On the surface of Eredana-c, near the "training camp" on the outskirts of Kostia City, Maggie Shaw had already single-handedly dealt with the Free Liberation rebels that had come to provide reinforcements.
At this moment, she was sitting on the wing of a Pelican, resting as she gazed up at the blue sky illuminated by the star's light. Occasionally, blue-green beams of energy and faint flashes from ship explosions flickered across the sky, though these only lasted for a few moments before peace returned.
"Ugh... that hurts..."
However, the surrounding area was still filled with the groans of the rebels, whose arms and legs had been broken. Looking around, most of the rebels had their limbs brutally twisted or shattered, leaving them incapacitated, lying on the sand. Some coughed up blood, their minds hazy, likely suffering from internal injuries. Others were dead, bodies lying cold on the battlefield.
There was no helping it; even though Maggie tried to control her strength, for regular humans, the experience was akin to surviving a severe car accident. Broken limbs meant the risk of permanent disability, but at least most of them were still alive. As for internal injuries... those were a matter of fate.
Nearby, Mike and Leon were carrying medical kits, giving basic first aid to the rebels coughing up blood, then manually setting the broken bones of those with shattered arms and legs. Both were not only experts in handling vehicles and electronics but also skilled in battlefield medicine. After all, during most missions, investigators were often left to deal with their own injuries.
Before the company fleet arrived in the Eredana system, Mike and Leon had already treated numerous rebels who had been "pummeled" by Maggie.
While they sympathized with the rebels' resistance, they focused on minimizing casualties where possible. They supported their cause in spirit but left the aftermath to the company, knowing it would handle things efficiently. Moreover, these rebels were "population assets," an important resource for the company.
Who knew—there could be excellent soldiers hidden among these captives. And besides, the company had already developed a highly accurate "lie detector" years ago, based on consciousness transfer technology. Combined with cybernetic implants from Universe 09 (Cyberpunk), it was merely a question of whether or not the company wanted to control their minds.
Plus, their boss had alternative methods of "mind reading" and manipulation unknown to outsiders.
On the other hand, the seasoned ODSTs couldn't care less about the long-term consequences.
If "you" surrender, then out of respect for fellow humans, they might only leave "you" with temporary disabilities. After the battle, ODSTs would even ensure the best medical care. But if "you" resisted, they wouldn't waste time calling for surrender—execution would be immediate.
This approach was why they maintained an extremely high mission success rate.
Suddenly, the sky filled with a shower of "meteors."
Mike glanced at the falling "meteors," which were actually the remnants of old ships, and remarked, "Man, these Free Liberation folks are really as aggressive as their reputation. They actually dared to go head-to-head with the company fleet."
"Melissa gave them the chance to surrender. They chose their own path." Leon shrugged, feeling no sympathy for Free Liberation.
After witnessing the hijacking of the Neptune, Leon had grown increasingly convinced that humanity was far superior to any other intelligent species when it came to internal conflict. From his perspective, it seemed like the only way to end human infighting was through absolute, centralized power and extreme hostility toward external threats—especially those with different ideologies and values.
Most importantly, a single "individual" must be at the top, ensuring that such a regime could function efficiently and properly. Otherwise, humanity would inevitably fall into decay, like many other human regimes in the universe, which started off strong and clear but became bloated and corrupt over time, fostering an elite class of so-called aristocrats.
At this moment, Melissa's cold voice came through their earpieces: "Agent Monadi (Mike), the company has successfully suppressed the Free Liberation fleet and secured one of our primary objectives for this operation. The Nova-class nuclear bomb is now in company hands.
"Next, the company will take control of orbital operations. The 7th Orbital Assault Regiment's 3rd Combat Battalion will soon be deployed to your location."
Melissa continued, "Additionally, Agent Monadi, your direct superior wishes to speak with you."
With that, she transferred the communication, and Ada's voice came through: "Kennedy, Monadi, and Shaw, your mission is now to assist the company fleet and ground forces in swiftly neutralizing the Free Liberation threat and securing Eredana's system as a strategic foothold.
"The Engineering Division will also begin constructing a portal device on the surface. Once operational, the Gray Adjudicators will be transferred to Eredana."
"Understood, Director," Mike replied, then asked, "How's Redfield's situation?"
"They're progressing smoothly without any unexpected issues. If there are no delays, they should arrive on that universe's Earth within 48 hours," Ada answered candidly. "Additionally, according to Aya Brea, head of the Adjudicators and Director of Supernatural Phenomenon Control, there may be significant supernatural threats on Earth-08."
She added, "Therefore, they are preparing to redeploy closer to Earth-08 from Eredana-c. If necessary, you may be called upon to accompany the Adjudicators to handle the supernatural phenomena. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Good. The rest is up to your judgment." With that final directive, Ada ended the communication.
During Mike's conversation with Ada, another wave of "meteors" rained down from the sky—ODST single-man drop pods, which breached the atmosphere and headed straight for the training camp.
Boom! Boom!
At about a kilometer above the ground, the pods began their phased braking sequence, landing inside and around the training camp.
Clank! Clank!
The pod doors burst open.
A group of "Helljumpers" quickly exited their drop pods, securing strategic positions to fully control the camp that Maggie had single-handedly overrun.
Seeing that their allies had arrived, Leon, Mike, and Maggie could finally relax and take a break. After all, the three of them had gone 36 hours without proper sleep.
As for the passengers and crew of the Neptune, they could now be freed from their captivity.
