Chapter 167: The LA Alliance! I Will Command All the Armies of the World!
Not long after, V arrived at the crash site of Air Force One, where he finally received a message from Song Zhaomei.
"V, you need to rescue President Myers before Hansen's Phantom Hound soldiers arrive. I'll send you her location signal. I'm counting on you!"
Before she could say more, Song Zhaomei's voice cut off again, leaving V utterly confused about the situation.
"Damn... why does Song Zhaomei always stop halfway through her explanations? This puts me at such a disadvantage!"
V couldn't help but complain. The urgency of the situation left no time for him to relay the news to Li Ang while running.
He could only follow Song Zhaomei's instructions, rushing to President Myers ' location and trying to rescue her before Hansen's Phantom Hounds arrived.
After that, he would figure out how to contact Li Ang and update him on the latest developments.
"I hope there's still time..."
With this thought, V quickened his pace.
---
Night City, Watson District, LA Corporation Headquarters
At this moment, Li Ang stood in the headquarters' main hall with his trusted team members, including Morgan Blackhand, Lucy, the Maelstrom Squad, and the heads of other departments. They were all focused on the large electronic screen in the room.
On the screen was an image of European Union leaders and executives from major corporations gathered around a table.
This unprecedented large-scale negotiation involved over a hundred people, resembling a United Nations meeting.
Shortly after returning to Europe, the Transcendent AI Europa notified the EU leadership and executives about LA Corporation's demands and the discussion meeting.
Detaining the Transcendent AI Europa, controlling the Blackwall to block rogue AIs, and charging the EU corporations a protection fee...
Faced with this sudden turn of events, many EU executives were still confused and bewildered.
"How did the untouchable Blackwall suddenly become another corporation's property? And now they're demanding protection fees? What kind of scam is this?!"
It wasn't until the Network Oversight Corporation issued a public announcement explaining the situation that everyone realized the truth.
The Transcendent AI Europa indeed existed, and the Blackwall could indeed be controlled by a corporation.
But now, both Europa and the Blackwall had become assets of LA Corporation. Even if they wanted to challenge it, they had no means to do so.
"Mr. Li Ang , now that everyone is here, let's get down to business."
The person speaking on the screen was Knapp, who had previously been an executive at Trauma Team's regional branch.
Thanks to Trauma Team's skyrocketing profits after collaborating with LA Corporation, Knapp rose through the ranks and became an EU executive.
Now representing European financial conglomerates, Knapp was responsible for negotiating with Li Ang .
Knapp took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. He had previously met Li Ang at the polymer launch event.
The elite circle of top executives was small; meeting a few times was enough to recognize each other. To Knapp, Li Ang was already a familiar figure.
But often, it's the "familiar faces" who pose the greatest threats.
For instance, LA Corporation, which was a cooperative partner just months ago, had now positioned itself as their overlord.
"I assume Europa has conveyed my demands to each of you. All you need to do now is state your position: accept or reject."
Li Ang wasted no time. There was no need for prolonged back-and-forth discussions. It was a simple yes-or-no decision.
"I'm not going to repeat myself," Li Ang added firmly.
His words triggered a wave of murmurs and agitation among the EU executives. These European elites had never been subjected to such blatant intimidation before.
They were well aware of Europa's demands. And while they were furious at Li Ang 's audacious extortion, they also knew they had no chance of competing with LA Corporation for control of the Blackwall.
LA Corporation was the only entity capable of harnessing the Transcendent AI and managing the Blackwall.
As the executives argued amongst themselves, Nadia Ra, CEO of Trauma Team, stepped forward and declared:
"Mr. Li Ang , I, on behalf of Trauma Team, am willing to accept any conditions proposed by Europa."
"Furthermore, I fully support transferring the Blackwall's management rights to LA Corporation and agree to pay them a substantial annual fee."
"Contributing to humanity's cybersecurity is an honor for Trauma Team."
Her declaration was met with astonished, disdainful, and indifferent stares from the other executives, who looked down on her opportunism.
But Nadia Ra remained unfazed. To her, the survival and prosperity of her company outweighed others' opinions.
Among the EU executives, she was one of the few who supported Li Ang , fully aware of LA Corporation's overwhelming power.
Since resistance was futile, it was better to align with the stronger force.
LA Corporation had recently secured agreements with global companies for the use of polymer technology. With such advanced capabilities, defying them was meaningless.
From the moment the EU corporations signed those contracts, Li Ang had already seized control of the world's future, becoming the most powerful man on the planet.
