章 203: Chapter 201
Future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict. Additionally, I have many new works readers may be interested in. Go look! Thanks!
The Skyscraper Building, inside the large conference hall.
The crowd bustling about, each busy with setting up the municipal news conference site.
Backstage at the press conference, senior municipal officials and corporate delegation members gathered, discussing the upcoming announcement.
At the center of the crowd stood the Peralez couple and Acting Mayor Weldon Holt.
Jefferson glanced at the time; today was the third day of the conference.
In a small meeting room, representatives of two giant companies were engaged in the final round of negotiations.
Looking at the meeting room's door, Jefferson's eyes showed some anxiety.
The final round of negotiations had already exceeded expectations, and the press conference site was almost ready, only waiting for the end of the talks to announce the results.
Whether good or bad, the municipal side had to give the public an answer.
At this time, Weldon Holt, standing next to Jefferson, spoke up.
"It doesn't seem to be going well, huh? Any new developments from the earlier rounds of talks?"
He was invited by city council member Jefferson to attend the press conference on behalf of the municipality.
Jefferson shook his head slightly and explained, "Three days of public negotiation meetings, and the arguments have been getting worse by the day. Militech demands Arasaka publicly issue an apology, admitting to organizing the attack."
"But Arasaka isn't backing down either. They have evidence of Militech's attack on Arasaka and insist Militech struck first." Jefferson thought about the past few days of negotiations and felt a headache coming on.
Neither company was truly willing to negotiate, each firmly holding onto its own interests, not yielding an inch.
Particularly, the two high-ranking representatives were constantly competing against each other openly and covertly, and as the representatives dug into each other's dirt, the tension in the room grew.
Hearing this, Holt just smirked coldly.
Initially, Holt didn't understand Jefferson's approach—why share the imminent success with him.
Even though various media were hyping up the tension, the elite of Night City didn't believe a full-scale war between the two companies was likely.
Thus, Jefferson, who facilitated the negotiation, could have taken full credit as a stepping stone for his political campaign.
Holt also wanted to take on this role, but unfortunately, the companies didn't give him any face and handed the success to Jefferson.
He knew the public negotiations were not going easy on Jefferson, often showing disdain or contempt.
Now, Jefferson invited him to host the press conference, partly to share the pressure if the negotiations failed and partly to gain Holt's agreement on compensatory projects for the companies.
Holt saw through Jefferson's motive; Jefferson alone couldn't handle the big outcome.
Holt had initially wanted to see Jefferson make a fool of himself, but considering the importance of the negotiations, he agreed to attend, at least publicly to claim more credit.
Unexpectedly, the public talks turned out too tense, with both companies' representatives being overly aggressive, leaving no room for conciliation.
Holt had promised significant profitable projects, yet he couldn't secure their compromise.
"What about the private negotiations? With no outsiders present, they don't need to hold back. If they had been in there for so long and couldn't agree, they wouldn't even stay a minute longer." Holt wanted to know the high-level representatives' opinions. Their stance could determine the success or failure of the talks.
He was confident a large-scale war wouldn't happen but feared localized conflicts might be inevitable.
As top-tier global companies, even small skirmishes would greatly affect Night City's stability.
With the election near, he didn't want any chaos.
He needed to portray himself as a hero saving the city, and this negotiation was the perfect opportunity.
Jefferson looked rather helpless and had to share some of his findings and judgments with Holt.
"The high-level representatives had significant private discussions, yet didn't reveal much of the progress afterward."
"From their expressions when they left the meeting room, it seemed the Militech representative had the upper hand, while Arasaka's Tang Yu might have made some concessions."
Jefferson didn't hide what he knew.
He had personally invited Holt to participate, even willing to give him the lion's share, determined to make the negotiation successful.
Without Acting Mayor Holt's decision, any municipal compensation plan was just paper talk.
As a council member, Jefferson didn't have the power to get the entire city council to agree on the compensation plan.
Holt became interested and asked, "What details led you to this conclusion? If Arasaka is willing to concede more, the likelihood of success in these negotiations increases."
Jefferson recalled, each time the two representatives left the small meeting room, Meredith from Militech always wore a somewhat smug smile, while Tang Yu from Arasaka looked more composed, seemingly hiding his inner turmoil.
Moreover, Tang Yu had been the one who actively invited Jefferson to preside over the talks.
"From their attitudes after the private talks, but I'm still unsure. This is the last round of private negotiations, so a result should come soon."
The two chatted for a while, then fell silent, quietly waiting for the outcome of the talks.
Time ticked by, and many people anxiously waited outside. The press conference venue was fully prepared, with reporters from various media outlets in position, ready to document the latest outcomes of the talks.
Finally.
