Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 348 Fatal Clue (Part Two)

Today, Lai Hsuan felt a restless, uneasy feeling in his chest that he couldn't suppress.

Something is about to happen, and it's something that could put me in an extremely difficult situation...

True.

As a warrior, he was always ready to fight. He had already figured this out decades ago when he personally led his wandering tribe members to attack the Arasaka facility on the streets. Without feelings or interests, the family and resources that were invincible in the eyes of any ordinary person were a nightmare like a demon in Lai Xuan's eyes.

The colossal Arasaka, along with countless other Arasaka, has changed the world.

It becomes cold, mean, and vulgar, like a terrible novel disguised as a science fiction novel.

Lai Xuan has a habit of leaning over and resting his hands on the table when he is thinking. He has gone to great lengths for this investigation.

This capital was accumulated decades ago. He was unsure whether his colleagues who once fought for the world with ideals still maintained their original aspirations, whether there were any oversights, and whether Arasaka had noticed the problem.

Kuroda Rei was originally General Murata's bodyguard. Arasaka appears to be a company, but in reality, it would immediately transform into a war machine like a nation during wartime. Therefore, it is not surprising that Arasaka, like military technology, has officials with military ranks. The key point is that Kuroda Rei became the head of intelligence information security after Murata survived the assassination attempt by the new United States.

Relic was one of the important things he was responsible for.

Hermann sold everything he could to himself. This corporate scientist, who lacked conscience but was certainly clever, still thought Lai Xuan was an impetuous superior eager to push the chip to market.

Lai Hsuan sometimes acts so well that he even believes it himself.

However, as he deceived his father and gained access to more and more of Arasaka's secrets, he discovered that all the projects seemed to be serving Relic.

Lai Xuan was most proud of his wisdom.

A top student from the University of Tokyo would be quite incompetent if he couldn't even see the ultimate purpose of these projects—he naturally knew that they were all for his father, who hid in the "refrigerator" every day, to realize his dream of immortality... In other words, his father hadn't lived enough yet.

There's no shame in that.

To be fair, the fear of death, especially the unknown moments of birth, aging, sickness, and death, is enough to drive people to desperately seek a cure. Material enjoyment can make people forget whether things outside themselves are bad, forget to examine their conscience and morality, and become insane.

I am one of them...

He was also afraid of death, but he was afraid of death without understanding its meaning.

My gentle mother once taught me that wasting more than 30,000 days is not the ultimate meaning of life; even educating your own children well is a kind of meaning.

Lai Xuantian naively believed that his family was a high-ranking official's family. It wasn't until his father slowly unfolded the world on the day of his graduation that he realized that he was standing on land stained with blood.

Therefore, what he most wants to know is the ultimate destination of relic technology.

Whether it's academic papers or scientific patents, most of these research results are not merely theoretical applications. My father diverted funds that should have been used to compete with other companies to these projects, exploiting Arasaka Bank's policy of not conducting business with the public to corrupt European life sciences and technology review officials and institutions.

Is it really about resurrecting the powerful and wealthy?

Genes are like the innate characteristic codes of each person, with no possibility of repetition. How exactly can the miracle of resurrection be achieved on a corpse? Lai Xuan, a "non-professional", cannot fathom it.

Herman has consistently maintained that Relic technology is a weapon of personality overlay, but it cannot break through the genetic isolation of relatives. The probability of creating an experimental subject with two coexisting personalities is extremely low, and the side effects are also significant, with phenomena such as premature aging and death of experimental subjects being common.

According to this scientist, who is only interested in money... he couldn't even explain the cause of death in dozens of papers.

This has already reached the ultimate realm of life research.

If we compare human research into life sciences and digital information to a closed circle, Arasaka is currently trying to break through that boundary, without any reference point.

"The tea... is here."

"gentlemen."

Behind Lai Xuan, a maid, half-kneeling in a bow, skillfully took out a cup of pale red tea from a tray, along with a small sugar cube on an exquisite lace plate. The maid's hands were modified with prosthetics for domestic use, capable of performing complex cleaning, electrical repairs, equipment checks, and many other functions.

But Lai Xuan only felt sorry because the child's face was ruined by the terrible appearance of technology.

Lai Xuan emphasized the word "sir," knowing that his matter had come to a conclusion.

In Arasaka, his father was like an omnipresent shadow, and nothing could escape his notice. Almost all the henchmen of the intelligence agencies served Saburo, so Yoriyuki had to be extremely careful in everything he did.

