Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 521 Arrival & Return [6.1K]

On the streets of Warsaw, countless flames flashed as the newcomers caused quite a commotion.

The Arasaka Police Department's emergency channel was filled with descriptions and dispatches regarding the crimes, and everything seemed so chaotic.

This is not.

Immediately, a hovercar, emitting a terrifying roar, streaked straight down from the inky black sky, where rain and snow were falling, towards the ground—

This is the fourteenth hour since the attack on the East Suburb Power Plant.

The Arasaka Tower was brightly lit, barely better than hiding at home trembling with fear. However, the tower was not designed to defend against these armed men. In Eastern Europe, where corporations held absolute power, there were always groups of wanderers or other corporate-backed forces that would occasionally try to disrupt Takeda's operations under the guise of freedom.

However, times have changed.

Takeda was truly panicked…

His perfect plan—to use it to attack V, the Special Operations Director who was relentlessly scrutinizing them from headquarters, and to sacrifice another agent, David, whose allegiance was unclear—failed.

The sudden and swift action caused the virus to spiral completely out of control…

Nothing is more heartbreaking than a plan dying in its infancy. The other side's control over information seemed to be several levels higher than his own, the CEO of the Arasaka branch. Furthermore, he absolutely refused to believe that the virus was leaked accidentally, even though Takeda's wife, Him, had reiterated that it originated from information leaked from the experimental plant. It still couldn't quell his unease...

Takeda's assessment was that there was a hacker in District D whose hacking abilities far surpassed those of 404 and Arasaka, and that it was not just a group of mercenaries and a winner in a cricket fight.

Him, however, believes that missing an opportunity is not terrible; the key right now is to take back the virus outside the black wall.

[Connected]

As the subtitles appeared, Takeda's slightly pale face and almost sunken eyes appeared on the holographic screen.

This thing, built at great expense and independent of the Arasaka system, is connected to communications from outer space, and a woman who is almost never mentioned in the much-discussed Arasaka power grab appears on the communication screen.

[Michiko Arakawa] [Access granted] [Good connection to near-Earth orbit network]

Seeking help from the true mastermind behind the scenes is Takeda's most urgent task right now.

"Long time no see, Takeda."

"I hope your contact wasn't under my brother's watchful eye... Didn't they say the North American branch has already launched an investigation into you?"

Behind Michiko's office window is not a scene of stars and night sky, but rather a rainforest view that perfectly simulates the ground.

"The efforts of the European Community branch forced Lai Xuan to yield... He only sent a difficult high-level hacker and a young upstart who hasn't yet uncovered the past."

"Takeda said in a deep voice."

If time could be turned back a few years, he would definitely address the woman in front of him as Miss Michiko. But times have changed, and they have become equal partners.

For Takeda, the only meaning of the surname Arasaka was that of Saburo Arasaka and his self-proclaimed worthy successor, Hanako Arasaka. There was nothing else to pretend about.

"Things from the past."

This is a secret known only to technocrats like Michiko Arasaka.

The data unearthed outside the Black Wall originated in Warsaw.

Michiko could tell that he still harbored resentment about the NCX incident, but she just smiled and said, "I feel sorry about what happened to your daughter, but since you are willing to take the initiative to contact your aunt or even me... I think our predicaments are similar in some ways."

“Takeda, get to the point. We’re all in this together; we all want to get rid of Yoriyuki as soon as possible…”

Takeda glanced at Him, who was in the shadows. Years of tacit understanding between the couple meant they already shared the same thoughts.

"There's an unidentified force in Warsaw, a group of hackers, at least that's what my department thinks."

"But this group was too well hidden. In addition, they left a trace and captured traces of AI during the process of infiltrating our network firewall."

Michiko Arakasaka nodded.

"The company, Arasaka has a monopoly in Warsaw... It's not surprising that the company is providing funding. So what do you want?"

Upon hearing Michiko's question, Takeda's expression changed, and he said, "Information on this group, get rid of Raigen's eyes, and then speed up our plan ahead of schedule."

