Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 846, Section 56: Attack and Strangeness

"You're back. How was the trip?"

"Don't even mention it, it's not the kind of product I was thinking of."

Speaking to Jack, who was sitting on the sofa, Carl sighed, "While it's not entirely a waste of time, it has at least dealt a blow to the current illegal transport of Mewtwo. It's unbelievable how they transport Mewtwo; it's more outrageous than smuggling weapons."

Carl shook his head and tossed the Mewtwo headband he always wore onto the table with a thud.

"Four people, fully equipped with military-grade cybernetic bodies, so well-equipped they could fight small-scale wars, were only there to escort this bunch of shoddy imitations of cyber madness directed by a second-rate director."

"Only professionals can make it look good, right?"

Jack laughed and said, "But some people just love this kind of thing. I remember a while ago, someone somehow got your number and called to try and buy the last Mewtwo video that JK recorded before he died? The price he asked for wasn't low."

“I don’t know how they knew I had this,” Karl said, his tone turning somber, “but I will never sell that posthumous work.”

Selling it would be tantamount to admitting that I am a cyber psychopath.

Although Carl is no longer as bothered by being labeled a "cyber psychopath" as he was at the beginning, the fact that he would drag Oliver along to keep watch at the slightest hint of trouble shows that he still cares to some extent.

"If you care so much about that thing, why don't you just destroy it?"

“That’s a little different.”

Carl sighed again, his voice lowering: "I still have some respect for JK's directorial spirit, even though what he did made me want to hang him up and beat him up countless times—but I never really wanted him dead."
Ultimately, what he said was at most slander. The obsession and spirit of someone who remained devoted to his own work until his death is, in fact, quite admirable.

He paused, his tone complex: "Even if his last work was a smear campaign against me, it's still a bit of a pity to destroy it completely like this."

“That is indeed something that you, Carl, would care about and think about.”

Oliver sipped his drink, which he had just taken from the refrigerator, and said, "Wouldn't you call this a form of respect for art?"

"Maybe some, but no matter what, I still can't destroy them when I see them—even though they've spread all over the world and can't be banned."

Carl knew that today's actions would at most only suppress its spread in Night City. Based on what he had discussed with enthusiasts at Hansen's banquet, the thing had already reached a point where it was impossible to stop.

"Beep——"

After Carl walked over to the refrigerator, opened the door, and made himself a cold drink, the TV in front of Jack automatically switched channels, and the jarring opening theme of an emergency news program forcibly interrupted their conversation.

"—We have a breaking news briefing. An NCPD spokesperson has just confirmed that a vicious attack occurred in Taiping State ten minutes ago. Unidentified armed men attacked a construction site for a new building project in Taiping State. Explosions and fierce fighting occurred at the scene, and the bodies of several unidentified individuals were found."
According to the NCPD's preliminary analysis of the traces at the scene, the attackers were tactically skilled, well-equipped, and had a thorough understanding of the construction site's situation and personnel configuration, resulting in heavy casualties among the construction workers.

The NCPD is currently working with the biotechnology company responsible for the new construction project to determine whether the unregistered bodies belong to homeless individuals absorbed through the company's "site labor program."

The sound of news broadcasts echoed in the room, and the television screen flashed images of the horrific scene, blurred but still recognizable: twisted metal, charred craters, and corpses carelessly covered.

Carl's gaze was fixed on a corner of the screen—on the arm of a 'homeless' corpse that wasn't completely covered, a set of expensive military-grade subcutaneous armor, clearly belonging to someone who was definitely not a homeless person, was clearly attached. Beside another corpse, a meticulously modified smart weapon lay lying.

“Homeless?” Oliver scoffed. “Biotechnology’s ‘labor program’? What a joke. Since when did homeless people become standard issue? I think this is just a label that biotechnology uses to cover up its personnel.” Jack stroked his chin. “The NCPD’s report is really ‘polite.’ ‘Confirm whether it belongs to the labor program’? Ha, they don’t believe it at all. They probably received aid funds from biotechnology and don’t want to expose this trick openly.”

Carl didn't speak, but his brows furrowed more and more as he watched the news.

He recognized the construction site.

Carl stared silently at the screen, deep in thought.

He had personally infiltrated that place not long ago.

At that time, he received a mission from "Mr. Blue Eyes": to investigate the activities of biotechnology on the border between Taiping and Dogtown. He followed the trail and eventually found his way into the construction site, where he discovered a biological laboratory hidden beneath the seemingly undetectable surface structure.

How long has it been? The entire location has been subjected to a bloody cleanup.

Was it Mr. Blue Eyes or someone behind him who did it?

Karl frowned.

He knew all too well what the so-called research being conducted by the biotechnology department was all about; to put it bluntly, it was nothing more than 'resurrecting ancient creatures as pets'.

The laboratory's security level wasn't very high. If someone were really after them, and after pinpointing the location, they could theoretically easily obtain the data by sending a corporate spy to carry out a meticulous operation.

Was that study worthless?

Not so much.

The Arasaka Pheasant Faction had already keenly recognized its potential some time ago and incorporated it into Saburo's ambitious 'immortality project'. Even though Saburo is now dead and the project has been terminated, this research, which paved the way for immortality technology, will not easily lose its significance.

But the question is: is this thing really so scarce that it warrants a military attack?

For Arasaka, the value of this technology lies entirely in the fact that he possesses the core of immortality technology, which has the potential to assist in the path to immortality. This is why they are willing to attach great importance to it.

But if we peel back the layers and look at the technology itself—reviving ancient creatures as pets? In the end, it's nothing more than an expensive form of entertainment for the rich.

Arasaka obtained the data with almost no significant resistance thanks to their industrial espionage. If other companies were truly interested in acquiring it, even if the process was somewhat complicated, it would not be an insurmountable obstacle. Its commercial and application value is far from high enough to warrant such a large-scale effort.

That is why this attack seems so unusual.

A direct assault, explosions, and silencing witnesses—these are acts bordering on war.

Some people are willing to completely break ties with biotechnology, even risking a full-scale war—just to seize something that is theoretically not difficult to obtain.
why?
Carl was thinking when his phone received a new call.

Mr. Blue Eyes is calling.

(End of this chapter)