Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 640, Section 54: Anders Hermann

Carl's single-molecule line wasn't just about killing this corporate dog; he was, after all, a 'valuable' commodity. Carl had taken the job, so he would naturally deliver him properly.

The sharp monomolecular thread precisely severed the mouth restraints. As the company dog ​​felt the restraints fall off in terror, and was secretly delighted at being able to speak, the silver thread had already wrapped around the nerve access point on his neck, biting down precisely like a venomous snake finding its prey, and connecting to the access point on his neck.

Control was achieved instantly, and the takeover was completed in an instant.

The company dog's eyes suddenly bulged out—he clearly sensed that his bioelectric current was being hijacked, the firewall of his prosthetic body was being torn apart like waste paper, and the moment the nerve block was released, an even colder torrent of data had already overwhelmed his motor cortex.

'Single-molecule line.'

Carl was very familiar with the silver filament in his hand. Back at the company, he had heard rumors about it: the special single-molecule filament was a weapon specially made for KK in the laboratory. It was said that it could gently cut open the target's brain like a lover, completing an electronic torture with extreme precision.

Now, he is experiencing that feeling firsthand.

Thin threads traveled through his nerve endings, each data stream so precise it was maddening. He tried to struggle, but couldn't move even a finger—it was as if his whole body was immersed in solidified electronic liquid, and even breathing brought a strange sense of suffocation.

Feeling suffocated, he could only stare wide-eyed at Karl.

At this moment, Karl had already read the other party's identity information through the neural intrusion of the single-molecule wire.

Anders Herman – former chief bioengineer at Arasaka Corporation, a leading expert in neural networks, and holder of numerous groundbreaking patents.

As for why he became the "former" chief, it's very simple: after the death of Saburo Arasaka, this person suddenly disappeared and has been out of contact ever since. The Arasaka personnel department determined that he had defected and directly dismissed him from his file.

Karl never expected to meet him here, and even more ironically, the location was Badlands—the trading ground between the middleman and the Queen of the Afterlife.

The "goods" that Roger mentioned were clearly Mr. Hermann. Judging from the current situation, the story is probably like this: After Hermann escaped from Ara-saka, she was caught red-handed by the Dakotas in the Badlands. Afterwards, Roger made some kind of deal with her and took over this "precious goods".
Is a former chief bioengineer from Arasaka considered valuable? The answer is undoubtedly yes.

Even for a giant corporation like Arasaka, the person who can sit in the chief position is not just a genius with real talent and ability—but also a winner in office politics. Technology, ambition, and shrewdness are all indispensable. And such a talent who perfectly meets Arasaka's needs is definitely a valuable asset, even if measured by the company's huge size.

Not to mention, this Mr. Anders Hermann is also involved in something else.

Relic.

The interface and components of Arasaka's flagship experimental project "Protect Your Soul" involve a series of internal struggles within Arasaka and special matters related to Johnny Silverhand's resurrection. This Mr. Anders Herman is the director of that project and even one of the developers of Relic. In other words, he is one of the people in the world who knows Relic very well.

The chief bioengineer associated with Relic left the Arasaka Corporation after the death of Saburo Arasaka, who was linked to Relic. He was later captured in Badlands and was to be handed over to Roger, who had connections to Michiko Arasaka.
This is clearly a very interesting matter, and if one thinks about it carefully, one could probably come up with a whole host of other ideas. But for Karl...
Once you know the identity and confirm the person's identity, that's enough.

Carl maintained his previous attitude towards Relic; he wasn't particularly interested in this area. If it weren't for the later involvement of Johnny Silverhand, he wouldn't have paid much attention to it at all. Now that Roger, or rather the people behind him, clearly wanted to investigate, Carl understood the extent of the matter.

Whatever Mr. Anders Hermann planned to do after he was taken back was none of Carl's business. Those who took on jobs never asked many questions.

"Should this person be put in the trunk, or sit in the back seat with you, Carl?"

Seeing that Carl had retracted the monomolecular line and had obviously completed the control, Oliver went up to look at the guy, then lifted him up from his unrestrained position and asked him a question.

"Put it in the trunk. Oh well, let this guy sit in the back seat."

Carl glanced at Anders Herman. His initial plan was to have him go and stay in the trunk, but after thinking about the weapons and space in the trunk, Carl decided against it.

I'm not worried about whether Anders Herman can fit in the trunk or not. I'm just worried that if I put him in the trunk and drive fast, he might damage some of the weapons in the trunk. If he hits an ordinary thing, that's fine, but if he hits one of Karl's modified things, Hera might have to perform an internal explosion.

"Sit in the back seat."

Oliver glanced at Anders Herman, actually somewhat disapproving of him sitting in the back of Hera. Hera was regularly cleaned, both inside and out, and he felt that letting this guy sit in Hera would make it dirty.

As Oliver was about to lead Anders Herman out, he noticed that Herman's eyes were darting around, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, and could only communicate with his eyes.

“Karl, he seems to be about to say something.”

"say what?"

Carl glanced at Anders Herman and noticed that his eyes were moving faster because of Oliver's words. With the rest of his body restrained and unable to move, he could only express his emotions with Carl's only open eyes, and judging from the range of those eyes, he seemed quite excited and wanted to say something.

Karl usually doesn't want to talk much to this kind of person. He has no intention of talking to a corporate dog about how to kill others and get promoted in the office. He was too lazy to learn this when he entered Arasaka Academy. However, seeing how fast this person's eyes were moving, Karl was unusually curious.

Whether he's about to unleash a torrent of curses or is wailing and begging for mercy, just listen to a few words and see. Anyway, even if he wants to commit suicide, I can control him immediately.

Carl loosened the restriction on his head slightly, and at that very moment, Anders Herman spoke.

It was a kind of pleading voice filled with hesitation, fear, and hope.

"I swear, I really don't know the cause of Lord Saburo's death."

The cause of Saburo Arasaka's death.
Why are you suddenly bringing this up?

Karl had to admit that his curiosity had intensified.

(End of this chapter)