Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 260 A Situation Where No One Can Retreat [6.5K]

"Everyone stand back!"

Xu Zhi's voice was firm and resounding.

An internal reform that required a violent power grab instantly changed the tide!

Because the soldiers who had gathered around had clearly heard what the AI ​​was broadcasting: Arasaka's most important assets and territory in Night City had been attacked!
"this…"

Beneath their fully armed helmets, the soldiers' expressions were increasingly grim.

But someone has to speak out about the consequences—

"How much did Arasaka pay to return to Night City? If Arasaka's assets suffer losses at this critical juncture, everyone here will be in deep trouble."

Under the control of the counterintelligence minister, Jenkins, whose authority had been taken away, listened to V's words with his eyes closed, and then suddenly smiled.

Jenkins's style of doing things is a bit rough, but the fact that he has worked diligently for the past few years as the head of the counterintelligence department and has even become a strong candidate for the director of special operations is not because he is ruthless, but because he knows very well who should be in which place, who can be deeply trusted, and who can only be a "cleaner" - that's what those drug addicts in Pacific Island say.

V, or Valerie, she was supposed to be a very useful knife, Jenkins had envisioned the girl's fate.

Most corporate employees have an almost innate contempt for the lower classes of Night City, yet some things have to be accomplished through Night City mercenaries and various intermediaries. The problem lies in this link—corporate dogs will betray everyone except themselves at the right time.

However, V was different. Jenkins knew that even if she left this place, there would still be fertile ground for her to grow.

The blade in my hand was still trembling. V... as expected, you still haven't gotten used to the company's rules.

Among those present were members of the Special Operations Unit, because Jenkins had made a deal with Nitta and he had to take action—this was a separate matter from his persuading V to leave Arasaka Tower.

Now that things had come to this, Jenkins had only one thought in mind.

If he had a child, especially a girl, he would absolutely not let her touch a gun... that's too harsh.

"You all heard that! Before headquarters issues any orders, get the hell out there and figure out how to protect the Arasaka Industrial Park!"

Jenkins suddenly flew into a rage and slammed his hand on the table.

Caught off guard, the V-shaped hand movement lost its grip, resulting in a thin, long cut on the side of Jenkins' throat, the bright red blood instantly staining the collar of his white shirt.

V's shoes made a jingling sound.

Jenkins suddenly reached out and grabbed V's wrist tightly.

“Even at this critical juncture, the child is still the same. In the past few years, V has always made some merciful choices in the company's actions—but not this time!”

The man who mentored V wants to tell those in positions of power the secret: unwavering execution!

Even if it's wrong, we must wait until the answer is revealed. Hesitation is the most fatal thing...

V clenched her teeth. At this point, she had no idea what she was doing. Arasaka's overthrow of his superiors was a tradition, but she didn't want that person to be Jenkins.

"Nonsense! Jenkins' authority has been taken over by those traitors! Damn it! They're all just taking money and doing nothing?!"

Nitta Heya's irritable voice caused some of the wavering soldiers to raise their guns again—

No one understands the plight of these soldiers.

They have no idea what's going on at the top; they can only gamble. They have no idea who the right people to follow are.

The soldiers who appeared here were not serving Arasaka, but rather seeking the last drop of rain that fell after power had grown wildly and unchecked, and some filthy money that people chased endlessly.

Kenichi Saburo was increasingly unable to understand what Arasaka-sama meant...

Nitta is a complete idiot, utterly unfit for the company's rules. The reason headquarters hasn't held him accountable yet is entirely due to the regional network; however, other companies that can't stand seeing Arasaka succeed will let this news leak out in Night City. If headquarters finds out about this through other companies' media or by learning it themselves…

That would have dire consequences.

"Vice President Nitta, please stop."

Kenichi Saburo is issuing a warning.

Nitta looked incredulously at the old samurai leaning over the table, blocking his way...

His expression was very nuanced, shifting from confusion to calm, and then to a furious outburst of defiance.

"Arasaka trained you safety supervisors so you could talk back to your superiors?!"

The soldiers looked at each other.

"Kenichi Saburo! A traitor who betrayed Arasaka dared to attack Arasaka's assets, all thanks to you bunch of trash! Headquarters sent you here to follow my orders, not to teach me how to do things!"

"Open fire!"

Kenichi Saburo didn't say anything, but simply raised his hand in a gesture of blocking.

The soldiers' gun barrels swayed...

