Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 882, 92. A Pawn to Be Sacrificed?
"Li De".

Faced with the former IAEA ace who appeared like a ghost, holding a 'sacrificial pawn', Kurt Hansen's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible surprise, but it was quickly covered by a deeper sinister look.

Li De's appearance was unexpected, but not entirely incomprehensible.

He had anticipated that the new America would attempt a decapitation strike, but he hadn't expected the infiltration to be so swift and precise.
It's no wonder he's considered the Morgan of the secret service; perhaps the only team in Night City that can rival him in terms of ability is the KK Squad.

"Truly...an unexpected visitor." Hansen's voice was deep, revealing no trace of panic. He slightly turned to shield the weakened lark in front of him, a subtle movement that made Li De tighten his grip on the discarded pawn. "A stray dog ​​from the FBI, daring to barge in alone—was this at the behest of your president, or...?"

Hansen noticed Li De's interest in the lark and recalled the intelligence he had gathered.

In the Joint Intelligence Bureau, the Nightingale was a disciple personally trained by Li De.

So now it is...
"You want to take the lark away from me?"

As Hansen held the lark in front of him and spoke with a hint of warning, Albert Murphy, who was guarding him, raised his weapon almost simultaneously, the cold muzzle of the gun steadily aimed at Li De, and the air in the entire passage instantly froze.

Li De's gaze passed over Murphy at the front and locked onto Song Zhaomei, whose eyes were unfocused. Seeing her current state, a fire of guilt and anger burned in his chest.

However, as a professional agent, he did not show this emotion. He simply repeated, his voice even colder than before: "Hansen, hand over Song Zhaomei. This is your last chance."

Upon hearing this, Hansen sensed something special and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Last chance? Li De, you don't seem to understand the situation. Whose territory is this?" He pointed around, "Listen to the sound of gunfire, look at the land beneath your feet. You are all alone, while I possess the entire Netherhound, and the chips that can change the course of the game."

"Cheers, do you think we were completely unaware of what you were doing?"

While dealing with Hansen, Li De was rapidly calculating in his mind: if he fired now, how could he ensure that the bullet, while killing Murphy, would pass through Song Zhaomei's side and accurately hit Hansen behind her?

He didn't attack Murphy and Hansen directly because he feared that Hansen might have tampered with the lark—for example, with a device that would trigger the lark's burial if he died.

But just now, he had confirmed through close-up scanning that the lark was not equipped with any suspicious devices. Now, he only needed to deal with Hansen and his bodyguards to rescue the lark and end this war.

Hansen was unaware of Li De's scan. He had half his body hidden behind the lark, which successfully provided cover, but his vision was also obstructed, preventing him from noticing Li De's 'little movements'.

Upon hearing Li De's words, "Do you think we are completely unaware?", Hansen's pupils dilated slightly before returning to normal.

He instantly understood the meaning behind those words.

Hansen's only bargaining chip was the nuclear bomb that had already been timed, and Li De's statement that "we were not completely unaware" meant that the new United States had already known about his plan to detonate the nuclear bomb.

If that's the case, his original plan to attract a large number of new Americans and have them perish with the hounds of the underworld will likely fall through.

However, Hansen soon realized something as well.

“It seems that Miles and I are thinking the same thing.”

Hansen realized that Miles also wanted to use the nuclear bomb.

The reason is simple. The New America personnel realized that Hansen had a nuclear bomb on his side and that it was likely to be detonated. However, in the situation that Hansen controlled, he still saw the New America personnel approaching step by step, showing no intention of backing down despite realizing that the nuclear blast zone was ahead.

If those new Americans hadn't truly risked their lives, even at the cost of being bombed by a nuclear weapon, to ensure Hansen's death, then they might never have been informed of the impending nuclear detonation, and they would have simply been a group of casualties.

Just as Hansen wanted to sacrifice the unsuspecting Hounds, Miles also wanted to sacrifice the New America troops. If she didn't do that, how could she later claim that Hansen detonated the reactor? After all, if none of her people died and only Hansen's people died, no one would believe her, right?

"It seems that even if I don't want to activate that thing now... Miles will press it for me."

Hansen understood completely.

Miles is still Miles. Even though she had schemed against her with the help of Washington politicians and the traitor Lark, almost causing her death, and even though she seemed to have the upper hand today, she had been invincible from the very beginning.

She didn't even need to go to Dogtown herself; she could simply sit comfortably in Night City, thousands of miles away. The lives she had to sacrifice were always those of others, while she herself never had to take any risks.

Once the nuclear bomb is detonated, everything will be over.

Hansen then realized that perhaps from the very beginning, Miles's plan was to use this nuclear bomb to completely eliminate him.

Hansen even suspected that the Milesians might also possess nuclear weapons.

But it's not time to admit defeat yet.

Hansen stared at Li De in front of him. Even though the situation was clear, he was still out of the game.

Right now, he and Miles are racing against time. Whoever detonates the nuclear bomb first, as long as they can issue a statement first, they will gain the upper hand in public opinion. Even if they are a little late, it will still create a situation where the two sides are tearing each other apart. As long as the Lark is still in his hands, he still has a chance to turn the tide.

This 'pawn' that could have been discarded after the agreement was reached has now become crucial again.

Moreover, Hansen had already noticed something amiss—this agent, Li De, cared for the lark with extraordinary intensity, and perhaps he could use her as leverage to make another attempt.

'The Morgan of Spies. I am the King of Dogtown!'

Even in terms of pure strength, Hansen didn't believe he and Murphy, working together, would lose to Li De, not to mention—

"Click."

A soft mechanical hum came from the room, and several eerie shadows quietly appeared around Hansen.

Those creatures, with their distorted forms and cold mechanical structures embedded in their limbs, were products of biotechnology. They were originally intended as a last resort to protect his intelligence, but he never expected they would actually come in handy.

At this moment, they slowly emerged from the hidden compartment in the wall and behind Hansen, forming a living barrier that firmly blocked Li De in front of them.

(End of this chapter)