2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"Alright, gentlemen," the head of the European Space Agency stepped in as a peacemaker. "Now we should unite, not fight amongst ourselves. Let's put aside our past grievances and consider the future human's proposal."

"Don't be ridiculous, what's there to consider with such a suggestion!"

"The price offered by the people from the future is very generous, isn't it?"

"It's very generous, but it has nothing to do with us. Whether it's purifying the environment or improving medical care, it's none of our business! Can the worst environment affect us? Can the most severe diseases kill us? Only those lowly idiots would be attracted by such a price. The future humans are trying to drag everyone back to the same class, to strip us of our unique status, to dig up our roots. Do you even understand?!... Oh, you understand, but space colonization is your dream, so you compromised. You traitor!"

Miles's words were harsh, but they were all true, and that's precisely why the human leadership launched this attack.

The head of the European Space Agency was furious. Normally, he would have given Miles and New America a piece of his mind, not even military technology could protect them. But the situation was different. Miles's words represented the interests of many high-ranking officials. If the European Space Agency took action against Miles, it would inevitably provoke public outrage.

"Then what do you suggest we do! We can't win a fight now, so what else can we do but surrender!"

Miles enjoyed the spotlight. She knew that the support was just a plea for her to be the first to speak out, but a banner raised under someone else's name was still a banner, and she was confident that she could use this opportunity to gain more influence and political capital.

“It’s simple.” Miles said confidently, “Since the future humans want to benefit all of humanity, we’ll use all of humanity as leverage to threaten them. My plan is for us to outwardly submit to the future humans’ rule, while secretly inciting the masses. You know how stupid those guys are; they can easily fabricate a few lies and a bunch of people will believe them without question. As long as we portray the future humans as invaders, there will naturally be idiots willing to charge into battle for us!”

The human leaders immediately began to discuss among themselves, nodding in agreement.

This is a good method; it's used to fool the people, and they've been doing it for hundreds of years, so they're very experienced.

But when it comes to this kind of experience, the most extensive is undoubtedly...

“I think it’s most suitable to entrust this matter to Kangtao, after all, China has a 5000-year history of rule,” Miles suggested. Jiang Ping, the acting president of Kangtao, immediately tensed up, suppressing her excitement, and said, “That’s right, Kangtao is confident in completing this task. Seniors, please feel free to entrust this important task to me!”

The human leaders were disdainful in their hearts, but nodded and smiled in agreement.

Xu Shiming was the only high-ranking official who did not flee to Mars, so he was naturally ostracized by the other ruling class. China suspended him indefinitely on the grounds of "ill health," and replaced him with Jiang Ping, who was said to have connections in the central government.

But to be honest, compared to the shrewd and experienced Xu Shiming, Jiang Ping is far too naive. Greedy for money and power, short-sighted, selfish, arrogant, and domineering, she possesses all the flaws of a second-generation heir, but she hasn't inherited a single virtue.

If judged solely by ability, she wouldn't even be as good as the most ordinary working person in society. But in the real world, it's not academic degrees that matter, but birth certificates. An ordinary person scoring 600 points is still considered a nobody, while Jiang Ping scoring 140 points is still the acting president of Kangtao.

What are college entrance exam takers, university students, graduate students, and doctoral students? They're all not as good as being born from a mother!

However, this has nothing to do with the bigwigs present. They are more than happy that Kang Tao is willing to replace him with such a blockhead. At most, they are just wary of repeating the same mistakes.

Thus, the task of inciting the public was assigned to Jiang Ping and Kang Tao, with major companies providing material assistance. Jiang Ping's face was flushed with a sickly redness, clearly indicating that she would embezzle a considerable amount of money from it.

"Alright, it's settled then. We'll feign compliance, then incite the people to fight against the future humans. They want to be good people, they want to be saviors, right? Let them be! In this world, good people get guns pointed at them!"

Many of the bigwigs laughed, but one person didn't: Arasaka Yoriyuki.

"Gentlemen, let's think about how to explain the attack to the people from the future."

One sentence was enough to wipe the smiles off the big shots.

They knew the future people were good, and they also knew they were bad. Good people wouldn't harm ordinary people, but they would show no mercy when it came to killing bad people.

"Wouldn't the people from the future use this as an excuse to wipe us all out?"

Instantly, the big shots' faces turned pale.

"That was too impulsive! I told you long ago we shouldn't have started this conflict!" The head of the European Space Agency slammed his fist on the table.

Yoriyuki Arasaka said sinisterly, "President Miles should be held responsible for this operation, after all, it was her idea."

Things miraculously returned to the starting point.

Everyone looked at Miles, but Miles remained silent, as if he hadn't heard Arasaka Yorinobu's accusations.

Don't even think about letting her take the blame!

The bigwigs also needed her to be the first to stand up against the future people, so they couldn't continue to pressure her.

An eerie silence fell over the scene. Some looked up at the sky, others at the ground. They had all been full of vigor when launching the sneak attack, but when it came to taking responsibility, they all became cowards.