With advanced technology, the ultimate means of maintaining secrecy is something that would not have been conceived decades ago: a handwritten letter.

The reason why Steel Dragon was able to continue operating despite the search and pursuit of Arasaka's global intelligence agency; why it played a crucial role in the long-standing confrontation between Arasaka and military technology; and why it even chose to sacrifice itself to protect Yoriyuki at a critical moment, is because they knew how to keep secrets.

The small piece of paper hanging from the rim of the teacup became thinner with just a flick of Lai Xuan's hand.

The scalding hot tea would injure his esophagus, but the terrifying feeling of uncovering the mystery and the lingering hope compelled him to gulp down the tea.

"Take your time, the doctor has already told us to urge you to eat healthily."

The maid's words rang clearly in my ears.

"There's still a long road ahead, so please be sure to follow your doctor's advice."

Lai Xuan's grip on the cup began to tighten gradually.

The code had already revealed today's outcome. He handed the teacup to the maid, revealing a cryptic smile.

The Steel Dragon is also watching this leader's attitude.

No one can fight year after year in despair, and no one can fight for their dreams without a guiding principle...

"Don't worry, my body... is perfectly healthy."

"You will be healthy from now on."

The maid seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, crossing her arms over the tray as if holding hope to her chest—

"That couldn't be better."

As the person left, Lai Xuan's face slowly turned gloomy. His hand, which was slowly unfolding the note, seemed to be trembling, and even his breathing became disordered.

"Submission Record -"

"Kuroda Rei: Identification Code..."

"The results of Arasaka Yorinobu's personal physical examination and gene sequencing are consistent with the theory."

"Experimental recommendation: Add a control group and continue to verify."

This is all that can be written on the note, but it's enough.

boom!
Lai Xuan felt his mind go blank...

This kind of pain is beyond description in words.

He couldn't condemn his father, because he himself was a rebellious son who had used Saburo Arasaka's "family-oriented" mindset to preserve his strength in a series of perilous challenges in order to lay the groundwork for the future; but he also couldn't understand why his father, who loved his mother and tried to brainwash him with family-oriented thinking, would actually target him.

Although he had a vague idea that this was the most morally reprehensible thing, he still underestimated his father when the mystery was revealed.

Wild beasts.

These were the words their father said to their elder brother in a fit of rage; he once used these words to describe Lai Xuan.

In Lai Xuan's eyes, his father had become a monster entrenched on the top floor of Arakasa.

Countless dense eyeliners, intricately intertwined, led towards the throne; his eyes were bloodshot, and his head was strangely contorted—

Lai Xuan remembered where he had seen this scene before.

It was a graffiti painting on the wall that he saw while looking through Night City pictures; it was by a wild gang artist.

The painting's title is also very simple:
【emperor】.

There was a long silence.

Lai Xuan did not fly into a rage as expected, nor did he break down hysterically. His plan was to wait for his father's death, then take the lead in the power struggle in Arakasa, use Arakasa as an unparalleled weapon, defeat the deformed entity like it, and then tear it apart with his own hands!
"Father." The glimmer of humanity in Lai Xuan's eyes—a child's desire to wait for his father to pass away peacefully—was completely extinguished.

A transformation must be initiated!
This is not a trivial matter of a child worrying about whether he will receive a reward of candy from his father; it is a life-or-death struggle.

He accepted it all.

There's no more running away—

The father had already gone mad.

He calculated it perfectly.

Lai Xuan is good at predicting trends. If Relic can achieve long-term preservation of his consciousness in a close relative, it will lead to a terrible problem.

Arasaka will not be the target of public criticism. On the contrary, the major companies that outwardly condemn Arasaka for violating human ethics may offer extremely high prices to acquire Arasaka's technology. This technology will turn the future world into a hunting ground for the rich, who will sit on it and watch the suffering of mankind with their inhumane and programmed eyes, turning this world into a true hell.

Do not harbor the delusion that groups that seize profits can retain humanity.

"President, you wanted to see me?"

Xu knew nothing about anything; after Michiko entered Arasaka, his existence began to become negligible.

Even with Lai Xuan's extraordinary abilities, he couldn't prevent the fact that Night City and even the North American branch of Arasaka had become a haven for doves. V was winning this battle entirely through his personal abilities...

Lai Xuan put the note in his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"Has the Night City branch received any information about Relic-related experiments?"

Xu Zhi gave a helpless, bitter smile.

