In American comics, all your teammates are the main characters and bosses

Chapter 156: Socialism is not desirable

"Wow, wow, after seeing this scene, it's worth it even if I die immediately!"

Holding a monocular telescope in his hand, Ron stood outside the guardrail on the edge of a skyscraper, his words full of amazement.

When Ron learned that Armstrong, a powerful socialist, had come to the socialist paradise Night City, Ron was acutely aware that something was wrong. Especially after knowing that Armstrong had arrived a month in advance, Ron begged for help and finally asked the upper level to help adjust the time flow speed, and finally arrived before Armstrong completely turned Night City and the entire world into a cyber world.

Looking at the images in the telescope and listening to Armstrong's words, Ron quickly realized what Armstrong wanted to do - street speeches have always been a good way to win votes.

But Japan has something to say about safety.

Thinking in his mind, Ron put away the telescope - the telescope was just a decoration for Ron. If Ron wanted, his physical senses could completely cover the entire Night City and even most of the United States.

Armstrong is a socialist madman, but on this basis, he also left a deep impression in the game. The main reason is that as a game in 14, in the real world, a big company boss with ideas very similar to Armstrong and even the same slogan ran for president.

The main reason is that the producer of the series, Hideo Kojima, and his "Metal Gear" series have always been known for their bold innovation. Although it feels like an ordinary action stealth game, every character in the story is shrouded in political conspiracy. In an interview in 2014, Kojima publicly admitted that "the story of the MGS series is to question the dominance of the United States in the world."

And now...

Facing everyone's gaze and hearing Armstrong's words, the host Stan on the helicopter said in an exaggerated tone of disbelief: "Oh my God! What did I hear? A man from the Republic of Texas wants to make America great again! It's the old America, right? It can't be the new America, right? The new America now is not even as large as Night City!"

Although the story of Cyberpunk 2077 is set in 2077, the difference from the real world is that in the late s, when Reagan was president of the United States, the US government was controlled by a secret organization composed of the FBI, CIA, NSA and DEA.

Because there are four heads of this shadow government, this shadow organization was later called the Gang of Three and Five. These people secretly manipulated the US government and vigorously promoted "profits are greater than people."

There were many accidents in the process, such as Colombian drug dealers detonating a nuclear bomb in Manhattan, a 10.5 magnitude earthquake causing % of Los Angeles to be submerged by seawater, meteors, wars, economic recessions, etc. Eventually, the dollar collapsed, the euro took advantage of the situation and became the legal currency, and the United States was split into four countries, including the Republic of Texas.

After hearing the host's words, Armstrong did not get angry, but said seriously: "I know that many people disdain my ideas and think that the so-called America is yesterday's news... But that is not the case. What I want to create is not the outdated political system of the past, but a brand new world!! "

Armstrong opened his arms and laughed. As he laughed, veins popped out on his forehead, showing his enthusiasm and excitement:
"In the digital age, useless and false information is widely spread, causing a lot of misunderstandings and malicious slander. These junk information is growing at a terrifying rate in the digital space without filtering mechanisms. This will only slow down the process of social development and hinder progress... I promise you! The people of the new America, all the people who believe in me! My first law is to screw the unscrupulous media!"

"I have to say this is very challenging for me as a media person." Stan joked to himself in a self-deprecating tone.

But more people, when watching Armstrong on the TV screen, changed from simply regarding Armstrong as a cyber-psychopath to thinking, "Oh, this guy has some truth to him."

"But at the same time, I know that you have become accustomed to Night City. Yes, that's right, I like it too! Because it is the naked truth! But, it's not enough, it's not real enough! It's not equal enough!"

Armstrong clenched his fist and raised it high, saying in a powerful voice: "Each of us grew up with the same philosophy: be kind to others, love our country, and help each other! But we have to step on others to win in the competition."

“Teachers and elders tell you that you are unique and that you can succeed if you believe in yourself, but the truth is that only a very few people can achieve success!”

"This is a deception, because people are not equal! There are always people who can destroy this equality with the help of their parents and brothers. And while destroying equality, they continue to deceive with the same means! Expiration!"

"Wake up! American people!"

It had been a long time since Armstrong had expressed his ideas so passionately, and it made him feel excited.

"It seems that people are liberated and information is exploding, and everyone can speak out. But in fact, it is easier to become irresponsible and be exploited! Justice does not exist! Fairness does not exist! Do you think I am crazy? Yes, I am crazy! We must return the rights and justice that belong exclusively to those in power to the hands of the people!"

"I will rebuild America!"

Armstrong placed his hands on the railing of the terrace and looked down. The soldiers from Trauma International did not look like trapped beasts under siege, but rather seemed to be reviewing their own army.

"I promise you that at all times, the lifeblood of the world economy will be the value of the U.S. dollar! Americans come first! Everything will only be based on America first!"

"Make America Great Again!"

“Make America Great Again…Oh my god, this even sounds like it makes my blood boil?”

In the helicopter studio, Stan keenly smelled the scent of big news. Although it was a question, everyone could feel the eagerness in Stan's words, just like the ordinary civilians in Night City.

The more chaotic, the more unfair, and the more dissatisfied, the more people will favor those paranoid and even populist ideas.

"Make America Great Again!"

Looking at Armstrong's passionate voice on the screen, Cannon, who had stayed up all night with the prosthetic doctor and drank all night, just woke up under the bombardment of phone calls from other old friends in the Sixth Street Gang. As soon as he turned on the TV, he saw Armstrong's passionate speech.

