Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 818 28. Lure the snake out of its hole
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Akechi."

Mingzhi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the people in the dimly lit room.

The meeting with the core members of the Pheasant Faction went much more smoothly than he had expected—or rather, this group, determined to make a final stand, was far more resourceful than rumored.

They had long since disregarded everything else, and all their resources, connections, and even escape routes were staked on the goal of 'rescuing Hanako Arasaka'.

Besides the ninety elite 'Ninja Hundreds' who formed the main force, countless auxiliary personnel had also silently infiltrated North America.

These pieces lurking in the shadows are now operating with astonishing efficiency.

It was through this sophisticated underground network that even a high-ranking official like Akechi, whose identity was highly sensitive and who was a key target constantly monitored by the forces of Arasaka Sei, was able to escape surveillance without anyone noticing and complete this secret contact with the Chiji faction.

The pheasant faction members showed extraordinary respect for this wise man, who had not previously been a high-ranking member of the faction.

Although Hanako Arasaka is currently imprisoned and her contact with the outside world is blocked at every turn, the Pheasant Faction is not entirely helpless.

Through clandestine channels, they were still able to receive fragments of messages from the trapped young lady and her most loyal bodyguard, Oda Santao.

Among these fragmented yet valuable intelligence reports, the name of Mingzhi was repeatedly mentioned.

Miss Hua Zi used her unique, scrutinizing phrasing to describe him as "one of the few who could keep a clear head when sent to the chaotic land of North America";
Oda Sandayu's assessment was even more direct—he was a talented individual, well-suited for action.

It was these heavyweight endorsements from the depths of the prison that gave Mingzhi a transcendent position in the Pheasant Faction's operational framework.

He was not only included in the core decision-making circle, but was also given almost absolute command authority—in a sense, he was the 'commander-in-chief' of this operation.

This title is not just for show.

When the representatives of the Ninja Hundred and the Pheasant Faction unfolded the holographic map of Night City in the safe house, all eyes turned to Akechi.

He has the responsibility and the right to decide on this rescue.

And Mingzhi did not disappoint these people; he delivered some very important news as soon as he opened his mouth.

"I have located Miss Hua Zi's detention location."

This sentence exploded in the crowd like an electromagnetic pulse bomb.

Since Hanako Arasaka was imprisoned, her location has been constantly shifting. With Michiko's secret support, Sei-nobu Arasaka has almost completely controlled the intelligence network of the entire Night City Arasaka. Every time the Pheasant Faction gets a clue, the other party will immediately change the location of her imprisonment.

Just as they were pondering how to find out where Miss Hua Zi was now, the commander came up and said that he already had the intelligence.

Several ninjas sitting in the corner unconsciously straightened their backs.

Just minutes before, some of them had doubts about whether this commander, who had gained the master's trust and high-level authority, could actually carry out the command.

But now, those questioning gazes have turned into burning expectations.

If what the commander said is true, then their plan to rescue Miss Hua Zi may be able to be implemented sooner than expected.

"The specific coordinates are here."

Wise's finger swept across the holographic projection, and a 3D map of Night City unfolded before everyone.

His finger finally stopped on North Oaks—a wealthy neighborhood known for its tight security.

The projection then zoomed in, and a villa surrounded by lush green trees appeared clearly.

"On the surface, Arakasaka Seibu still maintains Ms. Hanako's dignity." Akechi's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, as if he were expressing a sarcastic remark to the CEO who had imprisoned his family:

"So the location for this transfer isn't the dungeon, but a private villa area in North Oak." Mingzhi's voice was exceptionally clear in the closed room.

He inserted a gleaming neural chip into the holographic map, and as the data flowed, several surveillance videos unfolded in the air.

In the footage, three bodyguards in custom-made suits patrol the area, each with a miniature scanner hidden in their tie clip.

Security robots stood everywhere, their optical lenses glowing red in the dark. Each of these latest models was equipped with lethal technological weapons. For robots, aiming at such things was the simplest thing in the world, so they were not equipped with the smart weapons that ordinary security guards usually preferred.

The lawns at the edges of those images were magnified by Akechi—beneath the seemingly neatly trimmed turf, Akechi highlighted in red a dense array of landmines.

“Don’t be fooled by appearances,” Wise’s finger swept across the projection, zooming in again on the cross-section of the hidden defense layer. “These automated turrets are disguised as landscape sculptures, with two vibration-sensitive mines buried under each square meter of lawn.”

The projection then switched to thermal imaging mode, revealing a sniper platform hidden in the tree canopy. "Its defense level is no lower than that of the Arasaka Tower's floors. Don't be careless."

At this moment, a man who was not directly involved in the specific actions but was one of the core planners of the Pheasant Faction leaned forward slightly and cautiously raised a crucial question:
"Mr. Mingzhi, please forgive my bluntness. Although I should not question your arrangements from my position, the level of detail in this information and the security details you have are truly astonishing."

Considering you are still under Arasaka's close surveillance, I have to ask—how exactly did you obtain this information under such dangerous circumstances?

This member of the Pheasant Faction did not doubt Akechi's loyalty—after all, he was a person personally vouched for by Miss Hanako and Lord Oda Santau, and those two gentlemen's judgment could not be wrong.

However, this only made him more worried: Had that cunning Arakasaka Seiichi already discovered Mr. Akechi's secret investigation and deliberately set a trap? Could this seemingly valuable information be a deadly trap carefully laid by the other side?
"I expected someone to raise this question."

Mingzhi calmly surveyed the crowd, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his voice carrying a prepared composure:
“I did not obtain this intelligence myself—given my current situation, any direct action would be too risky, but I entrusted the mercenaries of the afterlife to investigate through special channels.”

