Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 814, Section 24: The Strange Hansen
For someone who has dreamed of dinosaurs since childhood, seeing a live dinosaur in person is definitely a miracle beyond comprehension.

When the dinosaur actually began to move, revived under the control of sophisticated instruments, and gradually showed signs of 'life', the shock reached a chilling level.

Carl lay in wait in the shadows, holding his breath, his eyes fixed on the Triceratops that the biotechnology researchers had carefully released in the center of the ecological park. His pupils dilated with excitement and a strange sense of joy, and even his breathing became barely audible, as if the slightest carelessness would disturb this ancient miracle that was awakening.

He could feel his heart racing; a heart that normally wouldn't feel excited during a battle was now pounding wildly.

so amazing.

Not only himself—Karl was certain that anyone in the squad at this moment, even the usually calm and collected T-BUG, would be frozen in place as if under a spell when faced with this prehistoric behemoth that was gradually being infused with 'life'.

His eyes didn't blink, they were fixed on him.

Even if it wasn't a real ancient behemoth, but just a biomimetic experiment created by biotechnology, so what?

Its body perfectly replicates the essence of the Triceratops—the slight tremors caused by its thick limbs stepping on the ground, the metallic sheen of its scaled skin under the simulated sunlight in the ecological park, and the sharp trajectories of its iconic three horns as it moves its head.

These details alone are enough to get anyone who has a fascination with dinosaurs excited and unable to look away.

Carl watched as the Triceratops' muscles began to twitch rhythmically, and as its skin, covered in fine scales, shimmered with a bronze sheen under the spotlights of the ecological park.

He involuntarily held his breath as those iconic, curved horns traced dangerous arcs in the air with the movement of his head.

"It moved! The Triceratops moved!"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he watched the behemoth slowly raise its massive body from the ground.

First, it braced itself on its forelegs, then used its hind legs to push off. The whole process of getting up was accompanied by a breathtaking sense of weight. When it finally stood up completely, shaking its head and adapting to the new environment, Karl's eyes shone with an astonishing light.

At that moment, he suddenly understood Oliver and Jack's obsession with modified cars. Carl's interest in vehicles was so-so, but dinosaurs—dinosaurs were a different story.

This is so cool.

Carl thought of the dinosaur toys he played with as a child, and looking at the moving Triceratops, if he weren't aware that he was lurking, Carl would have gone closer to take a closer look at the dinosaur.

Surprisingly, the researchers in white coats were even more excited than he was.

The researchers crowded around the observation window, and every time the Triceratops completed a movement—whether it was a simple head tilt or the first step—it would trigger a suppressed cheer and applause. Some even excitedly patted their colleagues on the shoulder, their eyes shining behind their glasses.

This was completely unexpected by Carl.

According to the intelligence he possessed, the biotechnology company had been supplying various biomimetic experimental products to this secret laboratory. Most of these semi-finished products had fatal flaws and would eventually be transported to Dogtown for some kind of transaction. Logically speaking, the researchers should have been used to such 'failures' by now.

“Unless…” Karl narrowed his eyes, a new guess popping into his mind.

Perhaps the Triceratops-like biomimetic was a breakthrough for them, and perhaps it was the first successfully activated prehistoric biomimetic.
Karl's lips unconsciously curled up, and a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

"If that's really the case," he murmured to himself, peeking out from behind his clothes, "that would be interesting."

He could sense that he was about to witness a rare and spectacular show.

How do researchers test the limits of a groundbreaking experiment? The answer is simple—compete it against previous experiments.

Sure enough, just as the Triceratops gradually adapted to its body and began to walk steadily under the control of the automatic learning system, a sound of a branch breaking came from the depths of the forest in the ecological park. The researchers' conversation suddenly became urgent and excited, and some even turned on the ecological park's lighting system.

Slowly emerging from the shadows was a monster that Carl had seen in biotechnology lab data—its appearance retained the basic features of a gorilla, but its size had swelled to a terrifying degree.

This modified gorilla stands nearly three meters tall, its muscular body taking up two-thirds the size of a Triceratops. Its thick forearms reach down to its knees, and its clenched fists are the size of a fitness ball. Most terrifying of all are its eyes—a pair of compound eyes that glow red, like two bloodthirsty signal lights in the dimly lit sanctuary.

