[TN: Sorry for the late chapters ,been busy with classes]
[An unexplained massive explosion at the Mkuju River Mine has caused widespread concern and speculation.]
[The enormous blast triggered a large-scale collapse of the mine tunnels, but your engineering robot "Tanzania" acted as a support pillar, creating a temporary safe zone within the collapsing shaft.]
[However, you can only wait for external rescue for now.]
An explosion of this scale would draw attention no matter where it happened — especially in a disputed region.
So how powerful was it?
Over the long years of nuclear war, Leo had developed a sort of "skill": he could estimate the explosive yield in tons of TNT just by looking at it.
This one, he judged, was equivalent to about 5,000 tons of TNT — roughly the power of a small tactical nuclear bomb.
Due to the rushed detonation, it was effectively a ground burst.
Everything within 1,030 ters — plants, animals, anything alive — would have suffered severe burns.
Within 2,010 ters, the shockwave overpressure exceeded 1 psi.
If this had occurred in an urban area, buildings in that range would have collapsed and caught fire en masse, while glass and debris would have caused massive collateral damage.
A mushroom cloud could clearly be seen on satellite images.
Yet despite the unimaginable scale of the explosion — sothing that shattered common understanding of what "fossil fuels" could do — what truly froze Leo's thoughts was sothing else:
He clearly saw a strange black dot appear at the center of the blast!
Around that dot, everything within the blast radius took on bizarre hues — like an oil slick floating on the ocean, with bright and shifting colors.
But unlike real oil, those surreal colors were growing clearer and clearer inside Leo's mind, bringing with them piercing pain, until finally—
—They turned into real images.
When the explosion ended, his consciousness — wracked by agony — transitioned seamlessly into the Cyberpunk world, into the rented room of H8 gabulding!
The unnatural colors seed to have completely vanished from his mory, leaving only the dazzling neon glow of the city before his eyes.
At the sa ti, in another world, Matt, who was still investigating the abandoned Kate Logistics Company, sent Leo critical information:
Years ago, the manager responsible for illegally transporting radioactive and chemical hazardous materials —
was Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin!
The waste that splashed on both of them ca from Roxxon Energy Corporation's predecessor —
produced during a secret experintal project!
A thought flashed through Leo's mind:
That ans… this ability of his — to travel endlessly between worlds — might have co from that very incident!
Matt lost his sight from the toxic waste, but his other senses multiplied in strength.
And Leo — he gained the ability to traverse between worlds!
Now it all made sense:
The explosion triggered by that high-energy condensed fuel…
was the so-called "unstable energy." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel~fire~net
[Matt: Anyway, that's the situation. Maybe it's… fate? After all, everyone knows about your conflict with Roxxon now.]
Indeed, it was fate.
Over four years ago, before he beca the Kingpin of cri, Wilson Fisk had, as usual, ordered his n to illegally dump hazardous waste.
A tired truck driver nodded off at the wheel as he passed through an intersection.
At that mont, a young man — upset after an argunt with his family — was walking across the crosswalk.
When the driver finally noticed him, he panicked, yanked the steering wheel, and slamd the brakes — flipping the truck.
The barrel of toxic waste fell onto that young man — Leo — and destroyed his life.
The family was crushed under dical debt; his father worked himself to death; his mother held on as long as she could, selling everything they owned until she was buried in loans.
Four years later, the awakened Leo had beco the greatest obstacle in Roxxon's path to monopoly—
The sa young man they had once accidentally hurt now stood in defiance before the corporate giant.
War had already begun.
To the outside world, this looked like a conflict between the United States military and the African Union.
But in truth, it was a proxy battle between two powerful corporate interests.
And the leaders of those two factions… shared this buried personal grudge.
Leo sat up in bed, pressing his forehead, forcing himself to absorb the pain.
[Leo: Does Roxxon know?]
[Matt: No. To them, you — the you from back then — were just another insignificant person. Fisk already made sure to cover everything up for his bosses.]
[Matt: There's no living witness left from Kate Logistics. The trail's gone cold again.]
It didn't matter anymore.
Leo turned to the window overlooking Night City, where a holographic advertisent floated by:
"Never wait for rescue — power lies in your own hands.
Crusher Shotguns — the ultimate specialist in a crisis."
[Leo: It's fine. Every deed leaves a trace. We'll find the truth eventually.]
[Matt: Don't tell you're thinking of infiltrating Roxxon…? I've got a bad feeling things are heading that way.]
[Leo: Be honest, Matt — do you really think the laws of the United States can judge them anymore?]
Matt fell silent.
After hanging up with Matt, Leo stood up from the bed, intending to organize his thoughts — and to get a clear picture of what was happening in the Marvel world right now.
Little Octopus had already scoured the internet, pulling together a huge amount of information.
The Mkuju River explosion had caused catastrophic damage to the surrounding environnt, and the blast had sent radioactive dust high into the atmosphere, where it was now being carried far and wide by the wind.
So even though the high-energy condensed petroleum itself wasn't radioactive, the explosion had spread radioactive material across a radius of several dozen kiloters.
The blast drew global attention — but what truly shook the world was what had happened in Somalia:
The African Union declared that the United States military had illegally crossed into Somali territory, attacked three ships docked at Galkayo Port, and abducted 22 port officials.
Every mainstream outlet reported the sa story —
but on new dia and across the internet, an entirely different truth erged:
The three warships, together with 50 Iron Soldiers, had launched an indiscriminate strike on the port first.
In order to cover it up, the casualties weren't limited to mbers of the Al-Shabaab militia controlling the port —
they also included civilians with no faction at all, resulting in over 3,000 deaths in total.
A clear-cut humanitarian catastrophe.
Yes — it was true that in near-anarchic Somalia, five out of every ten people might be pirates, and at least one might be part of an extremist group…
But what about the others?
Even in such harsh conditions, there were still people who had chosen not to beco extremists — perhaps the best of them all.
And now, every single one of them was dead.
The revelation ignited an international firestorm.
Public opinion boiled over once more:
The pro-war faction claid the United States military had rely gone to "seek justice," to "root out terrorists," and that the African Union was the one supporting terrorism — they called it an act of war!
The other side, however, wasn't buying it:
"Three thousand people? All terrorists? Who are you trying to fool?"
As Somalia's new governnt took office and its investigation continued, evidence erged showing that General Ross and his n had not only killed over 3,000 people —
they had also imprisoned thousands more in basents, including children and won.
Many of those civilians died from suffocation and trampling in the overcrowded underground cells.
The scenes were beyond horrifying.
But all of this only circulated online—
The traditional dia, however, didn't manage to hide the truth this ti.
Two factions. Two ideologies.
And this divide wasn't just inside the United States Nation — it was spreading worldwide, fueled by the aggressive rise of Roxxon Energy Group and the sudden ergence of the Atlas Corporation.
Across a planet of six billion people, the population was slowly but surely splitting into two opposing camps.
Many were terrified —
because both sides wielded imnse military power.
The only "fortunate" thing was that both groups had their main headquarters within the United States.
Maybe, just maybe, the upcoming presidential election could serve as a peaceful way to defuse the conflict?
And as for soone who could serve as a "presidential piece" on this chessboard—
Leo knew only one candidate, though it would be a risky move.
Secretary of State Jas Buchanan Barnes.
But Leo's troubles weren't limited to one world.
[V: You alive? Tiger Claws got sothing new brewing — one of the Mox girls ca looking for you.]
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