Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 653, Section 67: Li De's Actions

Satellite power station.

While Carl and his companions were discussing matters related to the president's itinerary, the satellite power station received a guest.

SIA agent Solomon Reed stood alone on the barren wasteland, the cracked earth beneath his feet, the wind whipping up sand and gravel that rustled against his long overcoat.

In the distance, a massive satellite energy receiving field stands majestically, like a black monument forged from steel, gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the afterglow of the setting sun. Occasionally, two drones appear and hover around the perimeter of the energy field, like falcons in the sky, as if warning any living thing that tries to approach.

Li De squinted, his gaze piercing through the swirling dust, locking onto the colossal object. His eyes were deep and cold, like a precision scanning instrument, scrutinizing every detail.

"Finally found it," he muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the encrypted terminal hidden in his pocket. The cold metal casing was engraved with the FIA's eagle emblem, a symbol of his identity and a shackle of responsibility.

As an elite figure within the FIA, comparable to the legendary "Morgan Blackhand," Carl had already considered countless threats. Solomon Reed had compiled all the possibilities—energy overload vulnerabilities at the satellite power station, traces of Badlands infiltration, and even every sniper point near Night City along the presidential route—into an encrypted report and sent it to headquarters in Washington.

However, the response was chillingly bland.

[Read and will continue to observe.]

He didn't even bother with a short sentence or a complete period, as if he were delivering a trivial weather report rather than intelligence concerning the president's life or death.

Li De's thumb ground down hard on the terminal screen until the line of cold text twisted beneath his fingertip. He was all too familiar with this attitude—the bureaucratic system was like a bloated corpse; what mattered was not the truth, but whose voice was loud enough.

But this time, he decided not to wait for anyone's permission.

The fierce winds of the barren land tore at his collar, and in the distance, the automatic searchlights of the power plant swept across the wasteland like the single eye of a giant beast.

Li De unbuttoned his trench coat, letting the cold wind rush in, but he was already used to the sting. His fingers brushed against the holster under his arm and touched the technical pistol that had been modified beyond recognition—"Discard."

He carved that name himself, seven years ago, at that very moment, when the UNIS removed him from the list of targets, leaving him to fend for himself in Night City.

He was a discarded pawn of the new America, but also a loyal dog of the new America.

Even if he is abandoned, he will never let this country down.

The searchlight swept across again, and Li De walked through the wilderness, avoiding the beams of light.

"For a New America"

He strode forward, his boot crushing a dry branch, the snapping sound particularly jarring in the desolate wasteland.

When the searchlight swept across the wasteland for the last time, Li De was no longer there.

He moved like a black static charge, skimming the shadows, while the automatic sensors around the power plant continued their futile scans—capturing only dust stirred up by the wind.

The satellite power station, with each antenna capable of receiving microwave energy transmitted by orbiting satellites and converting it into electricity, is a dedicated power station supplying Night City. Located next to the intercontinental highway, its security is entirely controlled by automated programs. The station's security is exceptionally robust; ordinary personnel would find it virtually impossible to enter or even approach it amidst such layers of security. However, for Li De, this was child's play.

Standing atop the five-meter-high fence, Li De calmly observed the power plant from the side closest to the bad soil.

The power plant supplying the city is about the size of a small town, filled with various devices operating smoothly under the control system. On the internal roads that are only used by humans when necessary, the Octagonal drones produced by Zeta Technologies are constantly circling.

These drones, which are cheaper than Arasaka and military technology but whose firepower is in no way inferior to the former two, have been purchased in large quantities and deployed throughout the city's power plant due to their cost-effectiveness. If Li De wants to infiltrate and make some preparations in advance, then the first test will be these drones.

He crouched in a blind spot, popped a modified electromagnetic pulse grenade out of his sleeve, and with an almost inaudible "beep," the surveillance camera on the wall suddenly froze, and the red indicator light turned a deathly gray.

Three seconds.

He only needs three seconds.

Li De leaped into the air, his modified tendon fibers taut in his legs, unleashing superhuman strength. His fingertips barely touched the edge of the wall, and with a nimble flip, he landed on the inner pipe rack. Below, two armed security personnel from Kanto were on routine patrol, everything on their helmet displays appearing normal, completely unaware of the slight deformation of the pipes above their heads.

"Security patrol break, 17 seconds."

The data stream from his prosthetic eye was projected onto Li De's retina. It was a patrol log from the power plant system that he had obtained through some means. It was now being transformed into a path that flashed blue light, guiding him through this steel maze.

A ventilation duct appeared in front of Li De.

Why would a power plant, which is unmanned and only staffed during maintenance, have ventilation ducts that are conventionally used by humans? The reason is simple.

Equipment is far more valuable than people.

Ventilation ducts are used in power plants to effectively exhaust gases, protecting the production environment and preventing flue gas from corroding power plant equipment, thus extending the equipment's lifespan. The value created by this extended time far exceeds the euros paid for installing ventilation ducts.

The ventilation duct's grille was easily loosened by the 'discarded pistol's butt. Li De slithered into the narrow metal passage like a snake. The dust on the duct's inner walls indicated that it hadn't been inspected for at least six months—a typical case of personnel negligence.

According to the tests conducted during normal maintenance, the ventilation ducts should clearly be on the maintenance list, but it seems they have been skipped.

However, this did make things easier for Li De.

Because the ventilation ducts are designed to be cheaper to maintain than to be made of machinery, manual maintenance and cleaning are used. The ducts are large enough to accommodate Li De, who bent over and moved around inside them. He quickly found the air vent directly above the main control room.

It's right here.

Just as Li De was about to enter the control room to make some arrangements, he glanced at the control room through the blinds, and then his expression froze.

Through the gaps in the blinds, he saw six men in federal special forces uniforms standing in front of the control panel, their badges visible on their chests.
It is not the fifteen-star and striped badge of the new United States.

(End of this chapter)