Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 828, Section 38: A pleasant surprise
The elevator descended smoothly, and the feeling of weightlessness lasted much longer than Mingzhi had expected. Just when he thought he would sink to the center of the earth forever, the car finally came to a slow stop.

The number displayed on the touchscreen was "-12", a result that surprised Mingzhi somewhat—based on his previous physical sensations, he had assumed he had already descended dozens of floors underground.

It seems that this elevator either employs a special safety design due to the harsh geological conditions, resulting in a slow speed, or it incorporates dense identity verification and scanning procedures in the intervals between each floor, which makes the descent so time-consuming.

If that's the case, then Saburo Arasaka is indeed quite cautious. Is he afraid of dying again after dying once? Is he learning from his mistakes?
The elevator doors slid open silently, revealing a dimly lit underground space. The concrete walls were rough and thick, clearly meeting the standard depth for nuclear-proof structures. The air was filled with the low hum of equipment and the cold smell of metal.

Hanako Arasaka's voice rang out beside him, clear and solemn: "When we urgently transferred Father from Arasaka Tower, in order to avoid Lai Xuan's eyes and ears, we only dismantled and transported the key components that maintain digital life."

Her gaze swept over the somewhat simple surroundings, but her tone left no room for doubt: "The furnishings here may be crude, but what you are about to hear and face is the will of your father himself. Remember your manners, be wise, for you are about to meet the true ruler of Arakasaka."

"Yes, Miss Hua Zi."

Akechi bowed his head respectfully, his posture impeccable. Arakawa Hanako nodded slightly, her gaze shifting to the depths of the shadows, and softly called out:
"Father."

Her voice seemed to trigger some mechanism; the low-frequency hum of the equipment in the air suddenly intensified, and a pale blue light emerged from the darkness. The particles rapidly condensed and reconstructed—ultimately transforming into a clear holographic image.

The figure stood with his hands behind his back. From the side, his face was cold and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's—it was Saburo Arasaka himself.

"I'm already here."

Hanako Arasaka's voice echoed in the empty underground space. In the holographic image, Saburo Arasaka slowly turned his head, his cold gaze sweeping over the three people in the room in turn—after lingering briefly on Hanako Arasaka and Santayu Oda, it finally settled on Akechi's face.

"Is this the hero who helped you escape from Lai Xuan's clutches?" His voice was calm and authoritative, yet it carried a subtle electrical noise, as if it were transmitted through some medium.

“Goro Akechi, if I remember correctly, you already showed remarkable talent when you were at headquarters. I have read many of your reports on external corporate actions, but I never expected that you would stand in front of me so quickly. Talented people always stand out.”

Faced with Saburo Arasaka's rare praise, Akechi lowered his gaze at the right moment, his posture humble yet unable to hide a perfectly measured excitement: "It is my greatest honor to receive your praise, Saburo-sama."

"I never hesitate to praise talented people. Unfortunately, some people, no matter how much trust they are given, will only disappoint us time and time again."

Saburo Arasaka's voice was deep and cold, and the "someone" in his words was clearly referring to no one else but Arasaka Yoriyuki.

Mingzhi outwardly maintained a submissive demeanor, but inwardly he was secretly complaining.

The digital ghost's tone was exactly the same as that old man's when he was alive.

Wise thoughts surged silently.

I wonder if, when faced with death, you'll panic like that old man and instinctively resort to family ties. If even that's exactly the same, then this is truly a 100% "perfect replica." Could this be considered some kind of limited-time rerun in the game? If so, that's pretty bad.

Despite the turmoil within him, his face remained calm and composed, maintaining an impeccable deference. This was a matter of "family affairs," and even if Saburo Arasaka had spoken about it, it was not something a mere "subject" like him could interfere with. His position in Arasaka's company was no different from that in the imperial court, and any subject who discussed the emperor's family affairs generally did not have a good ending.

All he had to do at that moment was listen in silence.

Fortunately, Saburo didn't get bogged down in a lengthy reprimand. After a few cold criticisms of Arasaka Yorinobu's rebellious behavior, his holographic gaze turned to Arasaka Hanako—the beautiful pheasant he trusted most, who was capable of handling things, yet could never escape his grasp. Compared to Arasaka Yorinobu, Hanako was clearly more to Saburo's liking; she was obedient and docile enough.

She first tasted the power of authority when she successfully mediated the conflict between Yoriyuki, who had returned to the family, and Saburo at the funeral of her eldest son, Arasaka Takashi, many years ago, a conflict that nearly tore the Arasaka family apart.

In that conflict, she realized that power could lead her out of the confines of the mansion where she had been imprisoned for half her life, and from then on, she took the initiative to embark on the path of vying for power.

But she was always "sensible"—she clearly knew that the source of all power came from her father, Saburo Arasaka.

She never dared to truly defy him. Her so-called struggle was nothing more than expanding the cage that imprisoned her: from the ancestral home in Arasaka to the entire empire. In essence, she was always the pheasant her father had carefully raised. No matter how beautiful her wings were, she had never truly broken free from the cage.

What Saburo Arasaka has always needed is an obedient pheasant.

Clearly, his daughter did not disappoint him this time either.

After his 'accidental death,' she secretly confronted Arasaka Yoriyuki, risking her life to quietly smuggle the core component carrying his digital consciousness out of Arasaka Tower; she rebuilt the temple of his consciousness deep underground in this filthy land; and she is still meticulously carrying out every instruction he had laid out long ago, never deviating from it.

She remains the most dutiful caged bird.

After gazing at his most satisfying 'work,' which he had personally instructed and watched over, Saburo Arasaka spoke: "You've already planned everything out?"

“Yes, Father.” Arakawa Hanako raised her head, her eyes flashing with a cold determination. “Yori no Ue would never have expected that I, who had just escaped and should have retreated back to the main island to seek refuge, would actually return to the heart of Arakawa Tower on my own initiative.”

"What you need is the highest-level access key that I possess, which is located in every single Arasaka Tower around the world." Saburo Arasaka's voice was like an ice shard piercing through the ages. "Once this access is used, Raigen will definitely detect it. You only have one chance to use it. Are you ready?"

“Yes, Father.” Arakawa Hanako’s response was still without the slightest hesitation. “I will thoroughly expose Lai Xuan’s incompetence in front of all the board members and demonstrate your will that still exists. As long as you show yourself, even he can only submit—just like the past fifty years.”

“Lai Xuan, who seized power through my ‘accident,’ is truly extremely disappointing.”

A cold sigh came from the holographic image, as if it were a predetermined judgment, but for Wise, who had been listening with his head bowed, this conversation revealed something.

The memories and cognition carried by this digital ghost clearly ended before his "death".

In Saburo's mind, Arasaka Yorinobu was still the son who had never broken free of his reins in the past fifty years, and the so-called rebellion was nothing more than a farce that took advantage of his death.

What a surprising misjudgment! One mistake led to two mistakes.

A slight curve silently appeared at the corner of Mingzhi's lips in the shadows.

It was a smile that was quite familiar to the residents of Night City, but it appeared on another face.

(End of this chapter)