Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Doesn’t Want to Become a Night City Legend

Chapter 206 Arakasaka Yorinobu's Madness

Do you know Night City?

This is a crazy city, a city about dreams, where we have everything—yes, we're not exaggerating, everything.

Sex, money, power, and an icy, captivating madness.

Everything is possible, as long as you desire it, and as long as you have luck or resources.

Therefore, the residents here have seen everything.

People who were chatting on a street corner yesterday might be getting their heads smashed by stray bullets in a gang shootout today.

Yesterday's celebrity spokesperson, basking in the limelight on billboards, may be the next day embroiled in scandal by the company across the street.

This person died today.

That person will die tomorrow.

People couldn't stand it anymore, or rather, they were supposed to be unable to stand it, which ultimately turned into a cold and mechanical surrender, acceptance, and compliance.

Almost nothing can frighten the people of Night City.

But this past year has been a bit unique.

David Martinez and his kid stormed up Arasaka Tower, drove their cybernetic supercomputers and wiped out the military technology troops outside the city, then stormed into the city, destroyed the terrorist mobile unit squad, crashed into Arasaka Tower, killed Adam Hammer, and finally escaped in style.

David Martinez is also a living legend, but he eventually left the city, so people care more about the legend who remains in Night City.

[L]

This name is destined to shine for one year, no, fifty years, no, one hundred years!

Killing Adam Hammer with his own hands was tantamount to slapping the company in the face, an unprecedented feat for a mercenary.

Soon, the time limit was changed to "five hundred years".

Because L killed Saburo Arasaka.

Although the matter is full of strange things and troublesome details, and no media outlets have been able to report on it, people are no longer willing to think about it.

Even if Lu Mingfei was at the Azure Building when Saburo Arasaka died, as long as it was confirmed that Lu Mingfei was within 300 miles of the Azure Building at that time, people would have to elevate him to a god-like status.

Because what people believe is only the reality they want to see.

[A legendary mercenary engages in direct combat with Arasaka (the company), killing Saburo Arasaka, the eternal emperor]

This is the reality!
That's so cool.

So handsome.

That's legendary.

Therefore, people will only be willing to believe this account.

And now?
The five-hundred-year timeframe is also going to change.

Lu Mingfei is no longer just a passerby in history books, but a representative of the 'turning point' that will be placed in the history books of future generations.

[—Arasaka Company lost.]

They were defeated by a mercenary group.

One man against the most elite combat force of the Arasaka Company, killing all the enemies, feigning an attack on Arasaka Hanako to draw fire, then diverting the enemy's forces to attack Kamikoshi, Lu Mingfei actually turned back after completing his objective.

Perhaps Lu Mingfei won't be able to break through the entire Araban Tower.

[Normally]

"It is impossible for a person to defeat a company."

In the empty corridor, Lu Mingfei walked forward with somewhat unsteady steps.

"But on my way here, all the alarm systems were deactivated. Nobody knew that there was a secret passageway inside the Arasaka Tower. Once the mission to support the emperor is accomplished, this war will end immediately."

"Hanako Arakawa would never have dreamed that her brother never intended to seize power from her, but from the very beginning only wanted to take her and their family down with him to their deaths."

At the end of the corridor was a silent room.

Inside that room, the man with his back to Lu Mingfei did not respond. Seeing this, Lu Mingfei continued speaking.

“An elderly man who was very kind to me once told me that he thought I would make something of myself and that he believed I had the power to change the city. He also believed that at some point, someone within the company would also emerge who wanted to make reforms, and together we could work to make the world a little different.”

"Back then, I had just decided to join Cyberpunk and met a cool leader. To be honest, I was only focused on showing off and didn't really consider what Old Man Wei was saying. Thinking about it carefully, this is what they call not listening to the elders."

"But even if I had thought about it at the time, I probably wouldn't have believed it. A month before I decided to join Cyberpunk, I was still studying at Arasaka Academy. There were at least five hundred or a thousand young masters there, but none of them respected me, even though my grades were much better than theirs."

"People cannot make objective judgments about things outside their own knowledge, so they easily label them. The label of 'company' makes me keep my distance from you, and even now, I am still half-convinced."

The company is unbreakable.

The company is impregnable.

The company is invincible.

That's all correct.

The so-called "Arasaka" and the so-called "Company" are like the indestructible walls of Troy. Even if Lu Mingfei and V become this powerful, they cannot possibly fight against the entire company's armed forces on their own. Even in the city, if all of Arasaka's high-powered weapons are banned and they only fight against the elite ground forces, Lu Mingfei will still not be able to reach the top.

Or rather, even if she were to charge in, Arasaka Hanako would have enough time to escape.

You can't kill every company. But even this seemingly impregnable fortress has a single weakness.

If external methods don't work, then try internal ones.