"Mercenaries? Those desperate outlaws who make a living on the streets?"

This answer clearly exceeded the expectations of the pheasant faction members.

The group exchanged surprised and suspicious glances, and some of them unconsciously frowned—such core classified information was actually obtained by those mercenaries?
A slight commotion arose in the meeting room.

One of the younger members couldn't help but frown.

In his mind, those mercenaries who mingled under the neon lights were nothing more than brutes who did things for money. How could they possibly touch the most confidential security arrangements of the Arasaka Company?
But soon, several resounding names came to mind: Morgan Blackhand, KK. When those legendary names were recalled, the doubts that had just arisen in their hearts disappeared.

“If it’s the ‘next life’,” an older member pondered, stroking his chin, “the bar that KK frequents might indeed have mercenaries of that caliber.”

Although most of them had never set foot in Night City before, the rumors about that underground bar had long been legendary—it was said that every specialty cocktail there corresponded to a legend, and that it was a gathering place for legends. Noticing the change in their expressions, Mingzhi understood that they no longer questioned it, so after nodding slightly, he continued, "48 hours. We only have 48 hours."

As the holographic image flickered, a countdown timer appeared before everyone: 48:00:00.

"This is not an exact time, but I hope you will treat it as the final deadline."

Akechi said, "Miss Hanako was just transferred three days ago. We must be cautious and complete the operation as quickly as possible. If Arasaka Seigen finds out about our operation or becomes aware of it, Miss Hanako will soon face another transfer. At that time..."

His gaze swept across everyone's face like a blade. "Not only will our operation fail, but the chances of rescuing Miss Hua Zi will also be reduced to the lowest possible level."
So these 48 hours—that's our best chance to rescue Miss Hua Zi. Either we succeed, or…” He paused deliberately for half a second, “that's when we all perish.”

After exchanging glances at Mingzhi's cold voice, the group, who had been prepared, finally looked at Mingzhi and nodded firmly.

“We were prepared for this long ago, Mr. Akechi.”

“I’m ready, Carl.”

Arakasaka Seiichi continued his call with Carl, his tone tinged with emotion.

"I didn't expect the Pheasant Faction to send so many people this time, and they actually managed to develop such a force right under my nose. It seems I underestimated their determination."

"Rather than a decision, I think one of my guesses might have come true."

Having just finished talks with the Pheasant Faction and agreed on how to rescue Arakawa Hanako, Carl said:
"Their understanding of Arasaka and their familiarity with your style of doing things is something that the higher-ups of the Pheasant Faction could never achieve. So the guess I mentioned to you before is becoming more and more likely."

You mean that incident from before?

Arakasaka Nobuyuki clearly understood that Karl was referring to the old man who was already dead. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke:

"If it's him, he could indeed make such an arrangement, and he's the only one who knows Arasaka so well. I already have some clues."

Arakasaka Seibu continued:

"So I think we can follow your plan to lure the snake out of its hole, but we can be more thorough. I want more than just these pheasant faction members; I want the people behind them as well."

"You mean you want me to use that identity to save Arasaka Hanako?"

"As long as you can rescue Hua Zi, given her personality, even if it doesn't come to that extent, she will at least develop some trust in you."

At that time, regardless of whether that old guy is behind it or not, the truth will come to light, and then…

"I, being the wise one, will handle this, won't I?"

Karl didn't see any problem: "That was pretty much my plan from the beginning, but the 100-man ninja group is quite strong. The ninjas I met at the meeting today were all very skilled. I need to borrow some of them from you."

“You can order anyone around me around, including me. If necessary, I can act as bait and take risks to carry out your plans.”

Upon hearing Karl say that he needed manpower, Sei Xuan didn't hesitate to say such words, even if it meant using himself as bait.

Compared to Karl, who was far more dangerous to be in the enemy lines, he was merely used as bait and was nothing special.

"Bait?"

Carl thought about it for a moment. He instinctively wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, he felt it was acceptable.

After all, if the bait isn't big enough, you can't catch a big enough fish. And for Hanako Arasaka or the person behind her who might be behind her, what bait could be bigger than Nobuyuki Arasaka?

"Even if I rescue Arasaka Hanako, I still won't know the real secret. I'll use you as bait, but the manpower I need isn't complicated."

"Do you need my secret force?"

"All I need is a combat squad."

"A combat squad? But how can a combat squad compare to a hundred-ninja group? Their strength..."

Halfway through his speech, Arakasaka Seiichi suddenly realized which action team Karl was referring to.

"You're not talking about the second action team, are you?"

"of course."

Carl said, "Based on what I learned from the secret meeting today, the people these pheasant faction members gathered for their last stand don't know much about the interior of Arasaka Tower because of the information blockade."

Many of them were visiting North America for the first time, and fearing to alert the enemy, they dared not obtain information from Arasaka's official channels.

They have absolutely no idea what's going on inside Arasaka Tower. At a time like this, if I bring a combat squad and claim to be one of my men, they won't be able to tell the difference.

"Since you don't know anything about the combat team, you naturally don't know how many people are in the team or who leads it, right?"

Arakasase said, "Is that so?" but there was a hint of pleasure in his voice, perhaps for what was about to happen.

"I think this will be a surprise for my sister."

"Perhaps it's also a surprise for your father, since it's like the money I gave him for his funeral. After all, when he passed away, I only saw him off without giving him any money. The sentiment was there, but the material was not. If there's a chance to make up for it this time, that would be perfect."

"You're quite traditional."

"We can't be so traditional. Ghost money and the like are outdated things from the past. I prefer to use more practical things as offerings."

"for example?"

"Tungsten bullets and the like."

(End of this chapter)