Chapter 974 - 24: Sky-Splitting Project (Part 2) (Double-Length)

"Let’s call it the Sky Cleaving Project," Lille said, "The plan has only one goal, to make Night City possess the world’s top ground strike capability, thereby deterring... no, that’s not right."

Lille paused for a moment. Even though he had resolved in his heart, saying the following words still left him a bit dazed.

"...it’s to have the capability for a large-scale strike against the European Union, Military Technology, Arasaka... and any organization that might threaten our future, and in the near future, we will use this weapon to win the war.

When our missiles soar across the sky and explode over the target location, we will launch the final assault.

From the surface, to the sky, and even into the distant deep space, we will tear apart any place where our enemies maintain order, one by one.

We will have a better future. I hope so, and so it shall be."

[Illuminati: As you wish, I will begin the work.]

V, who had been sitting nearby watching Lille eloquently speak, was spacing out, not knowing what she was thinking, just watching Lille...

However, after Lille finished speaking, she suddenly stood up and quietly walked toward the door.

Crash!

The door was yanked open, and the people outside surged in—

All were the "Model Citizens" of this city—Vortex Gang, Valentino, Tiger Claw Gang, Animal Gang...

The leaders of all the gangs had been standing outside for a long time.

V looked at the sergeant and Jostar who were squeezed in, raising an eyebrow, "What were you jabbering about outside, sneaking around like thieves? Want to taste the knife?"

A group of people looked embarrassed, pretending to be busy looking around, then noticed that Lille was staring directly at them...

His gaze made them shiver:

Did Lille know they were outside listening all along?

...

Ten minutes earlier, all the gang leaders had entered this underground facility.

These gangs were not good people by any measure, even though they did represent part of the local flavor of Night City, they were still not good people—

Or rather, there’s no such thing as a good person in this world.

They were subdued by Lille, then chased out the corporations with him, causing a headache for Night City’s administration to the extent they hardly bothered with them:

Anyway, Lille almost left each gang some industries and demarcated boundaries, so they maintained a tacit balance over these two years: Night City’s administration overlooked past crimes, nor did they meddle with their industries, and in return, they refrained from carrying out extremely depraved deeds—

Deeds that had brought the Burger King with a mouth of steel upon them...

Life got better, and with population expansion, resources gradually became scarce, prompting thoughts of other matters.

Disputes have always been the theme of human society...

"Burger King is a good person, he will surely protect the rights of all Sex Dolls..."

"Without those drugs, nobody would touch your castoffs, who knows if they’re infected..."

"If we want technological advancement, we need more test subjects. Sports are outdated; why not invent our own Night City sport. I even have a name, ’Artificial Body Deathmatch’..."

"You faithless people—"

Arguments were present, and they only escalated, after all, V and Jack claimed to oversee matters but their method was essentially to kill if displeased—

Yet they still had to handle the outside corporate threats, so how could they have time to keep an eye on Night City every day?

Over time, they noticed the two legends sustaining more injuries while Night City’s condition worsened, inevitably shaking their confidence...

Put simply, they’re beginning to take themselves seriously.

With that kind of mood, they all made their way to the door...

Then they overheard Lille’s ethereal voice from inside:

"...Disobedient? Kill..."

"When I say kill, don’t you understand?"

"Can’t control it, disrupt production... kill..."

"Streetwalking... drug-induced... kill..."

"I’m a terrorist... execute immediately..."

"Death..."

These two years, V and Jack indeed lived an increasingly tough life in their eyes.

But not Lille!

Not only that, everyone in Night City knows Europe is in turmoil, and Burger King has appeared in Europe—

Their already anxious hearts suddenly leaped up, but Burger King can’t return to Night City instantly, right?!

So they found themselves caught up in arguments, forgetting Burger King was in Europe, until familiar voices inside uttered shocking phrases like "kill," "death," "execute"—terror-laden words.

All at once, everyone turned into ice sculptures, standing outside exchanging worried glances, sweat trickling down foreheads...

For those who couldn’t sweat, their prosthetics shivered, like having a stroke.

"He..."

"He’s back?"

The murmured exchange reached V’s ears, with the door crashing open, they poured in like stuffing sausages.

Raising their heads, it was no longer the frail Lille they saw:

They saw a small giant hidden beneath a green cloak, towering over one-point-ninety meters, wider than the Wild Man King, yet unlike the Wild Man King, it wasn’t a Physical body beneath the cloak...

But a body of steel.

The original synthetic human body, designed human-like by the Illuminati, was all abandoned by Lille.

His face was metal, hands metal, the exposed neck was metal, and behind the cloak were cooling systems, toolboxes, and weapon boxes in full operation.

From appearances alone, he was a metallic giant hid beneath the cloak, akin to a cloaked Adam Hammer, but even bulkier by physical stature than Adam Hammer.

While Adam Hammer indeed was deadly, known to be filled with missiles, bullets, lasers, his every component serving military-purpose prosthetics—

As for Lille... due to his outlandish operations, they couldn’t even guess if what he carried was enough nuclear bombs to flatten half of Night City, equipment to hack the entire city’s network, or some mysterious toolboxes fated to make life worse than death...

Lille, formerly feeble, was a marked terminal patient among the Night City gangs—

Now he’s transcended life and death, returning.

His spirit transcends mortality, his form breaking free from biological restraints, with cold eyes radiating all-encompassing scanning wavelengths, the azure glow piercing into their bodies and souls, inhibiting even their very thoughts...

How could one not be afraid?

[Illuminati: It seems the deterrence I estimated is somewhat insufficient, now inputting new values.]