Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 372 The Great Explosion of Taipingzhou (Part 4 - End) [5.5K]

Before the Night City Company meeting began.

"Let the biotech companies seriously consider Arasaka's purchase proposal. They want to protect their money, and the governments of the Free States won't give Rome any face—only Arasaka will."

Sitting in his executive chair, V looked at the project team on the big screen. The negotiator on the other end listened attentively to V's words, then revealed a very difficult expression.

"has a problem?"

Negotiation experts are also afraid of this rising star in Arakawa.

The person Michiko couldn't oust was more outstanding than all her previous department heads, even a model for the Special Operations Director.

“Uh, no… I mean, the price Night City Biotech is offering is already within our reasonable range… The future profits from these industries will be enough to multiply our investment dozens of times, which is practically exorbitant.”

V smiled.

"Okay, let me repeat myself. Now is not the time for them to negotiate prices. Whatever Arasaka offers, they will take."

The staff behind the negotiation expert exchanged bewildered glances.

Before contacting the head of counterintelligence, everyone in the company said he was a capable person, and they thought V just wanted to cancel the negotiations.

"The price reduction is too drastic... What about the other buyers? I hope you... can reconsider, Minister V."

V pointed to the desktop.

“We certainly welcome competition if other buyers are able to retain the properties they have purchased in free states.”

That's right.

All the free states are in cahoots with Arasaka. Even if biotechnology is sold to other companies, the free states might confiscate the assets if they have enough profit.

Of course, this route offers no profit and may even result in losses.

A cornered dog will jump over a wall; everyone understands this principle, and V understands it too.

She had to do this, not only because biotechnology was on the verge of collapse, but also because she needed this achievement.

"I hope you're right."

V silently repeated this to himself.

However, when facing the team of negotiation experts, she said calmly and without a doubt: "I will say what you will do, it's very simple, I will take the responsibility."

This sentence is enough.

The negotiation expert on the other end nodded; he understood that obedience was more important than anything else.

"Then we'll go first."

V nodded, turned his chair, and saw his subordinate standing respectfully in the doorway.

"Boss, there's a situation."

Harry handed the consolidated report to V, his hands behind his back, looking extremely serious.

V glanced at the time.

I only glanced at the briefing before closing the document.

V: "To the higher-ups...?"

Harry understood immediately and quickly shook his head, saying, "You, boss, should review anything from the counterintelligence department first. Only after you've reviewed it will we submit it to the board of directors or shareholders according to your wishes."

"Has the roving AI wandered into the public network area, or is it someone who's taking away our company's assets...? Has the internet monitoring department contacted us yet?"

V said that on purpose.

It's not that I'm wary of Harry, but even if Harry is my confidant, I won't let anyone know that I'm in cahoots with the Dreamer. That's my bottom line.

Harry: "Boss, this is an opportunity."

V carefully examined the network data records coming from his PC port. "Hmm, go ahead and speak... I didn't say you couldn't speak or give advice or anything."

"Currently, the internet monitoring system seems to be in control of the situation. If the AI ​​goes offline again, it is estimated that the server needs to be located to resolve this cybersecurity incident. It seems that there is an 80% chance that it is in Taipingzhou."

"We can take this opportunity to get what we've lost back—"

V shut down her computer. As a cybersecurity expert, she always trusted her own eyes and judgment, just as Harry said.

But this kind of thing can't be kept secret; V has to let Michiko and the board of directors know.

“Harry.”

V interrupted this loyal and intelligent subordinate.

"If you want to avenge Arasaka, you'd better consider the price. Don't forget that Dogtown is still entrenched on the edge of Pacific Island. If we or other companies take drastic measures that trigger the Colonel's vicious dog, our counterintelligence department can't cover for that responsibility."

Harry was clearly in a hurry.

This was clearly a golden opportunity right in front of her. If Michiko hadn't found out, they might have been able to seize the initiative in this operation by using the counterintelligence team.

The server is just a cover; Arasaka could easily take swift and decisive action against the Dreamers.

"But…"

V shook his head. "Do as I said, let President Michiko know."

