Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 407 The Emperor (Part 10) [5.4K]

At this moment, the top floor of the Azure Sky Tower is a battleground of cutting-edge technology from Arasaka.

[WARNING: Cyber ​​threat detected]

The oracle highlighted all the old Arasaka ninjas hiding behind various miscellaneous items in the lower levels. What surprised Lin Yue the most was that even after Old Wei's updated prosthetic eye scanning database and Brandon's updated Night City prosthetic data, they still couldn't scan the types of equipment on these old guys...

The vibrant neon lights of Night City and the rain seeping in from the dilapidated rooftops lashed against Lin Yue and the old ninja, creating a crimson haze.

At this moment, Lin Yue's [Shadow] was fully activated. Behind them, standing tall and imposing, was a Japanese Kabuki performer on a television tower almost the same height as the Azure Sky Building, smiling and seemingly observing the battle as he presented a demonstration of technological products. Then—

The entire advertisement was shattered into a chaotic blur of light and shadow by the aftershocks of a rapid collision between nano-samurai blades!

Jinze and the others were all covered by automatic, high-intensity masks. Apart from slight differences in size, it was impossible to tell their identities apart. The old woman's expression beneath the masks was incredibly chilling...

This is Night City, a world where even a powerful weapon shouldn't exist.

The dead Hammer was seen by these people as a thug who used himself as a weapon to pursue the ultimate, but the guy in front of them had blurred the line between man and weapon.

"Miniature gravity field..."

"Shouldn't this thing be discarded? No one can fight carrying something like this."

Amidst the crackling of electricity within the ninjas' channel, an old ninja coughed softly, his tone filled with solemnity and disbelief.

"Compared to those assassins in New America who tried to kill Lord Arasaka... I really don't believe it's as powerful as the heavy ACPA dropped from orbit—don't forget the effort Lord Saburo put into us."

"Neither of us should be afraid."

"Ok!"

Everyone nodded in unison.

Backlit by the neon lights, eerie red and blue light flickered silently in Lin Yue's eyes. He narrowed his eyes slightly. The long sword in his hand had its sharp blade shattered and was still useless. Lin Yue simply threw it to the ground, the powerful force causing it to sink deep into the concrete.

How many samurai swords is this now?
Time was short, and Lin Yue did not bring any suitable weapons.

To be honest, Lin Yue was starting to miss his white wolf...

almost.

In the heavy rain, a small cargo drone swooped down!
Lin Yue waited quietly for Brandon to share the flight progress with him through the prosthetic eye… Just as the modified revolver in Kanazawa Haruko's hand began to emit plasma arcs, the bullet pierced through the micro-robot's mist—

Four identical shadows suddenly appeared!
However, these ninjas reacted extremely quickly when they were in close proximity. Lin Yue only gained an advantage the first time he activated Shadow. Now, they were like monsters conjured from shadows, mainly using harassment and attacks...

As for what he was planning?
Lin Yue knew it all too well.

Lin Yue encountered such enemies every time, and they all tried to surround him and exhaust his strength, but they all seemed to have failed.

"Humph…"

Lin Yue chuckled softly.

In his eyes, the triangular thermal darts in the hands of these ninjas resembled a swarm of bees, and seemed to have a tracking attack function—probably inspired by smart weapon bullets.

甑！
The moment the ninjas saw Lin Yue's cybernetic image suddenly rush out, their arms twitched, and mantis blades sprang from their arms beneath their cybernetic armor, a faint red current surging through the data interfaces…

It's another application of single-molecule lines. If I'm not mistaken, Lin Yue guessed that it's probably a specially made prosthetic arm designed to cut off the damage to the RAM value or the ICE network of the attacker.

"Sanlang... you've practically had these people put diapers on you, how could you bear to die in Night City?"

Lin Yue couldn't figure out the answer to this question.

Even the most powerful cyber ninja and lone wolf couldn't put as much pressure on him as the withered old man Saburo... Compared to Saburo's smugness and composure before his death, he would rather this old dog beg for mercy and catch his breath.

However, things don't always go as planned; variables are inherent in everything.

For example, Rebecca…

The four ninjas who rushed out never expected that the guy was conducting a communications activity.

"Pretty arrogant, young man."

Beneath the mask, a smiling old man suddenly increased his speed!
This is almost the speed of apogee, but what's even more chilling is that this guy's operating system is a network access pod... which means that as a ninja, he relies entirely on his own various dimensional values.

