Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 291 The Journey to Freedom: A Thorny Road (Part 3)

In the vast night sky, the azure sphere filled the windows of the entire space shuttle, emitting a hazy glow.

Michiko gazed quietly out the window; the space shuttle carried only Arasaka's team and no other passengers.

Her only freedom was to look out the window, like an unfree noblewoman who might be walking toward the gallows at any moment. She was lost in thought—for example, how to clean up the mess in Arasaka after landing.

Based on the available intelligence, Arasaka's internal personnel matters have been frozen, and Yoriyuki had already given the order before Arasaka could even intervene.

V, that's the name of the young woman.

Michiko remembered that she first met this near-perfect guy at a board meeting because of the incident in Dogtown. As the leader of the dove faction, Michiko did not hesitate to abandon Rin, who might cause chaos in other companies. She still remembers the look in that woman's eyes...

Confusion, disappointment, and stubbornness.

If it weren't for the unforeseen circumstances, this woman would probably have gone deep into Dogtown for her and Jenkins's benefit.

At that time, she was just the team leader of the Arasaka Counterintelligence Department. In less than a year, V achieved a promotion that no other Arasaka employee had ever made, which was unprecedented in any branch.

Overthrowing one's superior is a tacitly accepted practice within Arasaka.

Michiko had no right to interfere with this woman during the first ascent, and even the combined efforts of Nitta Kazuya and Hanako couldn't defeat Rin and Yoriyuki—so she always thought this pretty woman was lucky, and that Arasaka's cruelty would soon cause someone who had risen by luck to fall quickly.

Virtue does not match.

This was something Michiko once despised the most.

The entire Night City Arasaka branch knew that the security department and the counterintelligence department were in cahoots. After this major purge, everyone thought that the newly appointed young head of the security department would be quickly overthrown, but she maintained a clean identity in Arasaka without any suspicion.

It's unbelievable, but there really wasn't a single clue.

At the same time, she chose the smartest approach at the board meeting, not only keeping her job but also putting the three most powerful "weapons" within Arasaka into her hands. This was unacceptable to Michiko Arasaka. Under these circumstances, V not only lacked supreme decision-making power but could also challenge the board of directors. Even as the highest authority in the Arasaka branch, she would not gain any advantage without the help of headquarters or external forces.

Therefore, V naturally became her first target.

Michiko's initial plan was to eliminate anyone who was suspected of being out of the game.

But before she could receive orders to go to Night City, her "dear" uncle preemptively struck again, first stripping this young Arasaka star of all authority and suspending her from duty pending investigation by the headquarters' personnel and counterintelligence departments—while also confiscating the power she had taken from Special Operations Director Jenkins.

All the necessary punishments were given, but the only thing not mentioned was the bond between this woman and Rin.

Michiko's intuition told her that Rin and V had a close relationship, but the only evidence was that they were both Lai Xuan's people. Lai Xuan's choice of this method of punishment was to tell everyone that V was clean and that he had already dealt with him beforehand...

If Michiko were to go through the trouble of thoroughly investigating this matter again, it would be detrimental to her and would also incur the dissatisfaction of headquarters.

V, Michiko muttered her name in her mind, already preparing to deal with this subordinate.

The second issue, of course, is the pressing problem of the Black Wall technology.

This matter can only be waited for, because technical problems always require time to solve little by little, and cannot be resolved by rushing or getting anxious; however, Michiko doesn't have much time left. Arasaka is currently lacking a top-tier lone wolf, and the weapon she just held in her hands has been lost. Naturally, Arasaka is unwilling to accept this, and her situation is equally dangerous.

Rin's rampage in Night City seemed to have shocked all the major companies with the power of Arasaka's rebellious weapons. They all began to openly or secretly release military prototypes to create new Night City Lone Wolves, as if it were an alternative arms race. Arasaka, of course, couldn't fall behind...

Even with his grandfather's assurance, would Lai Xuan still show no mercy to him?

Haven't I made my attitude clear enough?
Lai Xuan's desire to kill himself seems excessively strong, which is both shocking and infuriating.

Her thoughts were tangled and seemed endless. Michiko closed her eyes, lowered her head, and rubbed her temples. Her stress level began to rise, and she felt increasingly irritable.

"Ms. Michiko."

Michiko, her thoughts interrupted, heard the AI's notification: "Landing procedure is scheduled to begin in ten minutes."

Immediately afterwards, a network access cable suddenly appeared above the cabin ceiling.

"Michiko Arasaka, you have a top-secret connection that requires your access. Requesting the communications region - Arasaka Poland Branch."

