Kapitel 202: Chapter 200
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In the high-rise skyscraper's business roundtable meeting room, representatives from the city government, Arasaka, and Militech sat around the table. This roundtable meeting was organized by Jefferson. He had rejected the previous triangular seating arrangement and specifically changed it to a round one to create a more harmonious and friendly atmosphere, hoping to reduce hostility during the negotiations and facilitate a successful peace talk.
The representatives were busy preparing for the negotiations, continuously flipping through electronic files and looking up the identities of the opposing representatives. Tang Yu appeared very composed. Though he already knew the outcome, he still put an effort into the preliminaries. Sitting opposite him, Meredith also remained calm, seemingly having a thorough grasp of the situation.
Neither company made a sound, and the whole room was silent. Jefferson glanced at the time; it was time for the meeting to start. As the host, he began with a brief introduction and expressed the city's wishes. Both companies were world leaders, crucial to global stability. Their relationship could decide the future direction of the world.
Jefferson spoke earnestly, "The results of this negotiation are significant. Night City and even the global market are on the rise. If the two companies were to escalate their conflict at this critical juncture, that's something no one here wants to see. I hope both sides can consider the bigger picture."
Meredith took out a cigar, clipped the end, and lit it, smoking casually. After hearing Jefferson's speech, she didn't even raise her eyelids, just snickered and retorted, "Hah, consider the bigger picture? So we're just supposed to take the beating quietly? That's not how you mediate."
Jefferson was taken aback and about to argue, but Meredith interrupted, "If you don't know what to say, say less. You're here to host the meeting, not stand with Arasaka. Got it?"
Usually eloquent, Jefferson found himself at a loss for words. He hadn't expected such a blunt attitude, making him feel superfluous. Judging by Militech's stance, Jefferson felt that the chances of a successful negotiation were less promising than he had initially hoped. Clearly, Militech wasn't going to back down without taking a substantial concession from Arasaka.
Suppressing his awkwardness and anger, Jefferson explained to Meredith, "The city government will coordinate with Arasaka for compensation for the losses Militech suffered in the recent attack. Additionally, to maximize the benefits of our cooperation, I'll suggest that the city offers a portion of its top projects for joint development by both companies."
Meredith didn't shift her gaze from Tang Yu. She had no interest in Jefferson's proposals. "Be careful with what you say. You're not the mayor yet; can you really make decisions for the city government?" Her words were sharp, uncaring of the city councilor's feelings.
Meredith's constant jabs at Jefferson were partly to show a tough stance and also to curry favor with Tang Yu. She knew Jefferson was invited by Tang Yu to host the meeting, which meant Tang Yu supported Jefferson's potential election as future mayor. The tougher she was on him now, the more aligned Jefferson would be with Tang Yu in the future.
Jefferson's face turned even grimmer, but he didn't dare say more, swallowing his frustration. Conversely, Tang Yu took the opportunity to speak, "I'm willing to negotiate, but if Militech continues to be aggressive, I have enough information to ensure you reconsider your stance."
Meredith leaned back in her chair, smiling meaningfully, "Oh? I'd like to know just how much you have at your disposal."
Soon, the holographic projector in the center of the table activated, and both delegations uploaded their data. Militech provided images, audio, and video evidence of recent Arasaka attacks, some resulting in casualties. Conversely, Arasaka showed intelligence indicating that Militech had also conducted multiple smaller attacks, though less organized.
Both sides presented evidence, some real and some false, indicating their continuous covert operations against each other. The evidence Tang Yu provided was partly Arasaka's intel and partly information from Aunt Mei on attack locations. To obscure the sources, some unverifiable attacks were falsely attributed to Militech.
He continued, "From these numerous incidents, it's clear Arasaka has been trying to de-escalate, mitigating the negative impacts of these events. But this recent attack was a forced counteraction due to your egregious misconduct. Militech aims to escalate this scenario and put all the blame on Arasaka, but that's a miscalculation."
