Meredith organized her thoughts: So now she had to continue the charade.
But upon closer inspection, it wasn't entirely fake: The fact that Burger King didn't know where the Lizardmen came from was already valuable intelligence.
If that was the case, then the connection between the Lizardmen and biotech, and the fact that they were taken by Wraith operatives related to biodynamics, actually made a lot of sense.
As a spy who came from an intelligence background, she was already familiar with this type of operation, using inside help to sabotage a corporation, and she was good at it.
However, to fully solidify Burger King's version of events, she would need the cooperation of those reviewing the intelligence.
And the fewer people reviewing the information, the better—ideally, only she would remain.
The colonel overseeing the border forces had to die—and the breakthrough lay at the border wall.
How many people were in the border forces?
There were two divisions recorded: 536 soldiers stationed at the southern wall, and with logistics and technical staff included, the total was 661.
Tonight, 89 combat personnel had already been killed—a considerable loss.
There were fewer people because the border forces of Militech were highly automated—
Here, border control was generally simple: Anyone approaching without authorization would be shot on sight. No need to think about other factors.
If you have nothing to hide, why not go through the checkpoints?
So, the high wall separating Southern and Northern California, aside from checkpoint zones and maintenance and power stations on either side, didn't really require human guards.
Countless Griffin and Octant drones patrolled 24/7, and anyone who dared to approach within a kilometer of the wall would be shot on sight.
The drones were largely powered by wireless solar energy panels scattered near the wall.
These solar panels absorbed sunlight, using radio frequency technology to supply power to nearby drones, creating a mutually defensive relationship with the drone defense zones.
Because of this relationship, hacking into the solar power stations could give access to the drone network.
At the very least, hacking the solar stations could disable nearby drones, creating an opening for an attack convoy.
As a result, these scattered solar power stations were the main focus of human security in the border forces.
Considering the vastness of this area, the gap left by the absence of this entire armored squad would create a significant security breach for the solar stations in the Badlands.
Breaching one or two of the power stations wouldn't be a problem.
The Basilisk would lead the charge and tear down the border wall—a major event for the border forces.
If they managed to break through, the commanding officer's life would be at risk. He would have to scramble to defend, and if he was still sitting in his office, it would be laughable.
Lure him out, eliminate him on the spot, and she would be the only survivor directly involved in the event. This way, she could obscure the facts and patch the holes in the story Burger King had fabricated.
Now she had to deceive the corporation and collude with outsiders—Meredith was on a dark path with no return.
Leo's voice rang in Meredith's head:
"Listen, I've implanted some discreet backdoors in your mind. Don't think you'll be out of my control just because you leave here.
Remember, I saved your life, and your life is still in my hands.
Once you return, I expect you to deliver what I asked for, no exceptions."
Meredith trembled slightly, a result of her severe injuries and the loss of her life-supporting cybernetics.
Leo had given her some initial treatment, but it was only enough to keep her alive for a while.
"You're asking for too much—the backdoor will be detected by the corporation," she said weakly.
"You're in no position to make demands, Director Stout. Frankly, doing business with us is a huge win for you. You'll have to find a way to hide that little backdoor yourself."
In truth, Leo wasn't worried about the backdoor being discovered at all.
This backdoor was linked to systems from a different world, the Marvel Universe. As long as no commands were issued, there would be no problem.
Even if a command was sent, how would Militech track a signal from another universe?
The high wall appeared in the distance, along with the Militech solar stations.
"There are three hours left until dawn. This is the last mission of the night, so stay sharp."
The Basilisk sped towards the solar station, and the guards raised their hands, wanting to check their IDs—
But what greeted them was a barrage of firepower!
Boom!
The Basilisk fired all its missiles, and the Militech soldiers stationed around the Behemoth armored vehicle were blown to pieces along with the vehicle.
V, perched on top of the Basilisk, shot the driver in the head.
Jackie leaped off the Basilisk, finishing off the remaining survivors and grabbing two prisoners, tossing them towards the maintenance hatch.
Leo jumped down from the Basilisk and landed at the hatch, hacking into the systems of the two unfortunate soldiers, then using them as a bridge to bypass the military ICE at the power station.