Michiko stared at the network access line in front of her with some suspicion. Recalling what her grandfather had said when he gave her away, she immediately suspected that there might be a trap involved.

"After landing, resume operations and proceed with the landing procedures."

AI seems to be very stubborn.

"This item involves the latest prototype of Arasaka, which is something you specifically requested. Are you sure you want to cancel it? The requester believes that there are less than ten minutes left."

Michiko's expression changed.

She cursed under her breath.

Isn't this just catching her off guard by her landing time? And then Poland needs to provide information about the Black Wall, leaving her unsure whether to have the AI ​​reject the request.

At this moment, Takemura Goro, who was sitting not far away, unfastened the security buckle and said in a low voice, "Ms. Michiko, please let me check for you first. If there is any form of cyberattack, I will bear the consequences."

"When we parted, Lord Arasaka gave me special authorization, so there was no issue of leaking secrets."

The samurai spoke as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, but if this were an attack on Michiko, Goro's head would have turned into a fireball instantly.

Before Michiko could react, Goro inserted the wire into the back of her neck without hesitation, without even allowing Michiko to stop him.

"Um…"

After Goro Takemura checked the information, his eyes lit up with a blue light as if data was flowing. At the same time, the cybersecurity department on the spacecraft scanned the lines several times before Michiko was able to connect successfully.

"Takeda."

Looking at the holographic image of the silver-haired, middle-aged Arasaka executive, Michiko nodded slightly in respect.

The other party was a key member who had worked tirelessly for Arakawa during the corporate war. The closest Arakawa branch to the Soviet Petrochemical Company was in Warsaw, a very important location, which was enough to show Takeda's contribution.

You look healthy.

That Takeda had the meticulousness of a professional soldier, and his attitude was extremely respectful. Like Takemura, he was unconditionally loyal to the Arasaka family.

“You look much more mature. I am in good health, Ms. Michiko.”

Without any preamble, Takeda got straight to the point.

"Our team has landed in Night City, right at the NCX Spaceport. We request your cooperation."

This statement startled Michiko, because the cross-border mobilization of the company's armed forces without authorization is extremely dangerous and could cause a major diplomatic incident, not to mention that the other side of Night City is the ever-watchful New America.

Takeda wasn't a loyal elder who would give orders recklessly, so Michiko wasn't in a hurry. "Explain yourself, Takeda. You need a reason to ask for my help. Also, tell me what you want to do? Since Warsaw has information about the Black Wall, why wasn't it reported in the last round?"

Takeda's expression remained unchanged.

"When the fruit has not fully ripened, prematurely recounting the joy of the harvest will inevitably lead to disappointment."

“I am willing to accept any punishment from Arasaka, but before that, I request that you have the Night City intelligence agency cooperate with us to capture my daughter. If necessary, you can choose to kill her and use a Soul Killer to transform her and obtain some unknown information about the Black Wall.”

"Her mother has been shown to possess a key to the Black Wall, possibly related to AI technology."

Takeda's tone sounded like it was on a parallel line, and Michiko almost doubted that she had heard correctly at first.

The person on the other end seemed to know what Michiko's problem might be, and to save time, they even anticipated the problem along with it. "Lucy, that's her name in Night City. If her identity information hadn't been retrieved from the NCX database by my lover's setup program, she probably would have left for the moon. This information leak could have caused incalculable damage."

Michiko's expression was serious as she asked Takeda several technical questions about the Black Wall, which he answered quickly.

Without much hesitation, Michiko gave the order to the dangerous girl.

She didn't use a single person from within the Arasaka organization.

She hadn't even landed in Night City yet, and she'd already received such a wonderful gift. Not only that, she was about to land there soon, and perhaps she would be able to witness her welcome gift in person.

On the other end, Takeda had clearly made thorough preparations. After confirming that the girl named Lucy was about to board a lunar flight an hour later, the spacecraft began its landing procedure.

"Takeda, do not act rashly. Wait for my news."

Takeda nodded heavily on the other end, his expression seemingly reluctant, but it quickly disappeared. "Please."

……

……

A speeding ordinary sedan hurtled toward the bridge connecting Night City to NCX. Suzuki, in the driver's seat, calmly stared at the road. The passenger seat was empty. He glanced at the rearview mirror and saw a girl sitting in the back seat with her legs crossed, looking preoccupied.

Suzuki looked away, seemingly not taking it to heart.

Although the girl didn't seem as happy as expected, Suzuki trusted Rin-san and Arasaka's judgment.

