Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 397 The Rock Star's Appearance (Part 2) [9K]

"Assistant Jenkins."

The security guards from Arasaka stood in perfect unison outside the hovercar. A strong, large hand handed them a black umbrella, and the security guard's suit was covered in fine raindrops.

Jenkins couldn't describe how he felt.

It all started at the conference…

Night City's entire branch has been completely outmaneuvered. Not only were they unaware of the power struggle unfolding in Tokyo, but they've also attracted the attention of several important figures there. For the doves, this is definitely not a good thing...

What frightened Jenkins even more was the way Arakawa Saburō handled the situation, which allowed the hawks to turn this seemingly hopeless situation into an incredible comeback.

He looked towards the company plaza, knowing that Arasaka's internal layout was now finalized, and Jenkins needed to think about his future...

Life is a series of different choices.

Jenkins knew he had made some wrong choices, but there was no turning back now; he had no other option.

He, who always respected science, even wondered if there were precognitive deities behind the hawks helping Arasaka Yorinobu…

……

At the highest round table of the conference, Lai Xuan stood up and looked at the meeting room in Arakasa.

The rapid spread and explosive effect of the news coincided with the timing of Hanako Arasaka "stripping" herself of her title as president of Arasaka.

Lai Xuan now has to believe one thing: Rin has completely seen through this incident.

He clenched his fists. The man who once led the fight against the largest organization in Arasaka felt not relief, but deep self-blame and resentment.

If there were no Rin…

What about myself?
He fled to Night City like a stray dog, sold the Relic chip to Westerners, exposed Arasaka's secret, and incidentally gave Herman to companies like Comtau...

This was the only way he could deal with the situation hastily.

Furthermore, Arasaka Yorinobu's last shred of hope for Hanako vanished; from now on, Arasaka Yorinobu only had enemies.

"what on earth is it?"

The head of the French Arasaka branch couldn't hold out any longer. News of the European media explosion had reached his ears. Arasaka had just as many media outlets in Europe, and now they were all suppressing the news and dared not publish it, and could only ask their financial backers for permission.

"Miss Hua, are you playing us?!"

Having found a sliver of breathing room, the hawks became less polite, their eyes now fixed on Hua Zi, whose expression held a hint of doubt, with hostility.

Almost…

"Hanako Arasaka! Where did you put Lord Saburo?! Damn it! I knew something was fishy about this. I request that Lord Arasaka be allowed to participate in the meeting. We must ensure Lord Arasaka's safety!"

"Yes! Miss Hanako, you have to look at what the media is reporting right now. The video of you stealing Lord Arasaka's privileges in his convalescent room is being circulated everywhere!"

"This is utter rebellion!"

Hua Zi took a step back…

She was completely dazed; the support she had imagined hadn't materialized, but instead, she was met with collective condemnation!

Oda Santayu drew his sword and stood beside Hanako. "Miss, the situation is not good."

This is a live video feed from a virtual meeting. Aside from the shareholders of Arasaka headquarters, Oda's intentions in withdrawing his attack are self-evident…

He's trying to prevent Arasaka Yorinobu from making any moves.

At this moment, the hawks' expressions completely changed. Seeing Oda draw his sword, the female executive who had been protecting Arasaka Yoriyuki pulled out a gun. It was a small handgun used for personal protection, which the executive had apparently brought into the venue without permission.

"Xiaotian, get your location straight! Damn it—"

"Who do you think you are, drawing your sword inside the Arasaka headquarters meeting room?!"

Hua Zi, who had been retreating amidst the condemnation, suddenly turned around abruptly.

She stared incredulously at Lai Xuan, who remained as steady as a mountain, and panicked completely when she saw the icy look in his eyes that seemed to have erased all traces of kinship.

"You knew all of that?!"

Until now.

Arakasa Hanako thought that Yoriichi's execution of Koizumi Shigeru was just a fit of anger after his defeat. Hanako was even relieved that she didn't have to fulfill the promises she had made to Koizumi Shigeru. Little did she know that it was Yoriichi's most concise and efficient way of eliminating traitors...