If what Old Wei said about someone intending to change the company from within truly exists, then that person is definitely not an employee who worked their way up from the bottom, but someone who, even if born with everything, uses their own will to examine the company's pathological existence and still intends to change the world.

【call----------】

Night had fallen, but the residents of Night City were not fast asleep.

Tonight is not their choice; this is the greatest spectacle in the history of Night City, and they must witness it, even if it means sudden death.

NCPD police cars, trauma team airships, and even the Terrorist Mobile Unit were seen waiting in the rear, but none of them went forward. They just watched silently as the tower burned in flames.

Flames danced between the metal skeletons, glass shards peeled off like cicada shells, and even the steel bars slowly bent in the high temperature.

The LCD screen on the building's surface was still falling, and the charred cables hung in mid-air, occasionally bursting out with a few blue sparks that illuminated the dried bloodstains on the wall.

The night wind swept through the dilapidated building, stirring up vortexes of ash.

It was like a dying giant.

Arasaka Tower, the iconic building of Night City, is now on the verge of death.

People may have guessed that Lu Mingfei could escape unscathed, but no one ever tried to believe that Lu Mingfei could demolish Arasaka Tower by himself.

No one can do it. Nobody.

In the intermittent flickering of embers, the silence was more deafening than the explosion.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Arasaka Tower, in a dimly lit office, the prisoners are having a conversation with the hero of this grand drama.

"Congratulations, Lu Mingfei."

Arakasaka Yoriyuki looked at the dying building, his eyes filled with unreadable emotions. His gaze was just like Lu Mingfei's memory of the first time he took him to Night City, forlorn and lonely, but this time there was an added touch of relief that was almost like an illusion.

"I have so many questions I want to ask you, but after thinking about it carefully, I realize those things can wait until now."

Lu Mingfei looked at the retreating figure. "Would you like to tell me your story?"

“It’s nothing special. He’s just an ordinary boy with a gentle mother and a rebellious heart, that’s all,” Lai Xuan replied.

Lu Mingfei sat down on the sofa, seemingly unconcerned about the surrounding smoke. "They just dumped you, young master, here?"

"Not everyone is a fool. The company's higher-ups all know that I might be the one who killed Saburo."

Yoriyuki Arasaka gave a simple answer.

"But they didn't hold you accountable, or rather, they didn't dare to."

"Yes, because of this scandal, the company can't tell anyone. They have to find a scapegoat, the more conspicuous the better. If it's you, who was unfavorable to Arasaka in the past, then you'd be even more suitable."

"Moreover, I cannot die. Saburo Arasaka's Relic technology has matured to the point that it can be installed on anyone. But in order to inherit Arasaka's hegemony and maintain immortality, he will definitely try to take over my body. So I cannot die either. Not only can I not die, but I must also protect my reputation."

Lu Mingfei waved his hand, "You guessed it long ago, before you came to Night City."

“I had already prepared all of this when I first heard about you.”

Neither of them spoke in a monotone voice, as if they were telling someone else's story.

"You tricked me into going on a mercenary mission for you. The puppet's code states that if I complete the mission, all my companions, including David Martinez, will be safe." With such an irresistible offer, I would definitely go to Arasaka Tower.

Lai Hsuan: "And you have no right to question my trading partners."

Lu Mingfei: "So you chose this time to have Sanlang talk to you."

“The old man knows I’ve always been rebellious towards him. Others might interpret it as ‘I’m using mercenary L to annoy my old man,’ but the old man saw it coming. I’ll kill him there and then pin the blame for killing Saburo on you.”

"It's not to escape punishment."

"That's pointless."

"It's not for revenge."

"I never thought of that."

"It's not about putting myself on the throne, not about making me and Hanako Arasaka mutually destructive, and not even about simply killing Arasaka—the evidence is that if you wanted to kill Arasaka, you could have chosen to smear [Military Technology]. They have the capability and the motive, and you have control over the media—but apart from some media outlets, you have never mentioned it in such a way in press conferences, and you even seem to dislike being associated with Military Technology."

Lu Mingfei didn't use a question, but stated it as a statement.

“You did this to force me to become a hero, to become the spokesperson for the rebellion against the company.”

"Your goal is to create [artificial heroes]."

The silence lasted for a moment, then Lai Xuan said coldly, "I originally planned to use the company to kill the company. In my original plan, I would indeed use military technology to completely kill Arasaka. No, even now, I still need to rely on the power of military technology to slay this evil dragon."

"But the difference lies in [public opinion]."

“You’re right. I need to make you the first and only hero in the world to kill a company with your own power.”

"Heroes, legends, myths—these fantastical elements have died in this world, but we still need them, we need you, we need to inject the last bit of passion into this dying world."

Arakasaka Yoriyuki turned to face Lu Mingfei.

Therefore, you must become a king, a hero, and...

"【The One】"

(End of this chapter)