Meredith laughed lightly, "Hah, as if Arasaka hasn't engaged in subterfuge. Small-scale conflicts were tolerable, but this time you organized a premeditated, large-scale assault, which is essentially a declaration of war."
Neither side could convince the other, and as the negotiations grew more tense, Jefferson felt anxious. The outcome of this meeting was crucial to his future campaign and it couldn't fail. He interjected again, "Both companies have suffered losses from this conflict. If we can't contain this now, the future consequences will be catastrophic and more costly. Two giants clashing leads only to mutual destruction. Let's take a step back, focus on resolving the current issues, and continue the talks."
After finishing, Jefferson looked to both representatives. He knew continued accusations would only worsen the situation and disrupt the meeting.
Tang Yu remained silent, implicitly accepting Jefferson's suggestion. Meredith continued smoking her cigar, also not objecting. Other representatives followed their pre-prepared protocols, expressing their solutions and rationales.
The meeting scheduled for three days, and this was just the first round of public negotiations. There would be more in-depth talks between senior representatives in the afternoon to exchange more genuine opinions.
Amid the cacophony of the heated debates, Tang Yu unabashedly focused on Meredith, scrutinizing her upper body. Her brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, the icy cybernetic lines around her eyebrows adding a stern edge. Her smile, tinged with savvy maturity, played at the edges of her mouth. The round neckline revealed most of her neckline and shoulders, her darker complexion maintained well, appearing smooth and refined.
Such an invasive gaze seemed to others like a display of dominance. Meredith, unfazed, straightened her back, confidently meeting his scrutinizing gaze. As she straightened, the creases in her suit tightened, further accentuating her impressive cleavage.
Tang Yu's gaze dropped lower, noting the faint points that teased through the fabric. Wild, indeed. He recalled the butterfly knot belt from their last encounter at the "No-Tell Motel." The realization dawned on him.
Meredith's expression conveyed a knowing smile, as if to say, "You get it." She knocked on the table, drawing everyone's attention to her.
She spoke up, "I've shown enough sincerity by sitting here patiently to talk, but you don't seem to appreciate it."
"To be honest, I have no interest in these pointless meetings. If the next three days are going to be like this, we might as well leave and get some rest."
"As for how to resolve the matter, we can't decide that here. Let's settle it on the battlefield. Full-scale war may not happen, but local conflicts are inevitable."
"What do you think?"
Meredith's words were filled with threats as she stared directly at Tang Yu across the round table, waiting for his response.
Tang Yu lifted a silver briefcase from the ground and placed it on the table. He tapped it with his fingers and smiled calmly.
"Well said, local conflicts are unavoidable. Since you're ready for battle, I am also well-prepared."
Everyone's attention returned to the silver briefcase, their expressions becoming heavy and the atmosphere grew tense.
Neither side had any intention of negotiating. The talks had just begun, and already there were strong signs of conflict.
Jefferson wanted to say something more, but the meeting secretary reminded him that today's first round of public negotiations was over, and the next was a high-level meeting.
So, he had to hold back his words, declare the first round finished, and invite the high-level representatives to another small conference room to continue the talks.
At Jefferson's invitation, Tang Yu and Meredith got up and moved to the new venue.
Jefferson arranged it this way considering that in public negotiations, both sides were very cautious and sensitive topics were hard to discuss openly.
Especially in this kind of conflict-laden bilateral negotiation, high-level reps often sharpened their rhetoric to appear stronger, refusing to back down.
But in a smaller meeting room with just high-level reps, they could be more open while exchanging demands and opinions.
Many productive negotiation results are achieved in private talks. On the surface, they might be at each other's throats, but in private, they traded interests to meet their needs.
Jefferson led both company's representatives and their teams to the small meeting room. Facing the two company heads, he politely asked, "Would you like to take a short break?"
Meredith replied indifferently, "It's not even officially started yet, what's the point?"