Looking up—drones in that sector were quickly converging on the station, the only barrier to breaching the defense zone.
The border forces primarily relied on drones for patrol, with only two Basilisks and two Valkyries typically on duty at a time. One was here, but the other was stationed in a sector miles away!
Once the drones were taken offline, breaking through the wall would only take a minute or two!
The incoming drones suddenly froze in mid-air, their red lights flashing, and then turning green as they descended toward the two Behemoth vehicles behind them.
Honestly, no one had seen this kind of situation before.
Money was practically pouring into the vehicles.
Further back, two Ragnar armored vehicles crossed the holographic warning line without stopping, heading straight for the wall!
Inside the vehicles were explosives and Wraith corpses!
Boom!
The wall exploded, leaving a gaping hole with bodies scattered everywhere!
The Basilisk fired all its remaining missiles, and from a distance, it looked like a war was being fought!
After one round of attacks, the breach in the wall had grown significantly, with bodies and wrecked vehicles strewn all over the place.
"That's enough—Director Stout, have you made contact?"
". . . I see him."
"Good."
The energy stored by the solar stations during the day began to fill the area.
It had to be said, large-scale EMPs were a deadly weapon on the battlefield, especially in ambush scenarios.
It was something worth savoring.
At the Militech outpost on the California border wall,
the colonel stationed there collapsed into his chair.
A total of 89 Militech armored troops were missing.
Don't think 89 is a small number.
This world had gone through multiple nuclear wars, an internet crash, and environmental collapse. The population had already been reduced multiple times, and birth rates were terrifyingly low.
In the most brutal conflicts of the Unification Wars, losing 3,000 troops in a single day was considered an unspeakable disaster.
The total garrison at the border wall numbered only about 600. In one blow, they had lost nearly one-seventh of their forces.
And this was an armored division, along with the loss of drones, attack helicopters, Basilisks, hover APCs, and several armored transports.
And the mission target, the Lizardmen?
Not a single trace!
That guy who was fighting while eating was impressive, but there was no sign of any Lizardmen!
"Stout!" The colonel gritted his teeth, cursing, "You bitch! Bastard! Incompetent idiot!!!"
At this point, there was only one report to file: There were no Lizardmen here!
PR Director and Special Intelligence Agent Meredith Stout had provided false intelligence, illegally supplied experimental technology to criminals, and led to an attack on the border forces!
[Militech California Border Forces Colonel: Combat Report: Unknown Bioweapon Operation File-Γ-7]
[Preliminary Report: Mission Failed]
[Current Status: Unverified unknown bioweapon Γ intelligence, unauthorized Militech experimental technology discovered, further verification required]
[Requesting deployment of border forces for further investigation]
[Command conflict, request denied]
[Cross-examination requested by Wasteland detachment]
[New urgent private channel message received]
[Sender: Meredith Stout]
The colonel was stunned: That bitch isn't dead?
[Meredith Stout: The Lizardmen and Wraiths are heading for the border wall!]
[Meredith Stout: Idiot, you attacked the wrong target!]
He understood each word, but when strung together, he had no idea what Meredith was talking about.
Boom!
[Warning!]
[California Border High Wall Section 6 under attack!]
[Surveillance offline]
[Drones out of control]
[Solar power section offline]
The colonel's face turned pale, his heart skipping a beat. He jumped up, no longer caring about whatever nonsense Meredith was spouting—
The border wall was under a real attack!
He rushed out of the station in a panic, activating his military-grade Sandevistan cybernetics and scanning the direction of the assault with his tactical-grade augmented eyes:
Drones were swarming toward the solar station, but—
They weren't attacking the invaders. It looked more like they were returning to their base!
Someone was robbing the Militech border forces!
"Damn it! Deploy! Wake up everyone who isn't on guard duty, no one gets to sleep!"
Actually, he didn't need to say anything; the automatic border dispatch system had already begun assigning personnel.
[Advance support unit deployment completed, now engaging.]
A Behemoth armored vehicle sped past him, and he jumped onto it, gripping the door's handlebar with one hand.
Practically gritting his teeth, he sent a message to Stout.
[Militech Colonel #0856: What the hell is going on?!]