The back-and-forth oscillation is bound to break down the psychological defenses of some people!
"I am!"

A soldier suddenly raised his gun, his face beneath his helmet showing helplessness and fear.

V knew the passage was dangerous, so he almost instinctively pressed Jenkins' head down to prevent him from getting hurt.

The bullet's trajectory distorted the air, creating ripples as it struck the arm beneath the V-neck suit. The delicate fabric was torn, revealing loose threads, and metallic fragments exploded onto the skin, leaving shimmering, silvery scratches.

But such dodging is not enough.

V's network access bay instantly went into operation. In the field of vision where the computing power reached its peak, the soldiers' neatly raised guns seemed to slow down by more than ten times—the clearer the details, the more she understood that she was about to face a wall of bullets!

Isn't all of this enough?
Nitta's stubbornness, the soldiers' helplessness, and the confusion of the upper echelons all made the temporary plan riddled with holes.

Are we really going to fail here?

As the heavy steel door in the atrium, strong enough to withstand small bombs, deformed and collapsed, V, at the peak of computing power, saw a mechanical figure charging forward with its head down, moving only slightly slower.

She had a hard time describing what it was.

mechanical?

people?
Or is it a monster?

Adam's eyes were bloodshot, his hideous scars crawled like centipedes, and his grayish-white skin was the swollen color that was hard to recover from after being soaked in formaldehyde—he rushed to the side of the group of soldiers in an instant.

There's one more person who can move!

Kenichi Saburo's sword changed direction almost instantly.

Their roars grew longer and longer, and V felt his eardrums throbbing and aching!

"Adam!"

Kenichi had never liked this terrifying thing.

Adam is like a strange program. His current terrifying appearance may be transformed into a handsome man by the cybernetic system controlled by the crow, but he knows clearly that his soul is a demon.

The soldier's neck was shattered by the impact of the heavy hammer and the sudden acceleration of a small car at 100 km/h, and the high-strength textile company clothing was torn apart. Sianwistan's strange voice still echoed!

hum!
Because of this momentary lapse in concentration, V missed the opportunity to upload a quick crack.

But that doesn't matter anymore...

The sound of the iron gate being blown open only reached the courtyard at that moment!

The heavy hammer was like a wild beast charging into the crowd, even throwing corpses high into the air!

"what!"

"Manager Adam!"

Some soldiers were equipped with S.A.S.A.I., so they immediately sensed the impact of Adam's hammer and tried to dodge it.

Kenichi Saburo kicked aside the soldier who was still standing there in a daze, and charged forward like a crouching tiger!
"Kenichi... Saburo!"

Adam's Dragon Knight prosthetic body had been improved by Arasaka many times, and the blood-red interface of his prosthetic eye had long been locked onto the old samurai.

More than twenty years ago…

The humiliation inflicted upon me by Kenichi Saburo is still vivid in my mind.

When the katana slashed his proud arm and deftly severed the prosthetic connection behind his knee, Adam knelt and listened to Kenichi Saburo's words—he was making his dog realize what he was doing.

[Because he's a mad dog who had an affair with Michiko.]

Adam, who had never known humility or the concept of hierarchy, naturally retaliated against Kenichi Saburo, only to be met with a stinging pain from his long-numbed nerves. Kenichi Saburo then used a knife to torture himself.

So cool!
That was Adam's first thought, but he didn't want to die, so he stopped contacting Michiko.

However, even so, Kenichi Saburo did not get any submission from Adam.

"Michiko's piece of meat is delicious."

So said the highly functional madman.

finally.

Kenichi Saburo's sword still didn't fall, because Arasaka still needed such a madman.

When the past comes flooding back into my mind...

The impact has already arrived!

When Kenichi Saburo's blade struck Adam's arm hard!
V's pupils suddenly dilated!
too fast.

Kenichi Saburo doesn't seem to have many prosthetic bodies. What exactly is providing him with such high-speed movement?

I saw——

The old samurai's blade seemed to have a life of its own, crawling like a deadly viper across Adam's arm, accompanied by the detachment of the prosthetic's bulletproof leather and wiring.

"Ah!"

Adam's heavy fist slammed towards Kenichi Saburo, who was bending down, but it was dodged in an instant!
As the two figures passed each other, Kenichi Saburo had already sheathed his sword.

Adam wanted to continue—

Kenichi Saburo spoke up, "If you do it again, we'll have headquarters soak your head in a jar, you bastard!"

