"An 80-square-meter cozy nest, plus a gentle and good wife~"
"The kid can smoothly make it to the world club, kicking around and winning championships easily~"
V is someone who doesnât hold grudges, more precisely, doesnât hold grudges against her own people, and Lille disappearing for two years didnât really count as a grudge. After the car sped a few laps on Evil Land and Jack took her through a few thrilling super transformations, she quickly forgot all those past events, smiling like a foolish girl.
By now, the car had already arrived near the former border wallâ
The long wall had mostly collapsed, and the former heavily armed customs checkpoint was now in ruins.
The first time Lille, V, and Jack met was in this small town, but thereâs no one in the town now.
The road was artificially altered into a small path, directly leading to a collapsed gap, clearly something Night City did afterward.
On the vast Evil Land, the solar panels were either reclaimed by Military Technology or destroyed.
Some Iron Beetle drones floated in the sky, seemingly on alert, but primarily for early warning purposes, not the fully armed blockade of the past.
After all, compared to Military Technology, Night City was still lacking in strength, and it was unrealistic to complete full-scale construction within two years.
Lille curiously asked, "What happened to this place?"
"What else, Military Technology got scared by us."
V interrupted her newly learned song "The Requirements of Night City Arenât High", spreading her hands with pride and arrogance, just like Jack, though he couldnât speak at the moment.
"Military Technology demanded an increase in the contract amount, Ryan wouldnât agree, or rather, he didnât dare, so I organized Adkaduo to raid the Military Technology Forces along the border line, sometimes outside, sometimes just nearby.
Eventually, they didnât dare come anymore.
I must say, those Netherworld Dogâs stashed away anti-air missiles are really useful, even managed to hit a Military Technology plane."
Lille understood.
Clearly, this is a very direct approach: The greater significance of Night Cityâs border wall was that it was ceded by Ryan.
Ceding the seaport to Arasaka and the land port to Military Technology was a balancing strategy.
When Arasaka left, Military Technology naturally gained the advantage, either retreat or go hard.
Lille had warned Ryan to become independent, and Ryan also realized that sticking to the old path would inevitably get him crushed by corporations, so he could only rely on fellow Night City residents and the Netherworld Dog who came and became one of them.
V pointed to the sky, "At that time, Military Technology dispatched a really badass plane, supersonic, instantly killed a bunch of people, and even had bombers!"
Lille raised an eyebrow, "Bombers? How big?"
"Uh... arenât they all the same size?"
Clearly, Lilleâs concept of a bomber differed from Vâs knowledge, or perhaps from the worldâs perception.
The worldâs military development leans towards miniaturization and mobility, with large strategic units, the most famous being Arasakaâs aircraft carrier and Military Technologyâs sky fortress.
The standard fighter jets are somewhat smaller than Lilleâs perception, with their primary weapons being large-caliber cannons and missiles.
It seems that the "bomber" V mentioned is also a modified version of a fighter jetâs ammunition, suggesting Military Technology had attempted other directions.
But this world doesnât have that many resources available to them, and New America wasnât well-heeled either.
"Hansen fired five missiles from Night City in a whoosh, and one of them hit a plane; by then, we had already captured the border wall, and Adkaduo had pre-emptively dug temporary air raid shelters nearby...
But still, a lot of people died."
By the end, Vâs tone became a little downcast.
The result was clear, Military Technology considered costs to have exceeded expectations, and risks as uncontrollable.
If they could still accept a war, they wouldnât have agreed to the ceasefire agreement a few years ago. New America had entered a recuperation period after signing the agreement. Under V and Jackâs leadership, Adkaduoâs strong presence at Night Cityâs border was enough to make them consider alternative solutions.
Moreover, the number of Adkaduo exceeded imagination, with at least half of the millions of Wanderers capable of combat. Though not to the extent of the Death Soldiers, harassing their domestic facilities and the US-Mexico borderâs transport line would be enough to cause them beverage-worthy headaches.
Control over Night Cityâs border could be returned, as the city did not have the capability to attack and capture Southern California; but internal facilities and the US-Mexico border greatly affected production and trade, leading New America to decide to focus their efforts on these issues.
Without the border, everything became freer.
Seeing Lille keep quiet, V started humming whatever Lille taught her: "Commuting back and forth smoothly every day, with no rush hour traffic~"
"Going outdoors for exercise every day, the blue sky earns me money~"
"Ah, the weatherâs a bit bad now."
However, commuting was indeed smoothâ
New America had been continuously imposing trade controls on Night City, although President Miles struggled to restrain the giant corporations, it still reduced trade exchanges significantly.
However... with every loss comes a gain; as the merchants from New America decreased, the once displaced Adkaduo and even other Wanderer Clans increased.
There are many Ghost Towns outside Night City, now taken over by the arriving Adkaduo Clan, while further away are other Wanderer Clans, so essentially, Adkaduo has become Night Cityâs natural border patrol.
Most cities discriminate against Wanderers, portraying them as rapists, murderers, and robbers under propaganda, only in Night City, Adkaduo became official strategic cooperative labor, living far better than other Wanderers.
Still, Wanderers indeed form the main force of robbing companies, many even abandoning their moral bottom lines to join the Chaotic Blade Association, so border checks remain necessaryâ
Now, most Wanderers first trade with Adkaduo, and Adkaduo also conducts strict scrutiny on these outsiders to maintain their status.
Border checks must harbor a notably exclusionary sentiment, which helps them stay sharp, while understanding outsiders facilitates smoother work.
Lille slightly nodded: Ryan did a great job, not the kind of politician who simply seized power through deceit.
There were quite a few vehicles on the road, and to make driving smoother, Wanderers would occasionally repair the highways of their own accord...
Of course, there were certainly covert conflicts, which couldnât be avoided, but overall things improved.
Just on the Evil Land around Night City, Lille perceived positive changes, and previously, he had been quite worried:
Political institutions should ideally be spontaneously, independently formed rather than forcibly transplanted and air-dropped; only the former aligns with the cityâs current situation and adapts to changes within the city. This adaptation process also injects development spirit, rather than extinguishing their initiative.
[Illuminati: Inefficient method, Night Cityâs government lacks control.]
Lille disagreed.
"How can you judge it inefficient without seeing the effect?"
[Illuminati: Indeed, perhaps I should update my database.]
The Illuminati suddenly knelt down, leaving Lille speechless: The Illuminati, seemingly an AI amalgamation of the thoughts of famous figures in politics, history, economics, and philosophy, seemed as cowardly as a little dog.
Perhaps guessing Lilleâs thought, the Illuminati added:
[Illuminati: Actually, my model does have some opinions on this, but Night Cityâs societal form has indeed exceeded the predecessorsâ understanding; even post-WWII, I havenât recorded data significantly impacting the model, and if any, those have been negative examples.]
[Illuminati: I indeed have misconceptions, itâs not me sucking up to you.]
Lille was even more speechless, and indeed felt strange...
Regardless, Lille continued admiring the "booming" Evil Land, thinking that with so many people, perhaps big things could be done here.
V didnât notice Lilleâs communication with his AI assistant at all, extending a hand out of the window, feeling the wind and rain:
"I still have time to go to Berlin, London, and the Alps, wander the mall, and go to the seaside, such leisurely days~"
Although it was a not-so-beautiful rainy day, V felt so good that she suddenly hugged Lille tightly while singingâ
"Peopleâs relationships are friendly, strangers nod with smiles~"
"Give me a smile... Iâm telling you to smile!"
Lille turned his head stiffly, pulling a face that said, "Go ahead and try to make me smile with that hand over my face."
Little octopus, seeing this, bent its eyes and tapped on Jack.