[Meredith Stout: There's been a mistake in the intel. We attacked the wrong people! Tell me which section is under attack. I'll bring reinforcements, or the lizardmen will escape!]
[Meredith Stout: {Encrypted Image} {Encrypted Intel File}]
[Downloading file (Do not click on personal emails from unknown sources) (small print)]
[Militech Colonel #0856: Now you're telling me this? Are there really lizardmen?]
[Meredith Stout: I see your convoy.]
In the desert, a Militech Behemoth with a few armored vehicles was approaching rapidly. The colonel received Stout's signal and motioned to his men not to fire.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"I told you before, you should have used white phosphorus to burn down the cement plant!"
"What the hell does that have to do with this?! Damn—watch out, the enemy is at the power station! That Basilisk isn't ours!"
"The Burger King isn't our main target! The Wraiths tricked all of us, and someone is helping them!"
Stout quickly calculated the distance—
"What? Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Are you messing with me?"
Bang!
Suddenly, the solar power station exploded, and a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) surged through the area—
This EMP wasn't enough to completely neutralize the border forces, but it definitely disrupted their communications.
"Damn, an EMP attack? Nomads again? Damn, those Nomads!"
The colonel's Sandevistan started to activate but was immediately hit with a series of cybernetic system errors—
His military-grade ICE (Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics) had been bypassed without a sound! The EMP triggered a hidden virus, locking up his cybernetic enhancements!
And the path the hackers took to bypass the ICE? It was through that private email. Meredith was the mole!
He glanced at the driver, who now had smoke rising from his head!
The enemy hackers had used the communication channel to bypass the ICE, disabling his entire system and also taking down his entire forward support squad!
The colonel's face twisted in rage: "You played me—"
He turned to look at the Ragnar armored vehicle driving alongside.
Meredith was in the passenger seat, her body severely burned and barely functional, but she was still holding a revolver, her eyes cold—
Without a word, Meredith pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The final task was done.
Leo stood atop the Basilisk, watching as the colonel's team, the first to arrive at the scene, was completely wiped out by Jackie.
The border wall had been blown open by explosives and missiles, and the timing was perfect—
Just in time to catch the sunrise on the horizon.
Sunlight streamed through the gaping hole in the wall, shining on the burning vehicles and the corpses of Wraiths scattered across the ground.
A vehicle, seemingly "driven by corpses," sped through the breach, bouncing along the way toward Mexico.
Thus ended the wild night in the Wastelands.
"That's a wrap."
(End of chapter)
[Bio-Weapon Γ-7 Archive]
[Detailed Report:]
[Intelligence #1: The group involved with Bio-Weapon Γ, "Burger King Gang with Burger Big Shots" (abbreviated as H in this document), was suspected to have appeared in the Badlands and captured an employee with cyberpsychosis, Gabriel Blitz.]
[Related Action Information: Intelligence #1 has been confirmed. Meredith Stout, PR Director of Night City, was responsible for leading the capture and obtaining further intelligence.]
[Note: Meredith Stout is the main intelligence officer in this file.]
[Intelligence #2: The main intelligence officer hired an external team to assist in locating the robbers of a Militech convoy. The external team suspected the attack was carried out by the Badlands criminal gang known as the Wraiths.]
[Related Action Information: Intelligence #2 has been confirmed. The main intelligence officer has begun investigating the motives behind the robbery.]
[Note: External team information.]
[Intelligence #3: The Wraiths are suspected of needing discarded biological control components to transport Bio-Weapon Γ.]
[Related Action Information: Intelligence #3 has been partially confirmed. Bio-Weapon Γ has not been sighted, but the intelligence documents have been recorded.]
[Key Personnel Information: Wraith leader Bowen.]
[Note: Bowen possesses experimental equipment issued by Biodyne Systems, suspected of being connected to them (important annotation).]
[Intelligence #4: The external team provided information on Wraith camps: Stone Ridge Town, Stone Ridge Abandoned Tunnel, and Stone Ridge Abandoned Cement Plant.]
[Related Action Information: Militech funds were allocated to hire the external team for a military operation.
The external team and the Badlands forces completed a sweep of Stone Ridge Town and the abandoned tunnel but faced fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties.
