Players Invade Cyberpunk-Chapter 718 - 231: Love from Super Earth (Part 2)

There's no helping it; in Night City, the chances of an explosion are greater than those of fireworks. You could say it's a local custom. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Following that, a rain of colorful light continuously spread across Night City's sky, falling like scattered stars, descending to earth with burning intensity, never ceasing even when the light faded.

Perhaps in terms of elegance, fireworks fall short compared to the grand neon exhibitions held by the big corporations in Night City, but unlike cold optical images, the light born from burning gunpowder is hot. They symbolize players' good expectations for the new year and the beginning of a new era.

The brilliant colors of the fireworks were reflected on the glass of the corporate buildings in the plaza of Far-Company, quickly attracting many company dogs still working overtime. They stood before the cold glass curtain wall, watching the fireworks show from a distance through thick barriers.

"So beautiful..."

"Is this an exhibition organized by a company?"

"I heard it's part of Horizon Corporation's annual event. The drone performance earlier was probably theirs too."

"Did you know? All the employees in their company attended the annual event from top to bottom. It was very lively. My friend just live-streamed their concert for me, the music was awesome, and I heard the singer was also one of their employees."

"I really don't know when our company could hold such a grand annual event..."

"In the next life, maybe. These kinds of events are only for those at the top. Who are we, anyway?"

At this point, some department heads noticed the disturbance among employees but, choosing to ignore the longing in their eyes, hurried them back to their desks to continue working.

"What are you all doing? Get back to work quickly. If we don't meet this month's targets, our department's budget will be cut next month."

The employees, not wanting their salaries to be docked, reluctantly headed back to their desks. Just as they turned away, a fireball much larger than any previous firework slowly ascended into the sky, with someone else's scream faintly audible.

A good brother has once again been launched into the sky.

Sitting on the rocket chair, the good brother felt as if the wind would peel off the skin of his face. He couldn't even open his eyes, only able to shout in the channel.

"Ah!!! Is it high enough?!!!"

"It's enough. Detonate quickly, then parachute!"

Because this custom-made Super Earth firework was too large, the cost of electronic control was quite high, and precision couldn't be guaranteed. To avoid wasting this firework or for safety reasons, Super Balloon opted for manual detonation.

What's the loss in three players dying?

The good brother gritted his teeth and pressed the detonation button while unbuckling his seat belt and leaping off the rocket chair. Thousands of meters below him, everything seemed so insignificant.

As the good brother jumped off the rocket chair, a hundred-kilogram firework shot out in all directions from the bottom of the chair.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dense fireworks exploded in the sky repeatedly, continuously expanding until they covered the entire sky over Taiping Continent, gradually revealing an image.

It was two chibi Hell Divers holding a banner.

[Super Earth Wishes Everyone a Happy New Year]

By the way

The good brother's parachute was broken.

————

"Wow, that's awesome."

Jack looked up at the rain of lights covering the sky, his mouth agape in awe.

Unless it was Huang Ban or Militech doing a celebration, rarely would a company make such a big fuss in Night City.

Although Jack didn't quite understand, what was that Super Earth anyway, the name of a company?

"V, you mentioned last time you saw this style of mercenaries in Golden City. Are these guys any good?"

"Mm."

Holding a glass of wine, V replied absent-mindedly.

"They're quite alright. I feel they're not inferior to Agent Huangban. In a one-on-one, they might not beat you, but when their numbers increase, it's a different story. Their coordination is impressive; the Chaotic Blade Association, with two to three times their number, is easily defeated, routed completely."

"Hey, if you ask me, they deserved it."

Jack rarely spoke for a company, but this time he sided with Horizon Corporation.

"If it weren't for them, my mom wouldn't be able to drink such cheap, clean water."

Horizon Corporation had pushed its water into the market under multiple brands, quickly capturing the market, whether it be the cheapest purified water or expensive restored natural mineral water.

"Jack..."

V was somewhat speechless. This big guy was so straightforward; didn't he notice the situation in Night City had started to worsen?

The gang's activity space was being progressively reduced due to that company's influence.

Whether the increased job opportunities led to a decline in new gang recruits, or a powerful bounty system raised the risks of illegal activities, small gangs' survival space was all but squeezed out. Now, only the big gangs like Valentino and Tiger Claw were still holding on.

But several rounds of counterattacks from the gangs couldn't bring down the opponent, and in the future, they would only face harder times.

Jack had a close bond with the Valentino Gang, and V really didn't want to think about how terrible the situation would be when a severe conflict entirely erupted between the Valentino Gang and Horizon Corporation.

"Ah, what?"

Jack looked in confusion at the mercenary-clad V, worried by his distracted demeanor.

"V, I think there's something wrong with your brain. Ever since you rescued that Ye Corporation woman from the Cleaner's hand last time, you've been acting weird. I think you should go see Old Vic, in case some electronic virus has taken root in your head."