The Dreamers would never let the company enter Pacific Island so easily. It's a fact that the Internet Police, who wield immense power in the online world, are less effective than third-rate mercenary companies in offline operations. Apart from the NCPD... the only thing they can do is probably have these companies sit down and discuss things together.

V roughly knows the direction and root cause of these events.

I just don't know what the "special gift" Emma mentioned to her was.

Harry nodded.

Shortly after his cyber expert delivered the intelligence to the board, V's most hated name appeared in his prosthetic eye:

[Caller: Michiko Arakasaka]

It seems this woman knows that V has a firm grip on the middle-level power. Now, Arasaka Tower is more like two factions constantly fighting over trivial matters, while having to cooperate with headquarters on important matters. In addition, the information about the biotechnology traitor that V obtained from Santo Domingo has given her a lot of initiative.

Biotechnology is extremely passive in the face of this intelligence, and now only a few tough challenges remain.

Therefore, V's image at headquarters rose, and after two major failures, Michiko, having successfully integrated Dangerous Girl, began to systematically shift her focus to the management of Arasaka.

V was actually quite unhappy with this situation, but he had no choice but to outwardly obey his superiors' orders. He could rebel against his superiors, but no one dared to defy the Arasaka family...

If he goes too far, even Arasaka Yorinobu might not be able to protect himself.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"President Michiko."

V's greeting was professional and brief, as if the two had no grudge against each other at all, but if given the chance... V wanted to burn this woman's head to a crisp.

"Minister V, thank you for your department's professional intelligence and advice. Let's connect and share your thoughts with me and Jenkins."

V's gaze shifted, and Jenkins' holographic image appeared in the channel.

These two have a really good relationship, they're like brothers.

The hint of coldness at the corner of V's mouth was extremely slight.

“Mr. Jenkins.”

Now is the crucial moment.

V knew that it would have more control if it kept the intelligence, but unfortunately, with internet surveillance in place, the company still had to cooperate with this global cyber law enforcement agency on the surface.

"The internet monitoring department has a meeting in ten minutes, V."

Jenkins read from the script, "Pacific State, the Dreamers' territory, what does the counterintelligence department mean?"

V is a little undecided.

As usual, V said that the two people from the west would go east together, meaning they would never agree with his opinion.

Sure enough, Michiko can spout sarcastic and sarcastic remarks without hesitation.

"You did a great job with the acquisition of the Biotechnology Free State assets. It seems we need to hear your opinions more often."

Just as V was undecided between "the story I told Harry" and "letting the Arasaka people into Taipingzhou," Harry once again provided him with accurate intelligence...

“Our people in general affairs said that Tokyo made a phone call to higher-ups half an hour ago, and several proposals were rejected.”

"It's all Michiko's stuff, I hope it helps your boss."

V's expression relaxed somewhat.

"Let's see what the internet regulators think first. If they want all our companies to enter Taipingzhou, then helping the internet regulators remove AI is our responsibility—"

Michiko was clearly impatient and interrupted with her arms crossed, "Stop talking nonsense, V. You and I both know that there is only one company in Taipingzhou right now, our enemy. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

Jenkins, on the other hand, knows how to add his own comment.

"This is a very valuable opportunity in the eyes of counterintelligence. You're a favorite at headquarters, and you're lucky to get this credit..."

That's all for this.

It has to be said that both of them had been in management for a period of time, and their tempting words were sure to make their subordinates run for their lives.

However, V remained unmoved.

"I still prefer to be conservative. You can listen in on the entire meeting, and I will also broadcast it live."

"I don't really believe this opportunity is foolproof for us, because there might be people in Night City using us as pawns."

The phone hangs up.

V joined the meeting following the pre-arranged procedure.

At this moment, Michiko's face on the other end of the phone was almost numb.

"I never expected that the counterintelligence department had gathered more information than I did."

Michiko is now filled with regret. She's heard the saying "haste makes waste" countless times, but she ruined her chances even with powerful backers, and even caused Arasaka-sama to speak harshly to her today...

"Michiko, are you more concerned about the company's gains and losses, or your own?"

When Saburo Arasaka said those words, Michiko knew that they were the most powerful words he could utter.