Now, with LA Corporation even subjugating the macro-scale Transcendent AI Europa, it was clear that the EU alliance was no match for them.
Seeing Nadia Ra capitulate, other executives followed suit, one by one, accepting Li Ang 's terms.
Faced with absolute power, resistance was futile.
"Impressive. You're all more pragmatic than I expected," Li Ang remarked with a faint smile.
He had anticipated some resistance but was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly things were progressing.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Li Ang introduced his next plan.
While controlling the Blackwall and collecting protection fees were significant milestones, Li Ang 's ultimate goal was to replace the EU Alliance with a new global organization: the LA Alliance, led by LA Corporation.
---
Li Ang explained his ambition to dissolve the EU Alliance and establish the LA Alliance, causing an uproar among the executives.
The EU Alliance had been the dominant force on Earth for nearly a century, symbolizing humanity's pinnacle of technological and cultural achievement.
For a corporation like LA Corporation, which had only existed for two and a half years, to propose supplanting the EU Alliance was outrageous!
Amid the backlash, Li Ang remained calm and responded:
"I'm not here to negotiate with you about replacing the EU Alliance. I'm here to notify you."
"Joining the LA Corporation requires transferring 60% of your company's shares to LA Corporation. In return, member companies will gain access to our technologies, including polymer advancements and the Transcendent AI Europa."
This announcement caused an uproar.
Handing over 60% of their companies' shares was unthinkable!
While paying protection fees for the Blackwall was reluctantly acceptable, surrendering the majority of their companies was a direct attack on their core interests.
Angered by Li Ang 's excessive demands, most EU executives firmly refused.
However, Knapp remained silent, knowing that LA Corporation was too powerful to oppose.
This group of individuals can hurl insults and argue among themselves, but they cannot do so in front of him. He represents the interests of the European Community's various financial groups and must never express a position lightly in front of Li Ang .
If he were to join this crowd in spouting reckless words or attempting to argue with Li Ang , it would essentially solidify the situation, signaling the European Community's refusal to join the LA Alliance.
If Li Ang were to seize on this as leverage, the entire network of companies within the European Community could suffer catastrophic consequences.
After a moment of contemplation, Knapp wiped the sweat beading on his forehead and cautiously probed, saying:
"Mr. Li Ang , the membership requirements you've proposed are truly too heavy for us. I hope you can reduce your demands somewhat."
As he spoke, Knapp kept a close eye on Li Ang 's expression, terrified that even a single misplaced word might provoke Li Ang 's wrath.
After all, he was just a senior corporate servant working for the financial magnates behind the scenes. His autonomy was exceedingly limited, and most of the time, he had to report back to his superiors.
At that moment, Knapp's earpiece was filled with the angry voices of the European financial bosses. Their instructions were crystal clear: secure as many concessions as possible from Li Ang .
These bosses weren't about to burn bridges with Li Ang outright, so they could only rely on negotiation to extract more benefits from him.
Caught between these two immense pressures—on one side, the overpowering force wielded by Li Ang , and on the other, the unrelenting demands of the corporate titans—Knapp felt utterly trapped and despairing.
He couldn't afford to offend either party.
"How about this, Mr. Li Ang ? Let's compromise: each company will relinquish 50% of its shares to the LA Corporation as an entry fee for joining the LA Alliance, but the European Community must remain intact."
"How does that sound to you?"
Knapp fixed his eyes on the screen, watching Li Ang intently. He barely dared to breathe, feeling his heart pounding as if it might leap out of his chest.
This compromise was the result of painstaking deliberation, balancing Li Ang 's demands with his superiors' bottom lines.
Company shares, after all, could be manipulated through various financial sleights of hand to safeguard most of the bosses' assets.
But the alliance itself was another matter entirely.
What truly energized the European Community and enabled it to wield a continuous stream of power wasn't the technological prowess of its companies, but a framework of "rules."
These rules facilitated efficient resource exchanges among European companies, minimizing infighting and reducing internal friction as much as possible.
Together, they could leverage their advantages to extract and exploit resources from other regions, strengthening themselves in the process.
If the European Community were dismantled and replaced by the LA Corporation under Li Ang 's leadership, it would mean adhering solely to the rules he set.
Any company defying these rules would face elimination—its membership revoked and its position filled by an ally of Li Ang .
The more dissenters there were, the more power Li Ang would accumulate. Consequently, no one dared to make reckless moves within the alliance.