"Damn, am I seeing things? Is this the person who came with David yesterday?"

He wiped his face casually with a towel. As a middle-aged man, he had no choice but to say, "How come we have encountered such a monster?" "Monster? I think it's a lunatic..." Will Cannon took a sip of whiskey and stared at the screen in a trance: "But... what this guy said is really good."

The old United States has been divided for a long, long time, so long that Will Cannon, the leader of the Sixth Street Gang, even forgot that he had such a belief when he first formed the Sixth Street Gang... There is nothing that can be done about it. After all, people always have to learn to adapt to a new life. Especially for those who live in Night City, learning to become Night City is a necessary path in life for some people.

And now, Huopao suddenly realized that perhaps the ideal in his heart has not been extinguished yet?

"But it's too early to say that now." Will Cannon took out a cigarette, but it turned out to be the cigar that Armstrong gave him yesterday and had not finished smoking.

For some reason, Huo Pao suddenly felt reluctant to continue smoking this cigar—not because the cigar was expensive. Was he burning his past ideals?
But no matter what, Cannon finally put away his cigar and said in a deep voice:
"In Night City, no one's words can be trusted. Who knows why he is saying all this now? Anyway, one thing I know for sure is that he has become a hot commodity for those giant companies."

"That's true……"

The cyborg doctor nodded.

It is foreseeable that Armstrong's remarks will inevitably arouse fanatical supporters from some of the lower classes of society. For those giant companies, this represents a large amount of traffic - it represents soaring stock prices and represents a lot of money.

No one would give up this opportunity to reach the sky in one step, even if it means crushing their own strength with their own hands...especially in Night City.

But...will he really do that?
Armstrong's rebelliousness and laughter from last night appeared before his eyes, and Cannon simply stood up:

"What's the point of watching here? Let's go to a higher place and watch for ourselves!"

As a large number of people with similar ideas, either believing or denying, gathered in front of the TV, the host Stan's eyes lit up when he heard the surge in the number of real-time online users from the TV station's backstage, and then he asked loudly:
"So, Mr. Armstrong, what are you going to do next? To be more precise, how are you going to realize your political ambitions? After all, you don't even have a professional team to help you with publicity? Are you going to choose Arasaka or military technology? Well, it turns out to be the latter, after all, they are the embodiment of the old America~"

"Hahaha, you're wrong, kid."

Shaking his head, Armstrong laughed and said, "Absolute power brings absolute authority, and absolute authority brings absolute hegemony. This is true for both countries and individuals."

"I know what you mean, but unfortunately, I have no interest in being a dog for a big company! I am Steven Armstrong! I will build my own business. And the first pot of gold will come from robbing, just like our ancestors!"

As he spoke, Armstrong kicked open the terrace fence in front of him, and then leaped forward amid people's exclamations, falling to the ground like a meteorite.

"Fuck! This is a cyber lunatic!"

But just when people were still wondering why Armstrong chose to commit suicide under such circumstances, his intact body walked out of the deep pit created by his feet, accompanied by the splashing dust.

Holding a cigar in his hand, looking at the negotiation expert from Trauma Team International from afar, Armstrong said coldly: "Negotiations have broken down, and we are starting to attack."

"what?"

Hearing this, the negotiation expert was stunned, but the security director did not issue an attack order, so he could not declare the negotiation broken down. He could only say with a headache: "No, sir, we came here this time to be more appropriate-"

Before the negotiation expert could finish his words, a shadow flashed by, followed by a punch, and the negotiation expert's advanced prosthetic body was directly shattered.

Then, in silence, Armstrong adjusted his glasses, held the negotiator's head, neck, and half of his body in his hands, and said calmly: "This country is waiting to be saved. I don't have time to take care of every chess piece."

Ron, who was far away, was not surprised by this. Because Armstrong's character never intended to follow the rules and win as many votes as possible through speeches like in the presidential election. After all, in Armstrong's conception, strength is the fundamental factor that determines everything, not the so-called morality.

After seeing the tragic death of the negotiation expert, the security director of Trauma Squad International clenched his fists in rage and shouted into the communicator, "Negotiations have failed! Capture this cyber psychopath!"

Between the lines, Trauma International has defined Armstrong as a cyberpsychopath. This means that Armstrong will have no human rights and will be directly executed. Although NCPD can prosecute for murder, as a well-known medical and security organization, the doctors working in Trauma International are much more professional than those in NCPD.

No, with just one order, fully armed close combat experts surrounded Armstrong one after another. They were wearing lightweight combat power suits, and the special ceramic armor was light and could provide them with enough survivability under shotgun fire.

As his arms opened and closed, sharp mantis knives emerged from his forearms. He did not start with a barrage of attacks, because the first choice was to capture him alive and then broadcast the trial live. Judging from the remarks just now, if he could be absorbed into Trauma International, that would be the most profitable option!

Especially the scene where Armstrong jumped from more than 30 floors and remained unharmed... Anyone who knows something about prosthetic technology will realize that Armstrong has an extremely precious and mysterious prosthetic body!
Facing everyone's gaze, Armstrong simply showed a bloodthirsty smile.

Armstrong made a starting pose and laughed loudly and said:

"That's right! That's it! Whether it's America or Night City! It's beyond repair - we must uproot it, clean up this land, and destroy everything!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the slaughter began.

(End of this chapter)