The situation is currently very favorable. Her proposal was not emphasized in the V section (biotechnology mergers and acquisitions). Saburo, who has a lot of information in Japan, has noticed Michiko's exclusion. For an opportunist like Saburo, this is absolutely unacceptable. With a formidable enemy at hand, it is most important to wipe out the enemy completely. If the fight continues, he will have to impose punishment... "It's not an opportunity yet."

“The main revenue-generating business of Arasaka is in our hands, Lady Michiko, you should trust your surname.”

It would be more appropriate to call Jenkins Michiko's advisor now.

"Our people are still investigating, but it's extremely difficult to track down someone with exceptional cybersecurity and intelligence expertise. They'll slip up when things start to go wrong..."

They all believed that V was definitely not clean.

But without evidence, it's all just empty talk; they can only pin their hopes on a slim chance, for now.

"There are too many points where intelligence agencies are prone to problems, so it's not a bad thing to show goodwill first."

That's all Jenkins could say.

"and many more…"

Michiko, who had been half-listening to the meeting, suddenly gestured for Jenkins to listen more carefully.

Before the noisy meeting, the internet monitors mentioned the name of the person Michiko hated most…

Jenkins simply frowned and remained silent.

Michiko gave him a look that seemed to say: So many companies are following suit, why don't Arasaka join as well?
Jenkins shook his head slightly.

"It seems someone brought this on themselves."

Michiko lay back in the chair, but her intuition told her that things might change.

She just didn't expect that V would declare on behalf of Arasaka that they would not participate in this matter!

"Damn..."

Michiko could only mutter a curse under her breath.

With such favorable conditions, Jenkins couldn't understand why V and Ye were both so firmly in control.

From any perspective, Michiko is the one who benefited from this incident.

If V makes a good decision, Michiko can regain some favor with Saburo Arasaka by taking advantage of the situation; if V makes a bad decision, it will undoubtedly give Michiko an opportunity and leverage, and cleaning up her mess will also be a credit, right?
There's a one in ten thousand chance Rin is still alive; he would never cause such a commotion right under Night City's nose.

While two bystanders were speculating about various possibilities, the explosion occurred.

Michiko was caught off guard when the security guards outside rushed in instantly; without exception, they were all Arasaka ninjas!
The two people who had been shielded looked at each other in bewilderment. Only after the aftershocks of the explosion subsided did they hurriedly reconnect to the venue, where the audiovisual signals had been disrupted.

"Fuck V."

Jenkins immediately understood.

V didn't hesitate at all when he took the job, and that curse was exactly the kind of angry outburst that fits Jenkins' style.

Michiko hadn't reacted yet.

V has already presented the evidence of the mayor's and biotechnology funding to the companies' faces...

Biotechnology is a delaying tactic.

Neither Jenkins nor Michiko had considered this!
There was a long silence.

"Ah…"

Michiko didn't even know why she was laughing.

Without a doubt, this woman had tricked them again.

“Jenkins…”

"You have truly raised an outstanding person for Arakasa."

"Teaching apprentices to starve their masters to death."

Michiko cut off the meeting and said something meaningful.

……
-
Scenes from the past flashed through my mind.

Bridil still vividly remembers the intense heat and the explosive shockwave that sent multiple fractures through his body when he pushed open the old man's door that day...

I failed.

He had no idea what kind of monster he was facing. All his preparations were like child's moves in front of that guy, and he was being played with at will.

at the moment…

Is it finally happening to Wendy herself after what she went through that day?

Strangely, he suddenly didn't feel that much hatred anymore; all he felt was a lingering fear.

In order to get the guy he thought was from Taipingzhou to show up, he temporarily opened a hole in the dam that humanity uses to defend against death from outside the network. Even though the thing's upload speed in the network is not fast, it still entered the public network area. The person who died was probably the sin he had to bear for the rest of his life.

What devastated him most was that Mr. Wendy would definitely be very disappointed in him…

He got up and cautiously approached the door.

There was no sound from outside the automatic door. Bridil hoped that the metal door, capable of withstanding heavy machine gun fire, would burst open in the next second, cutting his body through the sharp metal...

