Chapter 175: The Ambitious Fall to Their Own Schemes!
"Myers , the Metal War is over. No one will continue dying for your dream of reviving New America. I'm officially notifying you now—you're dismissed."
Li Ang 's voice was as calm and steady as ever, but to Myers , it was no less than a thunderclap.
Although she had anticipated this day would come, what shocked her was how quickly it arrived. In just a few days, her presidential seat had been snatched away. Indeed, power never leaves a vacuum—not even for a second.
At this moment, Myers struggled to regulate her breathing, trying her best to hide her anger and maintain her composure. She knew she had become the biggest loser. As for the one who had claimed the presidency of New America, Myers could easily guess his identity.
It had to be Hartford—the very person who had been in close contact with her just a few days ago!
If it wasn't the old senators in Washington who had dethroned her, it could only be Lucas Hartford, that treacherous snake.
Being repeatedly betrayed by her trusted allies filled Myers with both grief and fury.
She couldn't understand why, after placing so much trust in them, all she received in return was treachery.
"Fine, Mr. Li Ang . I'll resign voluntarily," Myers said reluctantly, throwing down her honorary badge that she always wore. At the same time, she couldn't resist cursing Hartford.
"That bastard Hartford thinks he can take my place? He's delusional. It won't be long before he's so overwhelmed he'll want to hang himself!"
"When that time comes, I'll be waiting for him to beg me to come back."
Both Myers and Hartford were executives in the military technology company. Even if she lost her presidency, she believed her fate would likely be imprisonment—perhaps on some obscure island in Europe, guarded 24/7 by heavily armed soldiers.
She imagined herself living out her days in peace, ending her tumultuous life quietly. After all, she had been the president of New America. Even in defeat, she didn't think she would face the humiliation of being tried or executed like a war criminal.
However, Myers had severely underestimated the ruthlessness of this power shift. Li Ang , with his Chinese heritage, upheld an ancient tradition: eliminating threats at their roots.
Every political figure in New America with ties to Myers , including her family members, was systematically eliminated through assassinations and purges carried out by LA Corporation and the Intelligence Bureau agents.
No exceptions were made.
And Myers herself was no exception either. There was no way she could escape the bloody purge of the political arena.
Seeing that Myers still seemed oblivious to the severity of her predicament and clung to a shred of hope, Li Ang wasted no time on further conversation.
He ended the video call with her and gave the signal for the special ops team to proceed.
The screen in front of Myers went dark, and as she prepared to extend her hands, ready to accept her imprisonment, the team leader suddenly drew a dagger and plunged it straight into her heart.
Caught off guard, Myers ' eyes were filled with disbelief. She couldn't fathom that they would dare to kill her.
"You…"
As the dagger pierced her body, Myers felt her strength drain away.
She could only watch as the blade twisted in her heart, slowly draining away her life.
In her final moments, Myers mustered the last bit of strength she had left and tore off the tactical mask of the operative in front of her.
"It's you… Meredith…"
Seeing that her killer was none other than Meredith Stott, the Operations Director of the military technology division, Myers finally realized just how deeply she had erred.
From New America to the military technology company to the Intelligence Bureau, everything had been infiltrated by LA Corporation, turning it into Li Ang 's playground. Everything she had done was a futile, one-sided struggle.
Li Ang was the true mastermind behind the entire war.
"Rest in peace, Madam President," Meredith said coldly, her tone devoid of emotion, like that of a machine.
She harbored no fondness for her former boss. On the contrary, being able to personally kill Myers brought her a sense of satisfaction without a shred of guilt.
As Meredith's words fell, she pulled the dagger out of Myers ' heart, sending a spray of blood mixed with fragments of flesh and cybernetic components splattering everywhere.
Myers , along with her grand ambitions and dream of reviving New America, perished with her final breath.
Thud!
Her body collapsed lifelessly in the ruins of the abandoned building. After confirming her death, Meredith fired a few more shots into her body, emptying an entire magazine to ensure the mission's completion.
The once-powerful and untouchable president of New America was now a bloody, unrecognizable corpse, riddled with bullets. Meredith couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
"Target eliminated," she reported.
---
Meanwhile, in Dogtown, Pacifica, within the Sapphire Blue Hotel…
Exhausted, V sat slumped in a sewer alongside the newly-awake Reed and Alex.
The dark, oppressive sewer was filled only with the sound of their labored breathing as they tried to recover their strength.
They were taking refuge there, hiding from the chaos of the malfunctioning machines outside.
Under Song Zhaomei's Blackwall Protocol, Dogtown had descended into utter chaos. If they ventured out now, they would be instantly gunned down by swarms of drones and robots.
"Reed, Alex, can you two keep going?"
V turned to the two disheartened and confused individuals behind him.
Not long ago, V had single-handedly carried the unconscious pair out of the Sapphire Blue Hotel warehouse and into this secret sewer passage.
Ironically, it was thanks to Zhaomei's Blackwall-triggered machine riot that V wasn't targeted by the Hounds.
If not for that, the berserk soldiers would have been too much for him to handle alone. Saving Reed and Alex would have been impossible—he might not have even made it out alive himself.
"Thank you, V," Reed said, coughing heavily to ease the discomfort in his lungs.
"You saved Alex and me. We owe you."
With that, Reed propped himself up against the sewer wall, slowly standing.
The Blackwall's electromagnetic attack had nearly killed him. Even now, his whole body ached as though his bones had been dismantled.
"We can't take Zhaomei with us now. She's been completely overtaken by the Blackwall," Reed said, frowning deeply.