At least for now, there is no evidence to suggest that this girl was necessary to carry out operations by the Arasaka Yorujo branch or other branches, because she was just a mining machine that every branch of Arasaka had—a derogatory term.

In essence, it's about a group of quick-thinking kids going to the other side of the black wall to search for data that AI might not have yet absorbed, in order to find some lost technologies.

Most companies do this, and Arasaka certainly didn't do anything excessive.

"After entering NCX, please stay close to me. I suggest you turn off any suspicious combat cybernetic devices now to avoid failing the procedural checks. Your current name should be based on the one in your NCX flight information. Please answer questions decisively to avoid being denied by customs."

Suzuki proceeded with the instructions methodically.

Mr. Rin is still waiting for her in Watson District. After he finished speaking and confirmed that the girl had heard him clearly, she silently thought about what she should say to Yuko after she saw her.
By the way...

Shouldn't I bring some gifts or something?
There are many duty-free goods inside the NCX customs. Yuko doesn't like luxury goods, so you can buy them for her. No girl can refuse a thoughtful and expensive gift. It's best to bring something that little girls like.

With that thought in mind, the car entered the circular driveway that resembled a donut.

After parking the car in an inconspicuous spot and making sure there were no suspicious targets as described in the intelligence, Suzuki got out of the car with the preoccupied girl.

As Lucy watched the man's footsteps ahead, the sliver of doubt in her heart began to dissipate.

She completely relaxed once she stepped inside the building and carefully checked her space ticket.

Suzuki noticed the girl's changing emotions along the way, but only smiled slightly. The two of them passed through the customs gate without any surprises.

As Lucy looked at the well-dressed people coming and going, and heard the spaceport's promotional slogans, a strange light flickered in her eyes.

"Welcome to the Spaceport."

"Here, you will journey to the stars and the sea."

Suzuki looked around, then waved for Lucy to follow. Lucy glanced at the correct passage number on the side, gritted her teeth, suppressed the urge to run in that direction, and followed closely behind.

As it turned out, the agent escorting him simply walked to the baggage carousel, retrieved a plain black suitcase, and, amidst the hurried pace of the crowd, opened the suitcase like any other passerby, casually slipping something behind him.

gun?
Suzuki turned around and saw that the girl's expression was rather unpleasant. He explained in a low voice, "To avoid any accidents, I hope we won't need to use it."

Lucy turned her head away, not wanting to appear timid.

Just then, the usually stern samurai suddenly asked, "Miss Lucy, could I do you a favor?"

Polite language?

Lucy looked at Suzuki in surprise.

Suzuki pointed to the duty-free shop in the distance, her smile even a little embarrassed. "There's still some time before boarding. I'd like to ask you to pick out a gift from a woman's perspective, is that alright?"

Seemingly realizing he might have been a bit presumptuous, he pursed his lips upon seeing the girl's expressionless face. "If it's inconvenient—"

The girl looked at the guy in front of her and nodded as if possessed. "Okay."

……

Ten minutes later, the two people, one tall and one short, stared at the skincare products on the shelf in front of them, Suzuki's eyes full of suspicion.

Lucy raised her chin.

The tense girl now had a slight smile on her face. "Biotechnology-based anti-radiation skincare products are very suitable for the climate of Night City, after all, this place has been bombed by nuclear bombs."

Seeing the troubled look on the person next to him, he asked, "Is it too expensive?"

Suzuki quickly shook his head, "I was just calculating that 50 milliliters of this stuff costs 1000 euros, which is even more expensive than a good weapon."

Lucy rolled her eyes.

Suzuki finally reached out and picked up the beautifully wrapped gift. He straightened up and looked up at the shelves further away, which seemed to be more suitable for children, with toys and game consoles...

It has to be said that this little incident led Lucy and Suzuki to actually start chatting as they walked, which was quite unusual for them.

"child?"

Suzuki nodded. "Yes, it's a girl."

Lucy crossed her arms, listening to Suzuki describe her child's preferences while glancing at the various adorable gifts on the shelves. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the man's expression was that of a happy, ordinary person; it was impossible to reconcile him with the image of a ruthless corporate agent...

As she walked, Lucy thought of her father.

As her mind wandered, her fingers traced patterns on the goods, and Suzuki's voice seemed to grow fainter in her ears.

suddenly!

Lucy felt her mouth being covered, and her body felt as if it had instantly fallen into an ice cave, causing her to panic.

She instinctively reached for her monomolecular wire, but a calm voice came from behind her.

It's Suzuki.

He bent over, his face grim, and uttered something that sent a chill down Lucy's spine.

"It's Arakawa, shh..."

……

……

(End of this chapter)