"The news of Relic technology being leaked into space has spread, and our executives who have just returned from their vacation at Crystal Palace have confirmed it."

However, Michiko remained amiable.

Takeda even saw a trace of Arasaka Hanako in this woman... a former pigeon, forced to become a fledgling that had left the ground.

"First of all, Relic technology cannot be leaked... Soul Killer is the only thing in the world that cannot be imitated or created. Its code is like the labyrinth of the Minotaur in ancient Greece... Trying to reverse it would only create a hybrid that doesn't resemble anything else."

"Also, you might not know this, but New America talked to us, and Aunt Hua Zi rejected the deal and also rejected that ambitious woman in white (Miles)—"

Takeda looked completely astonished.

So why did the new American spacecraft launch legally for the first time in decades? It's well known that the European Space Agency (ESA) is notorious for its domineering behavior. Anyone involved in any space program has to pay it a hefty "technology tax." Moreover, once an illegally launched satellite is in orbit, the "High Knights," who have deep cooperation with the ESA and call themselves "new humans," will use various means to destroy it.

Arakasaka pays the European Space Agency a "maintenance fee" of up to one billion euros every year.

Lai Xuan didn't fall because he never defaulted on this debt.

Hua Zi then changed the subject with Miles, saying, "Out of ten European companies that have no connection with the European Space Agency, only one will do so. It's not surprising that Miles is kowtowing to the European Community to gain initial rights in space."

Takeda's anxiety immediately subsided.

At least for now, Takeda doesn't need to worry about having no trump cards up his sleeve.

Michiko Arasaka said softly, "I am aware of the overall situation regarding the loss of the Blackwall virus. My assessment of your entire hacker defense is that only a roving AI could have accomplished this. We suspect it was an AI that appeared in Night City..."

Upon hearing this, Him also focused his attention on the suspended image.

"Ott Cunningham."

A sinister glint appeared in Michiko Arasaka's eyes. "We already know that she has partnered with a human. We observed this strange phenomenon during one of Grandpa and Aunt's recent capture operations. Now we believe that there is a group of people independent of Yoriyuki Arasaka who are secretly weakening you."

"You want to kill two birds with one stone? You should give up on that idea as soon as possible, Takeda-san."

"We cannot lose Warsaw. The data that 404 is still mining is of great significance to us. Perhaps there is a way to bring Grandpa back to life without relying on the previous plan. Nobody knows how far the scattered technology has progressed."

Takeda stood up.

"Also... Grandpa would like to have a few words with you alone."

A sudden clap of thunder!
The towering Arasaka Tower absorbed the lightning, and the bright light outside the window, along with the astonished expressions of Takeda and Him, made it seem as if Michiko's words had been a hallucination.

"Wha...what?!"

"You mean Lord Saburo?!"

Takeda's expression was like that of a child who had found a treasure. His initial shock and astonishment gradually faded, replaced by an almost frenzied fervor. He quickly moved closer to the holographic image. "Is this real, Miss Michiko?"

Michiko nodded, spread one hand, and stepped back slightly. A pale blue phantom dressed in a kimono appeared on a projection device on Michiko's desk. Each step seemed to be treading on Takeda's heart, causing it to rumble!

Saburo Arasaka!

How could this be? Takeda thought that Arasaka was using some kind of technology to suspend Saburo's body... but he never expected that a holographic image would appear so vividly before his eyes.

Is it true or false?

Takeda's eyes held a hint of suspicion in addition to fervor.

Isn't it just a mascot that can't express anything...?

"Kenji, you're still as capable as ever..."

The blue phantom with its hands behind its back looked down at Takeda Kenji. At that moment, the tall, silver-haired man slowly knelt down in a samurai-like kneeling posture... Shim, like a Japanese housewife, followed her husband in welcoming their lord.

"I have disappointed you, my lord. I lack the courage and means to enter Night City, and I cannot accept that you have been harassed by such petty people."