Arasaka Yoriyuki was filled with contempt, but a smile appeared on his lips.

In the ensuing silence, he spoke: "Gentlemen, I will take charge of this attack."

Everyone was shocked. Arakawa Hanako, who was also attending the meeting, exclaimed in surprise, "Yori Ken, you...?!"

Arasaka Yorinobu said earnestly, "I cannot let the Arasaka family's legacy be destroyed in my hands!"

Hanako Arakawa was deeply moved: "I misunderstood you before. From today onwards, I will fully support you!"

"Thank you, Hua Zi."

The affection between the Arasaka siblings was evident, and the bigwigs felt a sense of warmth. They felt that although Arasaka Yorinobu's rise to power was somewhat illegitimate, he did not falter at crucial moments, understood the big picture, and was a true man.

Conversely, the new US president, Rosaderin Myers, who only talks the talk but cowers at crucial moments, seems unreliable, and it is immediately clear who is better.

Miles was also shocked. She hadn't expected that Arasaka Yorinobu could so easily undermine the support she had previously gained with just a few words. Where did this good-for-nothing rich kid get such abilities? Did he have a mastermind behind him?

However, no matter what, ten Miles combined couldn't compare to one Arasaka Yoriyuki when it came to taking the blame. She didn't want to die in vain, so she couldn't even fight back and could only watch helplessly as Yoriyuki gained a lot of support.

"It's okay, it's okay," Miles reassured himself.

At least he himself has taken up the banner of resisting the future humans, and the higher-ups need him.

Just as she was thinking this, Arasaka Yorinobu spoke up again: "Gentlemen, I think there are still some problems with President Miles's plan."

Miles stared wide-eyed, not understanding what Arasaka Yorinobu was going to do.

Many bigwigs became interested and asked, "Tell me, what's wrong with it?"

"Simply put, President Miles is too naive!" Arasaka Yorinobu said mercilessly. "Mobilizing the people is the right thing to do, but we can't just mobilize the people. We gave the people guns and cannons and used them to drive away the time travelers. I ask you, is this their victory or our victory? Will those people who have received weapons still listen to us?"

“We have plenty of ways to control those idiots, don’t try to scare us!” Miles immediately retorted.

Arasaka Yorinobu scoffed, "We can control idiots, but we can't control idiots with guns. Force is the best form of intelligence. There's an old Chinese saying, 'Your position determines your perspective.' Once the idiots you're talking about sit in the same high position as you, they'll naturally become as intelligent as you!"

"fart!"

"Then go and try it! Take off your presidential uniform, give up your huge allowance, and live on the streets as an ordinary person for a month. See if you can live better than those idiots!"

Why should I give up my identity?

"Ha, you're scared now!"

"I'm afraid of your mother!"

"Baka yarou!"

"Gentlemen, please calm down for now." The head of the European Space Agency jumped in again to act as a peacemaker. He looked at Arasaka Yoriyuki and said, "Why don't we let Mr. Yoriyuki say what he thinks first?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, while Miles snorted angrily.

"My idea is very simple: we can mobilize the people to rebel, but we must become the leaders of this force of resistance!" Arasaka Yorinobu said in a startling statement: "I will lead Arasaka to fight against the people of the future to the very end. If you have any concerns, please give us your support in secret. Thank you!"

With that, Arasaka Yorinobu stood up, took a few steps back, and performed a deep kneeling bow, touching his forehead to the ground as he knelt and pleaded with the crowd.

Everyone stood up, and several company executives even stepped forward to personally help Arasaka Yorinobu to his feet.

Miles felt a chill run down her spine when she saw this, because all the support she had worked so hard to gain was gone, and even her carefully devised plan to mobilize the people had become a boon for Arasaka Yorinobu.

She glared hatefully at Arasaka Yorinobu, who happened to be looking at her as well.

Their eyes met in mid-air, sparks flying.

"President Miles, thank you for your support," Arasaka Yorihiro said with a forced smile.

“Hmph.” Miles’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. “Mr. Lai Xuan should think about how to deal with the future people’s questioning.”

That's right. In Miles's mind, Arasaka Yoriyuki still has a scapegoat to take the blame for. As long as the future people kill Arasaka Yoriyuki in a fit of rage, everything she has lost will naturally return to her.

Thus, the human leadership devised a counterattack strategy: outwardly obeying while secretly rebelling. Arasaka Yoriyuki and the Arasaka Corporation established a resistance army, inciting the people to wage war against the future humans, while other companies secretly provided support—a classic case of feigning compliance while secretly advancing.

With the overall strategy in place, the bigwigs felt much more at ease. Now, only one question remained: could Arasaka Yorinobu survive the wrath of the future people?

To be honest, the bigwigs weren't too worried. After all, Arasaka Yoriyuki had died and Miles was gone. The new US president treated ordinary people like idiots, and these top-level bigwigs were treating other lower-level rulers like idiots as well. Expecting them to unite as one and work together was impossible.

