Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 830, Section 40: The Enemy is at the Arasaka Tower!
"Everything has been arranged."

Mingzhi led the pheasant faction members in a two-day campaign to draw the other side's attention.

Despite the meticulous tracking and search carried out by Arasaka Seigen's subordinates, thanks to Akechi's precise, clockwork-like command and the covert assistance of an "insider" within Arasaka Tower, he successfully led the Pheasant Faction to hold out until the day of the board meeting.

Although this process was not without its costs—the elite squad that initially followed Akechi in rescuing Arasaka Hanako was completely wiped out by Arasaka Sei's combat forces—Akechi still managed to keep Arasaka Sei's attention firmly in check for two days, forcing the other side to redeploy a large number of troops to the coastline to prevent Arasaka Hanako from evacuating by sea.

He managed to shake off his pursuers at the last moment, returned in time, and delivered a near-perfect answer to Hanako Arakawa.

Hanako Arakawa was generous with her praise for Akechi's achievements. In fact, Akechi's performance even exceeded expectations—he not only fully deserved her trust and high regard, but also completed the task with almost impeccable execution.

Upon learning of the sacrifice of his entire elite squad, Hanako Arakawa made a promise: after dealing with Seiichi Arakawa, she would authorize Akechi to freely select members from all of the Pheasant Faction's action squads until he reassembled a team that was as elite as his original members, or even stronger.

"I will not forget your contribution, wise one."

Hanako Arasaka nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the group of people behind Akechi before finally settling on his face. "You will accompany me through the secret passage into Arasaka Tower. Your personnel will remain under your command—your recent performance has fully demonstrated your ability and loyalty, and this time, all personnel will be under your unified leadership."

Her tone grew serious, revealing an undeniable determination: "However, this is not just a sign of my trust in you, but also a test. I want you to eliminate and control the forces under Sei-nobu's command as quickly as possible after this is done, and take full control of Arasaka Tower."

According to Hanako Arasaka's plan, as long as she can welcome her father Saburo Arasaka back at the board meeting, all the rebellion and chaos caused by Sei-nobu Arasaka will come to an end at that moment.

As in the past fifty years, Arakasaka Seigen will once again submit to his father and kneel under the absolute authority of Arakasaka Saburo. Everything he has done after Saburo's 'death' will become irrefutable evidence of his guilt, completely crushing his already precarious position.

This time, Saburo Arasaka will not allow his son to retain any means of resistance.

At this moment when the experiment on immortality was beginning to show promise, a son who had been repeatedly tolerated due to circumstances and interests finally reached the limit of his tolerance.

However, the power that Arasaka Seigen has accumulated over the years should not be underestimated.

Over the years, far too many people have gathered here, drawn by his ambition and swayed by his words. To prevent these people from doing anything that would harm Arakawa's fundamental interests under the desperate instigation of Seiyuki, they must be eradicated in the fastest, most thorough, and most severe way.

Because of Akechi's consistently impressive performance over the past few days, Hanako Arakawa chose to entrust this matter of honor to Akechi.

She believes Ming can do this well.

And her wise answer did not disappoint her.

"Understood, Miss Hua."

Akechi's gaze briefly swept over a device that Arasaka Hanako always carried, his voice steady: "I will never let you and Lord Saburo down." "From now on, you will stay by my side." Hanako nodded approvingly at Akechi's unwavering answer. She pondered for a moment, then took a small step closer to Akechi, her clothes fluttering slightly. "I believe you have the ability to handle multiple important tasks simultaneously, and as a reward for your loyalty—"

Arakawa Hanako paused briefly, her words carrying an almost ritualistic solemnity.

"I will formally grant you the powers of president at the board meeting. You will stand by my side and establish your authority and my absolute trust in you in the face of all incompetent and disloyal people."

"Yes, Miss Hua Zi."

This time, Mingzhi's response revealed a hint of barely suppressed emotion. Even he, at the moment when he was about to be publicly granted the position of president, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Hanako Arakawa nodded slightly, her gaze falling once again on his handsome profile, as if trying to read something deeper from it. She remained silent for a moment, but ultimately said nothing.

Hanako Arasaka is no longer at the age where she would be moved by appearances, but when she looks at the young, talented, and dashing Akechi, she can't help but compare him to her bodyguard, Santayu Oda.

In comparison, if it weren't for Mingzhi's lack of strength, he might have been the guard who satisfied him more and whom he admired more.

After having this thought, Hanako Arakawa turned around and walked calmly toward the vehicle that had been prepared in advance—a car that had been carefully modified to conceal her identity, but whose appearance was no different from an ordinary sedan.

Accompanied by Oda Santau, she sat in the back seat.

At this moment, Akechi looked at the people gathered in front of him. Among them were his subordinates who had followed him in hiding to attract attention over the past two days, as well as the people that Arasaka Hanako had summoned and who had just handed over command to him.

Akechi looked around at everyone without saying much, but slowly raised his arm and pointed to the towering Arasaka Tower, which was still clearly visible even in the bad soil.

Arasaka Tower has always adhered to an architectural philosophy: in any city, the tallest building must belong to Arasaka. In other words, if someone wants to cause trouble for Arasaka—or wants to join Arasaka—they only need to find the most prominent building on the skyline.

Now, that towering structure, a symbol of power and ambition, has become a silent command, a direction that draws all eyes, under the fingertips of wisdom.

Wise's arm still pointed to the colossal tower piercing the sky, and all the eyes of his followers were fixed on his fingertips. The next moment, he shouted out those heavy and fervent words—

A declaration of war made by a historical figure with the same surname as him when his ambition was burning;

A rebellious oath, echoing through the dust of the Warring States period, once uttered by the warlord Akechi Mitsuhide:
Now, those words, spoken by Goro Akechi—a man who also bears the surname "Akechi"—resonate with a similar ambition:
"The enemy is at—Arasaka Tower!"

(End of this chapter)