Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 168 The Temptation of Unification (Second Update)

“So your actions must be ahead of the curve.” Miles’ voice was firm. “Find them, assess them. That woman named Mowell, and the ‘boss’ behind her, are key.”

If cooperation is possible, make sure they are on our side, exchanging orders, resources, or even licenses for their technology, or at least ensure they remain neutral.

If it cannot be controlled or its threat is proven to be too great…

She paused, her eyes turning cold.

"Therefore, we must prepare for the physical elimination before they become a bigger problem. The new America will be prepared diplomatically, in terms of public opinion and necessary military deployments, to create a favorable environment for retaking lost ground and to withstand international pressure."

But the blade of action, the tentacles of intelligence, and ultimately the task of ensuring that technological superiority falls into our hands, require your execution.

She concluded by emphasizing, her gaze sweeping over each of the industry leaders present: "Remember, this is not a simple business competition; it is the prelude to national unification! The interests of military technology will be more closely intertwined with the fate of the new America than ever before."

Seize this opportunity, and together we will make history. Profits and empire size will reach unprecedented heights.

Communication was cut off, and the screen returned to the image of the burning Arasaka Tower.

A deeper silence fell over the meeting room.

Miles's intervention instantly elevated a strategic assessment between companies to a level combining national warfare and strategic speculation.

The CEO slowly exhaled, his eyes sharpening, his previous hesitation replaced by a pragmatic greed and sense of urgency.

"Give the order," his voice was now full of determination, "to fully upgrade combat readiness and expand production lines, but to maintain a low profile of 'shock and regret' to the outside world."

The intelligence department has been given top authority and an unlimited budget. I need to know everything about 'Mann's Squad,' 'the Boss,' and Mowell. The key is to establish direct contact channels.

At the same time, closely monitor all of Arasaka's movements, especially the deployment of its home fleet and elite troops.

He looked around at everyone and added what Miles hadn't explicitly said, but which everyone understood: "At the same time, draft a contingency plan for 'The Day of Unity,' covering all aspects from full-scale military intervention to the reconstruction of the post-war order, and assess the feasibility of receiving and reverse-engineering that force's technology."

We must ensure that, no matter how this storm unfolds, the ultimate winners in terms of technology, markets, and territory, and in terms of our military technology, will be the new America.

The brief excitement has long been replaced by immense responsibility, risk, and a thirst for technology and markets.

Military technology giants are keenly aware that Pandora's box of war may have been opened by an unseen hand.

They not only had to figure out who the hand belonged to, but also had to find a way to guide or even control this power, so that while destroying their nemesis, they could firmly grasp the coveted technological legacy and enormous war profits in their own hands.

The prospect of unification and the boundless business opportunities are equally enticing, but the road to the throne is already fraught with unknown thorns and opportunities.
-
In the soundproof office on the top floor of the Night City Contour branch, overlooking the city's neon lights, the heavy atmosphere was almost frozen.

The branch manager had just ended the emergency video call with the Asian headquarters. He leaned back in his high-backed chair, looking slightly tired, his knuckles tapping unconsciously on the smooth tabletop, and fine beads of sweat on his forehead glistening slightly in the cold light.

He glanced around at the core management team sitting around the conference table, his voice carrying a suppressed calm, yet unable to conceal a hint of barely perceptible resentment: "Headquarters once again explicitly denies that this matter has nothing to do with them."

He paused, as if savoring every word of the headquarters' instructions. "They believe we're facing a serious strategic miscalculation and demand that we avoid direct conflict with Arasaka at all costs." "Avoid conflict?" The security chief practically spat out the words, slamming his fist on the table. "The whole city is saying it was us! Motive, capability—we fit the bill perfectly!"

Everyone knows about the friction between Southeast Asia and Arasaka, and now this debt is being entirely attributed to our North American branch!
The markets and relationships we've painstakingly built here could very well be destroyed because of headquarters' "caution"!

The finance director pushed up his glasses, his tone icy: "The headquarters is far away in Asia; they're concerned with global strategic balance. But can they truly understand our performance here, our profits and losses?"
If Arasaka retaliates, our North American assets and personnel will be the first to suffer.

We can't take the blame for this without being held accountable. We must take action, at least to muddy the waters, instead of just sitting and waiting to be destroyed.

"Operation? What operation?" The person in charge interrupted the increasingly heated discussion, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "Headquarters has already made a decision. They will send a 'senior operations manager' to handle this matter in full, and he will also bring an elite special operations team directly under headquarters."

This news made the faces of the people present even more grim.

The so-called "full authority" often means that the power of these local managers is undermined.

"Another parachuted-in?" the operations manager muttered. "They don't trust our judgment at all. We've been here for years and know the rules of Night City."

"If the people from headquarters come, they'll only follow their rigid procedures. At that point, let alone turning the tide, they probably won't even be able to maintain the current situation."

The security chief scoffed, "I'm afraid headquarters doesn't just want to solve the problem, does it? Their real purpose is to take advantage of this crisis to seize control of North American affairs and turn us all into puppets who follow orders."

"The autonomy we've fought so hard for over the years..."

The person in charge raised his hand to stop the rest of the conversation, but his eyes already tacitly acknowledged the speculation.

The long-standing power struggle between headquarters and the North American branch became clear at this moment.

Headquarters wanted to control the situation and avoid getting burned; while the North American branch was more inclined to use the crisis to gain greater independence and interests for itself amidst the chaos, and even did not rule out the possibility of completely breaking free from the control of headquarters at some point in the future.

“Before the special envoy from headquarters arrives,” the person in charge took a deep breath and lowered his voice, “our mission is clear. On the surface, we must follow headquarters’ instructions, keep a low profile, and never provoke Arasaka.”

But secretly, use all our connections in Night City, all the secret channels not reported to headquarters, to find Mann's team, or any intermediary who can contact them.

We need to act quickly; we must establish contact before headquarters gets involved.

His gaze swept over his trusted confidants present, and his tone became meaningful: "This force... is both a disaster and an opportunity. If our North American branch can be the first to seize control of it, or rather, 'cooperate' with it, then our bargaining power with headquarters will be completely different."

At that time, whether headquarters will take over us, or whether we will gain greater autonomy based on our achievements and strength, or even... remains to be seen.

Driven by both pressure from headquarters and its own ambitions, Comtôme's North American strategy has become increasingly clear and dangerous.

They not only have to deal with Arasaka's potential retaliation and the unanimous suspicion from the outside world, but also have to seize the initiative in the internal power struggle with the headquarters faction.

In their eyes, this unknown force that destroyed Arasaka Tower is not just a key, but could become a heavy hammer that breaks the existing power structure.

(End of this chapter)