Rejecting cybernetic implants is very common, especially among Arasaka's top characters. Saburo himself is very resistant to cybernetic implants unless there is absolutely no other choice...

Of the five shadows, which one is real?
The old ninja asked himself this question.

Beneath his seemingly relaxed face, a cold glint flashed in his nearly narrowed eyes. The cyberattack caused the four figures around Lin Yue to vanish instantly, leaving only the one silently watching his companion from the window…

"Found it, the little mouse."

However, Lin Yue, who did not receive a response from Rebecca and the others in the channel, noticed the presence of that faint EMP field... No wonder the image from his prosthetic eye was shaking, and he instantly understood the tactics of these ninjas.

Ninjas were not actually as mysterious as they seemed during the height of their power in Japan.

To kill, they might even hide in a latrine or lurk in the lake where their target is fishing, breathing only through a reed tube… The ultimate goal of all these actions is to exploit the enemy's relaxed senses, perfectly blend into the environment, and use unexpected methods, etc.

Success is achieved as long as the enemy is killed.

Even the most unscrupulous methods can be...

Therefore, this group creates EMP fields to deliver a fatal blow when the enemy is complacent and relaxed.

嗏

There are always unexpected things—

Lin Yue's eyes instantly locked onto the guy who was using network intrusion to find his location!
"Um?!"

The old ninja hadn't felt this way in countless years—that chilling sensation of being targeted by a venomous snake… Perhaps he'd forgotten that this head-turning motion was actually a reflection of the enemy's reaction speed, meaning someone was about to meet his attack at the same speed…

Lin Yue quickly bent down.

The old ninja attempted to stop his attack!
The smartest thing about these people is that they never covet that one attack, and they will consider retreating if any unexpected deviation occurs.

Lin Yue simply lost his patience.

Enough time has been dragged on. Sasha and the others on the lower levels should have already gotten close to the data core. As long as there's a chance to restore communication, Lin Yue will not hesitate to help them...

"Rebecca, how could this be..."

Lin Yue was filled with resentment.

The panel clearly showed that Rebecca had completely and utterly changed the life she was supposed to have, so how could she have developed cybernetic disorder... If he had known this would happen, Lin Yue shouldn't have been so confident that he had the company's support to install a prosthetic body on Rebecca.

Of course, this anger needs to be vented now, just like with this self-righteous guy in front of me.

Swish!
Under the old ninja's incredulous gaze, Lin Yue's fists crackled with red, black, and azure electricity.

Ultra Precision's computing power output allows Lin Yue to maintain a complete dominance in any situation. Now, Lin Yue wants to test the close combat capabilities of the gorilla arm.

[Prosthetics Lifted]

[Authorized, please keep operation below the threshold]

[Administrator Warning]

Lin Yue ignored this common error message. This punch was meant to let these old dogs from Arakawa know that it was impossible for them to get revenge for their local tyrant.

Buzz!

The sounds of the prosthetic body surging and changing structure were enough to make your teeth ache... your very soul seemed to tremble.

The gorilla's iron fist suddenly burst out as Lin Yue spun around!

The old ninja, who thought he had finished quickly, never expected that the dark fist would come crashing down with overwhelming force!

The moment the iron fist struck, more than a dozen hidden weapon blades were deflected, and even the bullets that pierced through the thin mist were shredded by the deflected blades...

"Damn it!"

The old ninja knew that even his specially made bulletproof tactical helmet couldn't withstand this punch, and the fragments would cause terrible secondary damage. He simply crossed his arms to defend himself and showed Lin Yue the hardest edge of his mantis knife.

To maintain its state, Ultra transmits computing power for a very short time.

Lin Yueyi only had 0.5 seconds left in his vision…

The impact of the crossed mantis blades and the gorilla's arm erupted in an instant—

The moment the cross-shaped sparks exploded, the surface of the Ninja Mantis Blade trembled and emitted a phantom image as if boiling.

"Nani?!"

The sound of the Mantis Blade malfunctioning was like the old ninja's death knell. The man who had withstood the most violent cybernetic slash with his fist began to slowly raise his other arm. The moment his elbow twisted, the old ninja felt a chill down his spine and uttered an incredulous murmur.

"Harada!"

Jinze let out a low growl.