Takeda bowed, his hands outstretched, his waist almost parallel to the ground.

Saburo waved his hand. "Why do I say that? Everything has an end. Cherry blossoms fall, leaves wither... but they will come eventually."

Takeda raised his head, tears already streaming down his face.

"There is no beginning without an end; this is just the path we must take. There are countless paths in the world, and there is one that you must take, and one that I must take. Rise up, my loyal warrior."

Takeda listened as the old man soothed all resentment; his wisdom remained.

After exchanging pleasantries, the old man, skilled in strategizing and with an unparalleled grasp of human nature, said, “The phenomenon in Night City is unexpected. Your management in Warsaw pales in comparison—my child, a wolf prone to betrayal, has now learned to let go of the meat in his mouth, which worries me greatly.”

Does Lord Arasaka know about Yorihiro's concession at Night Castle?!

Takeda nodded. "Yes, Lord Arasaka. Miles's assertiveness has yielded results. I also don't understand why Yorihiro was released despite the network being isolated."

Saburo sighed, "Everything has its essence. Lai Xuan's appetite cannot be satisfied by ordinary food. A guy who can endure hunger and watch his food being taken away must be doing it to truly be full."

Takeda pondered for a moment, "Is Yorinobu using this as a tactic of advancing as a retreat? What does he want?"

Saburo said decisively, "Yorinobu already knew that New America possessed a portion of the Soul Killers. He needs a super weapon even more terrifying than the Arasaka Army. The copy of the Soul Killer is in Kamikori, which I personally oversee—presumably for the sake of that hybrid (the incomplete Soul Killer) created by New America, right?"

"I have to give credit to my granddaughter and daughter; they protected my soul and the soul of Arakasa."

Takeda glanced at Him helplessly.

"It seems that my wife and I were overthinking it... My wife speculated through online information that Lai Xuan and the forces hidden in the shadows were retaliating against New America, but there is no direct evidence for this claim."

Saburo chuckled, "Revenge? Why would he seek revenge... He and the people behind him, their ambition isn't to expand Arasaka, it's to destroy it!"

what? !

Takeda and Him exchanged bewildered glances. Was it for destruction?

Has Lai Xuan gone mad...? Saburo stopped on this sad question and said softly, "Takeda, I will send you a sharp knife, to a young man who once had a connection with my granddaughter, but you must be careful and restrain yourself when using it, lest he poke your hand."

"We also have ways to deal with the scoundrels in Warsaw. We have a firewall that far surpasses those built in Japan, specifically designed to lure and capture any program that tries to enter the sacred grounds... Take it."

Upon hearing this, Takeda pressed further, "May I ask... who exactly is that force operating in the shadows?"

Saburo said with a hint of regret, "Rin. My son said he killed the murderer who killed his father, but he is not dead."

"The network of Night City has not been touched by any force other than Arasaka and that small company. On the contrary, it is firmly controlled, which means... the person who killed me is still in Night City."

"Raise your heads and look up; those shady insects in the ditches are not worthy of being called our enemies..."

Upon hearing this, Takeda bowed deeply.

"I was indeed flustered. I will immediately resolve the situation in Warsaw. Those are just thugs supported by the Russian-Soviet company, Gilafa. We will handle it locally..."

However, Saburo immediately rejected Takeda's suggestion.

Saburo Arasaka turned his back and stretched out a hand. “Let him do it. You’ll see the results soon… Also, you have to make sure that all of Warsaw is yours. Our plan will be significantly accelerated. Europe will soon make this young boy, Lai Xuan, experience his last few defeats in life.”

he?
Takeda was puzzled...

Just now.

In the vast and boundless deep space, under a sky full of stars, a space station that resembles a disc and various cylinders assembled together is spinning at high speed. At this moment, something resembling a return capsule is thrown out from below. It cuts into the halo of the azure planet with a perfect arc, gradually ignites into flames, becomes an orange-red dot of light, and disappears into the azure.

caveat!

caveat!