Leon, Mike, and Maggie hadn't had the time or the energy to look after the hostages during their battle against the Free Liberation rebels, which meant those passengers had also gone without food for quite some time.
---
April 14th, Cyberpunk 2077 Universe.
As the morning sun rose, "the infamous" Night City was bathed in the light of dawn.
Since the ninth space gate opened on March 8th, 2002, in the main universe, over a month had passed.
Located southeast of Night City, the frontline base had expanded to three times its size from a month ago after the removal of its optical camouflage.
The Engineering Division, utilizing local resources, began supplying the Royal Guard from Terra, the Night Owl Strike Team, and other armed forces with weapons and ammunition.
They had also assembled and welded two more Paris-class and four Fides-class ships, as well as a single Invincible-class super-heavy cruiser for Rogal Dorn, the Primarch responsible for overseeing operations in the Cyberpunk universe.
Although the crews of these ships were relatively inexperienced "rookies," they were company reservists who had undergone a year of specialized training. In theory, they could handle low-intensity naval warfare.
The two orbital assault regiments originally trained in the Edge of Tomorrow universe had been reassigned to the frontline base, as per orders from their commander, Miles Quaritch from the Avatar universe.
Before the fleet took off, all ODST soldiers were crammed into the ships and sent to low orbit.
At the same time, Jack Krauser, commander of Emergency Countermeasures, began deploying AECS forces from the main universe to Night City to ensure Dorn wouldn't have to worry about troop shortages during the unification campaign.
As the governor of Terra, Dorn was also mobilizing more armed security forces and elven soldiers to assist with the unification process.
Currently, over 300,000 AECS, ODSTs, and other infantry, armored, and air units had gathered in the Cyberpunk universe.
The western coastline of America, including Night City, as well as the central and northern parts of the continent, had all become assets of Atlas.
The eastern and southern regions continued to resist, with South America becoming a stronghold for Militech.
Faced with a common enemy—especially one severely infringing on their corporate interests—the various megacorporations of the Cyberpunk universe had displayed unprecedented unity.
Arasaka had dispatched secret units, attempting to infiltrate Atlas-controlled territories and indirectly assist Militech.
In response, Dorn ordered two Fides-class frigates to bombard Arasaka's headquarters with magnetic accelerator cannons and plasma cannons. He also launched conventional hydrogen-metal missiles to strike Arasaka's factories, branches, and key facilities across Japan.
Dorn did not hesitate to overlook civilian casualties, as Japan's citizens had long been indoctrinated with militaristic ideologies by Saburo Arasaka.
As Atlas advanced into Japan, the company's Biological Division would forcibly intervene, providing full support to eliminate these extreme, perverse ideologies from the population's minds.
Atlas's reliance on AI, led by Selene, and mass-produced synthetic humans was key to maintaining low casualty rates. In a universe dominated by cybernetics and network technology like
Cyberpunk, these creations pushed their capabilities to the limit.
At this moment, Dorn was leading his personal Royal Guard and the Night Owl Strike Team to eliminate Militech's last remaining forces in South America.
Night City and the surrounding areas, however, were under the continued protection of Dorn's trusted elven advisor, Arohi, ensuring the safety of the frontline base.
From the air, Night City still largely resembled its pre-invasion state.
However, Arasaka's instigation of a Fifth Corporate War had led to massive destruction across the city's buildings and streets, as the megacorp had united with various gangs and freelance mercenaries to launch an assault on Atlas forces.
Now, spider-like Hextech robots roamed the city, assisting the Engineering Division and local workers with post-war repairs and reconstruction.
Meanwhile:
"Job listings for today have been updated. All residents can check them on public screens or through the company's official website."
"Residents who met yesterday's quotas, please proceed to your local community office to collect your wages."
Across the city, Atlas's official broadcasts echoed through the streets and districts.
Due to the outbreak of war, and with Atlas purging the gangs and completely overhauling the NCPD (Night City Police Department), the already low employment rate had become even more dismal.
Drawing from the experience of rebuilding New Paris in Edge of Tomorrow and New Los Angeles in Doom, Atlas had begun restructuring Night City's societal order.
The first step was to introduce "credits" or "trust points" that could be used on the local network and for real-world transactions, replacing the Eurodollar in Cyberpunk.
Of course, during the currency exchange, Atlas purchased and recycled all the Eurodollars held by Night City's residents, according to the market value in their universe.
Next, Atlas offered a wide range of job opportunities to encourage citizens to "stand on their own feet."
As for the addicts and those who had completely given up on life, Atlas expelled them from the city, relocating them to isolated, closed-off communities in the outskirts.
Atlas would provide basic food and shelter, as they had the resources to sustain these individuals. However, aside from the essentials, there would be no additional compensation or benefits. Medical services? Forget it.
Even those determined to turn their lives around would face rigorous tests to determine their sincerity.
Atlas's philosophy may have been "For Humanity," but that didn't mean they would act as a "nanny."
Having provided a conducive environment, Atlas expected humans to stand on their own and prosper through labor.
Finally, there was the former Arasaka Tower.
Since Atlas had become the true ruling power of Night City, this iconic building had been transformed into the Atlas branch headquarters, adorned with the red and white "Λ" insignia.
At this moment, two large, black airships were descending one after the other onto the tower's rooftop landing pad.
Once the doors opened, a group of young adults stepped out.
Among them were David Martinez, once a security intern, as well as Rebecca and Lucy from the Maine Group.
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