Even though killing Koizumi Shigeru would cause the hawks to lose heart, Lai Xuan still insisted on killing him.

That's because Lai Xuan knew that the hearts of the hawks couldn't be won over by his own kindness; on the contrary, what the hawks wanted to see was success.

凛…

who are you?
Lai Xuan shook his head slightly, but in Arasaka Hanako's view, this was more like a sign of Lai Xuan's disappointment and anger towards her.

Despite Xiaotian's warning gaze, Hua Zi's assistant still showed her all the news reports...

Arakawa Hanako tossed all the documents aside as if they were a hot potato.

"This is impossible!"

"how come…"

Lai Xuan's voice rang out, interrupting Hua Zi's incredulous mutterings.

"How can this be impossible? Sister..."

He rarely called Arakawa Hanako his sister, but this time he said it with a smile on his lips. However, this was not a greeting of affection, but a harbinger of action.

The chaotic scene below was just like when the verdict was announced that Lai Xuan was about to lose President Arasaka. Apart from the hawks hurling insults at him, even the chicks had no idea what Hanako was thinking. Stealing Arasaka Saburo's authority meant that everything was negative.

Speaking of Saburo Arasaka…

The entire arena is now filled with voices demanding that Hanako hand over Saburo Arasaka.

Regardless of faction, only this person can end the chaos in Arasaka.

Michiko is completely dumbfounded.

She portrayed herself as an outsider very convincingly. Leaving aside how to deal with V now, Michiko Arasaka needs to seriously consider what she should do.

The head of the prestigious North American branch is now just as clueless as any bystander, and she has a feeling that she'll have to move her chair soon...

So where is Arasaka-sama now?

Could it be that this woman...

Michiko swallowed hard and hurriedly contacted her grandfather through a staff member at headquarters.

However, before they could even see Saburo, they received more bad news from Night City.

"Michiko-sama..."

The subordinate cautiously approached.

Michiko instantly flew into a rage, especially when she saw V still standing there; her anger intensified.

"what happened again?!"

V waved his hand. "Lady Michiko... let me tell you. My staff told me that right now, below the Arasaka Tower—there's already a crowd gathered because of the negative news about Arasaka, just like... a scene from decades ago."

Michiko snatched the item from her subordinate's hand, and just then, Jenkins walked in from outside the meeting room.

Michiko, who also sensed the bad news from Jenkins' expression, plopped down in a chair.

"What's going on...?"

The shareholders of Night City were so frightened that they dared not sit in their chairs.

The scene transitions to the area below Arasaka Tower at this very moment…

Security personnel had set up cover at the entrance of Arasaka Tower, holding shields, while on the other side was a crowd of people holding torches and cursing at Arasaka Tower in the rain.

People kept rushing in, and Arasaka's soldiers would drag them in and arrest them; the situation could escalate in an instant...

This terrifying scene reminded Michiko of fifty years ago—

Yes.

At that time, Arasaka was distracted by the commotion of the crowd, which led to the military technology and petrochemical company team detonating the nuclear bomb inside the Arasaka Tower, thus declaring Arasaka's complete defeat in this corporate war.

Soon, news of the mass incident at Night City's Arasaka Tower also quickly reached the ears of other branches.

The chaos at the meeting began to escalate, and any senior executive in any branch could smell that familiar odor...

Is it war?

Michiko turned her gaze to the headquarters, where the main venue was now completely silent…

Everyone is waiting for Lai Xuan, who has made a comeback, to make a statement.

The vote just now, in which everyone passed the resolution to remove Lai Xuan from the position of President Arasaka, was a joke.

At this moment, things are truly in chaos.

Lai Xuan felt that he had seen the most straightforward side of human nature.

Doubt, suspicion, anger, and the panic of the cowardly…

"Lord Yoriyuki! Please make sure that Lord Arasaka presides over this!"

"yes…"

"Which company the hell is this? Are they starting a war?"

"Say something, Lord Lai Xuan!"

Someone shouted those words, and the hall fell silent as the tide receded.