Compared to the space station, the tiny return capsule is actually nearly ten meters in size, like an egg, but its internal structure consists of only a small, fixed, standing crew compartment... A dark, mechanical-looking shadow is bound to it, swaying along with warning sounds and the whooshing sound of the outside atmosphere.

[WARNING: Thrust reverser is about to be activated]

[Invalid! Invalid!]

The speed began to decrease sharply, and the blood-red light strips in the entire crew cabin lit up as they gradually approached the dark figure.

boom!
The reentry capsule, which had been shaking violently and was on the verge of disintegrating, suddenly stabilized, and the world became eerily quiet.

Deng!
A pair of blood-red eyes, like those of a wild beast, illuminated the snow-white, sticky skin around the eye sockets, which resembled rotting flesh in formaldehyde.

“A guy who never died would be perfect, but I’m not going to become that kind of madman.”

"Make good use of it, Jianzhi."

"He will cherish this life, and so should you."

That's what Saburo said.

Outside the Arasaka Tower, the sleet in the city had turned into snow, and with snow and thunder, Warsaw looked like it was facing the end of the world.

However, the ongoing fighting in the city continues. The Arasaka police are struggling to cope with the organizations and forces that are fighting against the company's dictatorship, and some have even broken through the street entrances blocked by tanks and charged into the city.

The Arasaka Tower seems to be just around the corner!
"Stomp the gas pedal! These company dogs, I'll f***ing curse them all!"

He's verbally aggressive, but his marksmanship is even more accurate. Of course, enemy bullets seem to have eyes and avoid him. Besides, the cybernetic body on this guy is not to be trifled with.

He dared to reach out and grab an unsuspecting Arasaka soldier from the roadside while the vehicle was speeding wildly, slamming him against the car door before tossing him aside like a dead dog.

He glanced behind him at the truckload of flammable materials…

"Humph!"

"Where do you think you'll put your face?!"

In the snow-covered night sky, the egg-shaped return capsule, its tail tethered by a parachute, was now moving at a speed comparable to a fully powered airship. At this rate, it would inevitably crash to the ground and turn into a pancake.

However, as if it had gained eyes, or perhaps it was being manipulated by the person inside, the eggshell emitted a burst of high-speed gas from its side, and its trajectory immediately turned straight toward the Arasaka patrol and the hovercar that was illuminating the ground with its searchlights!

boom!
The heavy airship in mid-air resembled a disintegrating firework. The slightly deformed eggshell was incredibly hard, but its speed had already decreased sharply after the impact!

Suddenly, a sharp bulge appeared on the deformed eggshell!

It was like a wild beast was being kept inside. Boom! Boom! Boom!
The deformation became increasingly exaggerated, and then, with a groan of unbearable strain, the heavy special steel door of the return capsule was kicked open, the airflow blasting it away, and a pair of blood-red eyes slowly emerged from within.

Below, on a car that resembled an aphid, a man held a gun in one hand and stared intently upwards.

what is that? !

A grayish-white head, as white as polluted snow, emerged from the hatch. Its silver-white and black inlaid mechanical parts were covered with biohazard warning graffiti.

"Rin, you disgusting piece of trash."

This was his first sentence…

Adam's Hammer!

call out!
He stepped out of the cabin as if it were flat ground, the immense weight of his prosthetic body causing him to plummet rapidly, while the vehicles below began to violently attack him.

Boom!
0.1 seconds after the falling shadow hit the ground, snow and rain mixed with fragments of cracked white buildings and roads, accompanied by a gust of wind, caused a howling sound to echo throughout the street!
Squeak!

The vehicle, which had come to a stop, was jolted by the cracks spreading across the road.

"Hold!"

The man in the car propped one hand against his forehead, straining his eyes to see what was outside the windshield... but all he saw was a blur of neon lights from the skyscrapers below the desolate tower, and two round, blood-red orbs of light...

"Who the hell are you?!"

"I'll make sure you don't fall and die!"

The Freedom Front members' verbal skills are all poisoned by the underground and street hustles.

At that height, even a person would be doomed if they were at least mechanically at it!
However, just as he was looking at what was in the slowly thinning white smoke, a slight sound came...

The man's eyes widened suddenly.

In the fog, a machine, crouching like a leopard and over three meters tall, was in a starting position. In the blink of an eye, the immense force of fifty meters propelled it through the vehicle with a single fist...

In that instant, the skull, the car's center console, the seats, and scattered mechanical structures exploded, and the explosives behind them turned into a bright flash in an instant.

Rumble!
The whistling and white light shattered the shadows, while the guy who used himself as a bullet remained in the bent-over posture with one hand outstretched. An electronic eyeball fell from his clenched hand and bounced on the ground like a rubber ball... The bright window, covered in dirt and blood, seemed to be watching this horrific scene.

"Ho..."

"Uhhhhh!"

The creature was no different from a wild beast just released from its cage, roaring amidst the explosions, leaving the exhausted Arasaka soldiers and the excited frontline resistance fighters in the distance momentarily stunned.

As Adam gasped for breath, all he could see were the hostile information filtered by the Blood Disaster Prosthetic Eye. He forcibly hacked into the network to find nearby enemies, yearning for the slaughter he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Death felt like nothingness, and the sensation of his life being cut off disgusted him.

"Useless trash! I will tear his head apart with my own hands and crush your corpse. Only I can be called Adam..."

After saying that, the mechanical monster inflicted unbearable violence on everything in its sight with terrifying speed. The Warsaw Arasaka troops and police retreated in an orderly manner under orders. Someone would eventually control this beast. They felt relieved, even though this thing had caused many of their brothers to be innocently affected.

A moment!

Deep within the blood and icy rain, in an underground world where filthy sewage pours down like a waterfall, in the brightly lit D-sector bar, seemingly shrouded in a chill from above, a pair of eyes opened as if by telepathy.

Lin Yue stared intently at Sasha, who was curled up on the sofa like a kitten, and Lucy, wearing a Mewtwo headband, leaning against the wall. Qi Wei was sitting next to Lin Yue, her head slightly raised, playing an old horizontal game using a hologram.

"what happened?"

The woman, with a thin cigarette tucked into her mask, glanced sideways and, multitasking, defeated the final, most difficult boss.

Lin Yue shook his head slightly.

He couldn't say, because just now, the topological prediction had reversed.

Perhaps Lin Yue didn't know that the anger he felt because of Rebecca was completely unforeseen by Sanlang. The arrogant old dragon made a wrong judgment, but it brought Lin Yue a formidable enemy who should have been buried in the dust long ago in his first stop in Europe.

[When the Arasaka Tower exploded fifty years ago, Morgan Blackhand died, but what about Adam Hammer? Who knows…]

Some say he's just a copy of the living dead, while others say he's the victor.

Of course, the outcome that began to change in the topology prediction ultimately settled between failure and a glimmer of hope, meaning that something had appeared that affected Lin Yue's chances of winning. However, Adam's hammer did not appear in the picture; he only noticed some changes.

"I rarely see you suddenly wake up. I thought you were online researching that virus."

Qiwei stood up helplessly. Her time to slack off was over. Almost without any scruples, she took off her coat in front of her friends and walked barefoot into the hacker room at the back.

Lin Yue turned his head away to avoid suspicion.

After a long silence, he said softly, "Sasha, has that guy who was talking to you... contacted you?"

Still half-asleep, Sasha grumbled, "Ugh, I don't even want to pay for this..."

Anyway, being rescued was already embarrassing enough. If Sasha hadn't wanted to be honest with Lin Yue, she would have kept it all to herself.

“It’s not about the money, I just want to get Takeda out of the game as soon as possible.”

……

……

(End of this chapter)