Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 745, Section 159: Bidding
Is it difficult to attend Hansen's banquet?

If you were to throw this question at ordinary citizens who struggle to make ends meet on the streets and can't even get a decent job, it would be harder than climbing to heaven—those big shots in suits at the banquet are people they can only catch a glimpse of in their dreams.

But for those who are truly qualified to receive the invitation, whether or not to attend Hansen's banquet is merely a trivial matter of whether or not they are willing to condescend to make a trip to that wretched place, Dogtown.

At least, that was the case before.

Dogtown is now rife with undercurrents. Anyone with a discerning eye can sense that something is amiss at this banquet. However, it happens to coincide with Hansen's important event of choosing a successor, forcing all parties to attend despite their reservations. As a result, every name on the guest list becomes intriguing.

Of course, this only applies to guests who are formally invited and intend to participate.

For outsiders—especially those with a good reason to be present at the banquet—it's worth the risk to go, no matter how difficult it may be to infiltrate the event.

"Hansen is making such a big fuss about choosing a successor. What do you think? It doesn't seem like that old fox is really going to retire."

In the makeshift safe house set up through Slito's network of connections, Akechi sent all the team members away under the pretext of 'important matters.' He casually ate a cream bread and discussed the unexpected situation with Slito, who had come alone, and Kenichi Shiro, who was disguised as an advisor.

"Hansen definitely has a fatal weakness in New America—although I don’t know exactly what it is, it’s definitely a shocking secret that could shake the foundation of the entire Federation. He deliberately leaked the news because he wanted to negotiate with the New America leadership or other powerful factions, or at least find a backer who could protect his life."
It seems the forces behind Hansen's attack on the presidential plane have lost patience with this useless mad dog because Rosalind Myers survived. It's unclear who dumped whom first, but Hansen, this stray dog, is clearly desperately searching for a new master. Of course, it's also possible this viper is still scheming, hoping to continue being a local tyrant as before.

Kenichi Shiro, being the old-school Arasaka, could see through Hansen's scheme at a glance. He also instantly realized that this matter must be related to his old rival, military technology, and New America. If these two behemoths hadn't been secretly vying for power, Hansen's crude "luring the enemy into the trap" trick wouldn't even have had a chance to begin.

"So, the so-called 'banquet to select an heir' was just a pretext, and the real purpose was to lure various forces into negotiations?"

As Sliding listened to Kenichi Shiro's analysis, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

He prided himself on being one of Dogtown's top hackers, having spent years navigating this lawless land. However, the power struggles between behemoths like New America and military technology, and even the machinations of Dogtown's overlord like Hansen, far exceeded his level.

No matter how skilled he was, he was just a hacker who could be easily manipulated by FIA agents. How could he have ever witnessed such a level of open and covert struggle? Now, listening to Kenichi Shiro analyze the situation step by step, he finally saw this intricate game for the first time.

It's not that Slippery isn't smart enough; it's just that he always avoids power games of this level—it's not a murky place for someone like him to get involved in. If KK and Vice President Arasaka hadn't come to him personally today, he would have stayed hidden until the whole storm was over, until he was dragged out of his hiding place.

Being threatened with a gun to his head by an FBI agent is nothing compared to the comfort of cooperating with KK and the Arasaka executives. If KK hadn't approached him, he would probably still be living in fear, worried that he might suddenly 'disappear' one day while working for the FBI.

It's not that the Joint Intelligence Bureau is bad, but it feels like there's more room for growth in working with KK and Kenichi Shiro.

The Joint Intelligence Agency never explains things in such detail; nothing compares to the comfortable feeling of being considered "one of their own." With this thought that he might actually gain the allegiance of a faction, his scroll bar became very active: "So, should we try to get into this banquet?"

“We definitely have to go, and I’m sure the people from New America will go too.”

Kenichi Shiro tapped his fingers lightly on the table where food was laid out during their conversation. His gaze fell on Karl, who had finished his cream bread and was now eating a piece of fried chicken. He then picked up a fried chicken wing and started eating as well. "This job can be considered Hansen's invitation to Arasaka. It seems that the corpses left over there in your team have been reported by the Ghost Hounds to mean that Arasaka's people have also come to Dogtown."

"It's also an invitation to Arakasaka, how so?"

Carl raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Hansen has leverage over New America, and Arasaka certainly has his eye on him and has every reason to offer a price, but I don't see any invitation here."

"Bennett, do you know that name?"

Upon hearing the name Kenichi Shiro utter, Karl recalled the capable fellow from back then.

"That Chester Bennett, the former New America lieutenant colonel?"

Carl nodded: "I vaguely remember. He's quite skilled. He was a lieutenant colonel in New America. He definitely has the ability. What's up?"

"In the end, there are only two people who are qualified to be Hansen's so-called successors. One of them is this Bennett, and Hansen is also aware that he is quite close to Arasaka in private."

"In other words, if he becomes the heir, can that ensure that Arasaka's influence extends into Dogtown? It seems that things are quite clear. Saying that he is the heir is just Hansen throwing out a price, similar to the business I discussed with him before. Whoever bids the highest gets the other heir. Is it military technology or New America?"

"Nobody."

Kenichi Shiro shook his head: "Gagozab used to be the finance officer of Pedro Petrochemical. There are rumors that he was fired for embezzling funds and went to jail for a period of time before being released. There are also rumors that he saw the opportunities that Hansen could bring to Dogtown and resolutely resigned to come to Hansen's side. In any case, he is someone who came to Hansen after he became independent. He is a rare smart man. Hansen is able to get to his current position without him. However, in the Ghost Dogs, he is considered to be an accountant who is not very convincing."

"A smart person? That's an interesting assessment."

Carl understood. One heir was impartial, while the other favored Arasaka. It seemed that Hansen was somewhat wary of the new America and military technology because of what he had done, and was somewhat biased towards Arasaka.

Is all that's needed next just a matter of bidding?
(End of this chapter)