“Sir, you should know that I, as a member of the board, am already fortunate to know about the new Relic information. This top-secret information…” Xu Zhi stopped speaking at the right moment, “Michiko delegated power to the security department, the special operations department is practically defunct, and the counterintelligence department knows nothing except for the intelligence that headquarters must receive in accordance with the procedures.”

"With military technology and biotechnology tearing each other apart, Michiko has already seized the initiative."

"Besides having no reason to touch V, she's probably the biggest winner in Night City."

Lai Xuan's gaze was deep.

"She wants to receive biotechnology?"

Xu Zhi's expression was solemn. "It's not just a thought; it's already in the implementation stage. Saying it's a takeover is too much of an exaggeration. She wants to restore our position from the company's wartime days, with unconditional support for Arasaka in biotechnology—you couldn't be unaware of these things, could you?"

If even President Arasaka doesn't know these things...

Xu Zhi sensed an extremely dangerous signal.

Saburo Arasaka's extensive delegation of authority, seemingly indulging Yoriyuki's growth, actually allowed him to firmly grasp the most important things.

If power is not what Saburo values ​​most, then there must be something more important than power and more capable of making Yorihiro submit.

I should have thought of that sooner…

Lai Xuan sighed softly.

Xu Zhi sensed Lai Xuan's gloomy mood; there were some things that couldn't be said over the phone, so the conversation couldn't continue.

"I do not know."

Lai Xuan remained calm.

Xu's eye twitched. The clever man began to describe the matter in a normal conversational manner. Being wiretapped was not unusual, but as a hawk, the most important thing was to use other words to cover up the true purpose.

"Damn it! This is complete distrust! We have the ability to rebuild Arasaka, yet we have to suffer this kind of deception..."

Xu clenched his fist, indignant.

Lai Xuan reached out and interrupted his narration.

Lai Xuan could handle everything at the branches around the world; he didn't intend to let his brother's daughter develop things slowly.

"Tell Michiko's people to keep a low profile and find their European partners to deal with the dangerous girl."

“This is no longer 2045. It’s better to let such subsidiaries fail and concentrate the variables in one place.”

In modern corporate structures, subsidiaries and parent companies are required to maintain a complete separation.

The parent company will not act as a financial supporter for its subsidiaries. If a subsidiary runs into problems, it can be destroyed without affecting the parent company's operations. The company prioritizes profitability. If the subsidiary makes money, the parent company is naturally happy. If it doesn't, the parent company will quickly divest itself.

The same reason.

The existence of the dangerous girl increased the risk of leaks within Arasaka. On this basis, Lai Xuan used his position as president to pressure Michiko to distance herself from him, which was a legitimate and reasonable procedure.

"Wouldn't doing this amount to centralization?"

Xu asked.

"Could there really be such a loyal person?"

Lai Xuan responded with a rhetorical question.

Michiko's success in Arasaka has transformed the Dangerous Girls Company from a detective and espionage operation to a direct confrontation with Arasaka's intelligence department. Lai Xuan doesn't believe they can't recruit a few people.

Loyalty is rare; betrayal is the norm.

"Go ahead and make a scene. Since Father has made this choice, I will still do it."

Everything converged on the level of internal strife; this was the wisdom of Lai Xuan and Xu Zhi.

Saburo is a man who cares a lot about his image.

His intervention was too obvious in helping Michiko, so it's understandable that Lai Xuan would take the initiative to attack out of resentment. If it were his father... he would definitely indulge him.

When things reach an irreconcilable point, Lai Hsuan will naturally encounter Relic's related business.

He knew his father all too well.

But... does my father even know me?

"Xu Zhi, let's talk about something unrelated to the topic."

Lai Xuan spoke as if they were having a casual chat.

"I've been having the same dream lately. In the dream, I die in Night City for some reason. Do you think... this city has some kind of magic?"

Xu Zhi answered in a very serious manner.

"The corporate war began at sea and ended in Night City... The burning of nuclear bombs is our shameful scar—fortunately, we took it back. The bankers, lawyers, soldiers, and others of Arasaka allowed us to continue to exist on this new land, and now we have completely returned."

“You won’t die there; in our hometown, dreams are the opposite of what we expect.”

"That might be a good start."

Lai Xuan pondered these words, and a plan had already formed in his mind.

However, some people know about this plan, and some people will try to stop it.

That's not a dream.

It is a warning that everything is going against fate, a reminder to be fully prepared for the uncertainty of the future!
……

……

(End of this chapter)