Players Invade Cyberpunk

(Based on reader feedback, subsequent side stories will be placed in free chapters)

It has been a few days since the Watson District fire, yet the aftermath continues, with the docks' old factories, containers, and such reduced to ashes.

However, capital never rests; by noon on the day the fire ended, the burned lands of Watson District had brazenly appeared on the auction market, with bidding commencing soon thereafter.

No one cared what would happen to the people on that land; companies only cared about how to extract future value from this empty plot.

And all of this, Li De saw with his own eyes. Including that night's events, Li De had been covertly observing the developments in Watson District all along.

The players' battle with Huang Ban, the firefighting Tiger Claw, Vortex Gang, mercenaries and volunteers rushing from all directions, the fleeing crowds.....

But Li De didn't go down to help. Whether it was firefighting, resisting, or evacuating, any of it could have exposed him.

Guilt?

Shame?

Regret?

No, Li De felt none of these.

He was only puzzled by one thing: what exactly were those mercenaries from the agency bar doing? What was their purpose?

To save one or two people, they charged into the fire without hesitation, even if it cost them their lives, and in the end, they even clashed head-on with Huang Ban, Night City's greatest ruler, to stop the fire from spreading.

Li De saw clearly that Huang Ban withdrew from the battle not because they were losing, but because it wasn't in their interest; continuing to fight would be a loss, an unprofitable endeavor.

And those mercenaries, what kind of benefit were they risking their lives for in a war with less than a ten percent chance of victory?

Li De actually had the answer in his heart, but he still wasn't willing to believe it. The actions of these people had been constantly challenging his worldview over this period.

Because military technology couldn't accomplish these things.

New America couldn't do it either. New America couldn't rally so many people's fearless charge into the fire against Huang Ban.

And the reason those mercenaries could motivate the whole city was very simple, so simple that it was infuriating.

The simple, honest moral values of humanity.

Li De asked himself, even now, he remained firmly loyal to New America, believing this government could make people's lives better.

But could it really make everyone better off?

Could New America, ruling over Night City, accomplish such a grand event like that night?

The ash-laden winds from Watson District blew against him, and the shattered world kept reminding Li De.

Huang Ban and military technology... they are actually the same.

He clenched his fist, filled with frustration but unable to find a release.

And at that moment, a voice, like a heavenly sound, rang in his ear.

"Good morning, friends of Night City, I believe you couldn't wait to hear my voice, right? That's right, I'm Doni Vormirian, your favorite host~!"

"And today's show is a bit different from before because I've invited two renowned figures to join this program together!"

"Let's warmly welcome, Emperor Xiaochuan and Meile Sect Kennedy!!! Let's all have some fun!"

(Canned laughter) (Canned applause)

Emperor Xiaochuan: "Oh dear, what a mess, I thought I'd see someone special traveling all the way from the underworld, made me skip my congee, and it turns out it's just you, the daft one."

Meile Sect: "Excuse me, is this a morgue? Why is this corpse talking?"

Emperor Xiaochuan: "As if you're not a corpse yourself, and this isn't a morgue, it's a crematorium. I live on the fifth floor, room 502, and your ash box is right next to mine. We're both dead now, alright?"

Doni: "Alright, you two, precious time isn't for your bickering. I believe the audience eagerly anticipates your joint performance, so today, let's immediately dive into the discussion topic."

"Who is the biggest blowhard in the world, is it Huang Ban or military technology?"

Emperor Xiaochuan: "Does that question even need to be asked? It's definitely Huang Ban. Is there any company in the world more boastful than Huang Ban?"

"That boss of theirs, Huang Ban Sanlang, is already full of hot air, got his zero ship trashed in the Pacific by the spores like a dog, then wanted to commit suicide, but was too scared to stab his belly, and even wrote a book to put a gold stamp on his face, isn't that blowhardy enough?"

"Think about it, if he were truly tough, he would have crashed the zero ship into the Enterprise long ago. How could he have survived back? His bushido spirit? I suspect he's a traitor, the one leading the way to the Enterprise was him."

"Why does Huang Ban Sanlang insist on retaining the part of his history where he was a pilot for the Shenfeng Special Forces? It's actually to garner everyone's admiration. What you all don't know is that this part of history has long been glorified... Huang Ban Sanlang's true identity is actually that of a male prostitute. He was pimped out in Tokyo to mildew and MacArthur. I, Sun Xiaochuan, swear on the personhood of past emperors that the history of how Huang Ban Corporation rose to prominence is actually the history of Huang Ban Sanlang's prostitution. A single trip to the Okinawa base made for a whole season's earnings. My friend is a real Tokyo native, part of the Chinese tribes there, and he has 'yued' Huang Ban Sanlang..."

