Cyberpunk:Gained a body of steel

"Mr. Peter, I need to go back and discuss this matter with the board of directors. Can I give you an answer by noon tomorrow?"

Gritting her teeth, Ling Xiaohan knew she couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.

Whether it was a genuine partnership with Peter, the external armor he mentioned, or even the small nuclear fusion reactor he proposed—every single item was incredibly tempting. But the matter of nuclear fuel wasn't something to take lightly.

Fifty years ago, in the City of Eve, a madman had used a nuclear bomb to obliterate the Huangban Tower. The name of that madman was Johnny Silverhand.

Anyone with a bit of insight knew that incident had the shadow of military technology behind it. But instead, everyone conveniently placed the blame squarely on Johnny Silverhand.

After all, even Morgan's elite Black Hands were involved in that operation. Only a fool would believe military tech had nothing to do with it.

Although most of today's corporate leaders hadn't personally experienced the catastrophe, the aftermath had resulted in a quiet consensus among them—no company, under any circumstance, was allowed to hand over nuclear fuel to mercenaries.

Because no one wanted to wake up one day and find that the next nuclear explosion had reduced their own headquarters to rubble.

It was this exact reason the twelve major companies had decided to establish their headquarters in the same area of Night City. If someone did decide to go nuclear, well, at least everyone would die together.

"No problem," Peter replied casually. "But President Ling, you might want to act quickly. After all, your company isn't the only one holding nuclear fuel."

Peter wasn't the least bit concerned. If he couldn't get nuclear fuel from Kang Tao, he could always turn to Arban Lai Xuan.

"We'll take our leave then, Mr. Peter," Ling Xiaohan said politely. She then signaled her driver.

Her driver had remained nearby in the North Oak District out of concern for her safety. Once he got her message, it took him less than two minutes to arrive at Peter's door.

Upon seeing the large, recently-destroyed rock across the street, the driver instinctively drew a military-grade G58 smart rifle.

"President Ling! What the hell happened here?"

"Xiao Lin, put your gun away! Don't you see Mr. Peter is still standing here?"

Ling Xiaohan sharply reprimanded him, then turned to apologize to Peter.

"Sorry, Mr. Peter. Xiao Lin tends to be a little overprotective."

"It's alright," Peter replied, waving it off. "He's a very dedicated bodyguard."

Peter didn't mind. After all, Xiao Lin had only raised the weapon to survey the area. If the gun had been pointed directly at him, that might've been a different story.

"Then we'll be off. Have a good night, Mr. Peter."

With that, Ling Xiaohan and Xu Xinyue entered their floating vehicle and departed.

Inside the car, Xinyue finally couldn't help but speak.

"Aunt Ling, I finally understand why you value Peter so much. But… isn't it too dangerous to hand over nuclear fuel to him? He is a mercenary, after all."

Ling Xiaohan shook her head. "Peter's importance to us isn't something you can understand just yet."

She gazed at the shimmering skyline of Night City outside the floating car. Deep down, she feared that history might soon repeat itself—and the fuse for that explosion could very well be Peter.

—

At Kang Tao's headquarters, inside Ling Xiaohan's private office.

This time, she hadn't summoned all the regional directors. Only Xu Shiming joined the video call.

"Old Xu, what do you think?" Ling Xiaohan asked after laying out Peter's proposal, including the external armor he had developed.

"If what you're saying is true," Xu Shiming replied with a furrowed brow, "then Peter's external armor is incredibly impressive."

He was clearly tempted by the opportunity to collaborate with Peter. He even envied the prospect of having access to such advanced technology.

However, the matter of nuclear fuel remained troubling.

Kang Tao did possess controllable nuclear fusion technology, but it was only implemented in large-scale facilities.

And now Peter wanted to power something portable using a miniature fusion reactor?

Wasn't that basically strapping a tiny nuclear bomb to yourself?

Sure, nuclear bombs used fission technology, and fusion was technically less destructive—but a small fusion reactor explosion could still wipe out a fifth of Night City.

"So, do you think Peter is trustworthy?" Xu Shiming finally asked.

His question wasn't just about Peter's intentions. He was also subtly asking whether Peter was mentally stable.

"I believe Peter can be trusted," Ling Xiaohan replied after a deep breath.

She knew this decision ultimately affected her the most. Peter operated in the Americas—her territory. If anything went wrong, she'd be the one held responsible.

"Alright. Since you're confident, I won't oppose it," Xu Shiming nodded.

"By the way, Old Xu, what's the status of the biotech planting and seed cultivation technologies Peter gave us?"

"Haha! Funny you should ask—I was just about to bring that up!" Xu Shiming's mood visibly brightened. "The data Peter gave us is the real deal. It's extremely valuable."

"Nothing was deleted. It includes complete information on food and vegetable seed cultivation and planting techniques. Our researchers have already started test planting."

"If all goes well, Kang Tao could completely crush the existing biotech industry in a year or two. This will definitely elevate our company's overall strength."

"Excellent," Ling Xiaohan nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, I'll go arrange for someone from 960 to deliver the materials to Peter."

Once the call ended, she sat back in her chair and exhaled, finally feeling at ease.

—

Meanwhile, in Peter's apartment.

After taking a shower, Lucy lay sprawled on the sofa, wrapped in a bathrobe. She looked relaxed but concerned.

"Peter, are you sure Kang Tao is trustworthy?" she asked. Her difficult childhood made it hard for her to trust large corporations.

"They might not be trustworthy," Peter admitted with a smile, "but they're not a threat either."

Everything Peter had done—developing external armor, designing revolutionary chips—was all for Lucy and the others. He didn't need any of it himself.

His current strength had already surpassed that of any fictional superhuman.

And in this world, there was no kryptonite.

He was, in essence, a god among men—utterly unafraid of any force on Earth.

Even if Kang Tao betrayed him, it wouldn't matter. He'd destroy them without blinking.

Lucy didn't question his confidence. If Peter said something was possible, she believed him.

"Aaah! What are you doing?!" Lucy suddenly shrieked in surprise.

Peter had scooped her up in his arms like a princess and was already walking toward the bedroom.

"V and Sasha are still in the shower!" she said in a flustered voice, glancing toward the bathroom.

"Don't worry," Peter replied with a mischievous grin. "They'll join us once they're done."

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