, this was all thanks to the active Netherworld Dog combat mechs in the black market and the formidable fighting abilities of the sellers.

The three made their way down the stairs to ground level, and Jack couldn’t help but express his amazement: "Man... compared to this place, the Geisha District is where pansies would go..."

V echoed in agreement, "If this stuff appeared in Geisha, NCPD would swarm the place within half an hour, and they’d even put a layer of corporate agents on the outside.

Are we going to scour for gear here? Do you think you can find something to save your skin in this place?"

Lille shrugged, "What I’m after won’t be on sale here, but you guys can scrounge around for what you need. Just be ready with your cash."

V glanced at his account balance, then gave Lille a long, hard look, "You little shit, you’re trying to mooch off me again."

Lille was unflustered, "It’s a loan, not mooching."

V gave a sly smile, "Since it’s a loan, I should charge some interest, right?"

Lille was shocked: Since when did this blockhead start asking for interest?

"Interest between us? You’ve got money on the brain, haven’t you!"

"Cut the crap!"