Regulated biological experiment facility waste was discovered inside the Wraiths' hideout.]
[Evidence has been collected.]
[Bio-Weapon Γ has not been found.]
[Intelligence #5: Intelligence discovered in the Stone Ridge Abandoned Tunnel indicated that Bio-Weapon Γ is about to be smuggled out of the border and sent to Mexico.]
[Intelligence #6: The intelligence officer believes that group H is connected to the Wraiths.]
[Related Action Information: Intelligence #5 has been partially confirmed, and email data has been collected.]
[Related Action Information: Intelligence #6 was found to be a major error, confirming that group H was not involved with Bio-Weapon Γ.]
[Intelligence #7: Group H has joined the external team to participate in the Wraith eradication operation.]
[Major Operation Detailed Record: Border forces were sent to surround the cement plant, but Colonel #0856's battlefield command failed as the command signal was disrupted by EMP weapons.
Colonel #0856 failed to receive Intelligence #7 in time and engaged in fierce combat with group H.]
[Operation Outcome: California Border Forces' 4th Armored Squad was completely wiped out.]
[Due to Colonel #0856's failure, the Wraiths seized a Behemoth armored vehicle, MH-332.]
[The Wraiths used MH-332 to breach the border wall, and Bio-Weapon Γ was suspected to have escaped Night City's border, with interception attempts failing.]
[MH-332 has been seized by the external team, and further negotiations are ongoing.]
[Operation information has been recorded.]
[Network information has been recorded.]
[Damage assessment.]
[Expense report.]
[Experimental weapon performance data (accessible only to specific development departments).]
[...]
[File retrieval terminated.]
[Personnel adjustment: Your security clearance level has been downgraded to F.]
[Welfare adjustment: Your benefits have been reduced; please check your payslip for details.]
[European Bank Information: Your company has deducted your deposits to cover work-related losses.]
[American Bank Information: Your company has deducted your deposits to cover work-related losses.]
[New American Consolidated Bank Information: …]
[...]
[Current Total Debt: 1,214,666 Eurodollars.]
Meredith lay on the medical bed, taking a deep breath.
She had barely managed to survive.
Debt, lower security clearance, even the million-plus in liabilities—none of it mattered.
At least she still had her job.
Plus, an F-level clearance wasn't the lowest—it still qualified her as logistics personnel.
Why did the company keep her? Probably because maintaining the company's reputation was her real job.
In that regard, she was pretty good, though too many people died this time.
She would have to scrape some funds together to pay that troublesome individual.
She was already in debt—it was like borrowing money to pay wages.
[Transfer: -210000]
[You have a new message from Burger King.]
[Burger King: Not bad. Militech is reliable. I'll tell the folks back home about your good work.]
Meredith's eyebrow twitched.
[Meredith: The Nomad transport was let through. When can the border wall repairs begin?]
[Burger King: We're honest folks. You set the time, and our workers can be there.]
[Meredith: Tonight.]
[Burger King: Nah, can't do. We're having a party tonight.]
Meredith felt like she couldn't breathe.
But remembering that at least she was still alive, she felt at ease again.
[New personnel adjustment: Some of your tasks will now be handled by Anthony Gilchrist.]
[Personnel Information: Anthony Gilchrist]
[Security Clearance: B]
[Please cooperate with this employee on related security work.]
Seeing this message, Meredith felt even worse—her company was gradually reallocating resources to Night City, and many things would be sent in.
These tasks used to be hers, but because of the Badlands incident, her security clearance was revoked.
Her position was still retained, but it was clear the company planned to have this new agent gradually take over her work!
In a company like Militech, security clearance was everything!
But now, she had access to Night City's top mercenaries, so she might still have a chance to turn things around.
"Anthony Gilchrist, you better not make any mistakes."
Leo had also reviewed the same file and confirmed that Meredith hadn't sabotaged anything.
The woman was clever—she had taken full responsibility to avoid any future conflict with potential Lizardman intel.
By taking the blame, she wouldn't die, but she'd be left in a miserable state. At least if the Lizardman intel did surface, it wouldn't trigger a major investigation from the company.
There was only one scenario where she'd be in real trouble: if Burger King turned into a Lizardman right in front of her.
