Chapter 950 - 3: The Distant Sound of Bells

The purpose of this operation is simple: destroy the communication array antenna at the Space Air Force Base, so that EBM and Military Technology’s orbital strategic weapons cannot be deployed.

Although outsiders are tight-lipped about it, the companies are exchanging information about the Netherworld Dog incident in Bremen, inevitably leading to some leaks.

For skilled hackers, as long as the machine’s power is sufficient, finding information in the complex cyberspace is possible, especially when there might be insiders leaking it.

Lark was once a heavyweight hacker groomed by New America, integrated with an AI from the Old Net, used as a trump card by the New America Joint Intelligence Bureau. After being recruited in Dog Town by Lille, she’s been working for Night City, and she captured this piece of information as well:

EBM uses a wide-area EMP weapon, known for its persistent, wide coverage, and top-notch interference capabilities. Even with pre-emptive signal protection, the effects of a wide-area EMP can turn an entire region into an isolated network-free zone, where local communication can only occur via wired connections.

This is deadly for Night City:

After removing Military Technology’s border defenses, the New America’s garrison in Southern California has been growing annually. Geographical proximity means that once this area becomes a network island, New America could entirely launch a massive blitzkrieg, wiping Night City off the map—

The City Defense Army established by Lille is largely based on world politics: neither Mexico nor Europe would sit by and watch Night City easily annexed, so they only need enough military strength to stall the Military Technology Forces, dragging them into a protracted battle to maintain stability for a while.

This strategy proved effective, as New America made no rash moves for two full years after Arasaka’s strategic withdrawal from Night City.

However, once the wide-area EMP weapon is deployed, all bets are off. The advantage it offers in information warfare is simply too massive.

So, although Ryan, Hansen, and Lark say nothing, they all sense trouble...

But what can they do?

Night City remaining independent in such a world was already unimaginable. No one complained about the current situation, as they were genuinely persuaded by Lille, or maybe life in Night City over the past two years was indeed what they longed for...

Even if not entirely, it was a good start.

One can only say that this world is too cruel.

In the new City Hall of Night City, at the city’s network monitoring center, Lark sits in a hacker chair. Hansen, Ryan, and Perares are beside her, waiting for a result—

For V and Jack to blow up the Space Army’s base, delaying them a little more time...

Perhaps they could always do this? Keep letting the brothers attack New America’s military bases again and again...

But they also know that the former still has a slight possibility, while the latter... is almost impossible.

The room is filled with a deathly silence.

Ryan is the first to speak, addressing Hansen, once a commander of New America and a rebel, now Commander of the Night City City Defense Army.

"...I thought you’d complain about being bewitched back then."

Hansen stands with crossed arms in front of a giant LCD monitoring panel, displaying everything Lark deems important—images, audio, visuals, texts she’s capturing online.

Night City doesn’t have its own satellite, so the progress of military actions can only be inferred through this way, by extracting from the modest resource void of cyberspace, from the network saturated with electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere...

Hearing this, Hansen shows no emotion, nor does he plan to respond. He maintains a cold expression:

He’s a man, and he acknowledges that everything Lille described to him two years ago was factual, recognized by him. His actions were all based on his own judgment.

A man would never suddenly burst into tears and wail about why he boarded this pirate ship, whining about being swindled, when facing failure.

At least here, he is the Commander, not betrayed, and although resources are limited, everything is done according to his wishes—

Ultimately, his time in Dog Town made him grow a lot, and his days in Night City allowed him to truly absorb those experiences.

Ryan chuckled, relieved in his heart, but soon sighed:

This is Night City Hall, this is Night City, the greediest city in this greed-driven world, where the top figures in military, politics, commerce, and industry are surprisingly united at their cores.

Though each with a stern face, they all strive towards one goal: the city’s independence, freedom, and development, placing their interests on city supremacy instead of some big company or nation that seeks to carve up this city...

For Hansen and the Netherworld Dog, they now have their own city to defend; for the Wanderer and other grassroots, they have city life, work, and study; for Perares and the city’s intellectuals and managers, there are their dreams to realize; even gangs have found things to do...

Everyone is still pursuing their goals but maintaining subtle balance, continuous stable development. Perhaps there are still some unpleasant things, but they are gradually decreasing, birthing new consensus and spirit within the city...

In a sense, for Ryan, this is reminiscent of a fairy tale—no, it is a fairy tale in its true essence.

Alas, the fairy tale is ending, the beautiful dream is awakening—

He suddenly thought, maybe Ryan should have been dead long ago, and Perares shouldn’t have had this clarity;

As a traitor to Military Technology, Hansen surely shouldn’t survive, let alone become a Commander;

Lark, as New America’s pawn, an unprecedented AI weapon, naturally would only end up as a test subject or remain a weapon;

The two brothers, V and Jack, are the most common young men in Night City, and though the most capable, they too have limits...

Adkaduo shouldn’t have people fighting life and death for them, nor Saint Domingo’s Great Plague, nor the human trafficking in the Geisha District, nor Watson District’s madmen sliding into the abyss, nor Dog Town...

This city, it seems destined for descent into the abyss.

All this is just a dream.

"...What are you really..."

Ryan murmured.

Zzz—

Just then, intense static noise replaced the chaotic sounds in the room, echoing throughout the space!

All screens turned into inconsistently flickering snowy screens, the sound seemingly mixed with strange noises, sounding human-like but incredibly vague—

This indicates that all signal sources are equally indistinct!

Lark’s body trembles slightly on the hacker chair, revealing the current difficulty in operations...

She is filtering some extremely important information!

[Thank you... sinners...]

[...Criminals are ruling... my children!]

[They are the reactionary ones...? All orchestrated by them...]

[Damn it... great... kill them!]

[La... no compromise!]

[Fight to the end!]

The chaotic voices seem to capture the anger, confusion, regret, unwillingness, awakening, and fear of tens of thousands—hundreds of thousands, millions, or countless people...

Such loud voices, simultaneously emerging from the screen in front!

Everyone in the room feels like they’re in the midst of a wave—as if they can’t see cyberspace, but just by these voices, they feel like they’re amidst an enormous wave woven by countless people!

These emotions are so intense, so resolute!

The voices grow clearer, more numerous, more chaotic, making them involuntarily hold their breath, sharply staring at those snowy screens, watching as the screens gradually harmonize, wanting to see what Lark wants them to witness, wanting to know...

What is happening.

Zzz—

Suddenly, everything stops flickering, and a hooded man appears on the screen.

He has a face made of steel, meticulously crafted, yet unmistakably non-human in facial material...

He has familiar features.

[The time for rebellion has matured.]

"It’s... a miracle!"