Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 873, Section 83: Lending a Hand

Dogtown, 9:01 AM.

The silence was utterly shattered.

After long preparations, the moment the attack was launched, the elite agents of New America, like surgeons, precisely and ruthlessly pierced the shrinking defenses of the Ghost Hound.

Hansen had anticipated that these infiltrators would launch an attack outside of the Ghost Hounds' core control points in Dogtown, but their target was something he hadn't expected.

These new American agents who infiltrated Dogtown today did not choose to launch a direct assault on the stadium and the Gemstone Blue Building, the two core areas heavily defended by the Ghosthounds. Instead, they spread out from the edge of that 'circle' and gradually advanced inward.

Despite being a relatively small minority, they still took such actions, revealing the true purpose of the new America.

They will absolutely not let Hansen escape, nor will they give Hansen any chance to escape.

This circle is like a net that is gradually tightening, and Hansen's fate is to be trapped in it.

Regardless of whether he chooses to make his final stand at the Gemstone Blue or the stadium, the nuclear bomb will deliver the final blow.

What is the most brutal meat grinder of war?

For World War I veterans, it might have been endless trench warfare with stalemates in the mud; for soldiers deep in the forest, it might have been a green labyrinth that could never be seen through.

But no matter how much debate there is, one battleground will always be present on the list—

Urban street fighting.

Close-quarters combat, a brutal struggle for control of the city without destroying it.

The New America assault team, consisting of six men, used hacking to disable the area's surveillance and automated turrets in advance. Equipped with military-grade subcutaneous armor and smart weapons, they moved through narrow passages, firing in short bursts.

The Ghost Hound patrols were often taken down by crossfire from above or the sides before they could even see the enemy's direction. Despite their numerical superiority, the Ghost Hound soldiers, caught off guard, were completely suppressed and could only barely hold on by sheer numbers. Casualties skyrocketed, and the communication channels were filled with calls for help and screams of the dying.

In the outpost area near Taiping State in Dogtown, only ruins remain. Motorcycles and vehicles of the Chaotic Blade Society howl and rampage through the area. They are wolves hired by Hansen to try to maintain the line with numbers.

However, they were facing Rosalind Miles's special forces, whose snipers occupied high ground and were equipped with anti-materiel rifles and heavy machine guns. The deafening engine noise made them perfect targets, and every accurate armor-piercing round could turn a motorcycle or vehicle into a burning iron coffin.

Faced with professional and ruthless firepower, the members of the Chaotic Blade Society were utterly helpless. Amidst the fear and chaos caused by the increasing casualties, they not only failed to help the Netherhounds, but their rout also disrupted many of the Netherhounds' own plans.

Amidst the symphony of gunfire and explosions, Taipingzhou on the other side of the outpost seemed to have been silenced, falling into an eerie stillness.

Fully armed NCPD officers, a heavily armed special operations team, and a low-flying terrorist mobile unit hovercraft stand like a cold steel wall outside the border of Dogtown.

They watched the fighting inside the walls in silence, like a group of detached bystanders.

As the third force present, they had no intention of intervening in the war, nor would they allow any fighting to cross the line and affect even an inch of Taiping Prefecture.

The NCPD is the NCPD of Night City and the NCPD of Pacific State, but not the NCPD of Dogtown.

Perhaps it will be after today, but only today, only until the struggle between the Hound of the Underworld and New America ends, until one of Hansen and Rosalind dies, will Dogtown not be the NDPD's Dogtown.

Fully armed, Andy stood at the front, observing everything. He had received the message from Carl and understood what needed to be done, so at this moment, he had to remain calm.
To ensure the absolute safety of the core control area, the Netherhound has concentrated all its power within an invisible 'circle'. In other words, those who remain within this boundary are all considered to be associated with the Netherhound.

They had enjoyed the order maintained by the hounds of the underworld and lived more safely than those outside the circle; some of their relatives might have even worn the hounds' uniforms and received salaries from Hansen, so when war swept in, they were no longer innocent civilians.

They are now part of the hounds of the underworld.

Ultimately, they were just people from Dogtown.

But even so——

Beside Andy, his childhood sweetheart, Lillian, the niece of NCPD Director Johnson, watched his quietly clenched fist, clearly understanding the turmoil in his heart.

Andy may not have been an outstanding mercenary in the past, because he failed to protect those he was supposed to protect. But since that incident, he has become an excellent police officer.

In today's revitalized NCPD, Andy is undoubtedly an outstanding officer. And how can a police officer, whose duty is to protect, truly remain indifferent when witnessing chaos and suffering beyond their purview?

It is precisely because he is a good policeman that he struggles so much.

“It shouldn’t be like this.”

Lillian heard Andy say that clearly.

"Perhaps I have become too weak."

Andy said this while looking at Dogtown.

Perhaps those who are close to the sun always feel its warmth first.

It is precisely because of this that they have all forgotten the warmth that comes with the sun.

That warmth is enough to rekindle the coldness in your blood.

The sun has indeed affected too many people.

As a result, this warmth was passed on to others.

The special operations team has already gripped their weapons.

Without saying anything more, and without looking at Andy, they believed they were violating records and regulations at that moment.

But at this moment, they want to do it.

The NCPD officers silently put their hats on securely.

Make sure you put it on properly; that's a police officer's hat.

Kurt Hansen and Rosalind Miles didn't care about the people below them.

They didn't care about the casualties their plan would bring; any sacrifice was acceptable to them as long as their goal was achieved.

The two men stood high above, their hands and their calculations encompassing the entire Dogtown, the new America, and even the world.

The pieces they played were all pieces belonging to those in a higher position.

But the chessboard, the thing used as a chessboard, is also there.

And that might not be a chess piece, or a chessboard.

are people.

That being the case.

"You want to move forward, don't you, Andy?"

Karl's voice came through the communicator.

His voice was soft.

"Then let's go together."

"Together with everyone."

"Come lend a hand."

(End of this chapter)