However, Lai Xuan straightened his clothes and simply shook his head, "The Arasaka Global Shareholders' Meeting has already stripped me of my position as President of Arasaka—"

"Rules are rules."

Everyone probably knew that Lai Xuan was angry, but if things continued like this... what should Arasaka do?
As if things weren't bad enough, the European branches soon received orders from the European Regional Human Rights Headquarters to assist in the investigation. The scientific experiments conducted by Arasaka that violated bioethics naturally attracted their attention. Coupled with the covert instigation by other companies, Arasaka was already in a very unfavorable position in terms of public opinion.

The European official could only stand up.

"Given the current situation, I can only conclude that Arasaka falls under one of the emergency provisions of 'Headquarters losing its management function'—I'm sorry, Lord Yoriyuki, Miss Hanako, we must leave the meeting. The European Arasaka branch will proceed with the self-management phase according to procedure."

Lai Xuan's eyelids twitched.

In layman's terms, this means that the European branch will be self-managed.

This is essentially a blatant declaration of decoupling...

When someone takes the lead, others will naturally follow suit.

In fact, these guys who have been in the company's upper echelons for so long are not stupid. The internal struggles within the company are so brutal that if you don't have a brain, you can't hold onto your position at all. They just want to provoke Saburo Arasaka into showing up.

Hanako Arakawa seemed to have lost her soul at that moment.

Before Oda Santaoyu could react, Hanako suddenly lunged at the podium, shouting, "What are you doing?!"

With her heart breaking, Hanako went berserk, shouting, "The council's authority at Arasaka headquarters hasn't been lost, my father is still alive, are you planning to betray Arasaka?"

"Hmph. Miss Hua Zi—"

The French manager was a dark-skinned African man with a shiny bald head and somewhat unsettling white eyes.

"Since Lord Arasaka is here, why did you allow him to steal Arasaka's authority here? And why are you targeting the current president of Arasaka? Lord Raiyuki's identity has been lost, is this the result you wanted?!"

Hua Zi's expression froze.

Now that things had come to this, Oda could no longer let Arasaka Hanako have her way. He stepped forward, grabbed the young lady's arm, and shook his head slightly.

If Hua Zi could have remained calm, he might not have revealed so many flaws. Now that the hawks' comeback is over, Oda Santau is starting to think about how to ensure his superior's safety first.

In his view, Lai Xuan's purge could happen in an instant.

Just as everyone's attention was focused on Hua Zi, Lai Xuan and his staff all stood up unexpectedly.

An invisible pressure permeated the venue.

At the far end of the global venue, a tall samurai walked ahead. After pushing open the door, he saw a line of elite Arasaka soldiers standing outside. They were all responsible for Saburo's daily security at his Tokyo mansion.

"Please be quiet."

"Lord Arasaka has arrived."

Takemura surveyed the chaotic venue and immediately locked his gaze on Arasaka Hanako, his eyes filled with indifference and lingering fear.

It is clear.

She, who was once considered the successor to Saburo Arasaka in Goro Takemura's heart, has lost all her prestige. It would not be an exaggeration to say that her image collapsed instantly—how could human nature be so despicable?

even…

At this moment, Takemura had a thought that he himself had previously disdained: that Arasaka Yorinobu was the only normal person in the family.

As for Michiko…

Takemura's assessment can be summed up in just two words: idiot.

"Father…"

Saburo Arasaka's back seemed to be bent over considerably as he slowly walked into the Global Links venue with the help of a maid.

Those branches that had once clamored to decouple fell silent, staring at the frail, powerless figure.

Saburo Arasaka surveyed everyone in the empire he had painstakingly built. He showed no emotion, yet those who had almost been tempted to make underhanded moves immediately lowered their heads in a guilty manner.

Hua Zi's outstretched hand fell empty; the maid's slight obstruction indicated that Hua Zi could no longer approach his father.

Xiao Tian reacted quickly and immediately helped her up.

Saburo Arasaka walked slowly and finally stood beside Rai Nishiki.

At this moment, Lai Xuan was still bowing his head and showed no intention of raising his head.