"Actually, I've seen through him for a long time, you know? He's the type who's scared to death inside but still has a tough mouth and never admits defeat, blowing his own horn as if."

Li De almost choked on his own spit; can you even say stuff like that?

That's some wild unofficial story!

You're really not afraid that Huang Ban Sanlang will have you ethically obliterated, huh?

"That's nothing!"

Meile Sect, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke up: "Military technology and the United States are the biggest boasters, okay?"

Li De couldn't laugh anymore.

Meile Sect: "Let me tell you, what little prostitute literature Huang Ban Sanlang spins can't match up with our great American civilization teachers, can it? Any one of them can absolutely trounce the selling stuff of Huang Ban Sanlang."

"Wasn't Emperor Mike enough blowing your neon people into submission?"

"Oh dear, I'm gonna cross the Yalu River~~ let the lads be home by Christmas~~~ (mocking tone)"

"In the end, after being beaten for two years until excrement came out, still talking about Christmas, the prisoners from various countries captured by the volunteers were so many they could throw an Olympic event on the side of the battlefield~"

"Begging Truman to order a retreat, he said no retreat allowed, so our five-star general simply turned back to attack his own rear, justifying it as a backward advancement~~"

"At West Point, making people dance barefoot on glass shards for calisthenics, do you get that 'young eagle taking off'? Bragging in front of the superior, but when in court, not daring to expose anyone."

"In the Philippines, commanding a hundred thousand troops, equipped with all kinds of American arms, was beaten down to submission within three months by the neon troops, and after the defeat, our five-star general abandoned the soldiers, sped through the jungle in a car, flew back to Australia, and still bragged himself into a five-star general, isn't that enough blowing horn?"

Li De thought it would end here, but unexpectedly, Meile Sect continued,

"But... our five-star general is still a bit inferior compared to me."

"Look at how I blew my own horn back then, uh, as long as I'm alive, the University of Tokyo can't make a nuclear bomb~~"

"Hey, guess what, the year after I got shot in the head, the Tokyo nuclear bomb succeeded in detonating, enough bragging?"

"The whole United States, even the Soviet Union, knew two months in advance that I was going to be shot by the CIA and Israel, but I, this American president, didn't know, isn't that enough blowing horn?"

"And there's still that New America and military technology, blowing horn even more, starting chaos in the unification war, just reaching Night City and getting sent back by one of your Huang Ban's aircraft carriers, damn it, in my era, there were seven aircraft carriers running amok around the world, when did it become the neon people's turn to pilot an aircraft carrier to ride on our American face? Isn't that enough blowing horn?"

Just as Emperor Xiaochuan was about to pull out another neon bragging card, Doni hurriedly interjected, signaling both to stay calm.

"Alright, alright, you two are all blowing horn."

This finally quieted down the impending heated discussion.

"But if you ask me, the biggest braggart in this world is neither the United States and military technology, nor the neon and Huang Ban."

"There's someone better?"*N

"Ahem..."

Doni cleared his throat,

"The biggest braggart in this world is obviously Earth."

"Because look, the creatures on this planet constantly fantasize about their high strategic position in the universe, acting like Cybertronians and Trisolarians rushing in like flies to dung."

"But when you look closer, the creatures on this planet only engage in endless internal power struggles, can't even exit their own star system, and exhaust tremendous effort just to reach their closest satellite, still making their home stink like crap."

"And when you see CJB, you'll likely realize he's from this planet. Like they say, flies don't bite seamless eggs; why aren't other planets filled with such overblown critiquing voices? I think this planet should reflect deeply on itself."

Meile Sect nodded slightly: "You're right, all the braggarts in the universe are concentrated on Earth, like Miles and military technology, and Zeta Technology, the European Community... all these braggarts are on Earth, while the moon doesn't have so much bragging, so Earth is the biggest braggart in the universe."

Emperor Xiaochuan immediately said in a mocking tone, "Oh goodness, Moon parties need to dial it down, always saying 'we choose to go to the moon,' now you've turned the moon into your washboard, huh? You moon are so pure and immaculate, have you forgotten when the European Community used the moon as a fleshlight, shooting one on Colorado?"

Meile Sect: "Oh oh oh, Earth is already hurt?"

Doni: "This braggart planet can't even compare to a strand of Jupiter's hair."

Emperor Xiaochuan: "Jupiter closet needs to cool it down, thinking others can't see your underlying tones?"

Meile Sect: "Earth is like that, without your sun dad, who knows you?"

And then the live stream descended into a chaotic melee among the three.