Seemingly not wanting to give itself time to be weak, the door opened with a bang.

There were no guns, bombs, or anything else that Bridil had imagined; just two employees from the internet surveillance system, or more accurately, internal inspectors.

“Director Bridill, there are suspicious points in the operation you handled, and we need to cooperate with the General Administration’s investigation. Also, your implant needs to be suspended. We hope you can cooperate.”

"It seems you have some doubts? It's hard not to hear such a loud explosion."

Bridil's astonished expression was not due to this, but rather to the explanation given by the two internal inspectors of the internet surveillance system.

They weren't referring to charges like, "You're suspected of abusing network privileges, illegally accessing the Great Firewall," etc.

At this moment, he had a terrifying thought that made him extremely ashamed... that only Rin knew that he had used the black wall to let the AI ​​in, and with no way to prove it, if he could just insist that he didn't know anything else, wouldn't that mean he could survive?!

They don't even need to face lawsuits or hefty compensation claims?
This rollercoaster of emotions left Bridil's face constantly shifting between light and dark as she walked down the street, as if she were going crazy.

Internet surveillance is perhaps the most reminiscent of the workplace under the civil service system of the last century: rigid working hours, rigid floor, and extremely rigid procedures.

After two internal agents knocked on the door of the Night City branch manager, Bridil was slowly led inside with two hands on his shoulders. He saw several high-ranking cyber police officers in front of him, including some of Mr. Wendy's close friends.

That's why they promoted this young man.

"What about Rin's data?"

They got straight to the point with almost no formalities.

Bridil had no choice but to honestly tell the management the location of the storage devices.

A glimmer of hope appeared on his face.

Anyone with common sense who has seen this data knows that Rin is highly likely to be alive.

"Alright, child."

The man, with gray hair and impeccably dressed, wore glasses that looked like they were made of agate, and he was slightly taller than Bridil.

"Is there a backup of this?"

Bridil was stunned.

He didn't know the connection between these questions and could only shake his head like a mechanical puppet.

"Rin is still alive, and Arakawa is digging up evidence of the Black Wall—"

Bridil suddenly snapped out of his daze and wanted to shout out what he had found out.

A strong hand suddenly covered his mouth, and those hackers who had been sitting on the sofa and had gradually become high-ranking internet regulators all stood up, looking at Bridil with strange eyes.

"Are you using the black wall as a tool to punish evil and promote good?"

The internet monitoring official smiled calmly, but Bridil inexplicably began to panic. With his mouth covered, he could only shake his head repeatedly.

"You've caused enormous losses to the companies in Night City, but how much have you benefited from biotechnology? What has the Night City Hall given you?"

This series of questions that Bridil couldn't figure out, was asked by "one of his own" whom he trusted.

How could something so baseless be true?!
However, what truly shattered Bridil's psychological defenses was yet to come—

The agent behind him actually pulled out a money chip, the kind of cheap chip that you can't even tell if it contains a virus.

"This isn't mine! Ugh... damn it!"

As Bridir tried to struggle, he was suddenly struck in the back with the butt of a rifle. He could only groan in pain before his body went limp.

The two agents carrying him had cold, indifferent expressions, as if they were looking at a dead man.

"It wasn't me..."

"You cheated the company, made the entire department act as your security deposit, and then the bomb went off in Taipingzhou. Did you think you were completely innocent?"

All Bridil could do was repeat that sentence.

"not me!"

Those who wronged him know how wronged Bridil was, but for now, this seems to be the best possible ending to the story.

No one is completely clean; to achieve one's goals, dirt is the norm—it's just that in the face of the rules of this world, Bridil is the real child Wendy speaks of, and his dirtiness pales in comparison to some people's.

"The story of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' may not need to be told twice (referring to the loss of authority of Night City Internet Monitoring over the company in this incident), once is enough."

"Old Wendy will be very disappointed."

The old man adjusted his glasses, fiddled with the chip in his hand, and said to the two agents in a chilling tone—

"You know what to do."

"Go outside the city and clean it up."

……

……

(End of this chapter)