Surprisingly, Adam stopped.

However, Adam remained in his charging posture when the soldier beneath his feet suddenly straightened up, spitting out a mouthful of thick blood that splashed onto Adam's metallic prosthetic leg... The surrounding soldiers, seeing the nearly two-meter-tall figure, retreated in panic.

He shook his prosthetic hand, which was crackling with electricity, without any apology. On the contrary, the soldiers under his feet were trampled and twisted in the stomachs by his footsteps, leaving them in a mess.

This…

Kenichi Saburo's eyelids twitched. He regretted not dealing with this strange thing sometime after Michiko lost her virginity.

"I arrived just in time."

Adam kicked the limp corpse aside, his expression shifting disdainfully from Kenichi Saburo's, and instead fixed his gaze on V.

Heavy, mechanical footsteps echoed as Adam spoke in a language only V could understand, “I’ve already given it to that guy. I can smell the scent of both of you having been with CHUANG… One day he’ll die by my hand too.”

V's expression was full of hostility.

"With Adam's abilities, he should be in the city's self-service family planning vending machines."

Adam stopped walking.

He stared mockingly at the excessively beautiful V.

"Interesting bitch, too bad I don't have any of those leftover hobbies."

Words like vile, scum, and so on are perfectly suited to describe Adam.

As one of the main characters in this grand drama, He Ye stared at Adam's back and suddenly shouted, "That woman is connected to the traitor!"

Adam's fingers only made the gesture he himself and the Arasaka soldiers were required to understand: a slight circle of the index finger near the ear, meaning "follow me."

The soldiers holstered their weapons, their hands trembling with rage and impotence, following the "security chief" who had just treated them like insects. Everyone knew the consequences of disobeying orders—

"You too, fair-skinned girl. If you're going to be with Arasaka, then prove it."

Adam never once looked at Nitta.

The moment V turned her head, Xu Zhi stared at her intently, his chin slightly raised.

The performance has now reached the point where it's time to begin, and V has to go on stage.

only…

Hopefully he can extricate himself from this situation as soon as possible.

……
-
Steaming hot tea is poured into the cup along the curve of the spout.

Michiko stared at her face reflected in the tea in her cup, momentarily lost in thought.

I feel so unfamiliar with myself.

The most classic Japanese woman's hairstyle, plain white kimono, all those kitsch trends have disappeared, leaving only a young woman whose face bears some resemblance to the grandmother in the memorial photo.

The aroma was wonderful and calming; if she weren't in the Arasaka Tower, she would have liked to take a short rest.

But the aunt across from him didn't seem interested in the tea; she kept looking at Grandpa and trying to speak.

Saburo Arasaka stared at the teacup, while the maid beside him obediently knelt and retreated, quietly holding the teapot that was hot enough to scald the skin. "Father..."

Saburo lifted his eyelids, his cloudy blind eye rolled, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Have some tea, Hua Zi."

Hanako Arakawa's hand was holding the teacup, but it seemed too hot, so she immediately dropped it on the table, spilling some water from the rim.

"Forgive my disrespect, Father! But Lai Xuan really is lying!"

Perhaps it was the teacup that gave Hanako the courage to take a desperate gamble. She immediately straightened up, bowed repeatedly, and tried to persuade her father to change his mind. "He is lying about Arasaka's assets! If we let him continue to take over Arasaka, we will have nothing left."

Saburo stared at Michiko.

Michiko obediently bowed slightly, picked up the teacup, covered it with the wide sleeves of her clothes, and took a sip.

"Delicious."

Hua Zi suddenly turned his eyes to Michiko.

With that anger in her eyes, like an elder's anger at a younger person's foolishness, does Michiko have any sense of shame?!

Saburo's lips curled into a smile.

Hua Zi could only wait patiently…

"What kind of person is your brother in your eyes?"

Saburo asked.

Hua Zi organized a lot of words and listed many clumsy flaws in Lai Xuan's scheme, but he never expected his father to ask such a question.

Saburo put down his teacup. "I remember you two had a really good relationship... When that kid was doing some stupid things in Tokyo, you were secretly meeting up—then... why did it turn out like this?"

original!

My father knew about every meeting between me and my brother.

"Compared to your distrust, my distrust seems more indecisive."

Saburo looked at his daughter, and no one knew what the most powerful old man on the planet was thinking.

"Are you... focused on family?"

Hua Zi asked tentatively.

