Chapter 141: Mutual Backstabbing
“I believe this is our first meeting in quite some time, Mr. Vimers.”
Weis wore an extremely sincere smile as he extended his hand toward Roland.
Roland did not refuse the gesture of goodwill. With a faint smile, he reached out and shook Weis’s hand.
“I wonder what business brings Militech’s intelligence chief to see me. I don’t recall us ever working together. In fact… we’ve even had some unpleasant history.”
As he spoke, Roland sat down, crossed his legs, clasped his hands over his knee, and slightly tilted his head back to look at Weis.
Weis showed no sign of irritation. Instead, he casually pulled out the chair opposite Roland and sat down.
“Mr. Vimers, I’ve always believed in one principle. Do you know what it is?”
Weis smiled warmly, his tone calm and measured.
“Oh? And what principle would that be? Let’s hear it.”
Roland pointed forward with a finger, signaling Weis to continue.
“That there are no eternal enemies—only eternal interests. Mr. Vimers, I don’t know exactly what Arasaka is planning, but since they’ve made such a big move, they must be confident in themselves.”
“And if Night City really ends up under Arasaka’s complete control, your situation won’t be very comfortable either, will it? Even though you and Arasaka are still partners for now, let’s be honest… that relationship is as fragile as a sheet of paper, isn’t it?”
Weis laid out his words carefully, then quietly watched Roland.
“A very… reasonable argument,” Roland replied slowly, his gaze deep. “But I can tell you frankly—I don’t think you can win. Or rather… I don’t think you have that level of resolve.”
After hearing this, Weis’s expression didn’t change, but irritation—and a heavy sense of caution—flickered in his eyes.
He didn’t believe Roland was a fool. So if Roland was this confident that Arasaka would ultimately win, then Arasaka must already have set many plans in motion. Militech needed to be careful.
Just as Weis was about to leave, Roland spoke again, making Weis smile.
“So… yes, I do believe Arasaka will win. But as you said, if Night City were completely controlled by Arasaka, that wouldn’t be good for me either. That’s why I’m willing to cooperate with Militech. Many of the things I’ve previously supplied to Arasaka, I can just as easily provide to you.”
“And as for the gang you’re backing, and those armed units whose markings you’ve erased—I won’t have my people interfere. You’re free to keep causing trouble for the Tyger Claws and Arasaka as before. Naturally, on the condition that you don’t touch my territories, including The Mox.”
“A wise choice, Mr. Vimers!”
Weis stood up at last, a broad smile spreading across his face. After a bit more back-and-forth bargaining, he finally left.
Once outside the PROJECT Corporation building, Weis wasted no time. He immediately sent intelligence back to Militech headquarters, outlining his analysis and the possible implications.
Although headquarters didn’t fully believe that Arasaka could really turn the tables, the report still caught their attention. As a result, they strengthened their surveillance and pressure on Arasaka.
…
Meanwhile, as Higashiyama Ryoichi—an Arasaka commander—was arranging strategies, he suddenly received a report from his subordinates.
Militech had abruptly intensified its strikes against Arasaka’s intelligence department and launched a wave of attacks on Arasaka’s forces within New United States territory.
This made Higashiyama Ryoichi’s heart ache, while a series of question marks popped into his mind. Aside from being relatively aggressive in Night City, they had deliberately avoided Militech everywhere else. Why had things suddenly blown up like this?
This wasn’t logical. Could it be… an internal traitor?
No… that didn’t add up. The only explanation was that Commander Jamde on Militech’s side had sensed something was wrong. As expected of a Militech veteran—he had noticed the anomaly so quickly and responded with such decisiveness.
A sharp glint flashed through Higashiyama Ryoichi’s eyes.
“Then let me see what you’re capable of… And since we’ve already been exposed, there’s no need to keep holding back.”
After a brief moment of thought, Higashiyama Ryoichi issued orders to his subordinates: obstruct Militech as much as possible.
This wasn’t much different from their original strategy. They had planned to start interfering once Militech entered Southern California, gradually slowing their advance toward Night City.
Now it was simply happening a bit earlier. The impact wasn’t significant—and it might even be more effective. After all, Southern California’s agreement to join the New United States had been driven by circumstance.
With the situation now unstable, and after dealing with certain people there, Higashiyama Ryoichi didn’t believe they would obediently stay put and mind their own territory.
Perfect timing. They still needed a little more time to finalize their strategic preparations—especially since their long-prepared trump card was finally ready to be unveiled.
“Oh, right. What’s the situation with that Councilman Lucius in Night City? Is everything arranged properly?”
Higashiyama Ryoichi suddenly thought of Lucius and narrowed his eyes as he questioned his subordinate.
“Yes. He’s remained in constant contact with Kuroda and has already been influenced by our arguments. When the New United States arrives, he should reach out to us. Then we’ll realize this so-called ‘freedom’ of the City of Dreams.”
The intelligence officer spoke with a faintly mocking smile.
Higashiyama Ryoichi paid no attention to his subordinate’s expression. As long as the goal was achieved, nothing else mattered.
Councilman Lucius did, in fact, harbor genuine feelings for Night City. As for how much of that was mixed with personal interest… that was harder to judge.
What was certain, however, was that he truly wanted Night City to remain “free.” Handing the city over to Militech would clearly not fulfill that goal, which was why he chose Arasaka.
After all… this was the Americas. He believed that even if Arasaka controlled Night City, it wouldn’t be able to completely ignore the presence of the other two governments surrounding it.
The New United States government—and the Northern California government.
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