Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 878. Giant Spider
“Li De, I’ve received a breaking news report. Hansen may be planning an operation at the stadium. Take your men and find a way to infiltrate the stadium immediately, find him, execute him, and stop his plan at all costs.”

The battle was raging fiercely at the street corner. Li De had just shot and killed a Ghosthound soldier who had emerged from behind cover—judging from the face he caught in the instant the soldier fell, he was an exceptionally young enemy. Just then, he received direct orders from Rosalind Miles.

As a professional agent, he raised no objections, simply replying with the classic response "Received," which had been prevalent within the company for fifty years, before quickly commencing the operation.

Just as he was preparing to act, Rosalind Miles' next words came through the communicator:

“I know you don’t want Song Zhaomei to die, Li De. I’m willing to forgive your willfulness this time and give you a chance because of your loyalty. But if you really want her to live, you must not let her fall into the hands of any force or person other than the new United States.”

Otherwise, once Song Zhaomei's affair is exposed, you and I both know what the consequences will be. You wouldn't want to see the new America collapse because of her, would you?

After saying this, Rosalind Miles ended the communication, and Reed, who heard her last words, remained silent.

Those words, without a doubt, weighed heavily on Li De's heart like a mountain; for a loyal follower like him, these words carried great weight.

She placed Song Zhaomei's life on one side of the scales and the safety of the new America on the other, forcing him to make a choice—but could he really stand by and watch the entire new America fall into crisis for the sake of one person?

The answer seems to be beyond question.

Li De knew what he would choose and clearly understood which side was more important in weighing the two options.

Perhaps Rosalind Myers knew exactly what his loyal follower would choose, which is why she hinted at how to do the right thing.

What is the correct answer?
For the sake of a new America, for the sake of a new America free from threats, kill, eliminate Song Zhaomei, and personally extinguish the lark.

He extinguished the bird he had personally raised and regarded as his disciple.

Li De clenched his fists, a subtle sense of hesitation creeping into his heart.

It's like a thin crack silently appearing on the hardest armor.

Perhaps it was because he had already seen through Rosalind's high-sounding rhetoric of "for the new America" ​​that was merely a cover for her selfish desire to maintain her own power; or perhaps it was because the repeated tasks that forced him to suppress his emotions had finally caused an undeniable weariness in his heart.

For the first time, a very subtle crack appeared in his unwavering patriotism and loyalty, a crack that quietly grew even before he himself noticed it.

Li De, he should do the right thing.

In the past, he always believed that the right thing to do was to be loyal to the country, fight for the country, and give everything.

That's not wrong.

But maybe.

This country, the country he is loyal to, should not be a country driven by the selfish desires of any one person, or perhaps some people.

Some thoughts quietly arose in Li De's mind, perhaps without his own awareness, but they subtly influenced his actions.

He didn't bring any elite personnel with him. Having been away from the UNIS and even the New America for so long, and having infiltrated Night City for so long, he was no longer used to operating according to the old methods. In his actions, he preferred to do things alone.

In other words, it would be much easier and more covert for him to sneak into the stadium alone than for an entire squad to do so. And if anything unexpected happened, only he would have to be sacrificed, not many others.

And even when he acts alone, everything can be done according to his ideas.
Whether it's killing the lark or saving Song Zhaomei, the decision can be left to him at that time.

"I've already infiltrated."

Inside the stadium, V, hiding alone in a corner, contacted his teammates via communications: "There are far fewer Ghost Hounds inside than expected. Is it because most of the forces have been redeployed to the outer defense line, or is it that Hansen wants to minimize the number of his own men who die when he detonates the nuclear bomb?"

V observed his surroundings: "There are very few people around. Even the weapons dealers who usually set up stalls here have all left. It's rare to see a place so quiet."

"It's a bit unusual, isn't it? Usually, there's a ton of hawking as soon as you come in. I came in from the other side and almost got spotted by the self-propelled patrol robots. Looks like I've been working out too much lately. I'm too strong now, and the places I used to be able to hide in are no longer good."

Jack's half-joking voice came through the channel: "Luckily, T-BUG helped out, otherwise I would have really been the one who got caught and embarrassed this time."

“Be careful, Jack. There are people ahead of you on the route you’ve chosen. Your path should be correct; the number of people in that area is clearly incorrect.”

T-BUG reminded him, and also warned Oliver: "Oliver, move your position a little to the left, the drone is coming to patrol soon."

"understood."

Oliver responded and immediately slipped to the side. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the drone flew over the spot where he had just been and scanned the area.

"This stadium is huge. It's so hard to find an entrance. If only we had a structural diagram, we wouldn't have to split up and search for underground passages like we are now."

As the drone flew further and further away, Oliver couldn't help but complain over the communication channel.

"After all, it was a temporary operation. Even if there were old blueprints, they would be completely different now. The stadium wasn't fully repaired to begin with, and then there were the airship wreckage that Hansen shot down—who knows what he turned this place into."

Carl responded, "I did go through an old passage leading to the outside before, but it's probably been completely altered by now."

"Dogtown may look small, but its vertical structure is really complicated. First, the original design company did it, then Hansen invaded and did it again, and after the airship was destroyed, it was modified again. I bet even the original designers wouldn't recognize this place."

Johnny used his size to move through the narrow opening of the pipe, and suddenly he stopped.

"Wow, wow, you'll never guess what I saw."

Although it was a 'guess', Johnny didn't wait for his teammates' response and quickly uploaded the live video to the shared channel.

From his perspective, a giant spider-like mechanical construct lay silently on an empty field in the stadium. Judging from its size alone, this thing was even larger than the 'Demon Lizard' armor that Karl and his team had encountered before.

(End of this chapter)