Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 962, page 173: The New America – How Did It Turn Out Like This?

"Li De. Li De!"

"Um?!"

Startled awake, Solomon-Reed opened his eyes and saw Song Zhaomei calling him from beside him.

After a habitual moment of alert scrutiny of his surroundings, Li De slowly exhaled.

They were currently in a house on the outskirts of Dogtown. The house had once belonged to a group of migrant vagrants, but they were later recruited by Karl's men, and the place became available. So Li De and Song Zhaomei temporarily moved in.

This is a place where Li De once stayed, and the new US president to whom he served also stayed. Now, as a wanted criminal in the new United States, he uses his "blind spot" to make this place his hiding place with Song Zhaomei.

But perhaps due to being highly vigilant about the environment for days, his mind was exhausted to the limit, and even someone like him unconsciously fell asleep, requiring Song Zhaomei to wake him up.

“You were frowning when you were asleep just now,” Song Zhaomei said, eating a can of food and handing one to Li De as well. “What were you dreaming about? This doesn’t sound like you, Li De.”

“I dreamt about some strange things. Like the scene where I shielded Miles from bullets when I was protecting her.” Li De took the can of food from Song Zhaomei, his gaze lingering on the label for a moment, his tone tinged with self-deprecation, “Maybe I’m just thinking too much, that’s why I dreamt about these things.”

He paused, then examined the canned food closely, a hint of surprise flashing across his face: "This canned food..."

"Relief food".

Song Zhaomei ate the canned luncheon meat, which was made from insect larvae and wheat gluten protein, and didn't feel anything was wrong with it.
"The policy that KK and his team implemented recently, I heard, was still Gago's idea. As long as you proactively report your identity and register as a resident of Dogtown, you can receive a fixed daily relief food, but you have to help out in the construction. If you do a good job, you can also get a salary."

Is it a work-for-relief program?

When Li De listened to Song Zhaomei's words, his first thought was of the policies implemented by that legendary president of the old United States.

It's ironic that this policy, which has long been abandoned in the modern United States, has appeared on a piece of land that is theoretically not yet reclaimed by the new United States.

However, does "work relief" mean...?
Li De looked at Song Zhaomei: "You went to work?"

“No.” Song Zhaomei swallowed the food in her mouth. “Although KK doesn’t care about us, he did save my life after all. The fact that we can stay in Dogtown is already a tacit tolerance on his part. I don’t want to cause him any more trouble in New America.”

She paused, then said calmly, "I only helped out a little, exchanging some relief food with other residents. We were penniless, but we had to maintain our basic survival and do something."

Song Zhaomei's words made Li De feel a sense of unfamiliarity, an unfamiliarity that seemed to be in a positive direction: "Zhaomei, you seem different from before."

“When someone walks through the gates of hell and thinks they’re going to die, but someone pulls them back from the brink, things always change.” Song Zhaomei sighed softly. “Especially since I’ve dragged you into this, Li De. I’ve already wronged you so many times.”

"This is not an implicated matter, Akemi; this is my own choice."

Listening to Song Zhaomei's words, Li De shook his head: "After all these years, the country is still the country I love, but some people are no longer, or were never, the people I thought they were."

"Miles betrayed this country, she betrayed its people. She's just a dictator who puts power above the people. I should have seen that sooner. This isn't the America I've been looking for." "That's just who she is, Reed. It's just that you loved this country too much before."

Song Zhaomei spoke as if she were referring to something.

After all, love can make people blind.

This applies whether you love a person or an idea.

“Perhaps you are right.” Li De’s voice was a little hoarse. “But even at this point, I still hope to be a patriot. Maybe Miles saw this through, which is why she was not in a hurry to track us, but instead went back to Washington to consolidate her power first—she calculated it correctly.”

"Because she knows you too well, Li De. She's a master at manipulating people's hearts, and she knows you'll never truly betray the new America."

Song Zhaomei sighed softly, then subtly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, have you heard about the new monument erected over at the stadium? The war memorial."

"That war memorial commemorating the casualties on both sides?"

Li De obviously knew about it. Although he had been recuperating from his injuries and taking care of Song Zhaomei, who hadn't fully recovered yet, how could he not know about the news that had spread throughout Dogtown?

"I heard that many people in town objected, feeling that it was unfair to commemorate the soldiers of the new America as well... but because it was KK's idea, everyone eventually accepted it."

Song Zhaomei said, "This matter has even spread outside. In recent days, many relatives of fallen soldiers have come to Dog Town just to see the monument with their own eyes. I heard that some of them are planning to settle down in this place where their family members died."

"settle down."

Li De found it strange: "Don't they feel that the people of Dogtown killed their family members?"

“There are definitely some, but many more people might actually start to dislike the new America because of KK’s actions,” Song Zhaomei said, recounting what she had seen these past few days.
"I heard that the death benefits in the new United States have not been paid out and have even been delayed indefinitely. There are rumors that the military is registering these soldiers as 'missing' instead of 'killed' in order to avoid paying the benefits."

Now that Miles is in Washington, he hasn't even fully regained power, let alone prioritize this matter. Besides, it's common for the new United States to default on pension payments. Ironically, some soldiers' families have to continue paying off debts incurred by their deceased soldiers to equip them with weapons.

Song Zhaomei paused, her voice lowering:
"Many families were forced to the brink of death because of this. They came to Dogtown with hatred, wanting to settle a blood debt before they died. But seeing the monument erected by KK, although it was useless, at least people's hearts found some peace."
Then they registered and received relief food, and now they can even earn a living by building fortifications. As long as they are willing to work, they won't starve. So many people gave up their initial plans and stayed.

She was silent for a moment, and finally said softly:
"After all, who would choose to die unless they were truly forced into a corner?"

Perhaps because she had experienced this feeling herself, Song Zhaomei spoke these words with a genuine sense of personal experience.

Solomon Reed, however, grew increasingly silent as he listened to her words.

He may have been in Night City for too long, and he hasn't been paying attention to the situation in New America for a long time, but...
How did the new America become like this?

(End of this chapter)