Triceratops is about eight meters long and more than three meters tall, but the gorilla, just by standing, seems to be about the same size as a Triceratops. This gorilla is definitely not simple.

The duel between gorillas and triceratops, while a battle between different species in a sense, cannot compare to a duel between two gorillas or two triceratops. The outcome of such a duel may also vary depending on the species. However, judging from the researchers' attitude, they do not seem to care about this.

Perhaps for them, it is enough that the effort exerted during the process and all the information can be recorded. Even if the Triceratops loses, as long as the experimental data proves that its modification method is better than that of the gorilla, it is worthwhile to promote it.

After the cyborg appeared, the Triceratops seemed to sense the threat. It stopped, lowered its heavy head, and pointed its three sharp horns at the intruder. The cyborg pounded its chest with its fists and let out a deafening roar, its mechanical eyes flashing a dangerous red light.

The atmosphere in the ecological park instantly became extremely tense.

Karl looked at the two creatures that did not exist in nature and secretly estimated their strength.

It must be said that this is truly a testament to biotechnology; even just these two organisms, which are still in the experimental stage and not yet perfected, have shown an extremely terrifying appearance.

Carl estimated that if the Animal Gang were to deal with that gorilla, it would probably require the leadership of one of their outposts, and even then, the leader would have to be quite capable.

This is quite a terrifying assessment. You see, Karl saw a warehouse full of biological components. If each of those components could be perfected into the shape of a gorilla, they might be enough to mobilize the Terrorist SWAT team if they were thrown into the streets of Night City. And that was just one of the warehouses.

Although it's not particularly difficult to deal with, if you consider them as biological weapons or bodyguards for the wealthy, just a few of them would be equivalent to a regular security team.

As Carl pondered and watched, the battle between the Triceratops and the gorilla began.

The gorilla launched the first attack.

Its hind leg muscles compressed like springs, and it suddenly leaped up. The mechanical claws that popped out of its hands drew six silver arcs under the light. The Triceratops' reaction was astonishingly fast—it did not dodge, but instead raised its head sharply to meet the oncoming black shadow.

"Clang—!" The ear-piercing sound of metal colliding made the observation window tremble slightly. Sparks flew as the gorilla's claws scraped against the Triceratops's forehead, and a scale flew off, but the main character was completely unharmed.

Carl noticed a blue glow, characteristic of some alloy, emanating from the base of the Triceratops' horn—biotechnology had somehow transformed the dinosaur's most primitive weapon into composite armor.

The gorilla stumbled as it landed, and the Triceratops seized the opportunity to swing its heavy, whip-like tail.

The nearly two-ton tail swept past with a whooshing sound, snapping three artificial palm trees in half. The gorilla managed to turn sideways but was still grazed on its left side, tearing its artificial skin to reveal the hydraulic pipes underneath, which were flashing with electric sparks.

"Roar--!"

The injury angered the gorilla.

The animal, mimicking the emotions of a gorilla, suddenly pulled out a metal stake from the ground behind it—a stake that had been supporting the biomimetic tree. This was clearly not part of the experimental plan; rather, it was a result of its own learning and intelligence that made it perform this human-like action. Upon seeing this, the researchers immediately became agitated.

The monster hurled the metal stake like a javelin. In the instant the Triceratops dodged, the gorilla pounced on its side, its fangs biting deep into the gaps in its scales.

Crimson blood gushed from the Triceratops' wound, but it took the opportunity to kick wildly with its hind hooves.

The gorilla was kicked and sent flying, crashing into the bulletproof glass. The entire observation window was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks. At this moment, both monsters were injured: the gorilla's left arm was hanging limply, and the Triceratops was dragging a bleeding hind leg.

For a biomimetic Triceratops, injuries that only damage the outer skin layer are negligible. It's like someone biting through the skin of a mercenary wearing heavy subcutaneous armor; it doesn't affect the Triceratops' core movement at all.

Compared to the Triceratops, the gorilla's injured left arm was extremely fatal. The point of force, which was clearly equipped with a device, had been completely destroyed, and its expected output had dropped to the limit, and it might even be unusable.