At this moment, the only one who truly cares about Arasaka Yorinobu is Arasaka Hanako. After the meeting, she asked worriedly, "The people from the future won't really attack you, will they?"

Arakasaka Yoriyuki shook his head: "Don't worry, Hanako, they are good people."

How do you know they are good people?

"If they were bad people, they would have ruled the world by violence long ago."

"What if they're just putting on an act?"

"Don't worry, I have my own way of getting out of here."

Hua Zi asked what the solution was, but Lai Xuan did not answer.

Following this, Arasaka Yorinobu gave a televised address, claiming responsibility for the previous attack. In his speech, he admitted that he and the Arasaka Company had launched the sneak attack, acknowledging that it was wrong, but stating that he had to do it because the time travelers were invaders, and he would defend his homeland to the death!

"When the axe comes to the forest, some trees will say: at least its handle is one of our own. But I want to tell you that an axe is an axe. It will not show mercy to wood just because it has a wooden handle. And future humans will not treat us differently just because we are also human! An invader is an invader. The only thing we can do is pick up our weapons and break the axe's blade!"

Arasaka Yorinobu's speech resonated with many people. Humans are always afraid of and hostile to the unknown. These people joined Arasaka and took up the weapons provided by the company to fight against the future people who were trying to liberate them.

Jiang Ping also took the opportunity to launch a public opinion offensive, portraying the future humans as inhuman, half-human, half-AI demons, and deceiving more people into joining the resistance.

Upon seeing Claptrap's latest report, Vera stared blankly: "No way, these people actually believe this nonsense? Are they idiots?!"

Before Xiaochao could answer, a female voice rang out behind Vera: "The most successful brainwashing is to make the lower classes think from the perspective of the interests of the upper class."

Vera turned around in surprise and saw a woman with long brown hair.

“Captain Selene,” Vera rose and asked cautiously, “Should I salute?”

"You were just temporarily placed here by Chairman V, and you haven't received any military training, so forget about saluting."

Vera pursed her lips and asked again, "Are we going to launch an attack?"

Selene countered, "Why do you say that?"

"Didn't that guy Arasaka Yorinobu make it clear that he's going to fight to the bitter end? Tell me, when are you going to storm Arasaka Tower? I can't wait."

Selene shook her head: "When one Aragaki Tower falls, a new one will rise. War cannot solve the fundamental problem, and destruction brings no benefit."

Vera asked with clear eyes, "What do you mean?"

Selene's lips twitched almost imperceptibly as he spoke in plain language: "We need to deploy a nanonetwork in this world. Every brain is a precious computing resource, and it would be a waste to have them blown up by bullets."

"Oh, I understand now." Vera suddenly realized, and then asked, "What about Arasaka Yorinobu?"

"It's simple, we'll go and enlighten the idiot."

Vera: "Huh?"

“Fools are a nation’s valuable asset. To enlighten fools is to steal state assets.” After saying this, Selene asked Vera, “You’re from 2077, you must be very familiar with Night City now, right?”

“Of course, Night City is just like my home.” V gave a thumbs up.

"In that case, take me somewhere."

"where?"

"Genting Peak".

Vera was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized: "I understand, you want to start with the poorest sex dolls, rally the lower classes to resist Arasaka Yorinobu, and start a people's war!"

“No,” Selene said seriously, “I just went to have a quick fling. It’s too boring on the warship because I can’t connect to the nanonetwork.”

Vera: "..."

Chapter 150 Rebelling Against the Gorgeous Older Sister

While the human leadership was meticulously plotting against the future humans, the future humans' on-site commander was visiting a brothel.

This brothel is located on the 12th floor of the super skyscraper H8, also known as the famous Genting Highlands.

Vera felt she would probably never have the same relaxed feeling as Selene, but she didn't object to having some fun. At worst, if Selene crashed, she would single-handedly rescue the captain, remove Relic, and replace it with the latest model of cybernetics from 2157. She was invincible!

Thinking this, Vera couldn't help but laugh.

"You seem quite happy?" Selene asked.

"It's nothing, it's just that this is the first time I've ever been to a brothel with a young woman."

"This is my first time too, whether it's visiting a brothel or visiting a brothel with young girls, it's all a first for me."

Vera asked curiously, "Are there no brothels in 2157?"

"Yes, there are, but they are severely suppressed by nanonetworks. After all, with a quiet AI girlfriend, who would want a neurotic real partner?"

“Uh,” Vera couldn’t help but say, “The last time I heard something like that was when they were talking about taxis.”

The elevator then reached the 12th floor, and the two stepped out together.

"So you usually... vent your... on the nanonetwork?" Vera asked curiously.

“That’s right. After all, I’m a healthy young woman, and the law doesn’t allow technology to be used to change human genes easily.” Selene said bluntly, “In 2157, people can enjoy a comfortable life by signing a regular brain rental agreement, so everyone is very independent and interpersonal communication is reduced to a minimum. Everyone is used to using virtual signals created by AI to satisfy various emotional needs, which is why I’m curious about real waiters.”