Saburo: "We've come this far together, and we only have each other. But... serious suspicion can only lead to worse results. Sometimes things aren't as you think. If you take extreme measures, then it can only move in the direction you want it to go."

"Fight, destroy everything."

"If the tea is too hot, just blow on it, Hua Zi."

Hua Zi sighed. She was stunned for a long time before looking at Su Li's Michiko.

"How are you doing with this child's upbringing?"

Saburo smiled.

“I didn’t teach her anything, I just let her know how Jing grew up.”

Michiko looked at her aunt, put on a polite smile, and bowed slightly to thank her aunt for her scrutiny.

"Lord Arakawa, your low-temperature time has come."

Saburo stood up.

"Lai Xuan, like his mother, dares not use gentleness. Don't touch headquarters. Create an opportunity for Michiko to take over, and let your brother learn what it means to have your efforts come to nothing. Nothing is more unforgettable than loss."

Hua Zi instantly understood. Looking at that hunched back, she immediately realized what was happening, her eyes filled with awe.

Even though her father couldn't see her, she still bent down to see him off.

As a result, Lai Xuan's plans in Night City completely collapsed. He lost his subordinates and assets. Nitta's stupidity gave Michiko enough reason to take over. Most importantly, with headquarters watching him closely, the probability of him diverting attention and launching dangerous actions was minimized.

but--

Michiko, however, continued to stare at the tea.

She felt she had discovered a weakness, the weakness of this man at the top of Arakasaka.

Although it's just a guess.

What if Lai Xuan took advantage of gentleness?

Is Grandpa's method and conjecture just another form of arrogance?

She didn't dare to say.

Because Michiko knew exactly where her grandfather's sore spot lay, any suspicion among family members could only be initiated by her; any interference from others was a major taboo!

"Auntie, I want to go see Uncle."

Michiko stood up and backed out of the room.

……

Bang!
Lai Xuan gripped the woman's fair neck tightly, his eyes radiating a threatening intensity.

Michiko gently grasped Lai Xuan's arm with both hands. Even though she was suffocating, her painful eyes still showed obedient submission.

"Uncle... Uncle... that was not my intention."

Lai Xuan suddenly flung his hand away, and Michiko, like a falling white butterfly, instantly fell to the side.

Her shapely figure tightened beneath the oversized clothes as she coughed violently…

Lai Xuan looked down at his brother's child, then angrily looked away from her profile, which he knew so well down to every single strand of her hair.

"If you don't learn to respect your elders, next time I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your brother. Get out!"

Another roar...

Michiko's hair fell loose from under the hairpin as she looked at her disheveled appearance on the floor and the bloodstains on her neck.

uncle…

Why do you always use rage to mask your true feelings?

"Am I wrong?"

Michiko struggled to her feet, her eyes fixed on her uncle who had turned away with his hands on his hips.

With his back to the woman, Lai Xuan finally learned about Michiko's methods.

She was more difficult to deal with than she had imagined…

Who said no?
That's my eldest brother's child.

A girl of typical high school age, [on the newly reclaimed American soil where Arasaka has receded like a tide, uses her brother's intelligence society to become the backbone of those wandering Arasaka samurai, exchanges terms face-to-face with the new US president, and then delivers a speech at the White House unscathed]—

Yeah yeah…

How could she be simple?

Lai Xuan felt annoyed because Michiko had clearly stated her plan as soon as she came in.

What methods did the father use to teach Rei, and what methods did he use to teach Michiko?
Lai Xuan's gaze was no longer dangerous.

That is a harbinger of abandoning humanity and trying to discard everything.

"I admire you, Uncle."

Michiko, unable to stand, sat weakly on the ground, quietly watching the man. "I tried so hard to find a way to survive in that land, but Arasaka won't acknowledge me. I need to offer something worthy of Arasaka-sama's recognition..."

“I used avant-garde trends to mask my determination to integrate into foreign lands; only I could put the new America at ease.”

"When I first heard the name Steel Dragon, I felt that we would be on the same path."

"I was trying to imitate your untamed spirit, but I ended up as a pigeon that doesn't resemble anything else."

Lai Xuan couldn't tell whether the woman's words were true or false; he only felt a chill.

It should be...

Let Rin kill him!

"My clumsy imitation and my forced decisiveness are somewhat insignificant."

Lai Xuan knew exactly what Michiko was talking about.

He scoffed, "Because that woman named Abernathy is too stupid, and your people are stupid too."