Saburo was half a head shorter than his son, and just silently watched him.

Arakawa Yorinobu stared at his father's reflection on the ground, his heart pounding with anxiety. He didn't know what kind of punishment he would receive for this falling out with his sister, but Rin's appearance confirmed one thing for Yorinobu—

That means whatever Saburo decides, his eligibility to play will remain intact; it's just a matter of how he will deal with Hua Zi.

Just as various speculations flashed through Lai Xuan's mind, Saburo slowly extended his hand...

Lai Xuan instinctively closed his eyes.

However, the expected blow did not come; instead, there was only a slight touch and a sigh.

Lai Xuan had no idea what his father was trying to express—was it disappointment or concern?
If it's out of concern...

Lai Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.

"You guys are being ridiculous."

Lai Xuan's eyes widened upon hearing this, feeling utterly incredulous...

Nonsense?

He immediately looked up and met Sanlang's one eye, which was as still as a deep well.

"Father, is this nonsense—"

However, Saburo turned around, placed his cane in front of him, and faced the people sitting quietly in the hall.

It took Saburo a full hour to sort out the problems Arasaka was facing. The struggle between the two children had put Arasaka in an extremely unfavorable position in public opinion, especially the pressure from the European Human Rights Council, which even Saburo's appearance could not suppress.

"Colleagues of Arakasaka, since the beginning of the 20th century, we Arakasaka have experienced countless trials. We have focused on the outside world and overcome many difficult times."

"However, the influence of this external enemy has intensified the fighting between us..."

Saburo's simple statement first and foremost blamed the current chaos in Arasaka on external enemies.

Arasaka Yorinobu clenched his fists tightly.

Every word Saburo Arasaka said felt like a knife cutting into his heart. Could the allure of immortality really be so strong for his father?
Sometimes he really wanted to ask his father if he had made up his mind to let him become the vessel for his immortality...

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Knowing Sanlang's attitude, he had no more worries from now on.

"External enemies?"

Whispers could be heard from time to time.

Arasaka Saburo's next words made it even harder for Lai Xuan to hide the hatred in his eyes.

"Hanako Arasaka's permissions were taken away according to my wishes."

“Some villains tried to provoke conflict among us so that Arasaka’s important project would be aborted. Now you have all seen it—the enemy’s goal has been achieved. I think we should first stabilize the external factors affecting Arasaka.”

"The naval ships from Arasaka have approached Night City..."

The atmosphere was electric.

"Well done, that's how it should be!"

"Damn it! These bastards want to make Arasaka pay the price? Let's see who wins!"

The belligerent sentiment within Arasaka began to ignite rapidly under the influence of these actions…

"If you are afraid to start a war, you will never gain the upper hand."

Saburo Arasaka's tone gradually lowered.

Throughout the process, the focus was on downplaying the main issues, allowing the radical elements of Arasaka to become the mainstream, and shifting the conflict to external factors.

This old evil dragon's methods are simple and effective.

Suddenly, he turned to look at Lai Xuan, causing Lai Xuan's expression to momentarily become confused.

"The president of Arasaka is only Arasaka Yoriyuki. The crisis in Night City needs a more capable and outstanding leader to take charge."

"You can rest assured, please continue to implement Arasaka's ideas according to our plan."

The remaining Arasaka branches began to withdraw from the video conference in an orderly manner. This was not voluntary, but rather authorized by Saburo. The immediate priority was to enable each Arasaka branch to take proactive measures to defend against the crisis, rather than becoming cowards.

Too many explanations will only amplify the suspicions within Arasaka, and even Saburo will find it difficult to suppress them.

The peaceful expression on Saburo Arasaka's face slowly faded, replaced by an extremely gloomy one.

His gaze swept over the only branch that remained, and the branch manager and all the shareholders looked as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Michiko's hands were curled up...

As the image of the meeting room on the table disappeared and was replaced by Saburo's holographic image, he threw away his cane and walked forward, stepping on the end of the smooth obsidian tabletop, looking down at Michiko, who had long since stopped sitting in her chair.

