Chapter 174: Reactions from Various Corporations
Kuroda silently watched the battlefield footage recorded by Nevada’s military forces. When the video ended, he turned expressionlessly toward Iwasan behind him.
“Is this how your intelligence department… does its job?”
Hearing Kuroda’s unnervingly calm tone, Iwasan immediately broke into a cold sweat. He knew all too well that beneath that calm lay a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Kuroda let out a long sigh, his gaze growing deep as he fixed on the Nightmare war chariot on the screen. An electromagnetic cannon of that caliber… and the defensive systems that vehicle displayed…
Every detail pointed to PROJECT Corporation having mastered a far more advanced method of energy utilization.
If he had received this intelligence earlier, he would have been thrilled. But getting it now was the worst possible timing.
Given the strength PROJECT Corporation had already revealed, they were no longer a minor force. As for his own intelligence department—utter incompetents. Something this critical, and they had missed every sign of it.
Worse still, the complete absence of any prior traces suggested that PROJECT Corporation was likely hiding even more unknown capabilities.
Trying to coerce, bribe, or seize things by force at this point was already too late.
With multiple factions restraining one another, pulling something like that off would be extremely difficult. And even if they somehow reached a consensus to eliminate PROJECT Corporation… would anyone actually honor that agreement?
More likely, PROJECT Corporation would simply hand the technology over and let them all tear each other apart.
Thinking this, Kuroda sighed quietly. One step late meant every step afterward would be slower. All he could do now was push forward with the current plan and secure control of Night City.
As for the now rapidly expanding PROJECT Corporation…
Kuroda rubbed his temples, a headache forming. This was no longer something he could handle. Better to leave that headache to the people above him.
With that, he stopped paying attention to his troublesome subordinates. After issuing the necessary instructions, he washed his hands of the matter entirely.
Seeing this, Iwasan finally let out a breath of relief and hurriedly left, afraid that Kuroda might get irritated again and take it out on him.
But Arasaka wasn’t the only corp shaken by the military power PROJECT Corporation had displayed. Militech and others were just as stunned.
Kang Tao, in particular, was utterly baffled by what PROJECT Corporation had revealed. They were the corp that understood PROJECT Corporation’s origins best, and they had never had any major conflicts with them. So…
They quietly dispatched elite members from their R&D division along with top-tier PR personnel to Night City. The city might be a raging vortex right now, but that didn’t matter—rougher waters meant more valuable fish.
As long as PROJECT Corporation was willing to talk about technology, everything else could be negotiated.
Other megacorps didn’t see it that way, however—among them Petrochem and Militech.
The moment Myers and Militech’s upper management laid eyes on the Nightmare, they were completely taken by it. Their own armored vehicles instantly lost all appeal.
“What do you think of this technology?”
“We need it. Whether it’s that mysterious energy application or the electromagnetic weapon itself, both are technologies we must acquire.”
One senior military executive spoke flatly while staring at the video feed.
“Of course. That’s why I’m asking—how do we get our hands on it?”
Myers nodded, lightly tapping the table with a slightly curled finger.
The military executives exchanged looks, but no one spoke.
“What, have you all gone mute?”
Myers swept her gaze across the room, frowning when she received no response.
“Use force. Buying it is unrealistic. As for trading technology, given what they’ve already demonstrated, they probably wouldn’t even look twice at what we have.”
One military executive finally proposed.
“I object. Starting a war with them now would be unwise,” a conservative faction member said immediately. “Especially when we’re already fighting Arasaka. We don’t have the spare capacity to engage a force suspected of possessing strategic-level weapons.”
“So what, we just give up on this technology?” the hardliner shot back sarcastically. “Let them keep growing until they’re our equals?”
The conservative executive ignored him and instead looked directly at Myers.
“Madam President, you understand what I’m saying. If we use force, they have plenty of other options, don’t they? Arasaka, Kang Tao, even Petrochem—or worse… Europe.”
“...Then tell me,” Myers said after a brief pause, turning her eyes on him, “what exactly is your proposal?”
“An exchange of interests,” the conservative executive replied calmly. “Given the current situation, we can at most take part of the Free States. We were never going to swallow them whole in the first place.”
“You mean… funding them and letting them fight the Free States?” Myers asked. “After all, between a fragmented Free States and a unified New United States, their growth would naturally favor the Free States.”
“We need their technology. We don’t need to give them much—just enough to show goodwill. What we need is for them to oppose the Free States and buy us time, not to actually devour them.”
For once, even the aggressive faction fell silent. The idea seemed… workable.
First, let the two sides clash. Then provide limited support while promising not to interfere with PROJECT Corporation’s development, and use cooperation agreements to extract technology.
As for not interfering… they never said others couldn’t interfere.
“Your logic is sound, and the plan itself is well thought out,” Myers said slowly, pushing herself up from the table and straightening as she looked down at everyone present. “But I don’t agree.”
“What took them from nobodies to what they are today? Technology—and control over the situation. Every time, they find a delicate balance and use the competing interests between our corps to grow stronger.”
“Their earlier technology caught our interest. What they’ve shown now has earned our attention—and our desire. So how can you be sure this isn’t just what they want us to see?”
“And how can you be sure that this line of thinking isn’t exactly what they’re counting on?”
Myers’ presence pressed down on the room like a physical weight. She was someone with towering ambition—there was no room beside her bed for anyone else to sleep soundly.
Even if the conservative proposal made sense, what if it went wrong? What if PROJECT Corporation really could swallow the Free States whole?
Compared to the Free States—a historical problem that could still be dealt with—she was far more unwilling to see a newly risen megacorp seize half the board. If that happened, it might truly become unsolvable.
“My decision,” Myers said coldly, “is to use every means necessary to drive PROJECT Corporation out of this region—every asset, every operation, every person.”
A cold glint flashed through her eyes as she delivered the order without hesitation.
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