Jefferson could only laugh awkwardly and introduced, "According to the meeting schedule, it's time for the private talks. This room is shielded for security, so rest assured and exchange your opinions freely. We'll be outside waiting for good news."
Meredith glanced at Jefferson, knowing he had put in a lot of effort for these talks, even arranging for private discussions.
Her gaze then fell on Mrs. Peralez standing quietly beside her husband, giving off an aura of a behind-the-scenes player.
Without saying anything, Meredith stepped into the small meeting room.
Before entering, Tang Yu said to Jefferson, "Arasaka came to this meeting with sincerity. I hope you can help hold the city stable. I don't mind taking some losses here."
Jefferson immediately understood that Tang Yu wanted the municipal side to act as a buffer, making more concessions.
As Meredith said, he was just a councilor in Night City, not the mayor, and his power was limited.
But Jefferson still nodded firmly, "I'll try my best. Nobody wants to see Night City in ruins."
Tang Yu gently patted his shoulder, picked up the silver briefcase, and walked into the meeting room. The electronic door closed behind him.
Inside the meeting room, the high-end sofas and chairs were neatly placed, with fresh fruits and snacks on the table.
Signal jammers and various functional electronic devices adorned the walls.
Tang Yu's fingers flicked with subtle electrical arcs, quickly checking all the electronic devices, ensuring no security risks and gaining full control.
Meredith walked straight to a wooden wine cabinet, took out two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine. She closed the cabinet with a bump of her hip, then sat down by the sofa.
Tang Yu didn't stand on ceremony, walking over to the sofa on the opposite side and placing the silver briefcase on the table.
Today's local conflict seemed inevitable; to face an increasingly uncertain future, he needed more solid alliances.
In other words, their relationship was mutually beneficial.
Meredith poured two glasses of red wine, slowly handed one to Tang Yu, and moved closer.
After taking the glass, Tang Yu smiled and said, "Weren't you the one being aggressive? I was forced to react."
Meredith chuckled and drank her wine, her cheeks flushing slightly. She put down her glass, her hand slowly caressing the silver briefcase, murmuring, "You've got guts, bringing this along."
"Well, your stakes are high too," Tang Yu remained composed, "You provided me vital intel before. I'm repaying that favor now."
Meredith smiled, "You're giving me a tough choice: an easy win or an irresistible conflict. It's quite tempting."
"May I ask, why not take both?" Meredith opened the briefcase, revealing a buzzing, mysterious object.
Tang Yu bluntly said, "There's a saying: everything is negotiable."
Meredith interrupted him, taking the item in one hand and moving towards his waist with the other. "Why don't we discuss it while taking care of business?"
Tang Yu supported her waist, saying, "After this meeting, I'll issue an apology statement. I can't guarantee upper management's decisions, but the city will offer some concessions. Is that acceptable?"
Meredith replied, "Acceptable... but isn't cutting the knot before reporting falling into the opponent's trap? Won't your boss be anxious about keeping you safe?"
Tang Yu responded, "After changes in upper management, even she can't protect herself. I'm not overly concerned."
Meredith smirked, "I didn't think your ambitions were so huge... Honestly, if Arasaka kicks you out, interested in joining Militech?"
Tang Yu sighed, "Do you think I could leave Arasaka alive if it came to that?"
Meredith's brows furrowed, her eyes closed, she whispered, "So that's your condition, you want me to cover for you?"
Tang Yu shook his head, "I need you to keep an eye on a few people."
Meredith laughed, "Looks like you've got deep secrets and connections I didn't expect... Okay, considering your effort, I'll agree."
Now in a tight spot, their relationship officially solidified into an alliance. With enough common interests and secrets, their cooperation could continue.
Meredith 'hmm'ed a few times, seemingly recalling something. She suddenly asked, "But... if that day comes and you lose your position, aren't you afraid I'll turn on you and eliminate everyone involved?"
Tang Yu exerted more pressure, "Don't worry, I don't give up that easily."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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