Regarding the handling of Dogtown, Pope Lana clearly thought along the same lines as Xiao, and even faster than Xiao himself, she had the NCPD launch a full-scale encirclement and suppression operation against Dogtown.
...
...
Inside Dogtown, the Phantom Hounds, under the full encirclement and attack of the NCPD members, began to retreat steadily.
But at this moment, Hansen sat calmly in his office, a mysterious, confident smile on his face.
Because Hansen believed Xiao would help him.
Xiao's credibility over the years was obvious to all; Xiao had never broken his word and never lied in public.
So, Hansen believed that the NCPD's encirclement was nothing more than a minor setback for him.
After this incident, he would still be the king reigning over Dogtown, continuing to live his good life.
Even when the NCPD's Elite Squad—Burst Terrorist Force arrived, he didn't even resist; he remained confidently seated, ready to speak.
However, Elite Squad—Burst Terrorist Force Captain Melissa had no desire to talk to him; she directly used her Twilight 2013 Mantis Blades to sever his head.
At this moment, Hansen's face still held that confident smile.
"What's wrong with him?"
Melissa looked at her subordinate, puzzled.
"Perhaps he's gracefully accepting his fate, wanting to die with dignity!"
The subordinate scratched his head, coming up with a casual reason.
"That sounds about right..."
Melissa thought for a moment, then kicked Hansen's head onto the table like a soccer ball, and then spoke via the internal network:
"Everyone, respond if you hear me. Hansen has been dealt with. Everyone, stand down!"
"Received!"
"Received!"
...!
The Elite Squad—Burst Terrorist Force members in the channel responded one after another, then let ordinary police officers come in to clean up and take over everything in Dogtown.
...
...
Myers and Songbird were led by a group of Cybernetic Apostles to the cathedral in Pacifica.
Myers and Songbird did not speak throughout the journey; there was even a strong sense of hostility between them, as if they wanted to kill each other.
Pope Lana, dressed in a white robe with gold trim, knelt and prayed before the divine statue, slowly rising only when she saw Songbird and Myers.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Lana glanced at Myers, then turned to Songbird and asked. She didn't want to know what enmity existed between Songbird and Myers; she only wanted to know why the Mechanicus was involved.
"I am the former CEO of Militech and the current President of New America. According to corporate law, I have the right to remain silent and return to the company through ransom!"
Myers, however, spoke first, emphasizing.
"I know, I know, Myers, don't worry, I will let you leave, Myers. The Mechanicus and Militech have never been enemies!"
Lana said with a smile, casually releasing a mental wave to soothe Myers's agitated mind.
"I cannot represent Militech. You should say, we have never been enemies!"
Myers caught the wordplay in Lana's tone and emphasized again.
"Yes, Myers, we are not enemies!"
Lana repeated Myers's words, letting her lower her guard.
"Very good, this gives us a basis for negotiation!"
Myers immediately straightened up, adopting the posture of a president, her tone becoming much firmer:
"I need a plane back to Washington, and by the way, help me get rid of this little bitch!"
After speaking, Myers directly glanced at Songbird beside her.
Lana nodded with a smile, agreeing to Myers's request, then said:
"So, what do we get?"
"You will get..."
Myers rested her chin on her palm, her fingers tapping, as if deep in thought.
After a long pause, Myers spoke again:
"I can bestow Night City upon the Mechanicus as a holy city, but there's one condition..."
"Night City bows its head in submission, allowing New America to once again achieve great unification!"
Lana preemptively stated Myers's condition.
"Yes! As long as Night City gives up its independence and joins New America, we can rebuild the former American Empire and make New America great again!"
Myers was very pleased with Lana's understanding and began to deliver an impassioned speech.
"No!"
Lana thought for a moment, then directly rejected Myers's proposal.
"Why? Why refuse? I can even make the Mechanicus the state religion of this empire, freely spreading its faith~"
Myers immediately became somewhat frantic. So, all her previous words were for nothing, right?
"I understand you, Myers. You are a fickle opportunist. Prudence is your specialty, and turning with the wind is your nature.
No matter how friendly and humble you appear now, when you return to Washington and go back to the company, you will definitely turn your back on me afterward. You are a cold-hearted, self-serving bitch!"
Lana's smile gradually widened. She was very clear about Myers's character and how she conducted herself, so how could she easily believe her words?
"So??"
Myers pouted, looking calmly at Lana, awaiting her next words.
She knew very well that Lana was merely negotiating terms.
"So, Night City can join New America, but not to build your empire, but to build my empire!"
Lana gracefully rose, her palm suddenly splitting open to reveal a silver-white mechanical tentacle.
The tentacle instantly pierced Songbird's chest, wriggling as it injected Primal Power into Songbird's body.
Songbird, 80% mechanized, instantly wailed and collapsed to the ground. Countless strands of Primal Power continuously eroded her body, replacing her body's cells.
The mechanical devices on her body melted like wax into a silvery-white liquid. The liquid quickly seeped into Songbird's body through her skin, leaving only smooth skin underneath.
After the transformation was complete, Songbird stood up in disbelief. All her injuries had healed, and even her body seemed to have recovered its flesh and blood.
Even more incredible was the surging physical strength within her and the usage efficiency of her internal cybernetics, both of which had increased exponentially.
Now, she could probably complete a network intrusion and instantly kill her past self with just a glance.
"Impossible. Militech has means to detect nanomachines. They would never allow someone using nanomachines to become the President of New America!"
Myers knew what Lana meant and immediately refused.
No megacorporation would allow a Mechanicus follower to become their CEO.
Once such a thing happened, whether they were still "their own people" would be a completely different matter.
This was also why they knew that nanomachinery technology could extend life, yet they still gave it up.
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