Lin Yue wouldn't give them such an opportunity to support each other. The gorilla's powerful punch suddenly turned into a gripping stance, and the old ninja, who wanted to take a step back, was filled with fear.

A glance shifted instantly!

"Just in time..."

The ninjas who had rushed to Lin Yue's aid, expecting him to give up, saw the young cybernetic monster's blood-stained and torn shirt begin to billow. The hybrid operating system (Seanwistan and the network access pod) coiled on Lin Yue's strong back like a black mechanical centipede suddenly transformed—

That's a sign of a switchover!
At this moment, the micro-robot mist surrounding Lin Yue began to activate its optical effects, and this thing, along with the optical camouflage, caused Lin Yue's body to disappear instantly!
The dangerously hovering robot, with its intricate structure, left scratches on the ninjas' masks, which were covered in rolling water droplets, as they rushed towards it…

Everything seemed to have frozen in time.

"Die!"

The old ninja's arm, a prosthetic arm with a textured feel like a series of burlap threads tightly twisted together, unleashed its strongest slash using a near-hydraulic technique!
"Well!"

The ninja named Harada turned deathly pale as liquid blood from his pump and the condensed liquid from his outer ninja suit splattered into a chaotic mess of neon lights and shadows…

Lin Yue actually managed to tear off the ninja's arm, though his hand was initially aimed at the guy's head. "Almost."

The tear in the arm was right at the shoulder.

Lin Yue disappeared behind the light screen created by the optical robot, casually tossing his somewhat heavy arm aside. He calmly watched the ninjas retreating in turns... The voice of the brain-computer interface Riot hummed.

"That woman is very angry... The network fluctuations in the Japan region are very strong, it should all be due to that woman named Arakawa Hanako."

"She tried to use the Soul Killer, but she seems to have forgotten that I designed it... Continue with your business."

Lin Yue showed no intention of actively rushing into the ninja formation.

This is Ultraman's suggestion...

Various companies have tried many assassination methods, but the Tokyo mansion is like a gaping abyss that has never let anyone out. Intelligence suggests that the cybernetic bodies of these ninjas may have some kind of combined effect, which is the root cause of the mansion's never having security problems.

"It seems I've angered these senior figures."

In a state invisible to the naked eye, Ultraman guarded Lin Yue's ICE like a giant in cyberspace, launching relentless attacks that were all dismantled by Ultraman.

“Saburo Arasaka’s men are just like him—a bunch of disgusting and impossible-to-kill guys—”

Lin Yue's words came to an abrupt end.

Otto's voice followed closely, "Are you afraid these guys will come after your squad that's currently on an operation? I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do within the Konbiko Network. This is Night City, the place where I was once imprisoned by Arasaka—I'm not sure if there are any strange ICEs here."

The ninja, whose arm was still gushing blood, was being carried backward by his two companions, while Kanazawa Haruko stepped forward to block him.

Just as Kanazawa was about to launch another attack.

"But this farce should end now."

Just as Lin Yue finished speaking, a whooshing sound came from above…

The drone's cargo box crashed in through the hole in the floor above, and the white wolf flew straight into Lin Yue's hand like a streak of starlight. Lin Yue took advantage of the momentum and took to the air. The transformation operating system had already paved the way for this operation.

"It seems you've really gotten used to cleaning floors and doing odd jobs in Tokyo."

Lin Yue's eyes began to glow a blazing red, as Ultraman looked down at the various splashes of code on Lin Yue's virtual avatar.

She just murmured softly…

"Black Wall...why did you help him?"

"Why not strip him of his code? This isn't your..."

Unaware of these things, Lin Yue's brain-computer interface was overclocked. Even the weakened version of the Black Wall protocol began to produce an effect similar to EMP. Any device connected to the network was infected by this strange energy, which also included the computing power further enhanced by Ultraman. This caused Lin Yue's brain-computer interface to climb to a terrifying level.

"My greatest strength is clearly intellectual hacking..."

The sudden data interference caused the neon lights on nearby floors and even outside the building to flicker, with a faint, blood-red mist swirling around them.

It seemed as if a waterfall of code was surging across Lin Yue's retina—

"This kid's going to use hacking techniques!"

"What is it?"

The old ninjas in Tokyo had no idea about this move. Two components in the operating system could be compatible at the same time? No one except Adam, who was courting death, would do this. You have to understand that Adam only made a super enhancement to ICE, and the network access module was only responsible for some simple commands.