"Is the barbaric blood of the West truly so difficult to tame?"

Michiko's eyes widened beneath her hair; Saburo's words were sharper than any offensive statement.

From the very beginning...

Saburo Arasaka looked down on the woman of his eldest son, Takashi Arasaka.

I never expected that this time he would actually speak his mind.

"Weak, bound, and unable to win the situation."

"Arasaka has given you plenty of chances... kid."

No one dared to breathe loudly. They wanted to explain, but they were powerless to refute, because none of them could contain the chaos outside the Arasaka Tower.

In other words, they still have to rely on Sanlang.

"Watch how your uncle handles this situation."

“Recover our assets, Lai Xuan.”

Lai Xuan knew that Sanlang was referring to the Relic chip, and this operation, which was tantamount to throwing lambs to the slaughter, was exactly what Lai Xuan wanted.

In addition, there was another person who caught Saburo Arasaka's attention.

He looked at V, who was being controlled by soldiers. The two soldiers couldn't withstand Saburo's gaze and immediately didn't know where to put their hands.

“You treat meritorious people like this; you’ve managed Arakasaka so well, Michiko.”

"If things outside don't calm down, then go and properly sweep your father's grave."

Just when Night City shareholders were criticizing the matter as limited to this, Saburo's methods were more forceful than expected.

Soldiers appeared behind several dovish shareholders. Amidst the wailing, Michiko Arasaka swayed and sat down on the ground. In her daze, she even saw the mockery in the eyes of the woman named V.

"Are you the intelligence chief for the Night City region?"

Saburo Arasaka stared at V.

V could only bow his head according to company etiquette.

Lai Xuan's voice rang out, "This is V, the father; the person in charge of biotechnology mergers and acquisitions."

Saburo Arasaka's face was unreadable.

"Go do it, V."

"Stop the incessant noise from outside the company, and don't let Arasaka down."

……

Jenkins rubbed his temples.

The view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was completely obscured, with only endless flashing lights and the faint sound of sirens.

"Assistant Jenkins, as you wish, the security measures at the Azure Building have been raised to the highest level."

"Business operations have not been affected, so you can rest assured."

From the perspective of the security personnel, Jenkins had undoubtedly landed a very easy job, but only Jenkins himself knew that he had to take this job because he needed certain people to know about the changes happening within Arasaka today.

Yes.

Jenkins chose the path he believed was right.

No one can understand the torment of a loyal employee who is constantly neglected.

Jenkins always believed he would be the guy who would sit in the position that former Abernathy held for the Night City division.

But man proposes, God disposes. He was ostracized, and not only that, this so-called hawk on the surface suffered just as much slander as he had...

"Then trouble you."

Jenkins nodded, stretching his back as much as he could on the sofa.

Once upon a time, he was an excellent soldier and a top student, but now he is old and all that remains is a bloated body.

"Where is it."

The head of security at the Azure Building paused for a moment, then said, "Things are really not peaceful here, Assistant Jenkins."

Jenkins nodded.

Communication among colleagues is still acceptable.

Jenkins, however, was not in the mood for conversation.

On the surface, Jenkins is a special assistant, which, in Lin Yue's hometown terms, is equivalent to a secretary. Theoretically, his rank is very low, but the problem is that he has a lot of power.

Few people wouldn't want to curry favor with Jenkins.

"Then let's do our jobs well."

As soon as Jenkins finished speaking, the head of the security department nodded sensibly, "Please call me anytime if you need anything."

At this point, Jenkins added, "Could you please bring some bourbon whiskey, and some soothing Mewtwo?"

The security personnel smiled with narrowed eyes.

"Ok."

Jenkins watched the door slowly close, his face growing serious. He then turned on his personal computer, which was placed in front of the coffee table, intending to treat this information leak as a carelessness.

Jenkins only had a chance if he submitted his pledge of military technology.

Rootless and alone, he could only barely make ends meet in Arasaka. Besides Michiko's series of disastrous decisions, what Jenkins least expected was that his student would be so capable—

Even he, a seasoned intelligence officer, was somewhat impressed.