Carl, watching, was somewhat surprised by their intelligence.

The technology used in biotechnology has such an outstanding learning ability that it has even prepared solutions to deal with opponents of various sizes.

The gorilla's lunge to the side just now had the feel of an African savanna lion hunting a buffalo, avoiding the buffalo's most dangerous horns and launching an attack from the side to injure its internal organs (core). The Triceratops' response was just as swift and excellent as the agile buffalo, and it was also incredibly powerful.

Neither of them are the true prototypes. The intelligence displayed by the two experimental subjects has far exceeded that of the prototypes, and this is even more true in terms of power.

Realizing it was at a disadvantage, the gorilla began to deliberately raise dust with one hand to obstruct its vision, while the Triceratops made head movements to make it appear as if its eyes were being disturbed. However, Carl realized that it was trying to conceal its head attack.

When the gorilla pounced again, the Triceratops suddenly lowered its center of gravity, and its three horns pierced the opponent's chest with precision, like battering rams.

With a sickening metallic crack, the gorilla was lifted into the air. It struggled frantically, its mechanical claws scratching shallow marks on the Triceratops's face. But the dinosaur's neck muscles continued to exert force like a hydraulic press, and finally, with a crisp snap, the gorilla's spine bent at a bizarre angle at the tip of its horn.

The victorious Triceratops raised its head and let out a series of audio sounds that appeared to be a combination of bull and deer roars. It had defeated the gorilla almost without taking any damage.

An eerie silence fell over the researchers—Karl could tell from their pale yet excited faces that the battle was far more brutal than expected.

So Carl took the opportunity to move closer, and then he heard the researchers' voices.

"This is amazing, absolutely amazing! The progress is beyond expectations. I originally thought that the experimental subjects from the previous stage would at least be stronger than the latest experimental subjects in terms of output, but judging from their current state, not only are they more intelligent, but their strength is also on par with, no, it seems they have far surpassed, the old experimental subjects!"

One of the lab technicians, whose name tag indicated he was in charge, was so excited that his hands trembled uncontrollably. He almost shook his glasses off his nose as he adjusted them. He spoke to his subordinates and colleagues beside him:

"After maintaining and recording the data for this experimental subject, send it to Hansen. This is definitely the experimental subject that will satisfy him the most. Although it is not the best, the final stage of the experiment still needs time to break through. This is already the limit."

'Hansen?'

Upon hearing the familiar name from the researcher, Carl had a sudden realization: all the experimental samples that the biotechnology company had recently transported into Dogtown were for Hansen.

What is the King of Dogtown doing, constantly 'importing' these biomimetic organisms from the biotechnology sector?
Could it be that they're after combat strength? That would make sense at this juncture.
Just as Carl was thinking this, he overheard something different from what he had guessed during a conversation among the researchers.

"Yes, Minister, but do we really have to destroy the intelligence core? The Netherhounds say they're afraid of being controlled, but this bionic isn't completely out of the mechanical realm. If a skilled person hacks in, they can still control it. But would destroying the core even be useful?"

"I don't know, but Hansen made this request. Once the order is placed, we'll submit it like this. He offered a high price to the higher-ups, so this isn't something we can discuss."

However, I heard that Hansen had become suspicious of his subordinates, so he took precautions to ensure that he would have a force under his control should a crisis arise and he faced his men.

"Is it all in his hands? Is Hansen that vigilant? It can't be that there's a traitor among his subordinates; he must have his own force."

Listening to the researcher's voice and speculations, Carl sensed something unusual.

Fear of subordinates rebelling?
Hansen is not that kind of person. Although Karl had only met Hansen less than ten times, Karl could see through Hansen's true nature.

He had ambition and charisma, and his arrogance led him to believe he could manage his subordinates, but that was definitely not the reason.

Biotechnology.
biology?

Destroy the core of intelligence
It's almost as if there's something that can replace it, or rather, something that eliminates the need for the intelligence core, making it less easy to hack.

What exactly is Hansen's purpose in placing this order?

Carl felt like he had grasped something, but there was no thread to connect it.

There was too little information; Karl couldn't think of anything.

After all, things can't always be like that.
Hansen just wanted to play with dinosaurs.

(End of this chapter)