But judging from the appearance of this guy in front of me, he's probably not just a simple puppet...

Nanofiber cables shot from the ninjas' wrists and wrapped around the load-bearing columns of the Azure Sky building, while biomimetic magnetic soles on their feet caused them to launch near-vertical insect-like attacks.

Lin Yue's network access bay began to emit the unique light of the black wall data from certain analyses. His arm muscles increased the pressure several times over, and the glass behind him shattered the moment he rushed out. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the black crystal marble-like ground beneath his feet!

"How can there still be such speed?!"

A strange ticking sound came from Jinze's ears...

Gudong.

She swallowed unconsciously.

This is…

My ICE system has been breached?!
"Damn it, get out of signal range!"

A series of electric arcs began to crackle on the old woman's arm, and she could no longer hold onto the katana in her hand, letting it fall to the ground.

“Your ICE has traces of the Black Wall.”

"Looks like Arakasaka has been eyeing the Black Wall for a long time..."

behind——

Lin Yue flashed out!

"There's still plenty left, enjoy it slowly."

As Jinze watched the brain-computer interface display error messages one after another, he finally understood what it meant to have kicked a hornet's nest!
What?! A puppet invasion?!
Before Jinze could speak, Lin Yue swung his sword and slashed down on his chest, revealing a black, lightweight ninja armor made of spiderweb-like carbon steel!

The instant the ninja's chest armor cracked open...

Lin Yue clenched his fist with his other hand, which was not holding the knife, and slammed it into Jin Ze's helmet.

"Die here with your past era."

The enemy's voices were crystal clear.

Kanazawa felt her mask suddenly explode, a sharp pain shooting through her head. The red data made her scream in agony, and her nimble ninja footwork was no longer possible—

The sudden, stuttering sound made the empty top floor seem like a graveyard.

puff--

Like an expired watermelon smashing onto the ground, Lin Yue suddenly turned his head, and two mantis blades pierced through his chest!

The ninja on the left was blocked by the white wolf in Lin Yue's hand.

Lin Yue turned his head and saw the terrified expression on the old face under the helmet…

"You have a good memory, and your heart is on the left side... However, your colleague made a mistake."

"wait…"

When he said "wait a moment," his pride had already vanished.

He seemed to recall a sunny afternoon, sitting in a quiet private residence in Tokyo, looking at the neatly manicured garden in the yard…

Perhaps it's just that I've gotten used to this kind of life.

That's why they're afraid of death...

But Lord Arasaka's order was for him to die.

The panicked ninja's expression suddenly changed, and he burst out with resentment.

"Fall back."

A warning from Ultraman suddenly rang in Lin Yue's mind.

"Come!"

The white wolf in Lin Yue's hand clashed violently with the blade of the ninja trying to break free from his companion. The ripples from the explosion, along with the flames of the ninja's self-destruction, rapidly incinerated the miniature robots around Lin Yue. Lin Yue, braving the raging flames, grabbed forward with one hand and slammed it down—

The large spear behind Jinze began to spin rapidly.

Our comrades sacrificed themselves for this attack!
Lin Yue could no longer move, but the dense corporate tactical uniform beneath his clothes withstood the high temperature without any change...

Ultraman ultimately remained silent. Even if the high temperature wouldn't cause damage to Lin Yue's skin, a major overhaul of his prosthetic body would still be inevitable.

His body was pierced by a bullet, and a stream of blood accompanied Lin Yue's single-handed grip.

Hidden in the shadows, Arasaka's strongest security group began to slowly dissipate, swept away by the data deluge and gravity field, like a grand nighttime fireworks display.

All fell silent.

"Ah…"

Kanazawa lay on the ground, sucking air in like a broken bellows. Her neck was severely dislocated under her ninja armor, and her clearly visible metal ribs had become the weapons that killed her.

However, just as she was blankly awaiting death, a steady footstep made her expression turn to fear.

With a cold gaze, he slowly walked up to her, looking down at her like an emperor emerging from the depths of hell.

"A power-grabbing...mad dog."

"You and that madman named Adam... are both going to destroy yourselves."

However, the man interrupted him.

"Do not--"

"What I want is the destruction of Arakasaka."

The last frame...

The falling silver blade and the shattered mantis knife dissipated along with the gravitational field…

……

……

(End of this chapter)