Chapter 269 - 250 War and Peace

(Note: It is reiterated that this Chapter, including all content of this book, occurs in a fictional world, and everything is set for the sake of the story.)

The chirping of birds was still what woke Lille up in New York City.

An interesting fact was that, due to historical development issues, New York City’s air quality fluctuated, being high at times and low at others, and varied greatly depending on the district.

But no matter the place, this air was above the standard of "fresh air" in the Cyberpunk World, and it was not cheap.

Looking again at the fresh apples, bananas on the table...

The two worlds had slightly different concepts of poverty and wealth, in Night City, people used high technology, and things in their natural state were extremely expensive.

In New York...

The poor could eat grass, while the rich enjoyed high technology exclusively.

The world situation was still turbulent.

"Global Watch Report: Ongoing developments in the Middle East war, new front-line movements."

"There have been new developments in the Middle East battlefield, which is now almost at a ceasefire, due to the massive activation of the production department of Stark Industries, military weapons are being continuously shipped there."

"However, prior to this, the resistance has already proven that just high-tech weapons cannot completely destroy their defense lines, let’s listen to the local commander’s response to this."

"’The Defense Department has purchased a batch of secret weapons from Cyber Technology, Peak Technology, and several other companies. We believe these weapons will help us destroy the will of the resistance.’"

"’They should pay the price for the terror attacks.’"

On the television, Jericho missiles soared into the sky, and fighter jets circled in the air.

Some hid behind the Government, and this behemoth was about to wage war again.

Searching through the mixed bag of news on the internet, all with different purposes, Lille’s mood was not good.

It was said that in war, politicians supply the ammunition, the rich supply the food, and the poor supply the children—

But once the atmosphere sets in, it will begin, and at the time when it’s about to start, most people will be shouting for a fierce battle, until the bullets hit them.

Someone really wanted to see this war happen.

In an instant, the scene of a nuclear bomb explosion flashed through Lille’s mind, the shock sweeping through, flames rising, the suffocating heat, and shockwave hitting him head-on...

Tap tap...

Footsteps gently sounded on the wooden floor, as Maya carried a tray of fruit to the sofa next to her, wiping the water off her hands on her apron.

She gently placed down the tray, looked at the news with concern, and then turned to Lille:

"Are you watching international news again? These stories really do worry people, will they affect your work?"

Lille didn’t reply immediately but lowered his head and poked at a slice of apple, "Don’t worry, Mom, these things will be resolved."

A flicker of barely noticeable anxiety crossed Maya’s eyes as she gently grabbed Lille’s hand.

"I know you’re smart and capable, and you can solve problems.

But I’m your mother, and you can always come home and rest whenever you’re tired, no matter what happens, I’m always supporting you.

Just remember... you always have a home to return to, and I’ll always be there.

And this— it will bring you good luck and remind you that you have me."

Lille opened his hand, there was a small handmade amulet, a wooden carving wrapped with colored string, neither too big nor too small, and comfortable to the touch.

He looked up into Maya’s eyes...

His head was a bit dazed.

He managed to muster a stiff smile, so forced that even a child could tell he was pretending, "Mom, I know."

Perhaps seeing Lille’s reluctance, Maya gently hugged him, "Then I’ll go start on dinner. Now that I have more time, I’ve been trying out some new recipes, and you’re sure to like them."

Watching Maya return to the kitchen, sunlight streamed through the rising steam from the kettle, casting a glow on the handmade tapestry on the wall.

The unsettling news on the television at this moment seemed to have turned into just background white noise, filling the silence.

Lille got up, "Mom, I need to step out for a bit."

...

New York’s Lee Financial Building, Lille and Martin rapidly walked into the building, ignoring the media that were always stationed at the entrance.

"Congress is planning to go to war, and this time the intensity will far surpass previous ones, but the decision isn’t final yet.

The Department of Defense said they’ve purchased some special equipment that can help them deal with the local militia."

As they walked, Lille asked, "Do you know what it is?"

"Not sure. We’re just managing to keep our own turf under control."

"Right—what about the opposing party?"

"Naturally, they are opposed, but there’s some bad news: last month, the Governor of California clearly stated his opposition to the war, and this week, he was in a car accident."

Lille, about to step into the office, paused mid-stride—things were more exaggerated than he thought.

It’s not that it couldn’t happen, but it occurred a bit fast; the opponent was incredibly brazen.

They were either crazy, or they truly had the power.

"Dead?"

"Still alive, but who knows for how long. I’ve already made contact with his secretary, we’ll transfer him to our hospital right away."

The two quickly entered the office.

Such plain and unadorned political struggle maneuvers fully demonstrated how rampant the opponent was.

Sitting in the chair, Martin immediately projected the current situation onto the wall.

The President and Congress were essentially in agreement.

However, since the members of Congress were elected based on the collection of votes from the electorates of various states, the situation within the states greatly influenced their political careers.

Out of the 50 states, 23 had Governors and legislators from the current ruling party, who prominently supported the continuation of the war, while 14 states were completely opposite.

The remaining 13 states were in a state of partial unity, where governors and senators did not belong to the same party, and various institutions within the states were divided.

The swing parties could be won over by exerting more influence, and these influences and methods ultimately had to improve the living standards of the voters within those states.

However, that was a long-term option. The urgent matter was to curb the opponent’s arrogance.

For instance, the assassination attempt on the California Governor was a very bad sign. No matter how much the public protested, as long as this issue was not resolved, whoever took that position would have to be concerned for their safety.

This was the pressing priority.

"Do you know how serious it is?" Lille tapped the table.

"Very serious. They say he’s hanging on by a thread. If we can’t cure him, nobody can."

"Bring him over, let’s see the situation first, what else?"

"Military industry stocks are still rising, and many cities are benefiting from this boom. Every day the media is showing the happy faces of voters.

It feels like any random person you find on the street is a die-hard American soldier—’Make America Great Again’!

I’d really like to see what they’d look like sent to the battlefield."

This was the second issue.

Foreign wars could definitely satisfy certain companies’ thirst for resources, but to deceive the public, they need to concoct some credible reasons, or create some favorable illusions.

Like now: the constant stream of military industry orders.

Tons of investment transferred into the military industry sector, then flowed through complex social trading processes to other parts of society.

Money flow could easily give the appearance of a thriving society.

Prosperity only needs the flow of money, but how it flows decides the form of the society’s development.

Lille had to find a way to lift the economy in the peaceful production sector. Only then would more people agree with his philosophy—

Otherwise, if they can’t even get enough to eat, there’s no peace whatsoever.

Lille placed a briefcase on the table.

"No worries, our moment is coming soon. The new chip design plan and complete production methods are right here. Contact the contractor."

"About that," Martin hesitated, "the previous contractor was taken over, a hostile takeover. The process was quite complicated, but you can forget about cooperation.

The acquiring party is Cyber Technology, who’s also the special purchaser for the Department of Defense this time.

I’ve looked into other possible qualified contractors— but the result is, none of them are willing to cooperate."

Lille’s hand, opening the briefcase, paused—

The opponent’s greed and fervor were beyond imagination.