Michiko's eyes seemed somewhat unfocused.

"Pigeons... They say we are peaceful, but pigeons are flying rats, filthy, crawling with parasites, and they will approach anyone's hand for food, gambling on that sliver of hope."

"The new America may never allow us to share technology, right?"

If Michiko could see Yorihiro's expression, she would definitely be puzzled.

At this moment, Lai Xuan's face was filled with terrifying rage.

damn it…

Michiko's thinking has completely changed. Sitting in Tokyo, she sees Arasaka and New America vying for dominance in Dogtown. Neither side has ever revealed their hand. Her vision for cooperation is simply that everyone will be well-fed.

But now, the power struggle has made Michiko realize the wonderful use of autonomy.

Just as Lai Xuan was considering whether to use even dirtier methods to shut the woman up, he suddenly felt something strange in his leg.

Michiko crawled to Lai Xuan's side, grabbed his clothes with both hands, and looked up at this true traitor who dared to change himself!

"Uncle, why do you subconsciously look away every time you look at me?"

Lai Xuan clenched his fists.

Michiko continued, "During the family dinner, you stared at Grandma's photo and my face for a long time, didn't you?"

"I didn't say anything, I just came to see you, and this is how you treat me?"

"Was your father... very cruel to you?"

Lai Xuan suddenly laughed and looked at Michiko, “[He swore to kill me, to kill my rebellious younger brother,] but in the end, I was the one who sent him off to his funeral; Michiko, your claim that I cut off my own arm to gain Father’s trust is nonsense.”

"You're still a long way from mastering it!"

Michiko smiled too, and Rai Xuan's eyes unconsciously looked away again.

"What do you want? My biggest regret... is not letting Adam kill you. You sensed that Adam wanted to do it, didn't you?"

Lai Xuan kicked the woman aside and reached out to press a button on the elegant desk.

Michiko braced herself on the cold ground, her fingers turning white from the exertion, and bloodstains appearing on her fingernails.

"I said, we are pigeons, flying mice. Whoever holds the initiative, we are them."

“You don’t acknowledge your uncle who has no relation to you… I will continue to do what I’m supposed to do in Arasaka’s new territory, but… I will no longer dare to imitate you. I have paid the price I deserve.”

Lai Xuan snorted coldly.

"Are you just talking to yourself?"

He yanked Michiko up, seemingly to avoid seeing the woman's face after her flamboyant makeup was removed, and pushed her in front of him, using his two large, powerful hands to hold Michiko's head in place.

"Never mention your mother in front of me, or I'll have your face reconstructed on the operating table, and then slowly drain away the North American blood your mother gave you—"

“You’re nothing like her.”

The screen shows the Night City branch's operations in Arasaka.

The Arasaka Industrial Park in Night City has been attacked, and Michiko stares in disbelief at the action authorization on the screen.

how come?
Adam's hammer was the one who spearheaded the operation!
crazy!

Doesn't he want to live?

So what is the purpose of all this?
"Also, watch carefully how I purge traitors."

"My brother's child."

His hand pressed against Michiko's skin, causing it to sting.

……

……

　The humiliation Kenichi Saburo brought him was still vivid in his mind... [Because he was a mad dog who had an affair with Michiko]: Michiko and Adam had a romantic relationship. After drinking too much at the bar, and with Adam's twin prosthetic body making him a handsome man like Elvis, those who know, know. It was a drama of a rich girl and her bodyguard. But when Kenichi Saburo appeared and warned Adam, Adam stopped.

　　[On the newly reclaimed American lands where Arasaka receded like a tide, she used the intelligence society left behind by her brother to become the backbone of those wandering Arasaka samurai, and the core of the US president...]: According to the background setting, these are all Michiko's deeds. The reason why Arasaka was able to stay in Night City was because of this appeasement policy. In addition, she was a cute anime girl when she was young, so her Dangerous Girls Company is particularly like a cosplay theater troupe.

　　【He, the monk, wanted to kill me, to kill my rebellious younger brother】: This is what Arasaka Kei said himself. In his eyes, Arasaka Yoriyuki was the enemy who betrayed Arasaka. At his funeral, Arasaka Yoriyuki returned. No one knows what Arasaka Yoriyuki, Arasaka Hanako, and Arasaka Saburo said on that rainy night, but the fact is that Arasaka Yoriyuki returned to the company and gradually gained real power.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)