He had missed the best chance to retrieve Song Zhaomei. At this point, there was nothing they could do to bring her back.
Regret filled him as he thought about how Alex could have increased the strength of the decryption program to prevent Zhaomei from losing control.
Now, she was fully infected by the Blackwall, and it wouldn't be long before even her life would be at risk.
"What do you plan to do next?" V asked, glancing at the dispirited Reed and Alex.
He doubted they could still accomplish the task Myers had assigned them. It was time to share the latest developments with them.
"Hah, what can we do? If we don't bring Zhaomei back, Myers will punish us. Neither you, Reed , nor I will escape unscathed," Alex spat, leaning against the grimy sewer wall.
"Working for the Intelligence Bureau is like being a dog. Except we're treated worse than stray dogs!"
Her frustration boiled over as she continued. "That witch Myers only ever gives you some useless medals or a few thousand euros as a reward before sending you off to die for her. Refuse her, and you'll get a beating instead!"
The mere mention of Myers sent Alex into a fury. She had been content laying low in Dogtown and had even considered joining LA Corporation. But Myers ' summons had dragged her and Reed back into her schemes.
And stubborn Reed , blinded by loyalty, insisted on risking his life for Myers despite her warnings.
"Enough, Alex," Reed interrupted.
Reed sternly reprimanded the incessantly complaining Alex, telling her to stop speaking disrespectfully about the President. After all, they were Intelligence Bureau agents, and it was hardly appropriate to curse the President behind their back.
If they were outside and overheard by other Intelligence Bureau agents, the consequences for Alex would be severe—likely two months of mandatory solitary confinement.
Solitary confinement might seem like an ordinary punishment, but for anyone, it was a form of extreme psychological torment.
Being locked in a dark, cramped space for an extended period could easily lead to mental breakdowns and self-harm tendencies.
"V, I've made up my mind. We need to rescue Song Zhaomei first. As for who she belongs to after that, I don't want to concern myself with it anymore."
Reed sighed and shook his head. He was utterly exhausted. Even if they returned empty-handed and faced Myers ' harsh punishment, he would accept it.
Once Song Zhaomei was safe, V could take her wherever he wanted—whether to the LA Company or back to the Intelligence Bureau. Reed had no desire to interfere any further.
" Reed , there's something huge I need to tell you. Mr. Li Ang told me this personally. I'm not sure if it's good or bad news for you."
Seeing Reed 's despondent expression, V wanted to tell him about President Myers ' death but hesitated, worried that Reed might not be able to handle the blow.
When a master dies, the most devastated is often the loyal dog, and Reed was undoubtedly that loyal dog.
"Come on, what good news could there possibly be? Unless it's that Myers , that wretched b****, is dead. That would free us all and bring everything to an end!"
Alex continued to curse, her tone as fiery as ever.
Since it was just the three of them, she spoke however she pleased. After all, who was there to stop her?
"Well... Alex, I don't know if you have some kind of fortune-telling ability, but you actually guessed exactly what I was going to say."
V's response left Alex baffled. As she stared at him in confusion and disbelief, every word that followed from V stunned her even further.
"Myers is dead. She died during the mechanical uprising in Dogtown. A team of Intelligence Bureau agents has already taken her body back to Washington for burial."
"Your mission with Reed is now void. Even if you return Song Zhaomei to the Bureau, it won't bring you any benefits."
"Moreover, both of you are in a precarious position. Your information in the Bureau's records was erased long ago by Myers ."
"Even if you want to go back, I'm sorry, there's no record of you. To the Intelligence Bureau, you're nothing more than untraceable rogue agents."
"The only people who knew your real identities were the deceased Myers and the deranged Song Zhaomei."
V's words hit Reed and Alex like a thunderbolt. They were left speechless, standing frozen in place as if their minds had completely shut down.
"V, is Myers really dead? You're not just making this up to mess with us, are you?"
Alex shook her head, clearly unwilling to believe the news. How could someone as cunning as Myers die in something as mundane as a mechanical uprising?
Those clumsy robots could never catch up to someone like Myers !
What's more, if Myers had encountered a critical situation, she would have undoubtedly sent out a distress signal. But neither Alex nor Reed had received anything.
"If you don't believe me, try messaging or calling Myers . See if she responds."
V couldn't be bothered to argue further. His job was simply to state the facts. Whether Reed and Alex believed him or not was their problem, not his.
Without hesitation, Alex and Reed each called Myers . The result was the same—no answer.
It was clear something had indeed happened to Myers .
At that moment, Alex's long-suppressed negative emotions were finally unleashed. She had been waiting for this day for a long time.
"Finally! Reed , we're free from that tyrant's threats!"
Alex couldn't help but cheer in excitement, though she kept her voice down to avoid drawing the attention of nearby robots or drones.
Alex's excitement didn't surprise V, but what did catch him off guard was Reed 's unexpectedly calm reaction to the news of Myers ' death.
Whether it was disbelief or an inability to process such a brutal reality, Reed 's calmness was unnerving.
"V, did Mr. Li Ang tell you anything else?"
Reed 's composure felt surreal even to himself. It was as if Myers ' death didn't hold any particular significance.
Even with the President gone, the war would continue. Nothing would fundamentally change.
"Well, there's one more thing…"
V lowered his head in thought before continuing, "The New American forces have already withdrawn from Night City. In fact, the entire western theater is undergoing a large-scale retreat."
"This was a direct order from Lucas Harford, the new President of New America. It's absolutely reliable."
"So, North America will likely return to its previous state. Aside from the eastern region belonging to New America, the rest will become Free States."
" Reed , the Metal Wars are over."
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