He held the shoulder strap of the black security guard in sunglasses, while Potato showed a disgusted expression.

"If I were New America, I'd definitely use this guy as the standard for hiring agents. Look at those solid muscles, they exude a sense of security. Look at that scruffy stubble, it's full of stories just waiting to be told."

As he spoke, he pinched the elastic pectorals of the other man.

"Looks just like Idris Elba. If I were filming Mission Impossible, this old guy would definitely be the leading man."

Potato watched the security guard's fist clenching tighter and quickly pulled the boss's hand away.

They were here to find someone, not to stir up trouble. If a fight broke out, it wouldn't end well.

"Let's retreat for now. Maybe that guy didn't come to work. We'll come back tomorrow night."

As the two walked further away, the eyes of the black security guard hidden behind the sunglasses grew colder.

He... Solomon Li De... Had he finally been discovered?

And these two guys actually said these things right in front of him...

Was it intentional?

Was it an arrogant display that he's been exposed?

Or was it a deliberate warning that he's been targeted?

But for a dead man who's been hiding his identity for five or six years, what would be the point in seeking him out?

Li De didn't believe they were just casually speaking beside someone.

They were

prepared.

He believed he had cleaned up thoroughly back then, with a fake corpse, fake death certificate, even the doctor had died in a gang battle...

No one knew he was still alive

Unless... it was New America... it was Miles...

He had only left a code for that woman.

But why was she looking for him now?

Why not use the contact methods from Dog Town?

A string of questions tightened Li De's heart.

Could military technology be preparing to strike Night City again?

Maybe even Dog Town...

Night City hasn't been peaceful lately. A bunch of deranged mercenaries have turned the city upside down, and indeed some say it's the handiwork of military technology...

In any case, as a former agent, Li De decided he had to investigate the reason.

At the very least, he needed to find out the background of those two people and see who they learned from that there was an agent hiding in Dino's Bar.

......

The original outsourced manual assembly line factory had been completely transformed into an automated assembly line, drastically reducing the need for manpower.

Including two other factories, there were over two hundred workers.

The optimized manpower was partly used as drivers for the players, and another part went to the recycling plant to operate forklifts and transport recycled materials.

But manpower was still insufficient; ERO needed drivers, doctors, and the agency needed long-term security, it wasn't possible to have players stand guard every day.

Lin Miao had always adhered to the idea of quality over quantity, refusing to take anyone with a significant criminal record, thus the recruitment process was slow.

Curiously, the factory's production line efficiency per unit time actually decreased slightly.

This meant that cattle and horses equipped with work prostheses performed faster than automated assembly lines, and it was no wonder the original factory refused to change.

This genuinely embarrassed Lin Miao.

Currently, six machine tools were expanded, three of which were CNC machines completely handed over to the studio for players to manufacture equipment, and another three were modified for producing 5.8mm caliber standard rifles, mainly for personal use.

The other two were for producing simple exoskeletons.

Even without considering the market demand in Night City, there was still a high demand for these among players.

Additionally, two chemical factories were purchased for the production of propellant and necessary chemical materials, though explosive items remained too sensitive and continued to be 'illegally operated' outside the city.

"Mr. Lin, today's observation tour truly opened my eyes."

Pereira reached out his hand to Lin Miao, then gave a knowing handshake.

"The conscious choice to use more costly automated factories instead of sweatshops is truly rare."

Purchasing automation equipment for small factories was a huge expense, and if the equipment broke down, money had to be spent on repairs.

How could it compare to the cost-effectiveness of illegal immigrant workers, whose wages could be suppressed to the extreme, not to mention there's no responsibility if they're used up and fired?

After all, the loans were personal, and the factory couldn't be found.

No cost at all.

Compared to those people, Pereira believed Lin Miao had a greater vision and ambition.

And Lin Miao smiled,

"Just some minor work."

Are they joking, do these people have no brains?

If all factories were automated, with products produced automatically and drones delivering to shelves.

Then who would consume?

Free economics often ignore the link of production, assuming all goods grow spontaneously on the shelves, eagerly ushering in an economic crisis.

However, if society reaches full automation, then goods might really grow endlessly from the shelves.

What's the point of any economic theories then?

Just take it, why spend any money? No one would care about zero-dollar purchases.

Even now, the economic situation in the cyber world is not promising.

The military technology dominating North America is only valued at one trillion two hundred billion Euros.

This is even accounting for the assets of the New America government.

Friendly reminder

On the other side of the world, Apple's market cap is three trillion US Dollars.

Yet, it remains in the top five of giant companies globally.

Their currency purchasing power is at most 1:1.2

This illustrates the disastrous economic situation of the cyber world after several corporate wars.

The most numerous low-level folks have no purchasing power, struggling desperately just to live, dying in large numbers, not even qualified to be exploited, utterly reduced to the primary organ reserves for the middle and upper levels.

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