This was precisely why Knapp and his superiors wanted to preserve the European Community. They had no desire to start anew within an unfamiliar alliance under Li Ang 's command.
However, Li Ang wasn't oblivious to their schemes. He neither accepted nor rejected the counteroffer, instead responding coldly:
"What I just said wasn't a negotiation—it was a notification. Your choice doesn't concern me."
"I'm simply stating: companies that join the LA Corporation are insiders. Those that don't are outsiders. And I've always maintained a hardline approach toward outsiders."
Li Ang 's words were a blatant threat to the European Community's bosses. A year ago, he wouldn't have dared confront them so boldly.
But now, with the Infinity interstellar supercarrier, a collective neural polymer system, and the strongest combat force on Earth under his command, Li Ang was determined to disband and dismantle the European Community.
For a century, the European Community had been a dominant force in the cyber world. Li Ang 's aim was clear: either make them his subordinates or uproot them entirely, replacing them with his own people.
Either way, nothing would deter Li Ang from his ambition to command the world.
Every company must join the LA Alliance!
The conference hall buzzed with heated discussion among the European Community executives, while Li Ang allowed them three minutes to consider their options.
If the three minutes elapsed, he would raise the entry fee to 70% of each company's shares.
Another three minutes, and it would increase to 80%, eventually reaching 100%. Any company still refusing to join the LA Corporation would be deemed an enemy of Li Ang .
Enemies of the LA Corporation would face only one outcome: physical destruction.
Li Ang had no qualms about deploying AI-controlled missiles from the Infinity carrier hovering above these companies, demonstrating the overwhelming power of an interstellar warship.
The European Community's orbital kinetic bombardment system was laughable in comparison. Even if it launched meteorites, the Infinity 's four CR-038 electromagnetic accelerator cannons, each with a 27-meter caliber, would obliterate them before they entered the atmosphere.
Li Ang was more than capable of flipping the table with the Europeans. If not for a desire to avoid unnecessary casualties, he wouldn't have bothered with negotiations at all—he would have opted for a clean sweep.
As the corporate executives continued to bicker, Niccolo from the Biotech Corporation and Nadia from Trauma Team raised their hands once again.
They agreed to surrender 60% of their companies' shares as an entry fee to join the LA Alliance.
"Mr. Li Ang , on behalf of Trauma Team, I accept all the conditions set by the LA Corporation and voluntarily join the LA Alliance," Nadia declared.
Her reasoning was straightforward: if you can't beat them, join them.
Li Ang clearly held absolute control over the negotiations. Prolonging the discussion was pointless. Aligning with him sooner rather than later would only bring greater benefits.
Following Li Ang 's leadership, Nadia believed her company's future gains would far outweigh the current price they were paying.
After all, two years ago, Li Ang had helped Trauma Team achieve a tenfold increase in profits.
"Mr. Li Ang , I also represent Biotech Corporation in willingly joining the LA Alliance, and we're prepared to surrender 60% of our shares."
Niccolo quickly echoed Nadia's sentiment. Biotech already had half of its shares in Li Ang 's hands—what difference would another 10% make?
Especially since LA Corporation hadn't yet disclosed its cold fusion technology. Once revealed, those shortsighted European executives would deeply regret their hesitation.
Seeing both Niccolo and Nadia pledge their allegiance, the other representatives began wavering.
Even Knapp, representing the financial groups, decided it wasn't worth resisting Li Ang 's overwhelming strength.
After consulting his superiors and realizing Li Ang was deadly serious, Knapp capitulated.
In quick succession, the remaining executives also agreed to join the LA Alliance.
However, before finalizing their acceptance of Li Ang 's terms, Knapp made a last-minute request on behalf of his superiors—a petty act of defiance aimed at Li Ang .
"Mr. Li Ang , we don't oppose the LA Corporation replacing the European Community, but we ask one thing: you must promise that New America will not destroy the Pacifica Alliance."
"The states in North America must remain as they are. We cannot allow that megalomaniac Myers to rule this continent."
Knapp's words revealed his bosses' misplaced assumptions: they believed Li Ang intended to help Myers conquer North America and establish an empire under LA Corporation.
What they didn't realize was that Li Ang and Myers were never true allies. Their relationship was strictly transactional, limited to arms deals.
In fact, Li Ang had been infiltrating Military Technologies, recruiting its executives to serve him.
The next president of New America had already been chosen by Li Ang in secret—a puppet loyal to LA Corporation.
Li Ang could install this puppet at any moment if he wished.
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