Haha, but that was impossible, right?
She was definitely betting on it, as living in this world meant taking risks.
Back at the campfire, the Nomads gathered, drinking beer and celebrating their victory.
They were also mourning the fallen.
In the end, only Cedric died in the fight. The severely injured young ones were saved, though they wouldn't be able to move until they got new cyberware. But at least they were alive.
The last of the old warriors of Red Ochre were burned on the pyre, turning to ash as the flames rose.
Leo sat down next to Saul. "The supply line you were stuck on in Reno is sorted, and I got you another contract with Militech."
"What kind of contract?"
"Border wall repairs."
Saul leaned back slightly as a sign of respect.
If he remembered correctly, they were the ones who broke that wall.
The Nomads were about to get very busy.
The stolen weapons had to be sold, the border wall needed repairs, new camps had to be built, and Militech would continue to issue contracts for wiping out the Wraiths.
Busy was good—everyone could see hope now.
Saul raised his beer, and Leo raised his soda bottle, clinking them together.
"Hah—The famous merc only drinks soda. What a strange world."
"What's wrong with soda?"
Saul smiled and set his beer aside. "What do you think about building a town here?"
That had been his plan all along.
Night City was one of the most developed cities in the world, known for its high level of freedom. Building a haven for the Nomads here had always been his goal.
Large stretches of abandoned towns could be bought for next to nothing, and then everyone could settle down and live like they did before they became Nomads.
Leo didn't answer the question but instead asked, "What do you think of Night City?"
Looking at the towering holographic billboards in the distance and the mesmerizing city skyline, Saul sighed.
"Honestly, now I understand. I never really knew it—guess you think my plan is naïve too."
"It's not naïve, it's foolish. Who places their hopes in something they don't even understand?
The Badlands may have nothing, but at least there's a family you can trust."
"But the Badlands are still the Badlands. We're short on cyberware, medicine, vehicles, fuel, and weapons for protection.
The number of newborn deaths rises every year, and fewer people are joining us. Many tribes have disbanded or merged with other families."
Saul's voice grew more somber as he looked earnestly at Leo. "You've given us hope. The Aldecaldos will always be your friends. We will always have your back."
"Not planning to go corporate?"
"Saul is truly a big fool." Saul waved it off, self-deprecatingly. "Don't bring that up."
"Alright, I've got a long-term business deal for you. Remember those synthetic blood packs?"
Leo placed a splitter chip on the table.
The Aldecaldos weren't just a small group of people. Though they had declined significantly over the years, they hadn't shrunk down to just a hundred or so members.
Originally, their main activity area was near the US-Mexico border. But ever since Saul's proposal was approved within the clan, their operations had gradually shifted northward.
Now, they were primarily making a living by running supply lines between Mexico's Chihuahua, northern and southern California, and Nevada.
The Aldecaldo family could easily maintain this supply line, gathering raw materials in the cities along the route and then selling drugs across the border.
Since this operation crossed three different countries, investigating it would be extremely costly, and the distance between the production and sale locations increased the secrecy of the business.
As for how profitable this venture could be: synthetic blood is a common drug in this world, monopolized by major corporations and used in vast quantities—far more than in the normal world.
All Leo and the Aldecaldos had to do was capture some unlucky folks from the Maelstrom gang and turn them into blood donors. The selling price wouldn't be too high, but the costs were extremely low.
With the profits, they could then purchase additional biological materials from the black market. Leo would soon be able to use biotic filters and lizard serum to create immune suppressants based on genetically modified biliverdin.
With the combination of immune suppressants and synthetic blood, once the business stabilized, there would be no problem bringing the Aldecaldos back to strength.
This wasn't some short-term charity handout from the corporation—it was a steady, long-term source of income.
Saul was tempted, but he had one concern: "If the company finds out about this kind of tech, there will be serious problems."
"Yeah, which is why I need to figure out how to keep the production process a secret. Start preparing yourselves—you'll need some time to regroup for this big business."
Leo raised his drink again, "But for now, let's just enjoy the victory. Tell me about Cedric—I got to know him pretty well during our little fight."
"Hah, that old guy... He used to be quite the big shot."
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