V ...

You win.

Jenkins heard only one signal at today's conference: the tide has turned.

As the alcohol and Mewtwo were brought to him, Jenkins carried out the plan step by step until the bright light flashed before his eyes. Jenkins' consciousness began to sink into a relaxing environment, praying that the terrible reality was just a nightmare.

……
-
If DeShawn had known the principle of "don't bite off more than you can chew," he might have been able to live a comfortable life in Night City.

The Azure Building.

A burly man strode in through the door. His suit was well-tailored, but he exuded a rugged, mercenary aura. The company pin on his chest belonged to a small, Scandinavian AI company.

He was followed closely by a long-haired, dark-skinned woman who did not appear to be traveling with him.

"Please stop."

Arakawa Security immediately stopped the tall guy.

Because the alarms went off one after another when he entered.

The mercenary, who shrugged indifferently, obediently put what he was holding on the ground, and was then subjected to a barrage of questions.

"Could you explain why there are combat-type robots in your box?"

The burly man pointed at the box, then at himself, and cursed in Finnish, "Don't my customers need to check the quality of the goods? Is Arasaka afraid of a little robot?"

The security guard scratched his head awkwardly.

Soon, people started looking in their direction.

The woman behind the burly man urged, "Can you hurry up?"

The security guards checked the duty instructions with each other and finally gave up on questioning him. A robot really couldn't make much of a difference... right?

The two security guards were exasperated when they saw that the woman was also carrying a large suitcase.

The box in the woman's hand wasn't detected by the scanner...

Then the burly man's curses rang in my ears—

"What the hell are you rushing me for? Are you in such a hurry to die?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Are you tired of living?"

During the struggle, the box in the big man's hand triggered an alarm near the infrared scanner.

At this point, Arasaka's security personnel naturally couldn't be polite. They pulled the two rather angry company employees aside and began to thoroughly question them.

【Technical Director, Crossroads - Malone】

Looking at the company certification badge on the dark-skinned woman, the temporary supervisor of the security team at the entrance pointed at the two of them and said.

"Please follow the rules, both of you."

This commotion caught the attention of several company employees who were queuing at the counter in the distance.

One of the bearded men, wearing the insignia of the Kichiroku Company pinned to his chest, noticed the situation, frowned, and walked over. Malone tensed up…

She clearly didn't expect that there would be real employees of the Kichiro Company here, even though she only wanted to sneak in by creating chaos.

"what's the situation?"

The bearded man pulled out a business card, which prominently displayed "Executive Director of Crossroads in New York"...

Seeing the woman's unnatural expression, the bearded man asked, "Technical Director..."

Which branch are you from?

The Arasaka security guards exchanged glances, their hands instinctively resting on their waists.

The burly man's eyes darted around. "This has nothing to do with me, does it?"

"I'm from the Atlanta area. Should I call my regional manager?"

The woman looked displeased.

The bearded man stared at Marorne for a long time before finally smiling. "Sorry... it's not always possible to recognize all the employees."

What's inside...?

The woman glanced at the box in her hand. "Prosthetic eye products, kept at low temperature."

The bearded man turned to the Arasaka security guards and said, "Sorry, this kind of thing is normal. I hope our company's employees haven't disturbed your normal business operations. Here's my business card. If you need any technical services related to prosthetic eye installation, we can offer you a discount."

In public, Arasaka's security personnel would naturally not accept bribes.

So they simply waved their hands, indicating that the group could leave.

If you look closely, you'll see that Marorne's forehead is covered in cold sweat...

The bearded man acted as if he hadn't seen her, asked a few casual questions, and then left the hotel front desk with a tall woman after Marlon declined.

The woman had a strange mask on her face.

Marohn felt it was very familiar.

Of course, the reason why this "Technical Director of the Crossroads" was nervous was simple: what she held in her hand was not a prosthetic eye, but a complete Arasaka Relic core, containing the soul of a rock star.

Da Han wasn't some small company's technical salesman; the guy inside was just a crew cut guy.

Marorne…

No, it should be said that TBUG was still shaken, and felt relieved that he had finally gotten through it.