The electronic security light of the small conference room lit up, and the steel gate slowly opened. The first to appear in everyone's sight was Militech's senior representative, Meredith. She scanned the people present, wiped the corners of her tightly shut mouth in plain view, and then said nothing more. After putting her black leather gloves back on, she led the Militech delegation out, marching briskly towards the press conference venue.
Jefferson had long been accustomed to Meredith's haughty demeanor; she indeed had the status and power to look down on everything. What he truly cared about was Tang Yu's attitude. If the negotiations were successful, it certainly meant Arasaka had made significant concessions.
Following closely, Tang Yu stepped out, still looking composed. Jefferson took two steps forward and asked eagerly, "Mr. Tang, is there a result from the negotiations?"
Tang Yu nodded slightly and gestured for Jefferson to walk and talk. "Basically, there's no issue. The direction of the negotiations is set, but there are still some issues that need to be negotiated with the city administration."
A glint of excitement flashed in Jefferson's eyes as he introduced the deputy mayor, Weldon Holt. When Tang Yu saw the deputy mayor, he immediately realized what the two were scheming. For Holt, with limited time as acting mayor, the best strategy was to use his power to amass as much capital as possible. Jefferson, on the other hand, wanted to use Holt to facilitate the success of the negotiations.
In Tang Yu's view, Jefferson was still a bit young. Being able to remain so composed and to share the benefits with someone else was uncharacteristic of Jefferson, unless Jefferson genuinely did not want to see Night City turn into ruins and only wanted to be a selfless council member dedicated to the city's light.
Tang Yu slightly turned his head and glanced at Mrs. Peralez, who was silently following behind Jefferson. She cast the occasional sidelong glance at Tang Yu. Her gaze met Tang Yu's, and she quickly looked away, lowering her head obediently.
Tang Yu retracted his gaze, knowing that this highly capable lady was more eager to rise to power than Jefferson himself, eager to see her husband succeed. Next to her, Holt wore a face full of smiles, extending a courteous hand in greeting. Unlike Jefferson, he bowed lower when facing the Arasaka executive. Tang Yu casually brushed him off, not intending to shake hands, feeling his fingers still dirty and somewhat sticky.
In front of Meredith, he held his head high, so naturally, he wouldn't pay too much attention to an acting mayor about to leave office. Seeing Tang Yu's cold attitude towards Holt, Jefferson felt a bit of secret delight. He thought that with the negotiations showing promise, he had personally facilitated the talks, and everything was moving in a favorable direction. Once the press conference concluded, he could start a new round of campaign publicity.
Holt's smile stiffened as he realized he had received a cold reception. Suddenly, he regretted attending the press conference. Tang Yu's treatment of him implied that Arasaka was betting on Jefferson in the upcoming election, not him, Weldon Holt. In subsequent statements from the two giant companies, most of the credit would likely go to Jefferson. However, at this point, Holt found it hard to extricate himself; he couldn't overturn the city's compensation plan for the two companies. If the city administration were to destroy the negotiation results, Jefferson would undoubtedly seize upon this point and criticize them heavily, while also alienating both companies and complicating his mayoral campaign.
With things as they were, Holt had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow the group into the press conference venue. When he finally arrived, his face grew even more troubled. The main stage, covered with blue cloth, had a row of tables arranged in a line. Electronic nameplates were placed on the tables, with the representatives of the two companies sitting on either side, and no nameplate for Weldon Holt. Meanwhile, the speaking platform for city administration was situated at the left front of the main stage, equipped only with the city's emblem and a microphone, and had no nameplate either.
Jefferson's intention was all too clear: when the press conference started, anyone from the city administration could step up to speak. Meredith had already taken her seat with several Militech negotiation representatives in the middle. Next to her, on the left, was Tang Yu's seat. Tang Yu also led the Arasaka delegation to their seats, filling the main stage table. Media reporters and live-streaming began, eagerly waiting for the important speeches to follow.
Seeing that everything was ready, Jefferson courteously invited Holt to the main podium to give an opening speech. He knew that Holt, being unaware of the actual negotiation details, would hardly say anything substantial. Holt immediately took the stage and began his opening statements.
On the main stage, Meredith looked arrogant, glancing down slightly with an air of victory. In contrast, Tang Yu appeared much more understated, calmly waiting for Holt to finish his opening remarks.
Suddenly, Tang Yu felt something soft brushing against his shoe. The area under the table was well-covered, hiding everything from outside view. Without changing his expression, he waited for Holt to finish speaking, then activated the microphone in front of him and spoke frankly.
"Arasaka takes responsibility for the recent attack. After a formal apology, it will further negotiate with Militech on subsequent compensation matters."
The entire room was stunned.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット