Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 122 Hansen: I'm Back!

Meanwhile, Mercer was using the Soul Killer program to modify Colonel Hansen's consciousness and brainwash and control him.

The events that happened in Dogtown eventually reached the outside world through various channels.

Although Mercer used the ctOS system to monitor almost all of Ghosthound's personal terminals, there were some things that Ghosthound did not need to leak internally.

The sudden martial law in Dogtown, Hansen's disappearance, and the sudden appearance of the Fireseed Squad at key positions in various Ghosthounds all indicate that a major event has occurred in Dogtown.

In a short time, various parties employed a variety of methods, which unexpectedly tested Mercer's latest anti-submarine equipment—capturing one Arasaka agent, two military science agents, one Comtau agent, one cyber surveillance agent, and several spies.

They even sealed off two tunnels.

Mercer's sudden display of various anti-submarine equipment and capabilities has also attracted the attention of many interested parties.

Goro Takemura, on the other hand, suddenly felt an inexplicable pressure and a sense of unease.

His harsh words about surrendering in ten days were just meant to put psychological pressure on Mercer; they shouldn't be taken seriously.

Because Takemura knew very well that people were under a lot of pressure, especially when it came to the life and death of themselves and their companions. This ten-day period that he casually mentioned would have a significant impact on Mercer's decision.

And often, the more urgent and aggressive the enemy is, the greater the flaws they will reveal.

In fact, Takemura had already found the best way to capture Mercer alive—he had successfully made contact with Hansen, who promised to cooperate with him to capture Mercer alive, and even the other members of the Fireseed team.

In return, Arasaka would offer valuable trade agreements and military support, and, if necessary, provide Hansen with protection.

In Takemura's view, this was a win-win situation. Hansen got rid of a major threat. Although he lost some research and development capabilities, to be honest, what kind of dragon could a mere dog town raise?

The resources that Arasaka leaked out from between his fingers were enough to make Hansen's mouth water. Not to mention, this would allow Arasaka's influence to further infiltrate Dogtown and directly confront the Military Science.

Talented individuals like Mercer should come to Arasaka to serve, especially after Saburo Arasaka heard about Mercer's achievements and became very interested in his abilities in programming and hardware development.

Many people believe that he is a rare genius who can further advance Relic technology and the Soul Killer program, and for the elderly and nearing the end of his life, he is a precious treasure that he is willing to capture at any cost.

This only made things more difficult for Takemura—capturing someone alive and killing someone are two completely different things.

If Arasaka were to decide to kill Mercer, Takemura would personally advise Saburo Arasaka that a promising young genius like him should be given an aerial bombing mission using aircraft from an aircraft carrier until the target is confirmed dead.

The heavy firepower ban is insignificant; once Mercer is dead, there will be plenty of time for the military to argue about this.

Neither side is ready to start a corporate war right now. As long as they can save face and don't directly attack each other, they will most likely choose to use a media war to gloss over the matter.

In fact, Takemura was already quite surprised by the strength of Moser's group.

He found it hard to believe that a group of street thugs could escape alive under his personal leadership, with a team of high-ranking agents and Adam Hammer's assistance.

In fact, if he hadn't cautiously used a large EMP weapon that, strictly speaking, was already heavy firepower, he might have been outmaneuvered by Mercer in a head-on confrontation.

The opponent's combat strength, equipment quality, and fighting spirit have fully demonstrated how formidable they are. And now, Mercer has struck first and eliminated Hansen.
This forced Takemura to start thinking about how to complete the task personally assigned by Saburo Arasaka.

After much deliberation, Takemura decided to prioritize winning hearts and minds—spreading rumors in Dogtown that Mercer was insubordinate, ungrateful, and had betrayed Hansen, as well as that Dogtown's supporters were extremely dissatisfied with Mercer.

The group of ghost hounds is demoralized. With Mercer's reputation, coupled with Takemura's offer of a hefty bounty on Arasaka and a witness protection plan as bait, Mercer will surely be restless and unable to eat or sleep.

Moreover, not only should a bounty be placed on Mercer, but also on Mercer's companions, making them all feel insecure. How long can a group of mercenaries who risk their lives for money survive on loyalty alone?

The best strategy is to first disrupt the situation in Dogtown, break Mercer's impenetrable defenses, and then look for a better opportunity.

At the same time, it might be possible to use the people around him to threaten him, whether through bribery or kidnapping.

Once the plan was formulated, it was immediately put into practice.

First, the bounty on Mercer himself was made public.

The price is a staggering 30 million euros—for capture only.

Secondly, there's V, who offered a bounty of ten million euros, but this price is also only for capturing the victim alive.

V's fighting prowess when facing Adam's Hammer is quite intriguing. Many within Arasaka's ranks believe that she might be capable of becoming another sharp weapon for Arasaka, besides Adam's Hammer, and is worth investing in.

The bounties for others, such as Mann and Rebecca, range from three to five million, regardless of whether they are alive or dead.

Where there's a lot of money, there will be reckless people. Takemura could foresee that he wouldn't even need to take action himself; people would keep coming to cause trouble for them.

In this city, money can make children betray their parents, parents sell their children, and lovers betray each other.

Besides offering a hefty reward, Takemura also successfully darkened Mercer's image by using targeted broadcasts, television programs to generate buzz, and secretly hiring informants to spread rumors in Dogtown.

In the story created by Bamboo Village, Hansen is a 'good person' with a keen eye for talent and a broad mind.

Mercer, who had just received the Medal of Honor personally awarded by Mercer, chose to betray his kind and devoted older brother shortly after the awarding ceremony, making him the villain in the story.

As for Hansen's current fate? He's dead, of course.

As expected, Dogtown quickly descended into chaos.

A large number of outlaws began to rack their brains, thinking about how to make a big profit off the Fire Seed Squad. Jack, who was in charge of sealing off the checkpoint at the entrance, and Mann, who was in charge of security supervision, were attacked twice in just one week.

A group of mercenaries from the afterlife ambushed the checkpoint.

Another incident involved a soldier from a group of hounds who couldn't resist the temptation and attempted to backstab Mann.

Fortunately, the drones flying all over Dogtown and the spider robots that regularly patrolled inside the buildings and sealed off the tunnels played a crucial role in detecting the anomaly in advance.

Under the protection of the tank armor and the close monitoring of ctOS, both men received advance warning and escaped unharmed. However, these successive assassination attempts still severely damaged the Ghost Hound soldiers' confidence in Mercer.

In addition, Cubans, military personnel, and buyers and sellers from all over the world began to put pressure on Mercer through their own channels.

Under martial law, smuggling operations in Dogtown have almost come to a standstill, severely damaging investor confidence. The Cubans are particularly unhappy and have even issued Mercer the harshest warnings.

In summary, it means, 'Lifting martial law means Hansen's death is unimportant to them, but if business continues to stall, your absence will be crucial to me.'

Suddenly, it felt like the sky had fallen and all the pressure came crashing down. Even Anzu, who had always been the mascot of the team, spent almost every day in deep dives, providing whatever help she could to the Morning Star.

Finally, just as some of the ghostly hounds could no longer contain themselves and wanted to inquire about Hansen's whereabouts...

Hansen suddenly appeared.

To be precise, it was his voice that appeared on Dogtown's radio.

In fact, in Dogtown, Hansen has a dedicated broadcast time almost every day, which can be understood as a kind of propaganda radio station, specifically used to accumulate reputation for Hansen and the Ghosthound.

Hansen would often give speeches on the radio, and would even personally talk to the people of Dogtown about the crises he had faced during his military career. Of course, those stories were certainly mythologized to some extent.

It was through this method that Hansen's rule over Dogtown became so deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people, and it was also one of the key reasons why the Hounds were able to quickly replenish a large number of loyal Hansen's forces.

"Good afternoon, Dogtown. I am your Colonel Hansen."

Hansen's voice was played with perfect clarity over the loudspeaker, reaching every corner of Dogtown.

"Because of Arasaka's assassination attempt on me, Dogtown had to be under martial law for a week. I know it was tough for you all, but it's okay. Martial law is over, and I'm back."

After a brief speech, Hansen immediately praised the performance of the Ghosthound in a commendatory tone, and then emphasized Mercer's outstanding performance in stabilizing the situation in Dogtown after taking over the Ghosthound.

Later, Hansen publicly announced on the radio that he would return to the Ghosthounds starting that night and continue to lead them forward as their leader.

Hansen's sudden appearance undoubtedly lifted the already tense atmosphere in Dogtown.

But most of the hounds were skeptical – was that really Hansen’s voice?
Could Mercer be using technology to fake something?
It's no wonder they thought that way. As a week passed and Hansen disappeared without a trace, everyone tacitly believed that he was probably dead and that the murderer was Mercer himself.

But now Hansen suddenly jumps out and says that Mercer is the one he thinks best? Praising him for doing a great job with the martial law in Dogtown?

Do not make jokes!
But when Hansen appeared at the Gemstone Blue Hotel, dressed in a military green short-sleeved shirt, head held high, and with a sharp gaze, the pack of ghost hounds had no choice but to believe that things might really be heading in a strange direction.

Right next to Hansen, Mercer, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, appeared with him, chatting and laughing. Although Mercer was wearing armor, he had opened his helmet visor, and anyone could see how friendly the two of them were as they talked and laughed.

Afterwards, Hansen and Mercer jointly convened a meeting of the mid-to-high-level members of the Ghosthound.

Under the horrified gazes of the mid-to-high-ranking members of the Ghost Hounds, Hansen even affectionately let Mercer sit in his deputy's seat, replacing Bennett's original seat.

Damn it, some of the haunted dogs actually saw Mercer kill Bennett with their own eyes, it's unbelievable!

What Hansen said next was even more unbelievable.

"In view of Director Mercer's outstanding performance during my injury, I have decided to promote Director Mercer to lieutenant colonel and, while retaining his current position, have him take over the position of operations leader previously held by Bennett."

In addition, they are responsible for the network security and supervision of Dogtown, and have full authority over all security matters in Dogtown.

As for his other personnel arrangements, I've reviewed them and will not make any changes for now. Adjustments will be made later based on the current situation.

After Hansen finished speaking, he frowned when he saw that no one in the meeting spoke up: "What's wrong? Only a week has passed, and nobody is listening to what I'm saying anymore?"

“Of course not, Colonel Hansen,” Daojie said with a smile. “I just remembered something you told me in the past. Do you remember? When you were still working for New America, that time you escaped death in Panama?”
You had a broken arm, yet you fought your way out of the jungle.

Hansen frowned slightly, then suddenly laughed: "You're mistaken. It wasn't me who escaped death in Panama, but that brute Bennett."

He looked at Dao Jie with interest and said meaningfully, "Or we could talk about what we talked about in the fast food restaurant after Operation Midnight Storm ended."

I remember you telling me back then that you weren't planning to leave Night City this time, since you were going to risk your life anyway, you might as well sell it for a good price.

Dao Jie looked at Hansen with suspicion, then turned to look at Mercer, who was sitting calmly next to him.

At that moment, Gago, who was sitting on the other side of the conference room, quickly said, "Excuse me, Colonel Hansen, I have to say something first. Several sellers in Europe are pressing us hard, asking when our final payment will be made."

But we haven't found buyers for the goods we have yet.

Upon hearing this, Hansen simply nodded and said, "I understand. I will personally talk to those people later. Gago, this time you will be in charge of these matters with me. Try your best to build good relationships with the clients."

Gago was taken aback, then delighted, but immediately glanced cautiously at Mercer—he was also a little confused about the situation and wondered if accepting Hansen's kindness would make Director Mercer think he was taking sides.
Mercer smiled and said, "Captain Gago, it seems you'll be quite busy from now on. Do a good job, and next time something similar happens, we can't be as unprepared as we were during this martial law period."

Hansen nodded and said, "This martial law has greatly dissatisfied our clients, and we must ensure that the same situation never happens again."

"Gago, watch carefully and learn well. If a similar situation occurs again, you'll be responsible for ensuring our business doesn't suddenly stop, affecting our customers' transactions and Dogtown's reputation."

Is this right?
Gago was somewhat incredulous. Hansen had always valued his connections highly, and he knew very well that the core of Dogtown was not its guns, but these invisible and intangible networks of relationships.

He actually intends to share these connections with him?
Hansen turned to Mercer and asked, "Lieutenant Colonel Mercer, where did Leon go?"

"I think he's probably still being detained and interrogated for allegedly disturbing the peace and disobeying orders."

After Mercer finished speaking, Hansen showed a somewhat displeased expression.

Just when others thought their displeasure was directed at Mercer, Hansen directly cursed, "This idiot always makes a fool of himself at crucial moments. Daojie, you take charge and quickly organize the Netherhounds to sort and prepare for the airdropped supplies."

Tell the Ghost Hound's escort team to get ready. Our receiving and shipping volume will likely be huge these next few days, so be prepared to work non-stop.

In addition, we need to replenish our manpower as soon as possible. Go and prepare a few new standard contracts in a bit. Lieutenant Colonel Mercer has already discussed the contents of the contracts with me, so just follow his instructions.

Alright, that concludes the meeting. When you get back, remember to tell those idiots that as long as I, Hansen, am alive, I will never allow anyone to associate with Arasaka.

At the same time, after martial law is lifted, while ensuring the rapid resumption of commodity logistics, we must also ensure that the Arasaka people have no further opportunity to take advantage. "Damn it, they actually managed to get their hands on the Gemstone to assassinate me! What have our security personnel been doing?"

When Hansen talked about Arasaka, the deep-seated hatred on his face was unmistakable. Especially some of the older folks who knew him very well could tell just by looking at the little gestures when he was filled with murderous intent and anger that this guy was definitely Hansen himself.

Mercer sighed, feigning exhaustion: "Colonel Hansen, I'm leaving the rest to you. I've come to realize that focusing on research is the best thing for me."

“Don’t say that, Mercer. You did a great job. Those bastards from Arasaka wanted to take advantage of the situation to split us apart and then extend their tentacles in—the more they try to kill me, the less I will let them have their way.”

Hansen snorted coldly, then looked at Mercer with satisfaction: "You've worked hard these past few days. Oh, and your special forces team too. Don't worry, I'll deal with the client first, and then I'll reward you for your contributions."

You should take some time to rest and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, you'll have even more responsibilities on your shoulders.

Mercer responded with great respect: "Yes, Colonel Hansen."

Hansen nodded and smiled at him, as if the two had truly seen each other through thick and thin and their relationship had progressed rapidly.

Mercer didn't waste any words and left hurriedly after the meeting. Hansen was even busier; he didn't have time to deal with the hesitant Ghost Hounds and immediately arranged for people to systematically restart Dogtown's smuggling network.

Once everything was arranged, clients and buyers were contacted, and the blame for martial law was passed to Arasaka, Hansen immediately contacted the Cubans.

As soon as the call connected, a cold, hard male voice with a slight Spanish accent came through: "That's surprising, you're still alive?"

"I'm sorry, something's happened in Dogtown." Hansen maintained a very humble attitude towards the man on the other end of the phone.

"Listen, I don't care what the situation is like over there, but whether you, Hansen, are the boss, Mercer is the boss, or whatever bastard is the boss, I just ask that you stop causing me any more trouble!"

Do you know how many shipments are stuck? How much money have we lost due to this week-long delay?

The man reprimanded him rudely, while Hansen simply said in a gentle and humble tone, "I'm very sorry, sir, it's Arasaka."

"Heh, isn't that guy named V?" A cold laugh came from the other end of the phone.

Hansen, however, remained unfazed and said, "Although it was V who made the move, it was actually Arasaka who caused all of this to happen. In fact, Arasaka had already contacted me in secret before V made his move."

But I have no interest in collaborating with Arasaka.

Now, Mercer and I have reached an agreement that we will stand together to ensure that Dogtown does not shut down again and work together to promote its further prosperity. However, the threat from Arasaka still exists.

These guys aren't just eyeing Mercer, the tech expert, but also our businesses in Dogtown.

As you know, this place has always been coveted by Arasaka and the Military Academy. Arasaka didn't make a move before simply because they weren't ready. Now I've heard that Arasaka Yoriyuki has personally come to Night City to oversee things.
It seems Arasaka has already realized the importance of Dogtown to Night City. Whoever controls it first will essentially have the advantage of being able to deploy heavy firepower and city defenses first. If war breaks out again, Dogtown will be the key to the frontline battle.

The man on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, probably thinking, before finally saying simply, "What do you need?"

“I need Aguilar to warn Arasaka and make them think carefully about how Dogtown is not a place they can act on lightly.”

"Sir, you should know that only someone like you can make Arasaka behave somewhat, at least not to affect our business. What do you say?"

After Hansen finished speaking, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Finally, a cold voice came through: "Fine, I will have someone send a warning signal. If Arasaka doesn't want the Military Science Academy to have another accomplice, he'd better not mess with Dog Town."

However, because of your poor performance, you will receive 20% less in bonuses this quarter.

Cuban influence extends throughout North America. In the cyberpunk world, there is no such thing as a Cuban crisis; on the contrary, North America has become Cuba's backyard.

Even though Cuban criminal groups are not officially recognized as an official force, in reality, these criminals, who control the vast majority of wealth and power in the relatively chaotic Cuban society, along with their protectors, are the true rulers of Cuba.

While Arasaka and Gunko were locked in a fierce battle on the North American continent, the Cubans were definitely a force they did not want to offend. Even if the company itself was not afraid of such an opponent, it would be a problem if such an opponent sided with their enemy.
That would be a huge disadvantage.

Faced with the Cuban sanctions on profit sharing, Hansen looked troubled as he tried to negotiate.

Ultimately, citing the severe damage suffered by the Ghost Hounds and a pledge to continue expanding trade and markets in Dogtown, the sanctions were reduced to 10%.

Don't underestimate this small percentage of profits. Considering the volume of goods sold in Dogtown, this percentage alone amounts to tens of millions of euros, which is by no means a small sum.

After reaching an agreement with the Cuban, Hansen rubbed his head somewhat unhappily, but immediately sent a message to Mercer after hanging up the phone.

[Hansen: Cuba gave the expected response, but our dividend this quarter will be 10% lower.]

Mercer: Well done. Next, get the business up and running as quickly as possible. I will quickly build a batch of commercially available armor to fulfill the order and recoup the funds. We need more robots, drones, and armored warriors.

I'll create some exciting PPTs for you to use for fundraising. You need to convince those rich people as soon as possible to provide me with funding. Our cash flow isn't very healthy right now, and my research can't stop.

Oh, and remember to organize manpower as soon as possible to secretly excavate the small Beidou facilities.

[Hansen: Understood, sir! Any other instructions?]

[Mercer: Stabilize morale, shift the blame to Arasaka, and at the same time optimize the internal structure of the Ghost Hound as soon as possible. We don't need those small fry anymore. As long as we have sufficient production capacity, robots are far more reliable than humans for me at this stage.]

Some of your old friends are shady characters; deal with them yourself and don't make me worry.

After resolving the financial issues and internal conflicts as quickly as possible, submit me a financial statement. We have many expenses, and every penny must be carefully calculated.

[Hansen: Yes, sir!]

After the chat logs of the rebellious Heavenly Gang were automatically deleted, Hansen resumed his usual cold and hard expression and immediately began to organize the Netherhounds to carry out the operation.

Mercer, however, chose to retreat from the limelight and rest at this moment. He even called back the members of the Fire Seed Squad to return to the base for reorganization.

It seems as if Mercer voluntarily relinquished his position and relinquished de facto control of Dogtown as soon as Hansen returned.

This scene couldn't help but make people wonder—was Mercer really a loyal subject? Was he really appointed to a critical mission before?
The distinction between loyalty and treachery is difficult to discern, but that's ultimately unimportant. What matters is that Hansen's arrival disrupted the tense atmosphere in Dogtown, calming the wavering Ghost Hounds and allowing them to resume their usual production processes.

Meanwhile, the network of relationships that Hansen had reorganized began to exert pressure on Arasaka.

Now, it was Takemura who was completely baffled.

He couldn't understand why Mercer hadn't killed Hansen, and even let him go.

Even more incredibly, Hansen actually sided with Mercer.

After the Cubans transmitted pressure to Arasaka through various channels, Goro Takemura also received direct orders from Yorinobu Arasaka.

"Based on the discussion between my father and me, we will temporarily suspend the operation."

Arakawa Yoriyuki sat on the penthouse sofa in the Konpaku Building, gazing at the distant scenery with a smile on his lips, lost in thought.

“Terminate? Lord Lai Xuan, I must point out that although our failure in the last operation was only a hair’s breadth away from success.”

However, given the strength and speed of their progress they've demonstrated, if left unchecked, they will definitely become a major problem for our Arasaka Group in Night City!

Goro Takemura frowned, bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, and said loudly, "Please give me another chance! And I request permission to use some advanced weapons."

"Enough!" Arasaka Yorinobu's face darkened. He turned to look at Takemura and angrily rebuked, "Didn't you hear what I said? This is a decision that my father and I made together!"
They're just a bunch of street mercenaries. Even if they get mixed up with that deserter Hansen, what can they possibly do?
If Father hadn't felt it would be too wasteful to kill someone as talented as Mercer, a mere hacker, no matter how troublesome, would just be a piece of trash that could be dealt with with a single tactical missile.

Yoriyuki Arasaka displayed his usual tough stance, saying, "We must devote all our energy to the confrontation with the Military Science."

A hacker can be dealt with anytime, but now is not the time to have a dispute with the Cubans. Your assassination attempt in Dogtown last time has already cost the company a lot!
Do you know what price we paid to Night Corporation for your so-called 'intelligence blockade'? And what did we get in return? A bunch of dead high-ranking agents? Two sets of valuable electronic warfare equipment abandoned in Dogtown, which could only be destroyed during the emergency evacuation?

"Takemura, perhaps you've been a bodyguard for too long and have forgotten how to lead an operation."

Goro Takemura wore a somewhat humiliated expression. For a guy like him, nothing was more humiliating than being questioned by the superior he served.

"I am very sorry, Lord Lai Xuan, but I am not exaggerating. Even with insufficient funds and Hansen's intentional suppression, the enemy was able to withstand our ambush with just a small squad. We cannot let such an enemy go unpunished."

If we abandon the current chaotic and fragile state of Dogtown and give Mercer some time to develop, who knows what amazing things a tech expert like him could come up with?

Night City restricts our firepower delivery; I'm afraid that by then, let alone capturing them alive, even assassination will be impossible.

Before Takemura could finish speaking, Arasaka Yoriyuki waved his hand impatiently: "That's enough. Pack your bags and notify Shigehammer that we're returning to headquarters in Japan in three days."

"Why?" Takemura Goro, unusually flustered, asked urgently, "Lord Yoriyuki, I can stay in Night Castle alone."

“Takemura, in your eyes, are only your father’s orders considered orders?” Arasaka Yorinobu’s eyes turned cold.

Goro Takemura opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only take a step back and bow ninety degrees again: "I am very sorry! I have overstepped my bounds, please punish me."

Arasaka Yorinobu just stared at Takemura for a long time before saying, "I have no right to punish someone who does not serve me."

He said sarcastically, "Perhaps I should envy my father for having someone like you, who is persistent and only considers his needs, even if those needs might have adverse consequences for the company's development."

Takemura Goro immediately said nervously, "Please watch your words, Lord Yoriyuki!"

Secretly catching crickets like Saburo Arakasaka? Are you out of your mind?!
Arasaka Yorinobu, however, remained calm and said coldly, "Be careful what you say? Ha, I won't take that back. You can report the truth to your father."

This year's financial statements, especially Night City's market share, show that Aragaka's share is pitifully small. Companies like Kangtao, Junke, and even garbage companies like Midnight Military Industry have a greater advantage than us in some markets.

And what are we busy with? To capture a hacker alive, we're losing tens of millions of euros and risking disrupting the balance of Night City?

Now that a conflict has broken out in Night City, what will we rely on to ensure victory? This newly rebuilt Arasaka Building?

"Takemura, your biggest mistake was not killing that man from the very beginning. If you had assassinated Mercer directly, at least we wouldn't be empty-handed now."

Goro Takemura lowered his head, unable to speak.

Arasaka Yoriyuki, however, said with an unfriendly expression: "I need to return to headquarters, hold a high-level meeting, and request greater support. Night City is crucial to Arasaka's future, and we cannot allow the Cubans, New America, Military Science, or even the Contau people to get there first."

The Relic chip is fine; those spies have probably already sold all the blueprints for it. As long as there's no risk of the core program being cracked, it's fine.

We'll deal with Mercer later. Right now, we need to think about how to expand our market in Night City and the group's business direction for next year—it's funny, I remember what the key projects were in the last few quarters? Cybernetic Transformers?

Ha, it actually gave Mercer some ideas, allowing him to develop a high-level individual soldier armor set that could even be put on the market.

Our project hasn't even finished its experiments, let alone turned a profit. And under these circumstances, you actually suggest I go to Dogtown to catch some petty hacker? Why?

Goro Takemura felt somewhat helpless.

That's no small-time hacker. He could easily grow into a stumbling block to Arasaka's progress in Night City.

You complain that the development of the Prototype is too slow, then shouldn't you arrest him? This guy is such a genius, if you arrest him and he works 20 hours a day, who knows, the Prototype will be finished in three months.

But Takemura was very clear that what seemed like a trivial matter of whether or not to arrest Mercer was actually a reflection of Lai Xuan's decision to once again show a different inclination from Arasaka Saburo on company decisions.

Even Takemura, who is loyal to Saburo, has to admit that in recent years, Saburo has indeed become too obsessed with the Soul Killer program and Relic.

On more than one occasion, resources were allocated to Relic chip development at the expense of the company's business growth, resulting in slow business growth and a gradual shrinking market share.

If it weren't for its substantial financial resources and highly centralized management, avoiding the cutthroat power struggles among shareholders common in other companies, Arasaka would have been removed from the ranks of 'top-tier companies' long ago.

To some extent, Takemura could understand Lai Xuan's dissatisfaction. He sighed inwardly and could only put his worries about Moser to himself for the time being.

After all, in name, Arasaka Yorinobu is his current boss and also the regional president of Yoru no Shiro Arasaka Company.

Arakasaka Yoriyuki impatiently told Takemura to get lost, and after he had gone far away, he leisurely went to his bedroom and found a satellite phone.

This satellite phone came from the friendly assistance of cyber police agents. As for how the cyber police contacted him, it was naturally related to the previous incident where the Night Company suddenly picked a fight with Mercer online.

After learning from Mercer that the internet police were also looking for him to cooperate, Arasaka Yoriyuki did not hesitate to choose to place bets on both sides.

So how do you contact the internet monitoring department?

Arasaka Yorinobu found a springboard, namely the Yoru Corporation. Through his contact with the Yoru Corporation, he unsurprisingly made contact with the Internet surveillance team that had been closely monitoring his whereabouts.

He also received a secret phone call monitored by the internet police—although it was highly likely that the internet police would eavesdrop on it, all Arasaka Yoriyuki wanted was to avoid Arasaka Saburo's surveillance.

For certain reasons, he did not issue a warning in advance when Mercer was attacked, but this did not mean that Arasaka Yorinobu had given up on Mercer. It was just that Yorinobu wanted to take the opportunity to see Mercer's level.

Lai Xuan was very satisfied with the feedback he received from Zhucun.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Mercer seems to have been badly attacked—this was an ambush led by Takemura, a whole team of elite agents, and even Adam's hammer!
To put it bluntly, even if this lineup were used to ambush and assassinate Arasaka Yorinobu himself, Arasaka Yorinobu himself felt he would have a very low chance of surviving.

This is enough to prove that Mercer is really skilled, and his reputation is well-deserved.

Takemura also said that the strength of these guys will probably continue to grow rapidly over time—wouldn't that be even better?

Lai Xuan naturally had to urgently call off the assassination attempt to buy Mercer ample time.

[Dragon: The rain has stopped.]

After sending a message, Lai Xuan turned off his phone and put it away again.

The internet monitoring authorities were clearly aware of Mercer's actions. It was a matter of healthy competition, so Lai Xuan wasn't afraid of them discovering his connection with Mercer.

After putting his phone away, Arasaka Yorinobu looked out the window and sighed softly after a long while.

I wonder if we can successfully obtain Silverhand's Relic chip this time. That crazy rock kid, everyone wanted him dead when he was alive, but now that he's really dead, he's become incredibly sought after.
Can the internet police, Ultraman, and Mercer's Squad—these outside forces—truly help him successfully overthrow his father?

Arakasaka Yoriyuki remained silent for a while, then found a bottle of foreign liquor and took two big gulps.

Just do your best and leave the rest to fate!
(End of this chapter)