She and the big man exchanged a glance, then went to two separate front desks, some of which were quite far apart, to register for their accommodations, as if they were enemies.

……

At that moment, inside the elevator, Falco, a cigar dangling from his lips, was twirling a card-like piece of technical equipment in his hand. He had kept it tucked in his sleeve, as close as possible to the two large boxes…

They had no idea which one was the flathead.

It all comes down to luck.

Qiwei gave a speechless snort and snatched the item from Falco's hand, who was bragging about himself.

"Hey! How can women be so heartless?"

Falco smacked his lips, giving off an expression that said, "I'm too lazy to curse."

Qiwei plugged the device into her handheld computer, and the flat-top was quickly hacked. She looked at the black screen and made sure the flat-top hadn't been activated before connecting it to the prosthetic eye.

"The subnet has been accessed."

Sasha's voice came through the headset.

Qi Wei also said, "The crew cut is connected to—"

When she saw Falco's indignant expression, she added, "Falco's method is clever and effective."

"Be careful, our rock star is really something else, but... I heard his songs are all pretty bad, I want to go hear Rin's."

There was silence.

Suzuki suddenly added, "I listened to it and it's true."

Falco gave them a look that said, "You young people have no taste. You've obviously never heard of such an awesome song as 'Intubation.' It's a pity that our big star's dream of resurrection is about to end."

Elevator arrives.

Qiwei and Falco entered the room that had been reserved in advance, which happened to be on the 40th floor of the Azure Building.

Inside the underground parking garage, Suzuki stood guard beside Sasha, who was infiltrating the subnet, constantly monitoring the surrounding movements.

Everything was normal until Qiwei said that the crew cut had been activated…

"what?"

Sasha suddenly made a suspicious sound.

"Something's not right... Why are all the subnet hackers from Arasaka suddenly becoming active?"

Suzuki quickly looked down at his computer and checked each monitoring device one by one.

"what's the situation?"

Falco was also confused. At this moment, Qiwei was immersed in the image of the short-haired man, and only he could see the outside situation.

Suddenly, all the lights in the Gumpi Building dimmed, and the previously normal security level was abruptly raised...

After failing to unlock the door, Falco quickly reported the situation.
Suzuki stared intently at his computer, spotting a surveillance camera on the top floor. A fleet of hovercars broke through the dark night sky above, slowly descending under the guidance of indicator lights on the top floor…

Suzuki, trying to see who it was, was completely unaware that Sasha beside him was beginning to show signs of pain.

"That is…"

Everyone listened attentively to Suzuki's observations.

When that guy stepped out of the luxurious hovercar, it felt like thunder had exploded in Suzuki's head!

That's a lie...

"It's Saburo Arasaka?!"

In an instant, the channel was filled with the surprised and bewildered voices of his teammates…

How did they manage to do that when the Arakawa World Tour ended less than an hour ago?!

That's not all—

At the same time, Qi Wei's furious voice rang out.

"Damn it! The chip is gone! Their deal fell through! How could this be..."

Suzuki pressed the earpiece. "What?"

Lin Yue, far away in the company square, looked at the sky. The crowd began to fall into complete chaos. At this moment, Aragaka's armed forces were pouring into the company square like a tidal wave, and the crowd began to scatter and flee under this impact.

A heart-pounding feeling spread through Lin Yue's chest.

He suddenly looked in the direction of the Azure Building. A detail he had overlooked magnified infinitely in Lin Yue's mind, and his expression began to turn extremely cold.

Lin Yue's teammates tried to pull him away, but the mercenaries Rogge had arranged for them rushed out from the crowd, grabbed their heads, and dragged them away...

"K!"

The Arasaka riot police soldiers who rushed forward swallowed Lin Yue whole.

Li's loud screams seemed so insignificant amidst the shouts of the crowd...

At this moment.

In a digitally constructed world completely different from the real world, a man wearing a bulletproof vest and with long, slightly curly hair looked down at his dog tag.

"I am..."

"where?"

……

……

(End of this chapter)